We are planning a 28 night trip to France, end of May and into June, most likely. We%26#39;ve been to Paris before, so are only spending 5 nights there before picking up a car and heading west to Giverny, Omaha Beach and Mont St Michel before heading down to the Avignon area, strictly transitting between MSM and the Avignon area along a scenic route. We are giving ourselves 5 nights for this leg.
Then we will have 11 or 12 nights in Provence. We don%26#39;t like to pack up and move often, so are thinking of 2 or 3 stays in Provence, taking in the western part of Provence (Nimes,etc), the Carmargue, the villages around Roussillon, and along the Cote d%26#39;Azure. We are interested in staying in smaller villages as opposed to, say, Avignon, but haven%26#39;t nailed down where yet. All suggestions of favorite stays would be welcome (and yes I%26#39;ve read these forums extensively).
From there we%26#39;d like to go up to Chamonix to do some hiking, and return to Paris via Colmar or Riquewihr. We are figuring about 5-6 nights for this leg of the trip, since, again, it will be merely transitting on a scenic route after Chamonix.
Is this overly ambitious? We assume this will be our only trip to France, and while we want to see as much as possible, the older we get, the more we like to smell the roses (lavender? I know, too late for poppies, too early for lavender!) We do not mind driving though (having driven all over Ireland, Scotland, Italy and Greece), and we love to hike, and are particularly fond of ruins, mountains and water. Wineries are not a major focus of ours (just the drinking of it!) as we live in wine country.
Sure wish air fares would come down! Oh, we are probably staying in a VRBO apt. we found in Paris. We%26#39;ve stayed at VRBO properties half a dozen times (and are doing so again in 3 weeks for our daughter%26#39;s wedding) and have always been very happy.
Any thoughts? Merci! (oh yeah, we%26#39;ll be cramming our French lessons!)
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Hi siouxxie, Great plans, plenty of time !! You might make the lavender !!!
lavender
http://www.real-provence.com/lavender.htm
lavender
www.web-provence.com/outings/lavande.htm
Scenic driving maps and planning
viamichelin.co.uk/viamichelin/…
Gordes and the Abbey
http://www.provence-infos.com/luberon2.htm
grande-traversee-alpes.com/je-voyage/par-la-…
Have a great time !!!
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Hi Soiuxxie,
Hope that you will consider maybe staying in Western Provence for 7 nights and then relocating toward the East for the remainder of your time. Provided that your stay starts on a Saturday night (most house rentals, especially in-season run from Saturday to Saturday) you could establish a base at a house and use the days to explore the area rather than having to relocate several times. The area is full of wonderfully preserved Roman ruins(St. Remy, Nimes, Arles, Vaison-la-Romaine) as well as a number of historically important Medieval sites. Furthermore, since you will be there in June, the hiking trails that are most often closed because of concerns about forest fires starting in mid-summer should still be open.
As an AlpillesGal, naturally, I am going to recommend that you base yourselves there, but I am sure that other Forum members will come up with equally good (well maybe not equally good, ha-ha) suggestions for places to use as a base. Above all, I hope that you will choose one of the smaller towns like St. Remy or even a village such as Maussane-les-Alpilles as a base, as these types of places have all of the amenities that you will need (restaurants, shopping, bistrots etc) and they also have a really Provencal atmosphere unlike the larger cities.
I suggest that you ask Toutou for her tip-sheet as I am certain that you will find it helpful as you continue to make your plans. Also, let me know if you would like a copy of my Traveller%26#39;s Aid for Provence. It%26#39;s a Word doc. that I created some years ago to help friends who were going to visit the area for the first time.
Just one other thing. Please look into the possibility of doing a Lease/Purchase for your car. We have been doing this for many years and love getting a new car that is exactly what we specify with regard to model, transmission type, and, most important of all fuel. We always get a diesel fueled car because they get considerably more KPL (or MPG) and fuel is really expensive in France. We use Kemwel (www.kemwel.com) and have always been pleased with their service.
AlpillesGal
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Alpilles gal, could you please explain the concept of lease/purchase to me? I%26#39;ve heard of this before but just don%26#39;t %26quot;get%26quot; why this makes sense for me, a foreign tourist.
We are thinking of stealing a night from Provence to spend just a tad more time in the French Alps. But even travel guide books do not spend much time on the French Alps and the Chamonix area where we want to hike. Rick Steves really had the most, but as I am not a fan, I had to pass it up. Will do lots of internet research instead.
When we travel, we generally like to rent apts, houses, whatever, instead of hotel rooms (we%26#39;re not real hotel %26quot;people%26quot;) I like having a refrigerator to keep breakfast items (and wine as needed!) and for the same amt of money, always more space. But the Sat-Sat rental probably will not work out for us this time, so if we can%26#39;t rent 4 days at a time, we will probably end up in inns or B%26amp;B%26#39;s. because we have to divide our 11 or 12 days in Provence among 3 areas, that%26#39;s how we%26#39;ll allocate our staying time, to limit too much back-tracking. We would, of course, prefer to stay in one place for 7 or 10 days, but alas, that is not to be this trip!
