Six weeks in France, where would you go?

[John Roberts]

PS to my post above …
I forgot the farmers’ markets, held in the streets and full of fresh produce and wines and free samples galore.

We’ve been going to France every year for he last twenty years or so, we start and finish our trips in the Dordogne area, flying in to Bergerac and hiring a car then after a few days in our regular place in Paunat we wander all over France, sometimes as far as Spain or Portugal, perhaps the Route des G Alpes, and Italy, but always returning to our base in Paunat for another few days before flying home. We’ve taken our own car as well, and going as far as Montenegro, but always returning via Paunat on the Dordogne, did I mention that we quite like the Dordogne?

Despite having been so often it honestly is very difficult to single favourites out, I’ve done my best, but it’s hard to go wrong wherever you go. All the posts above are excellent suggestions.

 

[Phil Magill]

If you're into historical buildings the town of Bloise on the Loire has a number of chateau's to have a tour around, I liked the Chateau de Chambord.



Or if it's natural wonders of the world have a walk along the Great Dune of Pila, just south of Arcachon.

Or if you're into churches the Basilica of Saint Therese of Lisieux in Lisieux is worth a visit, stunning architecture, it's free and there is a camping Aire at the roundabout just before the church.

 

[MartinK]

+1 for the Ardeche. A bit too popular these days but definitely a fabulous area...

 

[Arsey]

I’d recommend the Pink Granite Coast in Brittany but another doddery Brit in a wobbly box ?
Actually, head for the balcony roads of the Vercors and send us a vid

 

[Greg Masters]

Over the last decade or so we been fortunate enough to have traveled to quite a few countries in Europe in our camper. We tend to move on every two or three days, however twice now we have settled down for longer periods, both times in scrumptious France. The scenery, the hill top village's, plat du jour at lunchtime, the wine, the climate etc etc. We just adore rural France, should it be of interest our last extended stay was here.

Camping Maisonneuve – Calme et Nature en Périgord Noir

Séjournez au cœur de la Dordogne. Camping familial avec piscine chauffée au bord de la rivière Céou.

campingmaisonneuve.com

A gorgeous well run site with all the facilities you might need, with great restaurants not far away, in the Dordogne, I fancy we may return later this year.

We stay at the adjacent campsite which used to be called Bel Ombrage but is now:

Luxury camping in Périgord Noir: riverside holidays in the Dordogne

Escape to the Périgord Noir: open-air hotels in the Dordogne and along the river, nature activities and comfortable, unusual rentals near Sarlat. Unforgettable riverside vacations!

www.slow-village.com

We spent more than 2 weeks there last summer.

Rent some bikes from (ex-pat Brit) Joel at:

Bike Rental - Bike Bus

location de vélo et VTT chez Bike Bus, paiement en ligne sécurisé 24/24. Un grand choix de vélos enfant, vélo électrique, stepper.... Bike booking on line.

bike-bus.com

We did the hot air ballooning. Stunning!

Book in for an evening visit to the stunning gardens at Marqueyssac:

The overhanging gardens of Marqueyssac in Dordogne Sarlat Périgord

Belevedere of the Dordogne, the most visited garden in Perigord. Classified site. The gardens of Marqueyssac proposes walks in a maze of 150 000 boxwoods.

www.marqueyssac.com

For a special sunset meal, reserve a table on the terrace at The Esplanade, Domme. The terrace sits high above the Dordogne River and has stunning views of the valley below:

https://www.esplanade-perigord.com/en/

More fine dining at Le Petit Paris, Daglan:

Le Petit Paris Restaurant à Daglan Dordogne Périgord Noir

 

[Oldrat]

Oooo, they all sound wonderful places to visit.

Thank you all for taking the trouble, I can’t wait to delving deeper into your suggestions and start plotting them up.

As for @Arsey

I’d recommend the Pink Granite Coast in Brittany but another doddery Brit in a wobbly box ?

You know me too well!

Thanks again folks

 

[Baz]

We were really impressed with Brittany when we went last May. We always used to bypass it on our way further south. We planned to do the North and West coasts over a 4 week period, but only got as far as Roscoff. Lovely coastline and lots of free/ cheap places to stay.
If the forecast is decent its well worth considering.
Saying that, we have ferries booked to Spain in April.

