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Post by sistereurope on Aug 6, 2007 11:37:38 GMT -5
Sarastro - so do you think we should take the TGV to Montpieller and get a car there, tour around the south (including Barcelona), then take the car back to Montpieller and TGV it back to Paris? I know that unless I'm careful I'll cram too many things in! I also hate to ride in a car for more than 5 hours a day... I will be sure to ask more specific questions as our trip gets closer and I really start to plan. Thanks for the helpful hints!
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Post by Sarastro on Aug 6, 2007 16:03:05 GMT -5
In a word - yes.
However, why not start in either Perpignan or Avignon. Montpellier is central to these locations and I find picking up and dropping off an automobile at opposite ends of a travel itinerary to be more time efficient.
While we are discussing this region, I might also interject that the two old cities of Aigues Mortes and Carcassonne make excellent touring venues and should be included in any overall itinerary of the area southwest of Provence.
Based upon your particular interests, I might suggest additional locations in this area.
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Post by sistereurope on Aug 7, 2007 8:36:58 GMT -5
I will certainly "pick your brain" as I plan this trip! I had already selected Collioure as someplace that looked interesting. Have you been to Marseillan? That looked interesting to me too. We like old, quaint towns where there are not a lot of tourists (my husband's fluent in French so the language is not a problem). We LOVE good food so local cuisine is important, and love to just sit in a cafe with a coffee, soaking it all in. We also like to walk walk walk and look at interesting architecture...I like to shop but I'm not obsessive about it. We both like the sea (but we'll be there in March so I don't think we'll be swimming And as I've already mentioned, Barcelona is a must for my husband, and we definitely need to make a stop in Montpellier to visit our friend's mom. I was also thinking Aix...see, I get carried away. So any help is appreciated... thanks again!
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Post by sandy on Aug 7, 2007 8:42:03 GMT -5
Sister I can´t help you with Cote d´Azur, but when you go to Barcelona, don´t miss Dali Museum at Figueras, the beautiful beach town of Cadaqués, and Dali´s house at Port Lligat.
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Post by annettecinca on Aug 7, 2007 10:05:03 GMT -5
Does anyone know if the busstation in Marseille is anywhere near the TGV station ? Gitte, I have been searching for a website I used last year that would answer your question, but for the life of me, I can't find it this morning! I'll let you know if I get it tracked down. La Ciotat looks like a beautiful little place to visit!
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Post by Sarastro on Aug 7, 2007 18:05:11 GMT -5
GitteK,
You are correct, La Ciotat is not on my list.
Perhaps you saw it on the map and inferred that its coastal bays were as charming as those of Collioure or Cassis. Alas, they are not; La Ciotat is home to a rather large shipyard. The old port has some charm but on the whole, I cannot recommend La Ciotat as a must-visit tourist destination.
I believe you will be much happier if you visit Cassis rather than La Ciotat.
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Post by Sarastro on Aug 7, 2007 18:30:14 GMT -5
sistereurope, All of the towns along the Etang de Thau have charm and are worth visiting. My personal favorite is Meze. The restaurants found around the edge of the port are mostly excellent: Le Pavois being our favorite. www.ville-meze.fr/One of the most popular places to visit in Marseillan is Noilly-Prat where the wine of that name is produced. Noilly-Prat is located dockside in the old port. www.tourisme.fr/office-de-tourisme/marseillan.htmIf you enjoy seafood, this area is home to one of the world's largest oyster beds. Oysters here are eaten year round and many of the oysters served in the areas restaurants were plucked from the water only hours before they are served. Additionally, an excellent white wine, Picpoul, is produced very nearby. Picpoul de Pinet is a very dry white wine designed to be a perfect companion to the area's seafood. Picpoul de Pinet (the town of Pinet is very near the lake) is one of my favorite wines and at under 5 euros a bottle, anyone can afford it. Note: Picpout de Pinet and a few drops of creme de cassis make an excellent Kir.
