touring France -reccomend places to see and stay
Discussion
we are thinking of a touring holiday in France in a few weeks time, can anyone suggest some nice towns / places to stay? we intend to stay roughly in the two areas highlighted on the map below red area the first week and yellow the second. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!
Edited by buzzer on Wednesday 14th July 19:22
This thread should help for the yellow area: http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t...
Red area is prime wine country, Clermont is nice, head in to the Dordogne area and look for some of the prehistoric caves, look for a little town called Brantome, if you can get over to Cognac and do some of the tours on offer there, well worth the visit. Angouleme is nice too - had a great curry there in a little back street place, bizarrely!
Rocamadour is an interesting village, as is the vineyard at Monbazillac.
Been years since I went but love the area, although the places mentioned may be a little too far south/west for you.
Rocamadour is an interesting village, as is the vineyard at Monbazillac.
Been years since I went but love the area, although the places mentioned may be a little too far south/west for you.
You must visit St Emilion - fab to see all the big named vineyards - look for Chateau De Mole on the outskirts - amazing reds there, and they do tastings which most of these posh vineyards don't....we bought 12 - yummy!!
www.chateau-de-mole.fr/anglais/propriete.html - they also have rooms which looked stunning.
Brantome's very pretty - beautiful relais and chateaux hotel with a fantastic restaurant by the river - not cheap tho'! A must to visit - cheap places to eat too - although can recommend the above one!
St Michel De Montaigne had great windy roads leading up to it with good views, Riberac's quite noce too.
We were there last year, and found, as always, fabulous little farms wit vineyards and brandy producers too - all willing to let you sample - we brough some great bargains back!
Have fun!
www.chateau-de-mole.fr/anglais/propriete.html - they also have rooms which looked stunning.
Brantome's very pretty - beautiful relais and chateaux hotel with a fantastic restaurant by the river - not cheap tho'! A must to visit - cheap places to eat too - although can recommend the above one!
St Michel De Montaigne had great windy roads leading up to it with good views, Riberac's quite noce too.
We were there last year, and found, as always, fabulous little farms wit vineyards and brandy producers too - all willing to let you sample - we brough some great bargains back!
Have fun!
Agree with all of the above, a couple of suggestions for places to stay for your 'red area'
http://www.vieux-logis.com/
and slightly south, on the next major river south of the Dordogne, the Lot, near Cahor
http://www.chateaudemercues.com/
Have stayed at Mercues a few times, lovely place, great views of the valley, first time we were there our room was the top of one of the towers so was circular.
Further North (and West) Saintes is also very nice (near Cognac)
(You didn't give any indication on the sort of place that you were planning to stay (so cost etc....))
http://www.vieux-logis.com/
and slightly south, on the next major river south of the Dordogne, the Lot, near Cahor
http://www.chateaudemercues.com/
Have stayed at Mercues a few times, lovely place, great views of the valley, first time we were there our room was the top of one of the towers so was circular.
Further North (and West) Saintes is also very nice (near Cognac)
(You didn't give any indication on the sort of place that you were planning to stay (so cost etc....))
This place is slap bang in the middle of your yellow area
http://www.manoir-automobile.fr/welcome/index.php
as of course is
http://www.centre-culturel-de-la-sarthe.com/musee/...
I know the North of that region well, from the St Malo in the East to Morlaix in the West. There are loads of castles, prehistoric sites and old river mills if old buildings are your thing. Failing that, the North coast is very impressive - much like the Jurassic coast of Dorset but more accessible with lots of little villages and towns and some amazing beaches. Cap Frehel along the coast from St Brieuc is especially good along with Fort La Latte built right on the end of the cliff.
Town wise, try Paimpol for the harbour and the market on a Tuesday, Treguier has a lovely old cathedral and monastery, Pontrieux is small but very pretty with cafes and restaurants by the river and a steam train http://www.vapeurdutrieux.com/. Perros Guirec and the coast road around the promentary on which it sits is very nice. Try and find the restaurant on the road by the harbour with yellow awnings (the name escapes me) that does a kilo of moules, frites and a beer for about £10. Well worth a stop for lunch.
http://www.manoir-automobile.fr/welcome/index.php
as of course is
http://www.centre-culturel-de-la-sarthe.com/musee/...
I know the North of that region well, from the St Malo in the East to Morlaix in the West. There are loads of castles, prehistoric sites and old river mills if old buildings are your thing. Failing that, the North coast is very impressive - much like the Jurassic coast of Dorset but more accessible with lots of little villages and towns and some amazing beaches. Cap Frehel along the coast from St Brieuc is especially good along with Fort La Latte built right on the end of the cliff.
Town wise, try Paimpol for the harbour and the market on a Tuesday, Treguier has a lovely old cathedral and monastery, Pontrieux is small but very pretty with cafes and restaurants by the river and a steam train http://www.vapeurdutrieux.com/. Perros Guirec and the coast road around the promentary on which it sits is very nice. Try and find the restaurant on the road by the harbour with yellow awnings (the name escapes me) that does a kilo of moules, frites and a beer for about £10. Well worth a stop for lunch.
Week 1, the spa town of Vichy (don't try the various mineral waters on offer - they have a profound laxative effect) and the nearby Puy de Dome volcanic park are well worth a visit. Views from the crater are stunning.
For the drive between the two regions, take the road along the bank of the Gironde and stop for lunch at Talmont. This has to be one of the most picturesque villages I've seen anywhere in France, but isn't overrun with tourists. Further up the coast, La Rochelle is also well worth a nose around.
For the drive between the two regions, take the road along the bank of the Gironde and stop for lunch at Talmont. This has to be one of the most picturesque villages I've seen anywhere in France, but isn't overrun with tourists. Further up the coast, La Rochelle is also well worth a nose around.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff