Hello--
I%26#39;m looking for a generalized opinion--
My husband and I will be going to France after visiting family and friends in Belgium next summer and I%26#39;m trying to already put together an itinerary.
I am torn between the Loire Valley and the Provence Region. Both look so great and obviously are completely different with their main draws.
What I don%26#39;t want is super-touristy places and I don%26#39;t want to stay in chain hotels. I%26#39;m looking for a local%26#39;s point of view for these two cities. What would draw you to one region over the other?
Additionally, I%26#39;m fluent in French after living in Belgium for a while, so language is no barrier.
Any advice?
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My husband and I loved the Loire valley over the Provence Region. We thought Provence was nice but we loved the Loire Valley for the richness of the area and becuase there was so much to do. However just one persons opinion. In the Loire Valley we stayed at the Chateua de Villiane and thought it was a perfect place. It was a smaller Chateua in the perfect location to everything. The hosts were very gracious and the food was excellent.
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Just curious, where is the Chateau de Villiane, I have not heard of it
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It depends on what your preferences are -- I love them both, but they%26#39;re all but impossible to compare.
The Loire valley is rolling green hills, much like the farmlands of the Middle Atlantic. It is stuffed chockabloc with the chateaus of the kings (and queens...and their lovers). The Loire is known as the garden of France, for the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetable produced there. The wines produced there are lush and a joy to drink -- not as pondering as the Bordeaux and Bourgognes, but every bit as enjoyable.
Provence is rugged mountains and steep hills, scattered with the remains of the glory of the Roman Empire (in various stages of repair). It is full of charming villages seemingly glued to the sides of the hills and mountains. There are endless vineyards and olive orchards, mixed in with peaches and cherries (this time of year, anyway)...the rose%26#39; wines are a cool escape on a hot day, and the reds are big enough to stand up to the Provencal cuisine -- without beating you over the head.
Obviously there are super-touristy places in both regions, which I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll be able to identifiy so you can avoid them -- but chain hotels should be at the bottom of your list of concerns -- they are mostly close to the autoroutes and in the big city centres, but there are plenty of other accomodations available, too. Check with the Tourist Information centres in the city/village you%26#39;d like to stay in -- they%26#39;ll have excellent recommendations.
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Thanks everyone...I will have fun dreaming of next summer and start digging in to my research. I will post later on when i get a more specific idea!
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