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Post by mez on Mar 4, 2009 23:57:04 GMT -5
Hi everyone!
If you had 5 weeks in France where would you visit?
Assuming I am still employed and that travel expenses have not increased significantly, I am hoping that my next trip will be in 2010. My initial thoughts are to rent a Paris apartment for the entire stay and either make days trips or trips over several days to other places in France.
I have started to do some research but there is nothing like a personal recommendation. Apart from Paris and walking the Tour du Mt Blanc route(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_du_Mont_Blanc) I have not ventured into France.
At this stage I am hoping to be there around April/May/June.
Mez
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Post by phread on Mar 5, 2009 3:51:56 GMT -5
What are you particular interests? One of my fantasies that I have not yet been able to realize would be a four day biking tour in a loop from Dijon, through the Bourgogne region to Beaune and back.
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Post by holger on Mar 5, 2009 8:15:20 GMT -5
You could spend at least two days in Lyon, the old silk city and a great plac for eating well. The old city and the traboules are fascinating as is the Silk Museum and some existing weaver shops. I also enjoy Dijon and then using it as a base for the wine country.
But one of my favorite regions outside Paris is the Dordogne. It is a dramatic part of France and we based in Sarlat for several days and toured several Upper Paleolithic caves. Want to return someday soon.
Still want to go to Normandy and areas in that region as well.
It really depends on your interests as France is a very diverse country and then there is our well loved Paris.
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Post by kerouac on Mar 5, 2009 8:27:08 GMT -5
I would happily spend a few days in La Rochelle, Montpellier, Marseille, Strasbourg or La Baule if I had the time. Of course, these cities are not exactly in the same direction.
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Post by mez on Mar 5, 2009 8:30:40 GMT -5
I know I have asked a 'how long is a piece of string?' question so thanks for getting me started.
As for interests, it's probably easier to say that I am not interested in extreme sports or crazy nightlife experiences - lol.
I am interested in museums and art galleries. Holger, your suggestiong of the silk museum sounds good. I probably won't explain it properly but I like the oldness of Europe and the physical geography of Europe. Old buldings, interesting architecture, royal residences and churches are wonderful. I love dramatic views and scenery - the green on trees and plants in France and Europe is so different from here. yes, we have green trees but it just seems to literally pale in comparison.
Phread, I have been thinking about doing a bike ride. The route you mention - is this something you would organise yourself, or is there a company that offers it?
Mez.
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Post by phread on Mar 5, 2009 8:36:44 GMT -5
Mez, I am sure tours exist, but I organized it myself. Lonely Planet has a good guide for cycling France. Bourgogne is an easy region.
You shoud look into a trip to Mont St Michel if you like old buildings.
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Post by Anne on Mar 5, 2009 9:02:47 GMT -5
ALSACE ! ;D 3-4 days to visit Strasbourg, Colmar and drive down the vineyard road (a few more days if you'd rather cycle this hilly road  ) . I'll help you organize it . |
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Post by Jody on Mar 5, 2009 9:38:53 GMT -5
I second Holger's suggestion for a few days in Lyon. We also liked Brittany and the coastal towns and Quimper.
Of course the Loire would fulfill all your chateau dreams. Dijon and Beaune are also close and you could see some of the wine country.
Lille has great art museums and the WWI battlefield tours are interesting. Ieper is a lovingly restored medieval town . I like the countryside in Normandy, but at the risk of sounding unAmerican I did not find the beaches very interesting, except Arromanches. They lack the somber feel and personal loss of the WWI sites, IMO.
We hope to finally make it to the Dordogne this year. I left our trip last year until too late in the year and things were closing for the season.
And I do want to get to Strasbourg on our next trip.
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Post by Katharine on Mar 5, 2009 17:04:52 GMT -5
Well, I'll put in a plug for Provence or maybe Languedoc-Roussillon. Also, I loved the countryside in Normandy.
As far as I am concerned, you really can't go wrong because, heck, you'll be in France! ;D
Katharine
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Post by Anne on Mar 6, 2009 2:50:52 GMT -5
IAnd I do want to get to Strasbourg on our next trip. I'll gladly help you too, Demarais |
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Post by cigalechanta on Mar 6, 2009 11:40:25 GMT -5
We stayed in Colmar when we visited Alsace and a chateau in Lorraine before staying in Annacy on the lake. I treated my husband for his birthday at the illhaerusern
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Post by mez on Mar 7, 2009 0:31:16 GMT -5
Thanks everyone! I'm off to continue researching.  |
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Post by sistereurope on Mar 12, 2009 10:23:13 GMT -5
How's your research going Mez?
Since no one has mentioned it, I will put in a plug for Nice. We had such a great time going from Nice to Provence to Barcelona. Of course, I don't think I'd try that route during the height of the summer season...I would stick to the northern ideas. But I loved Nice and Provence (the Luberon and Avignon).
Sigh...to have 5 weeks in Paris and France. What a treat!! I must rail about the stingy US vacation policy...I have 4 weeks (3 weeks vacation and my office closes during the Christmas holiday), which is deluxe in comparison to most people here, and still, it's not enough!!!
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slowpoke
Full Member
Cruising into Paris
Posts: 131
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Post by slowpoke on Mar 12, 2009 18:21:24 GMT -5
One of the best vacations that we ever had was 4 weeks in France. In fact, that is why we live here now.  We stayed one week in Nice and took train trips up and down the Côte d'Azur, with one train trip to Italy. We happened to be there during the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix, and every day was a new adventure. For the next week, we picked up a rental car and drove to a Gîte that we had rented in Provence. With the book, The Markets of Provence, we drove to a market every morning, and picked up treats for our evening meal. After spending the morning exploring the market and that village, we would drive to a new village where we would have our main meal of the day, spending 2-3 hours enjoying the setting, the food and the wine, and then walking it off exploring that village. After a full day, we would return to our gîte in the early evening to swim in the pool and relax before a simple dinner of fresh tomatoes and goat cheese and other market treats. On the 3rd week, we rented a canal barge and spent a week on the Canal de Bourgogne. That was the week that we fell in love with canal cruising and all that the small villages along the canals have to offer. That is also why we eventually came back to France to live on a barge. The 4th week was spent in Paris, and by then we were relaxed and ready for a big city experience. Breaking up a 4 or 5 week trip into one week segments made the vacation feel more like 2 months than 4 weeks. We never felt rushed. We felt as thought we got to know each area, we fell in love with France, and it ultimately lead us back here to live. No matter where you choose to spend your time, I would only suggest that you spend a week in each location. |
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) .
hahahha