My children need wine! Looking for France travel tips

[pylon]

This thread should be re-named:

"CP 1%er myth confirmed!"

[Cappy]

I doubt you have time but I spent a few days in Corsica a few years ago and absolutely loved it! Cheaper and less crowded with some great beaches and hikes. A car is a must and usually you have to take one on the ferry so it may be a little pricier.

I also really enjoyed Aix-en-Provence and the surrounding area.

I spent a day in Nimes and really enjoyed the city center with a roman coliseum and such. Might be a nice stop over.

Granted I backpacked the whole thing so it was mostly trains. Much different experience driving.

[Tinordi]

My recommendation would be find a small region and stick to it. Loire is good. Languedoc is good. Dordogne is good. Normandy. I really liked Alsace honestly. The Vosges mountains are great. The history and beauty of the Alsace is fantastic. And, of course, the wine and food. Choucroutte, Riesling, Munster cheese.

[troutman]

Carcassonne:


Sancerre:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ites_in_France

[tete]

Sigh, all of these photos and recommendations makes me want to go back to France again. I also loved Brittany, Champagne region, Lorraine and Alsace.

[edslunch]

We did a similar trip 15 years ago. Stayed in Paris for a week then took the TGV to Provence. Rented a nice small farmhouse in St Remy for cheap ($500 for a week) through Gites de France. Highly recommend that site for private rentals.

Avignon and Aix are great to visit or presumably stay in.

Funny story on kids and wine.....my wife was 6 months pregnant with our first and they had no problem serving her wine (she only sipped) but practically kicked her out of the restaurant when she asked for coffee....Bad for baby!

[Bill Bumface]

We stayed in Nice, which I loved, and did a bunch of train trips along the coast (Cannes, Monaco, etc.).

One place we spent a day at that I loved, and would consider looking into as a base was Villefranche:

[Mark]

I really enjoyed Nimes in the South. Great feel, lots of those typical bustling, narrow streets, and well preserved Roman buildings.

The latest National Geographic Traveler had an article about a less touristy alternative to Provence.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com...nce-of-france/

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

We stayed in Nice, which I loved, and did a bunch of train trips along the coast (Cannes, Monaco, etc.).

One place we spent a day at that I loved, and would consider looking into as a base was Villefranche:

WOW, that place looks amazing.

[Redliner]

I lived in France from 1995-1997 and went back with my wife in 2011, but still haven't made it to the med. So much other cool stuff to see.

Cut Paris down to 4-5 days. Once you've seen all the big stuff (Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, etc) the rest of it is kind of just different versions of the same stuff. The catacombs are worth a visit but you only get to see a very small "tourist-friendly" area of them. Versailles is impressive as well but should probably be a full day in itself. After 3 days of fighting the crowds in Paris you'll be ready for a change of pace; especially if you have kids with you.

I don't know Normandy that well but if you're going there, Juno Beach and Mont St-Michel are both can't-miss destinations. Courseulles-sur-Mer (where Juno is) is a great little town with a relaxed vibe but there isn't much there besides the beach and the other WWII sites in the area.

The Loire valley is fantastic. Chambord is amazing just for the sheer size of it, and Chenonceau is ridiculously picturesque. Stay in Blois (which in itself is a very cool city) for a couple of days and you're within easy driving distance of dozens of renaissance chateaux.

If I could choose one place in all of France to send someone to, it would be Sarlat la Caneda. It's a medieval village in the heart of the Dordogne region, and walking through the old town is like stepping back in time 800 years. Again, you're within a 20-30 minute drive of dozens of amazing places. Visit Beynac, Castelnaud, Domme, Milandes, Marqueyssac (gardens), or Lascaux for the prehistoric cave paintings. Rocamadour is a little further out (maybe an hour) from Sarlat but is absolutely worth the visit, and on the same day you could visit Lacave or the Gouffre de Padirac, which is a fantastic undergound cave system that you tour partially by boat. You could easily spend a month in Dordogne and not see half of what it has to offer, and the castles there are more of the dark ages knights & dragons-type ones so it will keep your kids entertained as well. High season definitely gets busy with all the tourists, but the area in general is friendly, (for France) laid-back, and beautiful. One of the reasons I have yet to see much of eastern France is that I love Dordogne so much I never seem to make it past there.

[Table 5]

Hey guys, thanks for the awesome feedback so far (and sorry for the delay in getting back, work hit the fan as soon as I posted). A lot of stuff to chew the fat over in here.

We're definitely toying around with the idea of skipping Paris. Paris for me is not that big of a draw as Ive actually been there a few times already (I even spent a month there as part of the best Art History class ever, care of the UofL), but my wife hasn't. Even though we'd probably skip the really busy/touristy places (Louvre etc) this time, with a 2 year old and a pregnant wife, Im not 100% sure we'd be able to take full advantage right now of all it has to offer.

We were in Alcase two summer ago and that was pretty fantastic, but I'm hoping for a bit of a different experience this time. With all the feedback here, I'm trying to see if there's a way to make it more of a Loire/Dordogne/Provence trip...or maybe just two of those. A friend of mine is really big on Corsica, which could be a cool trip too.

Good to hear there are some good train options along the coast...that's one place that I could see being a pain in the ass to drive...and more to park. While I want to avoid driving all the time, I do find that its the best way to see the country side and the authentic sides of the country away from the tourist traps. And while I'm sure there are some tiny roads in the south of France. Once you've driven in the circus that is Naples, everything else feels like a country cruise.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Mark

The latest National Geographic Traveler had an article about a less touristy alternative to Provence.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com...nce-of-france/

Ha, this is exactly the article that made me think of doing a trip here.

[Kybosh]

I don't think it's been mentioned, but Marseille is worth a visit in my opinion. Pretty cool city with a bit of a gritty feel.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Hey guys, thanks for the awesome feedback so far (and sorry for the delay in getting back, work hit the fan as soon as I posted). A lot of stuff to chew the fat over in here.

We're definitely toying around with the idea of skipping Paris. Paris for me is not that big of a draw as Ive actually been there a few times already (I even spent a month there as part of the best Art History class ever, care of the UofL), but my wife hasn't. Even though we'd probably skip the really busy/touristy places (Louvre etc) this time, with a 2 year old and a pregnant wife, Im not 100% sure we'd be able to take full advantage right now of all it has to offer.

We were in Alcase two summer ago and that was pretty fantastic, but I'm hoping for a bit of a different experience this time. With all the feedback here, I'm trying to see if there's a way to make it more of a Loire/Dordogne/Provence trip...or maybe just two of those. A friend of mine is really big on Corsica, which could be a cool trip too.

Good to hear there are some good train options along the coast...that's one place that I could see being a pain in the ass to drive...and more to park. While I want to avoid driving all the time, I do find that its the best way to see the country side and the authentic sides of the country away from the tourist traps. And while I'm sure there are some tiny roads in the south of France. Once you've driven in the circus that is Naples, everything else feels like a country cruise.

Do we know each other? I think I recommend it to everyone and waiting until I can go back.

We trained the southern coast. Definitely a good and cheap way to get around. May be nice to rent one around Mairseille/Aix as there are plenty of cool towns with no train access.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Cappy

Do we know each other? I think I recommend it to everyone and waiting until I can go back.

Not unless you live in Zurich, ha.

What did you like about it? Is it easy to get around? Did you get there by the ferry? Do you need a car there (Ive heard public transit isn't great in Corsina)? I'm also curious how kid friendly it is.