Thanks for the input! Anyone else?
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You sound just like us except we don%26#39;t do the hiking bit. Our last trip covered much of what you wish to do, so may I suggest you look at our website and my travel blog and if you want further info let us know.
www.nickbooth.id.au
www.lynnbooth.blogspot.com
I adored the Millau viaduct and the view of it from our chateau window. We have spent a week in Uzes on one trip (also on the website) and a week in L%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue this last trip and loved both. My hisband was attracted to the gorges, you may like them for hiking.
Anyway, let us know if we can be of help.
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Oh, and the lease vs hire thing is about hiring a car vs leasing a new car with guaranteed buyback at the end of the holiday. On the prices available to Australians who seem to get quite good rental rates, it was a bit cheaper to rent through an Aussie agent than to lease for a period of about 6 weeks this year. We ended up renting a VW Golf Diesel and were happy with it. We could have leased a Peugeot for just a bit more.
By the way, with fuel prices as they are, go for a diesel every time. Also, automatic cars are rare on the rental market in France and usually command a higher price.
We have had occasional problems with a rented car before (usually air conditioning) and we have always been able to get a replacement car on the same day. With leased cars, they are yours, and while I understand there is roadside assistance, if there is a real breakdown, you may have to wait for it to be fixed. With a new car this may not happen often but it is a risk.
Rental cars are not quite as easily identifiable as being used by a tourist, except the numberplate may not be local and there is usually a sticker above the petrol tank about what sort of petrol should be used. Leased cars have a distinctive silver on red numberplate which may alert thieves that this is a tourist.
Otherwise, do your sums and decide which option is best for you.
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siouxxie
As you will be traveling 28 days, here are some considerations when renting/leasing a car:
1. Sometime ago leases where much more financially attractive but rentals have become much more competitive in recent years. Generally, a fully insured rental will cost more than a lease (which is always fully insured). What makes the difference when comparing the two is the amount of insurance your credit card will provide. Some cards cover collision on 21 day rentals, some cover less, some cover up to 28 days. If your credit card covers 28 day rentals (as most platinum cards do) renting has a significant cost advantage. If your credit card covers insurance for a period fewer than 28 days, leasing makes more sense for you.
2. On diesel vs. gas - some leases charge a sizable premium on diesels cars (not so with rentals). While diesel fuel most always costs less than gasoline, the margins have narrowed within the past year. If you are planning on a great deal of driving, the diesel car lease premium may be worth accepting.
3. Lease/Purchase - I believe this is simply misapplied nomenclature. There is no official %26quot;purchase%26quot; with the lease itself as far as the driver is concerned. The rationale of the new car lease for non French residents is in tax advantages when the car is sold. In the mean time, you%26#39;ll have a red license plat indicating that the normal sales taxes have not been paid.
4. It pays to check around for best pricing keeping in mind that a lead time of several weeks (or more) is required before you can pickup your car:
http://www.renault-eurodrive.com/
www.peugeot.com/services/openeurope/en/
http://www.autofrance.net/
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Hi again siouxxie,
Sorry that you don%26#39;t think that the Staurday to Saturday rental will work out for you, especially since some of the best places to hike are relatively close together (I%26#39;m thinking about the Luberon, Les Alpilles and even Mont Ventoux) and are also relatively close to the wonderful historical sites that I mentioned in my previous post. While I suspect that you will probably not be able to arrange for a 4 night rental, you might want to ask, since you are not going to be there during the real High Season and there%26#39;s always the chance that a potential renter would rather have 4 night%26#39;s rental money as opposed to an empty house and wallet.
By the way, I thought that my husband and I were the only ones who weren%26#39;t big Rick Steves fans - welcome to the club.
Here are a couple of books that you may find helpful in deciding where to hike in Provence:
1. France on Foot, by Bruce LeFavour and Edith Eddemeyer
2. Walking in France: Exploring France%26#39;s Great Towns and Finest Landscapes on Foot, by Gillian and John Souter
3. Lonely Planet Walking in France, by Sandra Bardwell, Miles Roddo, Gareth McCormack and Helen Fairbairn
AlpillesGal
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WE have refined our trip based on observations and suggestions (and the return of our common sense). we will spend 6 days in Paris (our second trip), from which we will take a day trip to visit a couple of chateaux, and another half day for Giverny.
Then we will take the train down to Avignon on a Friday, spend the night there and pick up a car on Saturday and have booked a Sat-Sat accommodation, probably in Sorgue (still looking--any suggestions welcome). From there, 2-3 nights down to Arles or maybe Cassis for a %26quot;water fix%26quot; and then 4 nights @ Nice. Then up to the mountains at Chamonix and spend a total of 5 nights there and at Annecy before going to Lyon for 2 nights, turning in our car, and taking the train back to Paris for our last night.
We decided we could not do everything we wanted and still have a sane trip, so we had to let go of any time in Alsace, Normandy, MSM, and the parts of the Dordogne we wanted to visit. They will have to wait for another trip!
Does this make more sense?
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Don%26#39;t confuse Sorgue with L%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue. Different towns.
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