 

[ChazzyB]

PS to my post above …
I forgot the farmers’ markets, held in the streets

Ah yes, the donkey saucissons

 

[The Other PaulG]

Another vote for Ile de Re. It’s got its own character, and is a very chilled out place. As has been said, it is geared up for cycling so the pace of life is notably slower.

Sitting at a harbour-side cafe in Saint-Martin in the late afternoon, sipping a chilled rose and just watching the boats come and go, created some particularly lovely memories.

 

[paintman]

View attachment 388422View attachment 388423View attachment 388424View attachment 388425View attachment 388426View attachment 388427View attachment 388428
Similar balloon festival in Dole a few years ago.

My photos were of the campsite, the hot air balloons take off and land in the next field. Great photos though.

 

[leadfarmer]

I don’t know where to start, there’s so many great places and roads in France

Pretty much all of the suggestions above are good, which gives you an idea of the scale of the question
(the exception being la grande motte )

This site might give you some inspiration……..

Site officiel - Les Plus Beaux Villages de France

Bienvenue sur le site officiel des Plus Beaux Villages de France ! Un label et 180 lieux d’émotion vous attendent pour vous faire partager leur histoire, leur patrimoine et leur art de vivre.

www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org

And if you’re traveling on motorways at all here’s a great alternative to service areas

Les Villages Étapes – Fédération Française des Villages Étapes

www.village-etape.fr

I guess I’m spoiled, I live in the middle of it all

 

[ChasF]

If park4night doesn’t have anywhere try using searchforsites I have both among other apps. Searchforsites does tend to have far more places. Searchforsites also seems to have more up to date reviews.

We tend to rely on P4N. We’re just back from a 32 night/5000km trip around Spain and Portugal and we found everywhere we stayed on P4N. I’ve looked at many other apps including Search for Sites, Caramaps, Campy etc. But it’s too time wasting checking them all. We do look for recent reviews especially for campsites as even the one’s that claim to be open all year can be closed. The content of the reviews are somewhat irrelevant though - ‘it was a dump, we left after 10 days’, ‘it was full of foreigners who don’t even eat breakfast’ and ‘when are they going to provide disabled spaces’ are some of our favourites.

As a matter of interest we haven’t plugged our van in for a couple of years now and have even remove the fancy battery charger to use in the workshop. We only stayed in a couple of campsites on the last trip usually to use the washing machine. The average cost of camping over the 32 nights was 8€.

 

[jasp]

PS to my post above …
I forgot the farmers’ markets, held in the streets and full of fresh produce and wines and free samples galore.

We’ve been going to France every year for he last twenty years or so, we start and finish our trips in the Dordogne area, flying in to Bergerac and hiring a car then after a few days in our regular place in Paunat we wander all over France, sometimes as far as Spain or Portugal, perhaps the Route des G Alpes, and Italy, but always returning to our base in Paunat for another few days before flying home. We’ve taken our own car as well, and going as far as Montenegro, but always returning via Paunat on the Dordogne, did I mention that we quite like the Dordogne?

Despite having been so often it honestly is very difficult to single favourites out, I’ve done my best, but it’s hard to go wrong wherever you go. All the posts above are excellent suggestions.

I can't fault that itinerary.

 

[Jazbee]

got a hotel to recommend? Might go in September.

We rented a holiday flat Wessie

 

[Wapping]

You have six weeks, so you could see most of France.

As is not uncommon, those that live to the west of England, often favour areas, sites and places that are to the west of France, simply as that suits their crossing points. Similarly, those to the south east corner of England, might have a bias towards the eastern side.

Asking the question of AI, spits out:

Natural wonders

• Dune du Pilat: Europe's tallest sand dune in southwest France
  
  
• Gorges du Verdon: Known as the Grand Canyon of France
  
  
• Cirque de Gavarnie: A horseshoe-shaped glacier bowl with waterfalls
  
  
• Lac D'Annecy: A pristine lake near Annecy that's good for swimming and hiking

Historic sites

• Mont Saint-Michel: A famous pilgrimage site
• Rocamadour: A sacred hilltop pilgrimage site
• The Loire Valley: Known as the Garden of France
• Nimes: A city that captured Roman history and culture
• St Guilhem-le-Desert: A village that some say is one of the prettiest in France

Other beautiful places

• Champagne: Home of Dom Pérignon
• Provence: The land of lavender
• Auvergne: A region that some say is untouched by time

That is not a bad list.

