looking for less frequented French towns

[dksailaway]

Other than Paris and the major cities in France, can anyone suggest less frequented French towns by the ocean or inland towns which simply should not be missed. I am planning a 6 week trip to France and would love to receive meaningful input from those of you who have visited less known towns in France.

Thanks!

[CintiPam]

Well, this one is fairly well known, but a great place to visit for a few days, as we did on our driving trip through Normandy and the Loire Valley:

 

Bayeux, which has the fabulous tapestry, a nice cathedral, good restaurants and is an excellent central place to stay while spending a few days touring the Normandy beaches.

[Destin Mom]

What do you like to do? Depending on your interests, we love Nice (although very popular, it is a good base for the coast); Uzes in Provence is a great base for this region and is absolutely amazing...also Menerbes in Provence but on the other side- this is a great town but not as central as Uzes; Carcassonne is also nice; and I have to plug the Alps- either Chamonix or Val D'Isere; Normany region; love Paris.

 

We have booked apartments for week/ month long stays over the years and have had great luck. If you are interested, I can email you where we have stayed which I would highly recommend. It is much less expensive than a hotel, and you get to live like a local.

 

Best of luck with your plans!

[moyaroo]

There are so many that it is hard to answer you question. But a stab. Go to Toulouse and then branch out to Albi and Cordes su Ciel, then north to Cahors. The dordogne is not on your list but not to be missed either. Bergerac near to Bordeaux would probably qualify.

[John Bull]

Other than Paris and the major cities in France, can anyone suggest less frequented French towns by the ocean or inland towns which simply should not be missed. I am planning a 6 week trip to France and would love to receive meaningful input from those of you who have visited less known towns in France.

Thanks!

 

That's a pretty tall order, dk. We don't know your transport, interests, whether to plan to roam or stay places weeks at a time. And France is pretty big.

 

But consider:

 

the Loire Valley. From Orleans through Blois, Tours, Angers, possibly on to Nantes & the sea at St Nazaire. Glorious unspoilt river valley, chateaux, vineyards,villages up in the hills. If you make it part of a circular route, drive DOWN the valley.

 

Brittany/Normandy. Ports such as Lorient, Brest, St Malo & the nearby Mont St Michel, the D-Day beaches & villages from Carentan to Ouistreham, inland normandy towns such as Bayeux, Falaise, Pont L'Eveque & Bernay.

 

The Massif Centrale, around Limoges & Clermont-Ferrand. Some spectacular scenery, but low population & visitor numbers.

 

Provence. The prettiest part of France, old-fashioned, from the coastal town of Antibes through Grasse & minor mountain roads to Gap & the foothills of the French Alps and Grenoble.

 

North & east of Paris has comparatively little to offer, other than the champagne & cathedral town of Rheims, the Vosgues mountains, and the hilly forests of the Ardennes & Luxembourg.

 

Ditto to the south of Paris, the Rhone Valley (vaguely Dijon, Lyons, Avignon, Marsailles) has some nice little wine villages, esp the Cote d'Or, with famous wine names such as Beaune, Nuits st Georges & Gevrey-Chambertain but you'd need to take to the secondary roads, & the major towns are modern urban sprawls.

 

I don't know the south-west, but a day-trip from the Spanish border to the Perpignan area didn't impress.

 

Feed some of these names to Google & report back :D

 

John Bull

[TLCOhio]

Other than Paris and the major cities in France, can anyone suggest less frequented French towns by the ocean or inland towns which simply should not be missed. I am planning a 6 week trip to France and would love to receive meaningful input from those of you who have visited less known towns in France. Thanks!

 

As the others have wisely noted, much depends on two factors . . . WHEN are planning this trip . . . and . . . what are your personal interests, love and experiences sought? Agree with Pam on Bayeux/Normandy. The Loire is super great with so many options. Love Provence and Sarlat/Dordogne River Valley. To put a couple of other options on the table, here are some notes on Alsace/Eastern France and Beaune and Burgundy. Lots and lots of great options.

 

ALSACE/EASTERN FRANCE: If you're a French Riesling fan or love other types of Alsace wines, you will both love a trip to the Alsace region. Or it can be great architecture, food, countrysides, etc. There are lots of charming and pretty towns, accommodation and many beautiful, great restaurants there to spend and create a very special time.

