Was tipped off by a fellow WB about some cheap business class points flights on AF so on a hunch I booked a Saturday > following Monday trip in February. Just my wife and I, we are from NY/NJ so the weather isn’t an issue or concern for us.
We land in Marseille at 9am Sunday morning, and leave Paris the following Monday at 7pm at night. Originally I thought 2 nights in Marseille, 3 nights in Lyon and 4 nights in Paris but have a rental car to do day trips around Lyon maybe?
Our last big trip was OR/CA, 17 wineries over 10 days with driving, etc so I promised my wife not a wine-focused trip, but she is ok with a day trip to do 3-4 tastings in some Chateaus/Vineyards and if weather is crummy maybe a “city tasting” or something at a nice wine shop or wine cooperative or something. But I am not going to turn this into a heavy wine tasting focused trip.
Any ideas on a nice road trip that isn’t too hurried? Since we have never been to Paris, I am thinking min 3 nights maybe 4 nights? Again we are from NY/NJ and just outside NYC, so the “shopping” aspect of Paris is of zero interest, and we aren’t huge museum people, so we’ll hit up the Louvre but its not like a full day activity for us.
That was my original thought and just say in Marseille, Lyon and Paris. But then a friend suggested day trips in/around the region to Arles, Nimes, Avignon, Gordes, etc.
I think I am fine staying put if there is enough to do in Marseille and Lyon - I can always book a tour and have someone drive us if needed to see some sights outside these cities.
I’ve been to Marseille about 3X and each duration was never more than a half-day walk-around. At one time we only stayed up later as we have a special dinner with Bouillabaisse, after which wife and I took the cab to the train station to make our way back to Aix-en-Provence where we were based. Now, if getting around South of France is your goal, then ditch both Lyon and Marseille and spend 4 to 5 nights somewhere else in Provence where parking and traffic are not difficult (both Marseille and Lyon have notorious traffic congestions).
Keep the 4 nights in Paris. You may not be museum people, but there are lots to experience in the city.
I wouldn’t ditch Lyon, it’s the food capital of France, and some interesting historic dights. And a quick train to Paris.
I’ve never been to Marseilles, although have been to the south if France several times; Avignon, and Nice
I don’t like driving jet lagged, but if you are confident, you could drive to Avignon (or villeneuve les Avignon across the river for less traffic) for a couple of nights and then in to Lyon. Plenty of wine (and chocolate ) stops in the Rhône valley.
If you want day trips - Change the flight to land in Lyons and do a day trip tour of the Northern Rhône.
But since it’s only two nights in Marsaille, your first day would be ti adjust to jet lag, and leave early the next day if you don’t enjoy it.
Not sure how you were going yo do day trips with only two nights in a place, unless you were skipping that place during the day. Two nights=one day.
In general, the place you were at is just as nice as the place you will be going to, so don’t be in a rush to squeeze more in just to check a box on a list.
And while tasting at wineries is fun, you will have a zillion options for great wine in every city.
id avoid staying in marseille…especially your first time in france…especially at that time of the year.
id do 5 nights in st remy de provence and 4 nights in paris. use st remy as a solid base for arles, avignon, chateauneuf du pape, gordes, apt, bonnieux…its very centrally located. stay at hotel de tourrel only.
Marseille is gritty and real and alluring in that way, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a first france trip or a shorter France trip. Cassis and Bandol are south of there and lovely, but it takes you out of the way.
Personally, I would land, grab the car and drive straight up to the Luberon. It’s a beautiful horseshoe valley filled with lavender, olive trees, vineyards, and hillside towns. Warm, but pretty this time of year, about 1.5hrs from the Marseille. Bonnieux is my favorite town to stay in there.
Then drive up along the Rhone river to Lyon. That drive is pretty, you can detour for wineries if you like or just get straight to Lyon and day trip.
Then you’d have a decision on the car. You could keep it and take the slightly longer route through southern Burgundy, which is great, or ditch it and just hop the train to Paris. Your call, but the train is convenient and there is something French about talking SNCF cross country.
Based on the Feb 2024 time frame, I have to agree with @Barry_L_i_p_t_o_n and by association @Ramon_C. I would get to Avignon, then Lyon, and Paris. It has been a while since I have been to Provence, but in Feb especially, I would be wondering about getting caught in the Mistral/unexpected weather especially during a road trip. As to the day trips, we have been able get all over France on trains, so you may want to check out the routes before you finalize the rental car.
If you do decide to go the train route and want some extra space on the Lyon to Paris leg, check out Executive Class on Trenitalia.
With AF they had limited 41,000 > 55,000 each way business class seats available, and with the AMEX 25% bonus transfer, these came out real cheap but I had to move quick. The only way to get 8-9 days in (using 2 weekends) around Presidents Day was into MRS and out of CDG. I looked at other airports but flights would have went up at least 3x if not more. When you travel on points, you stay flexible
So this is all helpful, Avignon and St Remey seem close enough that we can pick one for ~2 nights, then head to Lyon for 3 nights then off to Paris for 4 nights.
I dont mind renting a car after we land if needed - We landed in NZ and I got into a car on the wrong side of the road and drove us around, so I should be ok because I sleep on planes so I’ll be rested when we land. I’ll figure out if we are going to just hire a day tour to bring us somewhere or if we want a car. I am 99% sure by Lyon we’ll ditch a car and train to Paris as we won’t need a car in Paris. Heck maybe we’ll take a train from Avignon/St Remey out to Lyon, I guess I will see what we want to do when we get to Lyon
Appreciate all the advice, I’ll probably resurrect this thread as I get a bit deeper into the planning.
ha my friend who suggested the trip I think agrees with you too. It is a short trip, so I guess I’ll have to pick and roll with it. I am thinking location(s) with more indoor options are smart in case the weather is bad. Again as NY/NJ residents for life, we are fine in cold. But if its a really bad cold snap or very windy or something, would stink to be in a port city and be stuck in our hotel with few options.
I think my friend recommended it too because it is a “different” side of France, so we’ll get both sides (with Lyon in the middle to counter balance both)
st remy is smaller than avignon…and smaller than arles. while im not sure what itll be like in february, you should be able to visit a lot of places from st remy…arles, uzes, luberon, bonnieux, etc…you can even drive 1-2 hours north to northern rhone country.
everyone has a preference but i dont like 2 nights in any place…prefer to plop myself down for a few days. i also like some variation. not saying avignon will be like paris but i prefer a bit more of a quiet town to contrast with the bustle of paris.
id recommend nice or something in cote d’azur but being on the beach is why i love that part of the country. something you clearly cant do at that time of the year.
Perhaps because in several ways it’s the opposite of Bordeaux, Old ‘aristocratic’ money vs a very young lively city. Great mix of old and new, Mucem and museums and street art, the (touristy in summer of course) action of the Vieux port.
Close to Aix for a day of you want some more genteel Provence.