PS The lavender will not be in flower in April / May.

Asking the question of AI in a slightly different way, spits out:

Cities

• Paris: A top city break destination
• Nice: A city with a lighthouse jutting out of the bay
• Toulouse: A city known as "La Ville Rose" (the pink city)

Nature reserves

• Arcachon Basin: A nature reserve in southwest France
  
  
• Cirque de Gavarnie: A horseshoe-shaped glacier bowl with waterfalls
  
  
• Lac D'Annecy: A pristine lake near Annecy that's good for hiking and swimming

Historic sites

• Mont Saint-Michel: A famous pilgrimage site
  
  
• Rocamadour: A sacred hilltop pilgrimage site
  
  
• Nimes: A city that captured Roman history and culture
  
  
• Cave De Demoiselles: A cave with a stalagmite formation called the Virgin and the Child
  
  
• Cathedrale d'Images, Baux De Provence: A cathedral with images projected onto the walls

Other beautiful places

• Champagne: Home of Dom Pérignon
• Provence: The land of lavender
• Gorges du Verdon: The Grand Canyon of France
• The Loire Valley: The Garden of France
• Auvergne: The land that time forgot
• Corsica: The island of beauty

Some crossovers, inevitably.

Whilst everyone has their favourite town or village, this is maybe not a bad list:

Most beautiful villages and small towns to visit in France

Incredible old French villages, gorgeous French countryside towns... SIXT introduces you the most beautiful villages in France!

www.sixt.com

Me? I’d buy the Rough Guide to France and / or the Michelin Green Guide (whole of France or the several separate regional books) and use those as a base for ideas.

 

[ChasF]

Loire Chateau: We’ve stopped in the Loire valley several times now en route to visit my brother who lives near Alençon. Having visited a lot of the Loire chateaux which all have interesting histories, the only one I think is worthy of a revisit is Chenonceau I’ve been a few times, whatever you do avoid Sundays!

Wapping’s AI suggestions: I relise it’s not an exhaustive list but I would include Carcassonne and Avignon.

 

[Wapping]

Wapping’s AI suggestions: I relise it’s not an exhaustive list but I would include Carcassonne and Avignon.

I cut out several AI’s suggestions of specific towns and cities, not least as so many bods on the forum avoid both and / or particularly the latter.

They were, starting with Paris (no surprise):

Cities

• Paris: The capital city of France, with the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and Basilique du Sacré-Coeur
  
  
• Marseille: A port city that's been a melting pot of cultures for thousands of years
  
  
• Biarritz: A resort city on the Atlantic coast known for surfing and rugby
  
  
• Montpellier: A sunny city that's a great weekend destination
  
  
• Strasbourg: A city with German influences
  • La Rochelle: A city with beaches

I did it as much as anything else to see how AI coped with the question(s). As a tool, it’s becoming more and more powerful and, not least, helpful. You could already ask AI to offer up an entire six-week motoring holiday, taking in ‘10 best places but exclude large cities and no more than three days in one place’ or some such.

PS The forum’s pub is alive with posts, assuring drinkers that France is aflame with murders and worse. It’s bollocks but it keeps them happy…. And (hopefully) at home, twitching their net curtains.

 

[boatman]

I’d recommend the Pink Granite Coast in Brittany but another doddery Brit in a wobbly box ?
Actually, head for the balcony roads of the Vercors and send us a vid

As well as Biking ,, we like doddering around in the camper

 

[Engineer]

Cévennes National Park | Cévennes Tourism

This vast territory of medium mountains (2,700 km2) located in the south of the Massif Central extends over the Lozère, the Gard and the Ardèche. It

www.cevennes-tourisme.fr

Gorge du Tarn is fab

 

[Wapping]

Gorge du Tarn is fab

As is the gorge of the Nesque.

It’s less visited, as bods concentrate on Mont Ventoux