We will be traveling to France next spring (late May through June). We%26#39;ll be spending several weeks in Paris then have almost 2 more weeks to expore. I definitely want to go to Provence and was originally planning to do the entire 2 weeks there, but now am thinking a week is probably enough time to do what we want.
So, what to do with the extra week? I haven%26#39;t done a lot of research yet, but so far have considered these areas:
Burgundy/Dijon/Lyon
Dordogne/Salat
Bordeaux/St Jean de Luz
Cote D%26#39;Azur (but will be traveling with our 20 month old, so not sure how much fun this would be..)
I%26#39;ve even considered Barcelona, but that may be a little ambitious. Also, because we%26#39;ll be traveling with our little one, I didn%26#39;t want to spend more than 4 hours in a car or train at a time. Any thoughts on the above areas or any other places I haven%26#39;t considered would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!
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You don%26#39;t say what you%26#39;ll be doing in Paris, or what you have in mind for a week in Provence. If it%26#39;s been quite intense, then a week of just relaxing with the toddler might be fun - in which case, the second week in Provence might be a good bet as it%26#39;ll probably be warm and sunny and you could mix the things you want to do with some visits to a beach, playgrounds, zoos and suchlike which will keep a toddler happy.
On the other hand, when my children were that age, we had some good holidays in Brittany, particularly the south coast near Carnac. Fairly low-key but plenty of different culture for parents, interesting beahes and rockpools for toddlers and crepes for all!
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My boyfriend and I just got back from a lovely 1 month trip to France. We loved it! We went from Paris to Beaune (lovely little town 2 hrs train from Paris) and then went down South and absolutely LOVED Villefranche sur mer. It would give you some good beach time and there were lots of people travelling there with their little ones. It%26#39;s a beautiful little town - and a 10min. train ride between Nice and Monaco (which we were really disappointed with, but had to see them). Another place that we fell in love with to our surprise was Sarlat and all the little towns in the Dordogne region. Beautiful, picturesque French countryside and lots of little towns all very close together - gorgeous. Provence was lovely too...If you don%26#39;t have that much time I would probably do Provence (we found 4 days enough to do all the little towns) and I would treat yourself to some beach time in Villefranche.
Hope that helps!
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All of France is kid-friendly and travelling in the South would be mostly a series of short hops. I would recommend 3 days in Arles-Avignon and then swinging over to one of the hill towns above Nice for another 3. We have done this a couple of times and this May, broke it up by renting a house in the Luberon for a week, but at your age (presumed) I think you will want to see more. You may want to work your way back up to Paris by way of Burgendy or hit a bit of the Dordogne and the Loire valley. I also thought the suggestion that you consider Normandy a good one-more grassy areas and beaches for your toddler.
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Burgundy, by all means--it%26#39;s right on the route from Paris to Provence, has much to see, and the food and wine are great.
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Wow- thanks for all the great suggestions! I will follow up on all, inlcuding considering spending the whole time in Provence as it will enable us to see it at a more leisurely pace.
Griffer: where did you stay in Villefranche? Seems like everything on the Riviera costs an arm and a leg!
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We managed to never spend more than 100 euros at any point on Hotels - in Villefranche we stayed at The Riviera (I think it was 75 euros). It wasn%26#39;t the greatest hotel - but clean and and decent bed, but I think next time I would stay somewhere else with a vew.The only thing about Villefranche is most of the hotels are up a hill from the beach - could be challenging in the heat with a stroller (it%26#39;s not that bad)...and if it was us going back with a baby we would probably do it all over again. There was a nicer hotel right across the street that we had tried to book, but it was full (Hotel le Provencal...which has great views). According to Rick Steves - Hotel Welcome - is the nicer hotel right on the water (no uphill walk) but rooms are much more expensive - starting at 164 euros.
one more thing - if you are in Provence - we used St.Remy as our base which was perfect....very cute small town with a FABULOUS market on Wednesdays. If you stay there, you must stay at Hotel Le Soleil....pefect for kids (has a pool) and very clean, very large rooms and cheap! Just up the street from the little town (5 minute walk...flat road).
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Thanks for the tips! The %26#39;problem%26#39; with France is there%26#39;s so many great spots... everytime I hear about a new area, I want to include it on our itinerary. Too many wonderful choices!
I%26#39;m glad to hear the comments about St. Remy. If we only spend a week in Provence, I think that is where we%26#39;ll likely base ourselves. Can you believe Hotel de Soliel is already booked for June?? I%26#39;m thinking about Mas Carissins but recent reviews have me feeling a little nervous about the place. btw, was it a problem getting to L%26quot;isle Sur de Sorgue for Sunday market from there? What time did you have to leave?
Will you be posting a trip report? I%26#39;d love to know about any other sights, restaurants, etc. you think are worthwhile. We also may be spending an overnight in Beaune as my husband knows someone who lives closeby.
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Jeem: Would like to have more info on how you rented the house in Luberon. My family %26amp; I (7 of us) want to rent a place in Provence next Sept. %26amp; have been burning up the computer researching stuff. Help, anyone??
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