We are going to France in June. We will visit Paris(4days--staying in the Left Bank), Normandy (Honfluer--1day and Port-En-Bessin--2days), Loire Valley(Amboise--2days), Dordogne (Le Buisson De Cadouin--2days), Provence (Avignon--2days) and Riviera (Villefranche-sur-Mer--2days). We know we can%26#39;t see everything in our short trip and would love to know which sights/villages are the most important to see (or the ones to avoid). Also would love names of good restaurants--preferably the small bistros used by the locals and aren%26#39;t too expensive (we will splurge sometimes though). We will have a car. We also like to hike and may consider an afternoon bike ride if there is one that is especially nice.
|||
Pretty full schedule. All of the places outside of Paris could do with more time but my contribution for Avignon %26amp; Provence.
Restaurants
Splurge - try La Mirande behind Palais de Pape.(has web site for easy booking - nice to stay in too).
Bistros - many in the main square down from the Palais all offering set meals displaying prices outside so you know what to expect to pay.
Try the local pink wine - order by the pichet (flasks) its cheaper than the bottle.
Things to see
Very difficult in two days as I assume some of the time is travelling to Villefranche?
If you like wine a tour of the Cotes du Rhone villages takes you right round the area following a clearly marked circuit - maps available from the tourist office. This will also give you a good look at the very pretty villages in the area. Each village has a market on different days. Again the tourist office will have a list of the days as these can be fun to wander through.
Isle sur la Sorques is a lovely village to the east of Avignon well worth a stroll around with lots of bars and restaurants to eat, drink and people watch from. The river Sorques runs through the village which is cooling on a hot day.
In Avignon there is of course the Palais du Papes, worth a visit but avoid if lots of tourists around!
You mentioned a bike ride - what about going up Mont Ventoux - a sometimes stage in the Tour de France - You will see Mont Ventoux from Avignon which might help you decide upon this ride.
If you want a longer excursion then there is the Camargue to the south west of Avignon but that really requires a full day.
Finally the Luberon national park just to the south east is worth a visit - lots of Chateaux and hill villages including the Chateaux that was once the home of the Marquis de Sade.
If you want me to expand on any particular points above then post a little more information.
Enjoy your trip.
PS if you can fit it in when in Normandy try to see the Bayeaux Tapestry - pay attention to the fine detail in the borders for some 11th century grafitti!
|||
In Amboise, the DaVinci museum is well worth a look. It%26#39;s small and won%26#39;t take long, but very interesting because, among other things, in the lower level there are many mock-ups of his inventions (including several that would have worked except that he was so far ahead of his time that no one had yet invented the mechanism to power them).
|||
Hi.
Whilst in Normandy, you should see the D-Day landing beaches, such as Juno and Omaha Beaches. Along the coast from Honfleur,(which is very quaint), you can easily drive to the site of the D-Day landings. This is an area crammed full of so much history and the reminders of that time are everywhere, from bullet holes on the sides of buildings, to the %26#39;mulberries%26#39; which can still be seen out to sea at Arromanches. The %26#39;cinema circulaire%26#39;, also at Arromanches, intertwines modern day footage of the area with archive footage of D-Day - it is both an incredible piece of film and extraordinarily moving. Check out the link below:
http://www.arromanches360.com/htm2/index.htm
If you do visit the D-Day beaches, particularly in June, you are likely to come across some visiting veterans, particularly British, (due to the short journey from England), many of whom are on trips organised by the British Legion. The temptation is to rush up to people to hear their reminiscences, but it%26#39;s as well to be aware that, whilst some are happy to talk, others find it still too painful.
The area itself is also very beautiful, and it is possible to walk along the coastline and beaches in many places. There are numerous cafes and restaurants along the coast, (sorry, can%26#39;t remember any of them by name!)
Nearby, Caen is the site of %26#39;Le Memoriel%26#39;, a museum dedicated to the promotion of peace through reflecting on war, beginning with the %26#39;great sacrifice%26#39; of Caen and the part played by that city and the local area in D-Day and beyond. It is an incredibly moving place to visit, though IMO, not suitable for children under 10. Check out the link below:
unicaen.fr/collectivite/…indexgb.shtml
In Paris, don%26#39;t miss the usual: the Louvre, Notre Dame and the Sacre Coeur/Montmartre area, (all of which is %26#39;doable%26#39; in one day). I can also recommend %26#39;Galeries Lafayette%26#39; at Boulevard Haussmann. It is a beautiful store, and if you go to the cafe at the top, you can have a coffee with a fantastic view of the Eiffel Tower. (I don%26#39;t recommend the food in GL.)
Hope this helps.
|||
-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-
This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.
To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html
We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.
Removed on: 4:16 pm, August 14, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment