Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Depending on the length of your trip, and taking geographic proximity into account, here
are my recommended priorities:
3 days:
Paris and maybe Versailles
5 days, add:
Normandy
7 days, add:
Loire
10 days, add:
Dordogne, Carcassonne
15 days, add:
Provence, the Riviera
18 days, add:
Burgundy, Chamonix
21 days, add:
Alsace, northern France
23 days, add:
Basque Country
For a day-by-day itinerary of a three-week trip, see the sidebars (one for drivers and
one for people using trains and buses) later in this chapter.
If all you have is a week and it's your first trip to France, do Paris, Normandy, and
the Loire.
Foramorefocused10-to14-daytripthathighlightsParis,Provence,andtheRiviera,
fly into Paris and out of Nice. After touring Paris, take the TGV train from Paris to Avign-
on, rent a car there, and drop it in Nice (or use trains, buses, and minivan tours to get
around). This trip also works in reverse.
Travelers with a little more time could add Burgundy and/or the Alps, which are
about halfway between Paris and Provence and easy to explore by car or train.
Latespringandfallarebest,withgenerallygoodweatherandlightercrowds,thoughsum-
mer brings festivals, reliable weather, and long opening hours at sights.
Europeans vacation in July and August, jamming the Riviera, the Dordogne, and the
Alps (worst from mid-July to mid-August), but leaving the rest of the country just lively
enough for tourists. And though many French businesses close in August, the traveler
hardlynotices.Mayweekendscanbebusy—manyFrenchholidaysfallinthismonth—but
June is generally quiet (outside of Paris).
Winter travel is fine for Paris, Nice, and Lyon, but you'll find smaller cities and vil-
lages buttoned up tight. Winter weather is gray, noticeably milder in the south (unless the
windisblowing),andcolderandwetterinthenorth.Sightsandtouristinformation offices
keepshorterhours,andsometouristactivities(suchasEnglish-languagecastletours)van-
ish altogether. On the other hand, winter travel allows you to see cities through the lens of