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Post by annettecinca on Aug 7, 2007 21:45:40 GMT -5
While Annette is searching - - - - anyone been to Marseille TGV station ? Was there any busses in sight marked "Touristes Danoises pour La Ciotat" ? Gitte, yes I've been to Gare St. Charles: but no, I didn't notice any busses, sorry I couldn't tell you if the bus station was nearby or not. But if this is any help, there are only 2 metro lines in Marsailles and both of them stop at the train station, so you shouldn't have a hard time getting where you need to go.
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Post by sistereurope on Aug 8, 2007 7:43:05 GMT -5
Yes, Sarastro, me too! Thanks for your help...I'll check in after I hear back from my friend who grew up in Montpellier. I'm curious to hear his picks!
Gitte - did you choose that town by looking at pics on the web?
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Post by GitteK on Aug 8, 2007 10:07:58 GMT -5
sister - yep, I did. But now that I have surfed a bit for Cassis also, our learned friend Sarastro has me convinced. Cassis it will be (in about 11 months from now, so you understand that I am in a hurry to make decisions...... ) www.web-provence.com/www.cassis-online.com/index.php
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Post by sistereurope on Aug 8, 2007 10:14:47 GMT -5
I'm right there with you...I've been so carried away with planning our trip in late March/April 08 that I have been neglecting my December trip with poor luckymama! So now I am going to concentrate on that (but of course you KNOW that I will still plan the 08 trip in my "spare" time )
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Post by Sarastro on Aug 8, 2007 16:07:26 GMT -5
When planning a trip to Cassis:
1. Reserve early as the best spots fill quickly. I always refer to the Michelin Red Guide when choosing hotels.
2. When you visit, be sure to take a tour (by boat) of the calanques (rock cliffs). There are several options and prices (depending upon length of the tour). The first few calanques one sees are the most impressive and these are included on all tours. Longer tours (also more expensive tours) cover these and several additional coastal inlets. No matter which tour you chose, you will not miss the principal sights.
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Post by frederickwentworth on Aug 11, 2007 15:05:19 GMT -5
Hello There seems to be a consensus against Nice--how very sad. It is a real city, full of young people, with a lovely old part (Vieux Nice)--crowded, yes, but there will be plenty of peace & quiet when we are dead--multicultural, yes, but this is what I like about it because it is so Mediterranean (Nice was a Greek city in Antiquity, was part of the kingdom of Savoy and Italy till 1860)--popular, yes, but I don't like wealthy, Caucasian ghettoes (we lived in Hancock Park in LA one summer and another summer in Seacliffe San Francisco, thanks but no thanks). There isn't much of a public beach but there are private beaches aplenty (I'll have to ask my wife how much it is for a day--she's in Japan), the water is deliciously warm in summer). The food is superb (Nice cuisine is outstanding) and you can eat in the streets ( that we love). Plenty of small restaurants in Vieux Nice. The climate is perfect (no mistral in summer) and the evenings are just heavenly. My wife and I love to smoke a Cohiba and drink cognac on the Cours Saleya in the evenings--beautiful young people from all continents swarming there, so much dynamism and joie de vivre. There is not all that much to visit but the ambience is perfect, the environment just unique. No wonder so many English tourists (I mean the right sort, decent, cultured, outgoing, fond of good food and wine) love the place and have been there since the early 20th C. I know that some people equal elegance with boredom (the secret of the craze for Lubéron or Eze) because they feel privileged and special but who on the forum would exchange an apartment in the 5th arrondissement for one overlooking St.-François-Xavier in the 7th with a fine view of the mortuary vans coming and going? Those who would should avoid Nice. Yours FW
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Post by Sarastro on Aug 12, 2007 11:05:37 GMT -5
I do agree with fred... that Nice has much to offer but it has changed enormously since my first visit there some 25 years ago. Many find the crowds and traffic disheartening.