 

In 2005, we stayed in a super great village of only 1200 people called Riquewihr. It is one of the best of THE BEST!!! We saw why when we stayed there for two nights. Riquewihr has two different Michelin one-star restaurants. We dine on the first night there at Table du Gourmet under Chef Brendel and it was totally out of this world in setting, service and great food!!! What an enjoyable experience! WOW!!! We stayed at Hôtel De La Couronne, in the old town portion of this quaint, wood-timbered town in a building that dates back to 1550. Their e-mail: couronne@hoteldelacouronne.com

 

We also enjoyed driving along the Alsace Route du Vin, seeing the Vosges Mountains and visiting the town of Colmar. It is a well preserved city in Alsace with a population of 65,000. We had a prime evening dinner at Michelin three star rated restaurant, Auberge de l'Il, in nearby Illhaeusern. Auberge de l'Ill is one of only seventeen dining places in all of France and Paris to win this coveted and highest three stars from Michelin; it has won three stars continuously since 1967; only Paul Bocuse, just outside Lyon, has won that honor longer, since 1966!. That was a great place, but the one-star in Riquewihr was as good and even better in some ways. The town of Obernai is also great. Really enjoyed its architecture, charm and character. There is much to do and enjoy in this popular region.

 

For tourism info, check:

http://www.tourism-alsace.com

 

 

BURGUNDY: Famous throughout the world for its fine wines, Burgundy is about more than just vineyards. Steeped in history, it’s a unique area with many different faces – vibrant yet relaxing, traditional yet contemporary.

The name Burgundy is synonymous throughout the world with fine wines, and the names along the Route des Vins read like a top-quality wine list with places such as Beaune and Chablis, Macon and Nuits-Saint-Georges.

Each of Burgundy’s four departments has its own special character, and there are a number of ways to take your time to explore and enjoy them.

In Côte-d’Or, Yonne, Nièvre, or Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy is a paradise for both sport and leisure cyclists with more than 800 km of véloroutes (quiet cycling paths) and Voies Vertes (traffic-free green ways) to help you discover vineyards and villages, historic monuments and peaceful waterways, not to mention traditional Burgundian hospitality at inns along the route.

 

Burgundy’s incomparable wines include Chablis, which is also the name of one of the most charming villages in the Burgundian hills. Add to that some of the most scrumptious food in France, like Boeuf Bourguignon, and you find yourself in an unmistakably French environment that also stands out as quite unique and breath- taking!

 

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:

http://www.ot-beaune.fr

http://www.beaune-burgundy.com

Or, for the overall Burgundy area:

http://www.cotedor-tourisme.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. It also has some eloquent examples of Flemish art. 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.

 

Fontenay Abbey, a fascinating example of Cistercian architecture, is listed as a UNESCO world Heritage Site.

 

Below are some of my pictures from Alsace, the Loire and Beaune. All are great areas!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

In the Loire River valley, here is one chateau with a spectacular garden area and then next is my picture of the area's largest chateau, Chambord:

 

 

 

 

 

In the heart of Burgundy, SE of Paris, is the charming town of Beaune with its Saturday market day and then outside of town us one of the famed vineyards: ]

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the eastern France of Alsace area, here is a sample of one village with its timbered buildings and a flower/fountain setting in this town center:

 

 

 

[Ainhoa]

Gosh, where to start? Well, if you would like to visit smaller places, I have a book called The Most Beautiful Villages in France (Les Plus Beaux Villages de France) but don't worry about buying it, because you can see it online at www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org where you can see a list of what the french consider the prettiest villages and learn something about each one and see pictures. It can be seen in both french and english (see flag in top right hand corner). From this list, I can recommend Carennac, Salers, La Roche-Gageac and St Cirq Lapopie. I am quite surprised that Rocamadour doesn't appear on the list as it is a lovely village, pickled in time (as most of them are). Also Carcassonne in the south which could double for Arthur's Camelot without blinking an eye.

[dksailaway]

Thank you Destin Mom for your suggestions. I would appreciate it if you could detail where you have stayed in France.

 

Is there a website for French apartments? How did you locate apartments and their costs?

 

Thanks

 

dksailaway

 

 

Thanks

[Destin Mom]

Hi DK. There are many apartment sites- we prefer holiday-rentals.co.uk. We have found that these are primarily non US based owners and the rates tend to be far lower than what you find on vrbo w/ US owners. We own vacation rentals ourselves so we are comfortable with the process. A few tips for renting apartments that you likely already know:

- get the full street address and google map it; sometimes, the location may not be exactly as described. Google Earth shows street views in many places too.

- Confirm parking; air conditioning, stairs or elevator, English speaking person at check in; how to pay final balance; check in/ out times; internet access.

- before the person meeting you at check in leaves, make sure you know how to log on to the internet, how to operate washing machine (and dryer if they have one- it's usally a washer/ dryer combo) and dishwasher. Confirm closest grocery stores and where to take trash out.

