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France - France in Winter

Expert: Terry Casey - 10/25/2009

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QUESTION: Hi Terry. We are arriving in Paris end of December, and plan to spend 5 days exploring. Then we would like to drive to Provence -we have allowed 7 or 8 days to do this trip. Can you suggest the best places to stop and visit, and those to just drive through? We like to explore food and culture as well as a balance between countryside & cities.

ANSWER: Hi . . . Tina from Australia!

From your question, it seems that you are planning on five days around Paris in late December and then taking a week going down to and exploring Provence, etc. Am I understanding your timing schedule correctly, or is your plan a total, net time in France of only about five days?

Tell me more! Then, with more background from you, I can make better, more specific suggestions on what best fits your needs and interests.

On driving down from Paris, there are several factors to consider. First, the traffic and congestion in and around Paris can be time-consuming and not always fun given the potentials for construction, accidents, etc. Possible, but it takes time. Would you be driving from de Gaulle airport or main Paris? Second, the options driving down from Paris are maybe "OK" or average. Not terrible or great. Personally, I would rather go down by rail on the super nice TGV train traveling up to 199 mph and getting from main Paris to Avignon in only two hours and 35-40 minutes.    Just driving down from Paris can take most of a day and involves lots of "windshield time" on superhighways. There are more scenic highway options, but then your speed slow significantly and it takes much more time.

You could also drive or take the train to Dijon or Beaune and then explore some of the wonderful Burgundy area. Then you could go by car or train to Provence.

Below are some notes and tips on Provence, Burgundy, etc.   Do you need some suggestions for Paris?

Does this start to help a little? What are your reactions and needs for added information? Be happy to provide additional info and answer other questions after learning more from you. Be sure to complete the evaluation section so that our "bosses" on this volunteer service know we are working hard to make inquiring minds as happy as possible. ENJOY! Merci Beaucoup!

Thanks. Terry Casey in Columbus, Ohio

PROVENCE: WHY IT IS A GREAT PLACE? ITS WONDERFUL OPTIONS:

Why do people love Provence? It is a region having a love affair with the land, earth and environment. The landscape is lush and verdant. Open-air markets have baskets of fresh herbs, fruits, flowers, fabrics, etc. The colorful spirit of the Mediterranean fills the air. Provence is nature at its purest. The sky is a piercing shade of blue. Fields are abundant and the air is clear. The climate ensures that spring, summer and fall yield magnificent and varied harvests. Throughout France, Provence is known for the best of everything natural. People in the area take great pride in these natural traditions for what they grow and how it is prepared in each village and every kitchen.

LOCATION: Provence has at its southern edge the famed Cote d’Azur with its wonderful coastline along the Mediterranean Sea. Generally Provence is consider the area east of the Rhone River with the Alps being the eastern border. Provence enjoys a southern sun that shines 320 days yearly, giving the region blue skies and mild temperatures year round. It is most picturesque in the spring with its flowering trees and shrubs. Summer offers local markets full of fresh harvests. Mid July is when the lavender field are in full bloom, filling the country air with a soothing fragrance. The Mistral winds can bring icy temperatures on bright sunny days. Getting lost can be fun in Provence. You can stumble across a charming village, history abbey or great tree-lined roadway.

KEY PROVENCE LOCATIONS:
AVIGNON is "one of the great art cities of France". Its old part of town has the Papal Palace, seat of Popes 1309-1377, street musicians perform near palace; art museum in Place du Palais open Wednesday through Monday, population of 87,000, town is on Rhone River. Once the religious, political and financial capital, Avignon is today a cultural capital and plays host annually in July to the largest festival of live theatre in the world. It has some of the best example of Gothic architecture in Europe.

AIX-EN-PROVENCE (population of 125,000) with Cezanne's studio on the road to Entremont; university town founded 122 B.C. as first Roman settlement in Gaul, near thermal springs, dining at Gu et Fils. An elegant and beautiful town, the visitor will enjoy discovering its ‘thousand fountains’ as he or she roams through its labyrinth of narrow streets. Aix-en-Provence is also renowned worldwide for its unique classical music festival.