I believe the general theme of this thread is not so much Nice bashing but rather for those sufficiently inquisitive, there are indeed interesting locations farther west along the French Mediterranean coast. I agree with a previous poster that the beaches near Perpignan and just south of Montpellier (with the small exceptions I have already noted) are not particularly compelling areas for vacationing. They are recent developments (by large developers), lack charm, and exude a rather cold, urban feeling. These areas are in effect, empty in the off season, and posses no continuity of human spirit, the reassuring feeling that many towns posses with small shops, restaurants, parks, schools, and social organizations. There are indeed places to purchase life's necessities and summertime restaurants but these are part time affairs, places where vendors hope to sell a sufficient amount of merchandise during the season and then they leave.
There are several locations along the western Mediterranean which represent to me what Nice once was, a charming beach location, not yet overrun with foreigners (yes, I am one myself). As I have noted, during August, beaches everywhere are innodated with French vacationers but there are several gems worth visiting otherwise. Perhaps even in the winter.
Hence my list as a guide to other like minded visitors to France.
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Post by sistereurope on Aug 20, 2007 15:27:22 GMT -5
Our April 08 trip is just beginning to come together:
So far, the plan is to fly into Nice and out of Barcelona, taking 2 weeks to drive along the coast. Thanks for putting that bug in my ear Sarastro: it turned out to be the cheapest flight (from Dulles in DC which we hate, but still - right now it's over $100 cheaper than flying into CDG and is even cheaper than a round trip to Nice!) We'll probably spend time at either end (in Nice and in Barcelona), and we'll rent a car and meander along the coast, stopping at some of the wonderful places in between that have been mentioned in this post.
I'm sure I'll be asking many more questions as time goes by and the plan gels...thanks again!
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Post by GitteK on Mar 16, 2008 10:54:19 GMT -5
Cassis, here I come !!!!!! Just made a reservation for 3 nights from 2nd through 5th September in this little hotel in Cassis (recommended to me by Gail from perfectlyparis). www.le-clos-des-aromes.com/cassis-hotel/index.htmSo if should you hear some breaking news on CNN saying "Big White Whale Spotted in the Mediterranean" - that'll be yours truly splashing and paddling ecstatically in the blue waves ! ;D This is the harbour, where I will sit after a long day of swimming and sunbathing and strolling the small alleys. I shouldn't be surprised if I would find myself enjoying a glass of chilled rosé and a plate of nice Provençale cuisine ! And this is what I'll see when I take a tourboat out to "les calanques" - the deep fjords that are "carved" into the coastline from Cassis to Marseille. Here are some more pictures to rub salt into your envious wounds.... www.web-provence.com/villes/cassis.htmwww.france.charterpartner.com/cassis.htm
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Post by cigalechanta on Mar 16, 2008 14:10:24 GMT -5
We loved Cassis and it was there that we tasted our first sea urchins( oursins) in their shells at one of the many cafés that line the port.
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Post by Shoesy on Mar 16, 2008 15:02:51 GMT -5
So Gitte, your days in Cassis will be a little vacation within a vacation.......or simply a nice diversion from "boring" old Paris. ;D Seriously, I can't imagine anyone not enjoying such a lovely place.(I assume that your photos don't lie. ) Yes, you succeeded in making me just a little envious. Hmmm... I should be grateful for the fact that I live just 1/2 hour from the Mediterranean, so I can go to the beach whenever I want, but I must admit that Cassis looks a lot prettier than anything I have here.
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Post by holger on Mar 16, 2008 16:12:09 GMT -5
Gitte, I am thrilled for you. The place looks wonderful and I bet you have a great time. Tried to look at your hotel and it would not download but will try from the office.
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Post by Laidback on Mar 16, 2008 21:26:51 GMT -5
I think you will love Cassis, the harbor is idyllic. We hung out at a quai side restaurant drinking the white wine of Cassis, eating sardines farci, soupe de poisson, calamar and loving the general ambiance. the beaches are for the most part sandy and the calanques are spectacular. We only had one complaint ...swarms of visitors and we were there in Oct. Even if strong winds prevent you from taking a boat to the calanques, you can still see them by foot as we did here There is another slightly less well known, but also delightful, port village a short trip to the east called La Ciotat. Here it is on a stormy day.
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