Time flies. But alas, only in one direction.
It was 2008 when I left France. This trip was long overdue. And after my third attempt at planning, I was able to finally visit in April 2019.
I have color coded the map: closer to red means a must visit, while blue means nothing special. There were many cities/places that I originally bookmarked for a visit, but due to time constraints and other considerations, had to skip them. Those places are color coded as green. These are, Of course, my personal observations and experiences. It also reflects my personal style of travel or exploration as well. So you should decide on what works best for you.
Note: I visited in April, which is considered a low tourist season. The top spots in the regions were easily accessible and we did not have any issue with the number of tourists in those cities. However, during the peak season in the July/August, these top spots might be overcrowded and may not be really be worth visiting. Hence smaller or off the beaten path villages might be more feasible (such as Goult, Aups, Lacoste etc)
Paris & Rennes:
Visit here was mainly for nostalgic purposes. It did bring many memories back. Luckily things have not changed much and that is what the tourism industry in Europe counts on. One thing that I was really counting on during the trip was having fresh baguette. You can't get a real french bread anywhere except in France. We managed to get a steaming hot fresh baguette in the morning here:
Dordogne
I visited this region for the first time. The drive was worth it: twisting and turning on small country roads with yellow sheets of mustard fields on both sides was refreshing. Two cities that really stood out were
Provence:
Provence region was really the highlight of the whole trip. The landscape is just amazing and the drive a pleasure. As mentioned, April is considered a low tourist region. We missed the lavender scent in the air, or see the vineyards or the see the wheat fields. Even then, it did not diminish the magic of this region. One thing is for sure, I have to visit this region again in summer, I hope.
The best way to visit this region is to take it slow. If I get a chance again, it would be nice to just rent a place for a few weeks or more; just relax and explore a village a day.
Note: After a while, all villages appear to be same after a while. That is true. Also, some village/cities look amazing from a distance (parched villages) and are just regular once you are inside them, such as Gordes. Roussillion was just amazing. And the colorado in Rustrel is definitely worth exploring.
I also visited the Verdon gorge. But unfortunately, I did not enjoy it there, perhaps I have seen one too many gorges. Perhaps the best way to explore it was by a kayak. Cannes was just another city.
of course, no visit is complete without visiting Pisa:
It was 2008 when I left France. This trip was long overdue. And after my third attempt at planning, I was able to finally visit in April 2019.
I have color coded the map: closer to red means a must visit, while blue means nothing special. There were many cities/places that I originally bookmarked for a visit, but due to time constraints and other considerations, had to skip them. Those places are color coded as green. These are, Of course, my personal observations and experiences. It also reflects my personal style of travel or exploration as well. So you should decide on what works best for you.
Note: I visited in April, which is considered a low tourist season. The top spots in the regions were easily accessible and we did not have any issue with the number of tourists in those cities. However, during the peak season in the July/August, these top spots might be overcrowded and may not be really be worth visiting. Hence smaller or off the beaten path villages might be more feasible (such as Goult, Aups, Lacoste etc)
Paris & Rennes:
Visit here was mainly for nostalgic purposes. It did bring many memories back. Luckily things have not changed much and that is what the tourism industry in Europe counts on. One thing that I was really counting on during the trip was having fresh baguette. You can't get a real french bread anywhere except in France. We managed to get a steaming hot fresh baguette in the morning here:
Dordogne
I visited this region for the first time. The drive was worth it: twisting and turning on small country roads with yellow sheets of mustard fields on both sides was refreshing. Two cities that really stood out were
Beynac-et-Cazenac and La Roque-Gageac. Brantôme was also a very charming small village worth the visit.
Brantôme
Somewhere in Beynac
La Roque-Gageac
Provence:
Provence region was really the highlight of the whole trip. The landscape is just amazing and the drive a pleasure. As mentioned, April is considered a low tourist region. We missed the lavender scent in the air, or see the vineyards or the see the wheat fields. Even then, it did not diminish the magic of this region. One thing is for sure, I have to visit this region again in summer, I hope.
The best way to visit this region is to take it slow. If I get a chance again, it would be nice to just rent a place for a few weeks or more; just relax and explore a village a day.
Note: After a while, all villages appear to be same after a while. That is true. Also, some village/cities look amazing from a distance (parched villages) and are just regular once you are inside them, such as Gordes. Roussillion was just amazing. And the colorado in Rustrel is definitely worth exploring.
L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
View of Gordes
Somewhere in Roussillon
Somewhere in Roussillon
Somewhere in Roussillon
Somewhere in Roussillon
A fresh baguette in Lourmarin
I also visited the Verdon gorge. But unfortunately, I did not enjoy it there, perhaps I have seen one too many gorges. Perhaps the best way to explore it was by a kayak. Cannes was just another city.
Tourrettes-sur-Loup had an excellent old village and a great view of the region. La Turbie had an amazing view of Monaco, which is a beautiful city by itself. Eze had an windy city center and the visit to the Fragonard factory was interesting.
Nice was also very colorful and much bigger that what I had actually imagined:
Nice
Nice
Cinque de Terre, Italy
This place had been recommended incessantly by one of my friends. Cinque de Terre consists of five villages along the coast in Liguria. These indeed are really beautiful villages and you could once hike between them as well. But these hike trails are under repair and the one that was open, closed due to the rains.
Riomaggiore (I liked this village the best)
Vernazza
View of Manorala
of course, no visit is complete without visiting Pisa:
13 days in such a rich region is certainly not doing them any justice. I hope to explore Provence again leisurely. I have to visit Tuscany as well, counterpart of Provence.
Note: If you are renting a car in EU, make sure you have a credit card. For once, the car rental companies would require them for a hold (something debit cards also work), and second, many tolls on the highway accept payment in cash. filling Gas on the highway can be expensive and not all accept cash. Sometimes you can prepay at the station. Mostly inside the cities, the gas is cheap and accept cash as well. Otherwise, if you pay by credit card, they put a hold of around 150 EUR for many days (or at least if you have a non EU credit card). Just so you know.
Comments
Any advice on visiting major cities (e.g. Florence) during peak season? I've been to several cities in off-seasons.