After much ado, my fellow travel partner in crime (aka partner) and I finally confirmed our itinerary for our trip to France.
Where are we going you ask? Well, first let’s address how we narrowed down the list. We specifically decided to avoid Cote d’Azur – including Cannes and Nice. Despite a number of recommendations for these cities, we decided that we aren’t going to France to enjoy beaches full of tourists. Rather, we are going to enjoy rich French culture and history while getting a feel for what it’s like to live in Southern France. Also, avoiding travel to the far eastern edge of France will save us precious travel time.
After much research, we identified a number of cities we wanted to visit. Like much of Europe, Southern France is extremely well connected by regional rail. We decided that rather than switching accommodations too frequently, we would set up a couple home bases and do day trips from there.
Avignon, as a top destination in and of itself, was chosen as our first home base, enabling easy day trips to Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, and Nimes. As an East Coaster, I wanted to spend some time along the coast, so we decided to venture slightly westward to Montpellier for the 2nd half of our week in the South.
Southern France Travel Itinerary:
Day 1 (Saturday) – Arrive in Paris, take TGV high-speed train from Charles De Gualle to Avignon; check into apartment.
Day 2 (Sunday) – Explore Avignon and grocery shop – it’s their market day!
Day 3 (Monday) – Take regional train to Marseille. I’m so excited to visit this less touristy seaside city, full of North African influence.
Day 4 (Tuesday) – Take regional train to Aix-en-provence. My partner Ian is anxious to check out this city’s famous fountains.
Day 5 (Wednesday) – Check out of our Avignon apartment and rent a car to drive to Montpellier via Nimes.
Day 6 (Thursday) – Explore Montpellier.
Day 7 (Friday) – Montpellier beach day or bike ride along the coast.
Day 8 (Saturday) – Check out of Montpellier apartment and take TGV train back to Paris.
Please leave comments with recommendations of things to see and do in each of these cities!
Coming soon: A discussion of our reasons for booking accommodations through Airbnb, as well as photos of each apartment. I couldn’t be happier to skip hotels and stay in cute little French apartments!
Jenn's Thoughts 