Hello everyone,

Just after returning from Greece, I am in a panic mode because I usually know where we would like to go the year after, but it is not the case this time. So, I started to look into France because my husband needs to visit his family in Belgium and I was thinking to connect with France because of flights. Also, our son is starting school this August, so bye bye September and June, we can only vacation in July or August now.

So here how it starts:

1-We would fly to Paris and train to Brussels (Thalys). then back to Paris by train after a few days in Belgium. This part is fixed as our son wants to take Thalys absolutely.

2-I then was thinking of going to Dordogne by car for about 4-5 nights, may be an overnight in between. I almost succeeded to convince my husband to drive in France (After Palermo and Sicily we should be able to be ok in France). We are completely fluent in French. But I need help here to plan this portion. Dordogne looks attractive to us because of all activities including canoeing.

3-We have to go to the beach absolutely as this is our yearly vacation and we miss the Mediterranean so much. So, I was thinking of Bandol for a 2 week rental. Bandol was recommended in the past by kaydee and has train connection. But if anyone has other suggestions for places with good beach and connected by train, please, don't hesitate.

4-Since we travel in early July, I would like to see the fields of lavender, I think it will be the season for that. So need help here for our options. either for day trips or connecting in some way from Dordogne with a car.

5-either come back to Paris by train and after 3 nights flight home, or have a open jaw from Marseille.

We will be able to take 3 weeks to 1 month normally for all this.

Any input is appreciated and will be considered. The prices in July in Europe start scaring me. So, preferably budget options for the poor Canadians such as ourselves please.

It sounds like a fun trip already.

ScottW just returned from the region. He posted some notes and a link to his trip photo album in this thread. There are also some good planning notes in this thread. Kaydee might have some ideas. She has just returned from France. Also here is a group of rentals that several people have recommended and a review on Slow Travel.

Regarding where a beach stay; I don't remember if we discussed the beaches east of Marseille instead of the Riviera beaches. I haven't traveled in this region but we have had several questions recently about travel along the coastal regions between Spain and Marseille. Here is a page with details on beaches in Languedoc. I would also check Peter's Languedoc pages. Here is a map of train access in Languedoc which would help in planning.

Hi Marta,
You have always plenty of great suggestions. Yes, I still have in my notes Villefranche sur mer, which is more in riviera part. I was just trying to keep it as close as possible all together, but I won't eliminate the riviera either because now we have to travel in high season and who knows where the good accommodation will show up.

Since kaydee just returned, she may have some hints on less crowded places in July and also how the weather is usually in that period. Can we swim in the sea?

Yes Villefranche sur Mer is great but it would be very crowded. I'm thinking instead of the beach areas along the Mediterranean south of Aquitaine/Dordogne - closer to Spain - on the SW Mediterranean coast. I don't know much about this area but I think it is less expensive than the crowded area east of Marseille. It may be just as crowded.

Great program, more suited for a month stay than 3 weeks.

If you have 3 weeks and "must" have 2 weeks on a beach and 3 last nights in Paris, that leaves you 4 days in Dordogne and Provence, two regions separated by a long mountain range that entail long drives between.
Especially if you end up with only 3 weeks, best to reserve Dordogne for a future trip.
The reasons are:
- time
- place: Dordogne, in relation to the rest of the places you want to visit, is somewhat far flung.
- Provence combines both lavender and canoe possibilities. See the canoe-under-Pont-du-Gard thread.
- Dordogne itself really deserves a much longer stay; 5-days would just be a drive-through, with long drives every day. It has much more than just canoe-able rivers. Ditto the French Riviera, which also deserves a longer stay, preferably not in July or August.

For example:
- 1 to 2 nights in Paris
- then 1 week in Provence; the lavender is calling your name !
- 10 days in beach place (sorriest to take off 4 days, but a total of 3 weeks mean 21 days for all mortals)
- 2 to 3 last nights in Paris.

If you have a month, then the 2-week beach stay looks much more do-able.
Bon voyage.

Hi Americana,
Yes, I have a feeling too that it will be 3.5 weeks at least and I hope 4 weeks.

For Dordogne as for Provence I am not looking into visiting every single village, but just visiting a couple of places: may be one or 2 grottoes or gouffres, canoe, and a couple of villages. For us it would be a try for a new region and great food. I am too lazy to drive and visit every day. Same for Provence. I know 5 nights sounds short, but many people if not most won't even be able to spend that much in their lives in Dordogne. I have even seen weekend packages. So, if you have a recommendation for a base to stay it would be great.

For the lavender, yes it is calling me, and we could visit a village in Provence from the 2 week stay. Not sure which one and may be Arles this time. Last time we visited Aix. I would be happy to spend just 10-12 days on the beach, but all rentals go by week in high season. Can you imagine now there are lavender field here in Quebec?

Also, if there is a way to connect by using a train I would be happy to get rid of the car and just train to Bandol for example. Or do you think it is better to go towards Barcelona for the beach stay? It is easy to find apart hotels in Spain and I know the area quite well, but I was hesitating doing several countries.

I don't know if this helps, but Juan les Pins is very family oriented. I think that many French people have apartments there. The beach is sandy. You can check it out.

Bases…
For Dordogne: Le Bugue or Limeuil is a good base. Near all the sights, but itself beautiful and never overrun.
For Provence: lavender fields seem to concentrate around Saint Saturnin les Apt, Mur, Monieux. I love Arles - for its Roman sites, its eateries, - but I have not noticed lavender fields near it.
For a beach base: you have excellent ideas. For a lesser known corner, - but all is relative, we are talking about July, - I like the beaches near Sete and Marseillan around the Etang du Thau on the Mediterranean, an area famous for great food and esp its oysters.
Bon voyage.

quote:

Originally posted by Marta:
It sounds like a fun trip already.

