I apologize in advance for an itinerary question. I looked through the archives as and didn't find anything this specific. I have Rick's Spain and France books but he makes everything sound so good it is very difficult to fit everything into our limited vacation. My wife and I are planning our next big trip for April 2012; we start out in Spain for 6 days and plan on dividing them between Madrid (with day trips to Toledo and Granada/Alhambra) and Barcelona. We then go to Carcassonne for 2 nights and on to the South of France. We will have 8-10 more days and want to hit as many highlights of the area we can before ending up in Nice (to include day trip to Monaco) before the flight home. We will be traveling by train and our interests are mainly historic sites, cultural experiences, and beautiful locations. Maybe a seaside stop (we loved Cinque Terre). We are active and usually look for some type of hiking or biking opportunity. The plan I'm considering is 2 or 3 "home" bases with a variety of day trips available from each. MY list of possible locations is: Nimes, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Toulon ... with day trips to??? I am very interested in hearing your favorite "must see" stops and sights, great home base cities, doable day trips, what to avoid, what you loved... etc. Thanks!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Mark, I have a few suggestions..... You might consider Arles as one of your "home bases" in the south of France. It's a beautiful city with lots of history and a well preserved Roman Amphitheatre. Part of the movie Ronin was filmed there. While in that area, you might consider a day trip to Les Baux de Provence. It's another town with an interesting history (and some nice restaurants). I'm not sure if there are any Buses there from Arles, so you may have to rent a car to get there? Nice is good "home base" for visiting Monaco / Monte Carlo, Villefranche and perhaps Eze. As I recall, the Bus fare from Nice to Monaco was only €1 (it may have increased now?). If you decide to take the Bus, when you arrive in Monaco you can walk up the hill to the city, or take another Bus (will cost you another €1). You can also take a Bus from Monaco to Monte Carlo (although I've also walked between the two areas - it's not really that far). If you want to see the Changing of the Guard in Monaco, I believe that happens at 11:55 each day. Be sure to get a "vantage point" early, as the square in front of the Palace starts to fill up well before that time. Be sure to visit the Oceanographic Museum also - it's really interesting! There's also the Church where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier are interred. Good luck with your planning!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
You might not have as much time in France as you think. It's close to three hundred miles from Madrid to Granada - - a bit long for a day trip. Barcelona's even farther. I'd vote for Nimes as a place to hang your hat in France since it's more central and has more to do when you get back to town in the evenings.