Car travel to such nearby areas as ARLES, highest priority area city with Roman ruins, including 20,000 seat arena where bull fights are held in the summer; founded 49 B.C. by Julius Caesar, population of 52,000, Van Gogh's former home. Tarascon has its 15th century castle. LES BAUX is a very neat medieval village with great views that has no major population now, but tourist flock to soak up its history and great views. You should dine right near there at L'Oustau de Beaumaniere for ONE OF THE BEST MEALS YOU CAN HAVE IN FRANCE (lunch is more affordable).

This website gives some excellent info on the area, plus this excellent Michelin two-star rated dining place:
http://www.relaischateaux.com/en/search-book/hotel-restaurant/oustau/region

NIMES was settled 121 B.C. and has a population of 140,000. Around the time of Julius Caesar, Nimes was a bustling city on the strategic Via Domitia linking Rome to Iberia/Spain. Nimes's arena, temple and nearby aqueduct are among the best-preserved in all of the former empire. Cars are banished from the compact old city dotted with other ruins, enhancing the feel of yesteryear. The Maison Carre is an almost impossibly pristine Roman temple.

ST. REMY has its Roman ruins, a population of 9000 and is the setting of world-famous literature. Saint-Remy is one of the most representative of Provençal towns and allows the visitor to appreciate the true charm of this oft-celebrated region of the country. It comes as no surprise that Saint Remy, like Cannes or Saint Tropez, is a destination for many well-known personalities. This Gallo-Roman village is on the plains 20 km south of Avignon. Residents more recent than the Romans include Dr. Schweitzer, Dr. Nostradamus and Van Gogh. The picturesque, old village is protected by the circular 14th-century wall which is lined by its protective circle of buildings. Its dolphin fountain is located in the shaded square in front of a 16th century old convent. This is a busy, active village, with a good selection of restaurants and hotels for the traveller. Among the shops are a few with some regional pottery, including some beautiful sunflower plates influenced by Van Gogh. The road between St. Remy and the autoroute (at Cavaillon, 17 km to the east) is a scenic drive out of the past: the road is lined by plane trees .

PONT DU GARD (Roman aqueduct/bridge) to the west of Avignon is a must see; Saturday AM market at Uzes near Pont du Gard can be totally charming and wonderful.

Try good Provence website of:
www.provencebeyond.com

Try Avignon’s official tourism office:
www.avignon-et-provence.com

For St. Remy:
http://www.saintremy-de-provence.com/anglais/ssomm.htm

COASTAL SUGGESTION: The old village of Eze, along the coast between Nice and Monaco, hangs up in the mountains above the water and crowds. It's wonderful to visit. Great, great views! Totally charming! Have lunch or dinner there at one of the two great eating places and feel like you're sitting on the edge of paradise! At 1,407 feet above the Mediterranean, Eze offers commanding views of cliffs, sea, sprawling estates and off-shore islands. The village's narrow streets or more really paths among the buildings lead to the Jardin Exotique It is a maze of paths flanked by mammoth flowering plants and spiky cactuses. For about $3, you can walk up to the best view on the French Riviera. On a clear day, you can see Corsica! It does not get much better than Eze. Their tourism office:
www.eze-riviera.com

CONGESTION, TRAFFIC WARNINGS: Be properly warned that Nice, Cannes, Monaco, etc. can and will be extremely crowded during their peak tourism periods. Lots and lots of people (both residents and visitors), too many cars, too few highways and limited land between the mountains and sea to hold all comfortably and easily. The movies have made these large cities seem attractive and appealing. Do not Cary Grant and Grace Kelly seem to be having fun there? So glamorous and exciting?! For movies, they make it seem so wonderful. If you are rich and in the “best, right” areas, it can seem and be wonderful. BUT, that congestion might be a turn-off. It depends on what are you expecting, seeking and willing to pay for to hang with the rich and avoid the mobs in these famed areas.

WEATHER/BEACHES FOR THIS AREA? It is NOT always hot and perfect beach weather during all months of the year in this region, especially in the November to April period. Also, the beaches are not all perfect, nice and sandy, gently sloped, etc., as some have experienced in Florida, the Carolinas, California, etc. The movie images paint a perfect picture! BUT, in many areas for some months, the beaches can be rocky and the weather mostly in the 50's and 60's. Sunny, probably. Windy, maybe. Not trying to be negative, just realistic! Timing in this area is important! Movie-like expectations must be matched with reality and your timing for visits in this area. Also some of the best beaches in a few peak areas are reserved for private hotel or resort use only. Not all of the best beaches are open to the general public.