ScottW just returned from the region. He posted some notes and a link to his trip photo album in this thread.

Wow, I got referenced!

Nothing to add beyond what everyone else here has mentioned, other than a note on driving. We had spent a week in the Medoc before heading to the Dorgogne, and weren't really prepared for how twisty some of the roads can be. So while distances may seem short on a map, keep in mind that it will take longer to cover those distances than you might expect.

Also, if you can sneak in a visit to a vineyard, you'll be glad you did.

Hi Saddie,
Yes, Juan les Pins has a very nice beach. I hesitated in the past since it is all modern looking and I wasn't too sure if it was like Cannes. But if families are going there it is certainly a possible destination for us. I was attracted by Antibes because it has a great market and it feels as a very nice place. However Juan les Pins could be a more practical choice. They do have aparthotels.

Americana, Thank you so much all suggestions look very nice, I checked them out.

Scott, I read your thread. Thank you for reminding me this. I know it can get really slow at times. We spent 1 hour in Mallorca, Ca Calobra for 14 km of road just because it is so narrow and twisty, barely large enough for 1 big car, but I was afraid there, big buses were taking that road, and the views are fantastic but we had to concentrate on driving not to miss the road.
And yes, I would love to visit a vineyard, I love good wine so much, it is a great idea of activity too. In worst case I will buy some to take, as I have to keep an eye on my husband driving us. We do have a GPS, but often he decides not to listen to it, and so we get lost sometimes. This is why I am still keeping an eye on the maps and road signs.

Anastasia, I remember when I was asking advice on the Costa del Sol, you said you liked Fuengirola. I was in Spain this winter, but we were in a white town one hour from the coast.

We visited Juan for the day a few years ago. It is also very developed. But I do know that there are lots of families, so it must be "kid friendly". It is one of the few towns that has sandy beaches. You can easily drive to Antibes or wherever else interests you. You will have a wonderful time!

Antibes has two white sand beaches.
The smaller one, in a lovely crescent near the old town, is especially nice. You look to your right and have a view of all the imposing villas on Cap d'Antibes. You look to your left and see all the way to Nice and the Baie des Anges.
You can go to the market in the morning, get a picnic then picnic on the beach there (5 min walk, or less).
But in July and August, Antibes will be mobbed. JlP will be mobbed and much less attractive.


The other beach (la Salis) which is bigger is on the edge of the Cap d'Antibes.
You are right: Antibes is tons cooler than Juan les Pins.

Hello everyone,
I just booked a small apartment in old Antibes, so it will be very busy, but I found very hard finding anything in Bandol or other destinations. In any case it would be hard to find something not busy in Europe with good transport and nice beaches, especially in France.
In Bandol the rentals I liked are permanently booked every summer, and the only one I found good is quite expensive and located far from the center.

It was much easier finding a rental in Greece as they have apart hotels. In France either they have small studios or very large flats but the prices are high. Also, some of the owners are still only accepting drafts. The whole draft manipulation and fees doesn't make the price as great and it is also risky. It seems to me as a very old fashioned way of payment sending things by mail back and forth. It works fine if you buy a house or a car because you give it in person.
Some owners do not want to provide any form of contract or rental form which to me is a big no no, since there is no prof at all who has taken the money and for which service.
In any case, I found a nice flat in old Antibes and the owners take a credit card with a minimal fee. They also take paypal, or bank transfer. The transaction was a breeze and they also provided a contract and confirmation of my reservation.
The location is very central too.
Just wanted to provide some advice for people traveling during summer, many of the nice rentals are already booked in France, so if you find something you really like, don't wait too long.
I can now concentrate on other portions of our trip.
Thank you for advice everyone.

Old Antibes is one of the best corners of the French Riviera. You chose well.
You will be near:
- the locals' beach,
- one of the best markets on the coast,
- the bus terminal where you can take a bus anywhere on the coast.
Besides, the vieille ville is itself beautiful.

Hi,
I finally received a confirmation for our reservation for a mobile home at the camping Plein Air des Bories in Dordogne.
It is not the most luxurious place nor the most authentic, but they are connected by a walking/biking path to Sarlat and also do have their own canoe rental, so we won't need to drive every day. The roads will be probably busier the first week of July, but we should manage a few excursions from there, it is very central and in early morning we should be ok.
Can't wait to get there.
DesBories

Now we need to rent a car. Any suggestions of good companies in France? Do you have a good experience to share in case of a complication?

Americana, thank you for great tips. They are valuable information to me and even if we can't always stay in specific place, it gives a good idea of the area.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,

Could be great fun! Looks like a superb location.

Laura

Hello - how long do you want the car? If you want it for your entire month stay you may have trouble renting and may have to lease a car (there is a day limit to rentals) through a program like Renault or Peugeot. We find leasing a car so much easier, cheaper and quicker than the rental lines you find at the agencies in France!

Hi fourtotravel,
We want to minimize as much as possible having a car, so a maximum of 8-10 days. Are the leases by the month only?
Yes I have read reviews on car rentals in France on TA and google. It is a real nightmare after our experience in Sicily when the car just broke, but we were charged close to $2800CAD for a less than 1 hour drive on freeway, months of disputes.
I wanted to use Autoeurope.ca as we had a good experience with them in Sicily with Avis, however, in France it seems we don't have choice as they only deal with Europcar. This company has so many bad reviews, I really don't know what to do.
Will be checking Avis directly and may be Sixt.