Hi
My husband and I are planning to visit France for two weeks in the edn of June this year. We were planning to use the first week in exploring the south of France and neighbouring regions like Monaco, Cannes, Bordeaux. We do not have much information on the best places to visit in the 1 week time frame that we have. I would like your help in shortlisting 6-7 places that we can cover. Also we would be landing in Paris and were planning to take a road trip, is thsi a good idea or you think train would be our best bet. I would really appreciate if you could tell us few of the must visit sites like beaches, historical places, cute little village with magnificent chateaus. Also would like to know about our lodging options( on the cheaper side, like our hilton and sheraton in US) outside of Paris.
Also we would be spending the 2nd week in paris and we will be celebrating our anniversary there, so would like to know a good hotel at a central location. Also apart fromt he world famous sites, please suggest any hidden gems that you might know of.
Thanks
I thought I answered this a week or so ago while we were in France. At any rate, here's another try.
You really can't see the "south of France" in a week. France is the largest country in Europe and the south is mountainous so driving times can be a bit longer than you might expect. Taking trains would give you more time but that almost limits you to larger towns and cities. Depends on what you want to see.
If you only have a week, you might consider flying into Nice (great international airport there) and using that area as your base. There is excellent public transportation or you could rent a car at the airport. We use the bus in Nice and drive when we go inland.
In the Nice area, you can easily visit Monaco, Eze village, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, Antibes, Menton. St. Paul de Vence and Vence villages, Gourdon and Tourrettes-sur-Loup (cute perched villages) and even Grasse (the perfume capitol of France), St. Tropez, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Cagnes-sur-Mer for starters. It is an area rich in history and incredible scenery with something for everyone. Fly into Nice and out of Paris. Rent a car for touring the countryside and train to Paris where you can easily use public transportation.
We use the Logis de France chain of small family-owned hotels when we travel in France. They are clean and nearly all have an excellent restaurant. They vary in size and price so choose what you prefer. They are very French and the owners are friendly and helpful to tourists. http://www.logis-de-france.fr/uk/
Just a thought. Enjoy your trip.