CAR RENTALS OPTIONS:
We have had excellent success with
www.autoeurope.com
Their phone toll-free is 1-888-223-5555 (North America only).
There are also rail-auto plan options through raileurope.com
Avis has lots and lots of location around France and Europe.
Don’t assume one price will be the THE PRICE, best price. Make an advanced booking at a good price, but keep check back as different specials will come up, especially in these fast-changing economic times.

WEB-MAPPING FOR FRANCE:
Use this website to get any detailed maps you need. Scroll to the bottom of the page and follow the directions with your details on where are coming from and going to. It will give both graphic maps and written point-by-point instructions.
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/main.adp?country=FR
or
http://www.mapquest.com/directions/europe.adp?do=nw

RAIL SCHEDULES: You can go to this website
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/triprequest.htm
or
www.raileurope.com
and check all of the various train options, timings and costs on rail travel within Europe through the "schedules" option on their web page. For some routings, such as Avignon to Barcelona or Nice to Rome, it will not yield results. You will be need to break it out into separate routings such as Nice to Genoa, then Genoa to Rome. Great, very useful site!

BURGUNDY and the nice-sized town of BEAUNE can be wonderful with its famed wine areas, beautiful country, great history, etc. You can check more from here:
www.ot-beaune.fr
www.beaune-burgundy.com

Its famed Hospices de Beaune has a colorful roof, unique architecture and great history. It dates to 1452 and its founding by the Duke of Burgundy as a hospital for the poor. The town of about 22,000 people is very walkable with interesting shops, markets, etc. There are approximately 100 castles, medieval towns and chateaus around in the scenic Burgundy area. Beaune is a great home base for exploring around the countryside, seeing wine places, etc.   They used the vines that were originally brought to Burgundy by Julius Caesar, meaning that it was the Romans who started these legendary wines of today.

DINING: Assuming you're not looking for the high-end, pricy places, the great news is that most any place will be very good to great to excellent. It's hard to have a bad meal in France!! The secret is to do some asking where you are staying and/or of others you meet there for their local suggestions. Then apply the eyeball test! If it looks touristy and the people sitting there (or the staff) are bored and uninterested, then that place probably should be avoided. If it looks like there are locals there and/or they are enjoying it, then it will probably be very good. Or maybe even better!

Here's a good "balancing suggestion" for saving your dining budget. Grab your lunch at one of the many bakeries/boulangerie/patisserie shops. Most are very cute and wonderful. Great breads! Get a sandwich, pastry, drink. Maybe some cheese. Other nice fresh things. Maybe spend only $4-5-6 a person. Eat in a park area or bench in Paris or the country side. Like a little picnic! Saves money and time during a busy day. Allows a little more budget for dinner in the evening.

FINAL KEY POINT: Read up, in advance, with such books (maybe from your library) as Eyewitness France (great maps and pictures) . . . or the Michelin Green books . . . to help you target what you most want to see and enjoy to fit your needs and taste. Don't wait until you get there to decide what you want to do. And be flexible. There could be strikes, rain, etc. that will require you to be able to adjust quickly to take advantage of your best available options each day.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Terry - thanks for your reply. Yes we are staying 5 days in paris, then an additional 5 days which we had thought would be nice to drive down to provence. We would also be leaving from main Paris. So, if we took your advice, and took the TGV to Dijon, how long would you suggest in this region? And how long would it take to then drive down to provence? would you suggest more time in this region?
We are 3 adults and our thoughts were to take in the country side, and discover some of the nicer parts of France via car. We would like to experience the culture of France - we thought driving would enable us to 'explore'. Let me know what you suggest.. Thank you!!

Answer
Hi . . . again . . . Tina from Australia!

Thanks for the added background and nice/high ratings.

In the Burgundy area, we really liked Beaune best as it is smaller and easier to absorb and manage. One to two days can work well in that Burgundy areas. More is possible, but you don't want to short your time in Provence. From Beaune to Avignon, as an example, it takes 3 hours 30 minutes to travel by car the 235.12 miles.

YES! Agree that driving in Provence is the best way to better experience this great area, its culture, etc.

What part of Australia are you from? That is a key destination for our future "MUST SEE" wish list.

Any other questions on France?

ENJOY! Merci Beaucoup!

Thanks. Terry Casey in Columbus, Ohio

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