Stopping off for one day to catch a couple of markets seems a bit silly.

I can post you a few vegetables to fondle and you can haggle over the phone or we can do it on ebay and then cut three days from your trip to do something less boring instead.

Ther French will think you’re bonkers doing shit like that on holiday, window market shopping, or don’t tell me, you take the fruit and veg home with you on the plane ??

I guess you don’t get out much either or you’re barred from the kitchen at home due to sharp objects and suicide oppertunities in there.

Lighten up jboy, the markets aren’t always all food. Some of them have various antiques, some clothing etc. But yeah, the one day stops do seem a bit on the strenuous side.
Crystal, your itinerary includes some great spots. I like to stay more than one night in a spot (Lyon to Carcassonne is a bit of a hike for one night) but that’s just me.
[url=‘http://www.beyond.fr/themes/markets.html’]types of markets[/url]

Doable and it seems like a great itinerary for an arranged tour, but I’m with Cil about the one nighters — 3 in a row would be grueling for me, especially when you’re not staying anywhere more than 2 nights. You will spend an awful lot of your time finding/getting to your lodgings; checking in and checking out; figuring how to GET to what you want to see, where you want to eat, what you want to do. Logistical issues can be a killer on a trip like this.

Do any of the locations work for staying in the same bed for two or three nights and taking day trips to the other things you want to see and do?

Can’t comment on everything, but I’ve been to many of those places and here’s my take:
I only spent 1 night in Lyon, but could have/probably should have spent much more. However, if you’re going for their famous food, you should plan on having the money for a good restaurant. When I was backpacking, it was a wasted trip because I ended up getting bread and cheese from the market just like in every other town. If all you want to do there is eat the food and nice restaurants aren’t in your budget, I’d skip it. If you want to see museums, etc., it’s worth it.

Carcassone needs a full day/night at least. It’s a bit of a walk, mostly uphill, from the train station to the old city, and within the city there’s a lot to take in, especially if you plan on doing the guided tour of the fortress—it’s only offered in English twice a day, I think. If you get to Carcassone first thing in the morning, you could see the city and leave the next day, but I don’t think train schedules will accomodate that, especially from Lyon.

L’Isle Sur la Sorgue is beautiful, but hard to get to via public transport. The busses go there, but the schedule is limited, and most hostels, etc. are a long walk. Count on staying the 2 nights you have planned—you’ll spend one full day in travel, and won’t be able to see the town until the next day.

Arles is worth 2 nights by itself, not counting the daytrip to Nimes, etc. There’s a lot to see there. It is a great town to stay in as a base, but I would stay a little longer if you plan on daytrips.

I’m like you—I like wine tastings and markets and it’s worth it to me to stop in a town strictly for that, but I think you may need to factor travel time into your itinerary more. As I stated earlier, full days are quite often lost in just getting from place to place; multiply that even more when you’re going by bus to small towns—bus schedules are much less frequent, are usually (annoyingly) not timed to coincide with train schedules, and often run behind schedule, meaning you miss the next connection and are stuck in a town you didn’t mean to be in for a night.

quote:
Lighten up jboy, the markets aren’t always all food. Some of them have various antiques, some clothing etc.

I can only stare at a (carrot or parsnip) for 10 secs without getting bored, fail to see how vegetable watching can be stretched to a full day
(add chair or vase or old rags in here as approp)

quote:fail to see how vegetable watching can be stretched to a full day

By putting the Herr in a minefield, you could watch that particular vegetable for hours! Pass the popcorn.

I thank you for your gentle reviews. I realize that this type of itinerary is not for everyone and I am impressed or perhaps shocked with myself for even attempting three consecutive 1-night stops.

