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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It wouldn%26#39;t be so difficult to do both. I live near to Saumur in the Loire Valley and love it here. It%26#39;s not as touristy as people expect it to be, still retaining the air of a working town. The military academy helps with that. In my immediate locality it%26#39;s extremely pretty and the neighbours and villagers speak very little English, which means that you really do feel a part of the %26#39;France Profonde%26#39;.
Never been to Provence, but have travelled through the Languedoc region, which would be next on my list of places to live in France.
If you need any more info on the Loire, and Saumur in particular, just ask.
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I have not been to the Loire Valley (yet!) but have been to Provence twice. I love the Luberon area (Bonnieux, Menerbes, Gordes, L%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue, Roussillon, etc. ). The scenery is very lush and beautiful in the summer. We stayed at a guesthouse/B%26amp;B in Pernes les Fontaines (www.lelavandinprovence.com) which is absolutely spectacular and very centrally located to where we wanted to visit. I would have liked to have visited Lourmarin, Ansouis, and Aix, but they will have to wait for the next trip.
St. Remy is also a charming town and is probably 30-40 minutes from Pernes.
I would go back to this area of Provence in a heartbeat ... there%26#39;s always something that you miss and have to go back for!
All the little villages/towns are charming with just a riot of flowers everywhere. Eye candy to the max!!!
Spend some time at a local bookstore and read the various Provence books and see what might %26quot;sing%26quot; to you.
Enjoy!
joy/luvparee
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Well, as for my personnal taste I would choose Provence without hesitating for a minute, but it also depends how many days you have to spend, and on your own favorites.
The Loire Valley is mostly castles, gorgeous ones, while Provence is a few great cities (Avignon, Aix...) and dozens of lovely villages (I was amazed that the previous Chicago guy knows about Pernes-les-fontaines, a lovely remote place most French people have never heard about! Really enjoying it you need some time, no highways there.
So if you enjoy the countryside, great landscapes and old villages, charming B%26amp;B/farmstaysProvence should be your choice, while if you are more into a few big spectacular castles the Loire valley is best!
Beware that in July/august, French people are on vacation, means you won%26#39;t be alone in Provence, and neither, to a lesser extent, in the Loire valley.
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Un GRAND merci a tout le monde pour les avis. :) I appreciate it!!!
How hard is it to drive a car around the more remote parts?
Also, any more small towns where you can visit %26quot;le berceau%26quot;-- where people speak mostly French and there%26#39;s not a booming tourist industry?
I envison trying to find somewhere to stay that would offer self-catering. It is a true delight to do the marche whilst in France.
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Stu--
What would be a draw in Languedoc? Are there a lot of medieval sites to visit?
All I think about is porcelain when I think of this region...
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Have visited the Loire Valley area during Easter and spent two weeks driving around Provence at the end of July. Found the only tourista spots to be in the Nice and Monaco areas. Loved both places and driving thru each is very easy. Encountered alot more locals in Provence that did not speak English.
We rented a lovely small apartment that was part of Chateau Talaud. ...15/20 minutes outside of Avignon.
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did you visited any wineries?
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