 

We have rented several times in Paris. For us, location and having a balcony with a view is very important (traveling with kids and we like to be able to sit out at night and enjoy the surroundings). We really liked listing 83270 b/c of the view and balcony. It is right next to the metro but not as centrally located in St Germain. We had friends who rented an extremely high end place in St Germain- their location was much better than ours but they loved our view and balcony. 83270 is close to Luxemburg park which was a big plus for us as well.

 

In Uzes, we have stayed twice at listing 64238 in the 2 bedroom. This town is fantastic- highly recommend it. The building is on the historic registry and owned by the town architect. Uzes is pretty central, great resaturants and has one of the best weekly markets in Provence. It has become more popular in the last year after some Hollywooders were photographed here. Note that there is not a/c or an elevator- a set of stairs to navigate to the 2 bedroom apartment.

 

In Menerbes (other side of Provence), we stayed once at listing 72413. This is a charming town- was used as the setting for the movie A Year in Provence. There is a pool that three apartments share- the views are breathtaking.

 

In Nice, I can't find the listing number of the first apartment we booked- it was a large 3 bedroom in the middle of the Promenade d'Anglais. Excellent location. We tried to book it again two years ago but it was no longer on the same rental program. I think we eventually found it but it was three times the price we had paid the year before. We ended up renting 50389 which was fine- not as much character as we usually like but good location and the all important terrace with a view.

 

On the smaller towns (like Carcassonne), we normally stay in hotels as we stay max of 3 nights. Best Western hotels are pretty good in France (very different than their US reputation- we find them to be very authentic and nice); also check out a few of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Outside of Cannes, we stayed for 3 nights at Auberge de la Vignette Haute (Small Luxury Hotels of the World pick) which was great.

 

Best of luck with your trip plans!

[UKBayern]

I agree with all of the suggestions.

 

All the entries about Alsace-Lorraine have forgotten Strassbourg. Beautiful old city centre, very good modern art museum, seat of the Council of Europe and co-seat of the European Parliament (can be visited).

 

If visiting Normandy, next to all the suggestions, Rouen is nice. Mont St. Michael is a must see.

 

The caves of Lascaux with incredible pre-historic rock paintings.

[UKBayern]

Thank you Destin Mom for your suggestions. I would appreciate it if you could detail where you have stayed in France.

 

Is there a website for French apartments? How did you locate apartments and their costs?

 

French holiday homes are called Gites. They are rated according to a system and part of an official organisation called Gites de France. They have 56.000 properties to choose from, all carefully monitored and rated. The official site is these three words with partition dashes, and then dot com (not sure if I am allowed to mention the website here). Top left corner button to change to english. A Gite Rural is a holiday home in the rural countryside. Also a nice idea is a Chambre d'Hôte, you stay with local people, like an English Bed & Breakfast. If they are a Table d'hôte, they will also cook for you. The mentioned site also has addresses for Chambre d'hotes and Table d'hotes. You'll really be part of the french life this way!

[Cruise Junky]

Six weeks in France? Wow, colour me jealous :) We only have three. We're breaking up our trip between Burgundy (Beaune), Loire Valley, Normandy and Provence. We have Hotels, B & Bs and Self Catered places booked. There is so much to see in France. Next time for us will include Alsace and the Dordogne area. Come on over to Slowtrav.com, there's a France forum that is overflowing with info on the less visited sites of France.

[TLCOhio]

I agree with all of the suggestions. All the entries about Alsace-Lorraine have forgotten Strassbourg. Beautiful old city centre, very good modern art museum, seat of the Council of Europe and co-seat of the European Parliament (can be visited). If visiting Normandy, next to all the suggestions, Rouen is nice. Mont St. Michael is a must see. The caves of Lascaux with incredible pre-historic rock paintings.

 

Hi to our Bavarian neighbor. I left out Strassbourg as the original question was more about "less known towns in France". Strassbourg is both well-known and fairly large. Lots of good suggestions and agree that Mont St. Michel is a definitely a "must see".

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[dksailaway]

Thank you to all of you who have responded to my query about lesser known towns in France. I appreciate all of your input.

 

dksailaway

 

Hoping to receive more suggestions!

[UKBayern]

Antibes on the French Riviera

[UKBayern]

From Perpignan (East side of the French Pyrenees near the Med) take the N116 west, skirting the Spanish border, turning onto the N20 to Tarascon sur Ariege (sidetrip to Andorra possible) then D616 to Sain Girons and continuing west; beautiful mountains dotted with nice villages.