Postiing a New Cry for Help with my trip in France
Replies: 14 - Last Post: Feb 12, 2012 5:14 AM Last Post By: Dranac
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Postiing a New Cry for Help with my trip in France
I want to thank everyone who gave their ideas for my trip to Northern France but am more confused than ever.I don't have to go to Northern France. I have traveled for 11 years now and have not rented a car. Here is what I would like to do./// Go by train to places that I can use my photography skills. Where is there a place that I can use as a base that is a pretty area to visit. I did look at a post for Amboise, France and it looked lovely. From there, where could I go and still return to a base place? (of course by train)
The date in France is still June 2nd of this year. I am on a limited budget. I love bed and breakfast places to stay.
I love small cities, waterways outdoor walking. In 11 years of traveling, I have seen my share of churches and galleries. I love castles but again ...the problem of no car. I love Botanical Gardens. Please help me with a plan that will work!
1
I took a mui rapido train from Madrid to Burgos, Spain. El Cid's home town.I took the slow train back. I'm glad. We got side tracked by abandon railway stations and farm complexes from way back.
A photorapher's dream. Anthropology.
Its why I go.
But no camera.
It died during Semana Santa in Seville.
I'd love to have a digi slr.
But too paranoid.
2
Buses work too. They go to more places more often than trains.I spent a week in Aix en Provence as a base. That's what I recommend.
3
am more confused than ever
Why exactly are you confused? I checked your previous post, and the only problem I saw is the usual one. Ask 10 people where to go and you'll get ten answers. Is that the problem?
You have to make up your own mind, not ask people to tell you. Opening things up to all of France is only going to make matters worse, not better.
You'd make it a lot easier on yourself if you pick a place and then say: OK people, I'm going 'here', and would like some suggestions for how to do daytrips. For example:
I did look at a post for Amboise, France and it looked lovely. From there, where could I go and still return to a base place?
Well, the answer is easy, and you can do it yourself in this case. Just check some info on the Loire valley. This popped up immediately with GOOGLE:
Loire valley
Not having a car is not a problem -- really, it's a non-issue, don't stress about it. I don't know recent train/bus schedules off the top of my head. Tours is a large town and is centrally located. There is more than enough within train/bus walking/cycling distance to easily fill 5-6 days. Blois, Amboise, Chenenceau, Saumur ... etc etc
4
Agree with #3.Amboise or Bléré will be a good base for the hors-categorie castles, some nice towns, Roman bridges, Leonardo da V.-things and depending on when: nature (moors, sunflowers, vineyards)
If you don't mind cycling, there are even endless options in this area.
There's also a gauge railway in the area from ...?..(think Romorantin) to Valencay.
I might provide more specific info if youy wish (and are a cyclist)
Also look here for destination ideas: http://cycletours.nl/Fietsvakanties/Frankrijk/Loire/Chaumont/Tententrektocht_Loire_Vernieuwd!.html?packageGroup=TTL
(you'll need a Translator programme)
6
Hi,So sorry in advance for my English level, I am not fluent. I am French, though so I can help you with your trip.
In June, you will have great chances to have good weather and nice lights.
We you talk about Northern France, do you mean like most of French : north of the Loire river? or do you mean north of Paris (as Parisian are thinking)?
I would guess the 1st one, so here are my recommendation (as a French raise in the North of France and who lived 10 years in Paris).
- the Loire castles is the part of France I like the most, you can start West in Tours and then go east following the river.
- on the east, I would recommend Reims and its countryside (champagne region)
- near Paris, I would recommend Auvers sur Oise (where Vincent Van Gogh is burried) ; Fontainebleau and its nice forrest and villages in the surrounding
- and in the North, I would recommend the Normandie region, (Honfleur, ...), Lille (nice big city) and Cap gris nez and Cap blanc nez from where you can see England coast if the weather is good
If you need to be more flexible to visit, you can check on this website where people offer rides (you have to pay a little) : www.covoiturage.fr
Hope this will help,
Enjoy your stay in France
7
Go by train to places that I can use my photography skills.You need to be a lot more specific about that. "Photography skills" tells us nothing.
Macro photography? Landscapes? Architecture? Nature? Wildlife? Portraits? Digi-scoping? Long telephoto lens work? And so on.
They are all different and often require different environments. Maybe you have the lenses and camera to do all of those, or maybe not.
8
Thank yor for the replies to date. The reason for my confusion is that I can read about France but who knows best what to see and where to be based but people who have traveled there. I was in Provence 2 years ago. I have been to the Nice area for the past two years and will spend my last week of vacation there again. This is why I am looking for travel ideas and a base place to get lodging and take day trips from my middle week of vacation. I wish I can say i am a cyclist but have not biked in years. I have read about the different regions and just want to make sure I can get to places via trains which is the easiest and hopefully quickest. I surely don't mind walking once I get to a town. Landscape, Naure and Wildlive are my favorite types of photography. I have a great camera and a very good lens. Hope this fills in the gaps. Thanks again for your posts and thanks to post #6. I want to stay away from big cities.9
What a pity you didn't return to your first threadhttp://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2161230&messageID=19497813#19497813
11
Call me naive if you like, but I'd assume the people who write books about France, at least the ones who write guidebooks, have travelled around France too.(Yes, I do remember Thomas Kohnstamm, or whatever his name was, but his case isn't a reason to doubt the sincerety of all authors)
14
Hi, the first thing you need is the base place. without a car, choose one or two big cities from where u'll can easily find trains / buses.You can choose cities like Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon, Strasbourg, Lille, Rennes... But you have to choose the part of country first. I'm from Normandy and if you search some botanical gardens, Normandy and brittany are some of the best places for that.
If you want to see nature, to take good botanical pictures (but not in botanical gardens), visiting some less usual places, and if you need an easy base place, why don't you try Auvergne (Clermont-Ferrand / Puy-de-Dôme) ? Here you'll have lots of states parks, volcano parks...
From Clermont-Ferrand, you can ivist lots of thing and if you have time you can push to Aurillac...
