my boyfriend and I are planning to spend about 3 weeks in France this Summer. We are planning to drive to the South, visiting several locations along the way (camping) and maybe spend a week or so in a nice apartment/challet somewhere. I haven%26#39;t spent much time in France and wondered if anyone had any ideas on routes to take.....East coast or travel down the West? We don%26#39;t have a huge budget so want to do things fairly cheaply. Any recommendations please?!
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www.viamichelin.com will help you plan your route, giving you directions, journey times %26amp; costs.
We have done several different ways there %26amp; back over the last few years, all beautiful. We pick up our Rough Guide, decide how long we want to travel each day %26amp; where we want to see %26amp; then decide where to stay.
One %26quot;must see%26quot; along the way is the Milau viaduct, it%26#39;s a spectacular feat of modern engineering - if you get down to the town of Millau, there is a great view.
Happy planning!
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A couple of ideas for you, assuming you are starting out from Calais...
1) Heading SW from Calais, spend a few days exploring the Loire valley and visiting a few of the splendid and historic châteaux, probably based somewhere close to Tours.
Head south from there into the Dordogne/Lot valleys and spend a few days there visiting the wonderful caves and fortified villages and castles in the area, kayaking on the rivers and so on.
Finally end up somewhere near Biarritz (St. Jean de Luz?) for a few days on the beach, the best surf in Europe, a day-trip into the Spanish Basque country etc. before heading back.
2) Heading south from Calais, spend a few days in Burgundy, based somewhere near Beaune where you will find lovely villages, magnificent vineyards, interesting towns (Dijon, Beaune, Auxerre) and historic abbeys and cathedrals, superb food and wine.
Continuing south down the Rhône valley, spend a few days exploring western Provence with its stunning scenery and hill villages, more interesting towns (Avignon, Arles, Vaison-la-Romaine, etc.), magnificent Roman remains (amphitheatres in Nîmes and Arlse, theatres in Orange, vaison and Arles, and the magnificent Pont du Gard), and tons more.
Head on to the Côte d%26#39;Azur and spend a few days on the beach and exploring the towns and villages along the coast — Menton, Monte Carlo, Nice, Antibes, Cannes, St. Tropez etc.
If you still have an extra day or two head back through the Alps and Alsace on your way home.
All of these are popular areas and all will be crowded if by %26quot;summer%26quot; you mean July and August. I would strongly recommend that you make your trip in June or September to avoid both the crowds and excessive heat.
You could probably spend a week in a rented gîte in any of these areas. Which one would be best depends on your particular interests. Take a look at www.gites-de-france.com/fr/gites_ruraux
Of course neither of these routes actually takes you close to the Millau viaduct (sorry senoraylan!), but you could easily rearrange your return route to go that way, especially from the Côte d%26#39;Azur.
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Very nice plan bty IR.
Driving routes, time estimates:
www.mappy.co.uk/direct/mappy/accueil…
viamichelin.com/viamichelin/…MaHomePage.htm
France rail map, schedules:
…raileurope.com/map_of_europe/france.html
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
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Good advice from everyone, especially if you don%26#39;t know the areas mentioned - they are the top class %26#39;must see%26#39; tourist magnets. But as you have a lot of time, I can%26#39;t resist putting a few more alternatives on your list to google and plan! From Calais, avoid Paris and head through Champagne country - Reims, Troyes - (detour to Burgundy if you like the idea) then across to Vichy and through the Auvergne - the Puy de Dome, le Mont Dore - then you could head for the Dordogne or stay with the volcanic landscapes to le Puy-en-Velay http://www.ot-lepuyenvelay.fr/ then across through Vallon Pont d%26#39;Arc and the Ardèche Gorges to Provence.
According to the AA, the direct Calais-Avignon motorway is 600 miles and 10 hours driving, while Troyes, le Mont Dore, Le Puy-en-Velay and Vallon Pont d%26#39;Arc is 721 miles and 14 hours
It%26#39;s a long time since we%26#39;ve been to the Auvergne, but there is some good countryside, and it won%26#39;t be as busy as the coast!
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I like Diz%26#39;s suggestions a lot also. If you for some reason must travel in July or August or if you just want to get a bit farther off the beaten track some of these regions are splendid. I love the Auvergne. It%26#39;s more rugged than the other areas I mentioned and the scenery is splendid. Lots of great roads to drive and wonderful places to get lost.
The Ardèche gorges are also superb as is the whole Cévennes region in my book.
If you are heading to the Dordogne area in high summer, you can avoid a lot of tourists and still find some wonderful places by sticking more to the upper Dordogne valley and the Lot valley.
Speaking of getting lost, you should probably invest in a Michelin road atlas of France and a Michelin Green Guide if you don%26#39;t already have one.
I mentioned all the major tourist areas in my first post because you said you had not spent much time in France and these are all areas you really should see at some point. But Diz is right to point out that there are many other less well-known areas that are equally delightful in their way.
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Melissa, I hope you have lots of ideas, even though you won%26#39;t be able to do all of them. Just put the unused ones on the list for %26#39;next time%26#39;! As IrishRovr suggests, you need good maps, and I%26#39;d recommend you have a look at books in your local library to decide what really appeals to you both (and if you live near a branch of Stanfords http://www.stanfords.co.uk/ they are brilliant for browsing).
Local tourist information offices in France often have online info - http://www.tourisme.fr/recherche/e_index.htm gives links.
And as you are camping, there is (inevitably) a Michelin guide http://www.michelin.co.uk/travel/camp.htm which is really helpful.
If you are intending to stay somewhere for a week in high season, it%26#39;s probably a good idea to get that booked in advance, even if you leave the overnight stops more flexible.
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Thanks everyone...some great ideas there and lots of helpful stuff for me to think about. I%26#39;ll get planning!
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