This trip began as an Autumn frolic under the Tuscan Sun, and several three-hour train trips through Italy. After the timely death of Teri Schiavo, the ever-pending death of the Catholic Pontiff, followed by the flocks of believers touring Italy, my quest for the perfect gelato quickly seemed out of reach. I turned my interests to the French Cafe scene and two hour lunches (or time well spent on trains while the French enjoy their two hour lunches). I generally pour over my guidebook while riding the train to my destination. I’ve already researched many of the "logistics" (i.e. train and bus schedules, what to do upon arrival). I’m crossing my fingers to avoid transportation strikes. I prefer small towns/villages to larger cities. I will admit that my plans for Provence do seem hectic. I did consider day-trips from a base, such as Avignon or Arles; however, in an effort to save time and money, I decided to spend the night in smaller towns rather than daytrip. The way I see it, if I based myself in Avignon and took daytrips to Uzes, Vaison la Romaine and L’Isle Sur la Sorgue, I would still have to plan for the time and cost of public transport to these destinations (roundtrip in a day versus one way in a day). The markets I plan to visit are merely places for gathering picnics and watching colorful scenes of the French lifestyle. I am certainly more interested in the towns themselves rather than the markets. The markets are simply another place of interest in an already interesting location.

From a person who tends to perhaps over plan my European vacations, here is a more detailed account of my intended itinerary. Please excuse my attempts at half-wit.

Arrival in Baden Baden by 1600, allowing time for a long bath and German fare for dinner/socializing

Earlier train to Strasbourg (1.5 hours), short stop in Strasbourg, or with limited time, on to Colmar for an afternoon along the Rut du Vin. Full day/night afterward for exploring Colmar.

Train to Beaune (4 hours and arrival by about 1300). In the following 1.5 days, plans include Touring Hotel Dieu, wine tastings, wine museum, rampart walk, strolling through vineyards or possible bike ride through the area, possible trip to Dijon (and I stress possible, as I think Beaune itself has much to offer).

Train to Lyon (2 hours) with arrival before 1200. No obligatory museums, just planning on strolling the city. Interested in seeing Lyon at night. Plan on enjoying French fare and have budgeted for 20-25 Euro menus.

Lyon to Carcassonne (3.5 hours by train, with arrival near 1300). This was an afterthought after deciding against a trip to Cassis. Very intrigued with the medieval-ness of this town; however, not at all intrigued with the idea of shopkeepers selling their wares to loads of tourists. Would prefer to find some seclusion in this town, but fear that is next to impossible. Hence, I have not devoted much time here. I have already secured budget beds at a hotel very near the train station. I plan to take the 1 Euro shuttle to enjoy the town, do my own walking tour, and visit a nearby wine bar. Will purchase a bottle to take along and will perch myself on a cranny along the wall to admire the sunset, and hopefully watch the tourists stream out of town. Will end the evening with a night walk to a good view point, to admire the illumination of the wall. Hopefully I’ve had enough wine by the end of the evening to soften the impact of my budget bed.

Leaving Carcassonne early and on to Nimes (2 hours) to catch a bus to Uzes (1 hour). Plan to take a bus from Uzes to the Pont du Gard. I will spend the afternoon at the Pont du Gard. Return to Uzes for a relaxing evening. Nothing to see here but the city itself. Wake to the Saturday morning market. Rub elbows with some locals, make a few picnic purchases and carry on to Avignon by bus (1 hour).

Arrival in Avignon in early afternoon. Check bags at the central station. Make my way to the city-view park overlooking the Pont Benezet to enjoy my picnic (I now forget the name of the park…du ramparts something or other). See the palace from the outside, stop for a coffee in a cafe-lined square, and stroll through the city. Late afternoon train to L’Isle Sur la Sorgue (30 minutes).

Arrival in L’Isle Sur la Sorgue in early evening. Check-in to my "splurge" hotel. Find the perfect place for dinner, and a bottle of wine for a cote du stream relaxation exercise. Wake to the Sunday morning market. Rub elbows with more locals, people watch from a lively or sleepy cafe, sample the market fare, haggle with antiques dealers, enjoy a typically French Sunday afternoon.

Depart L’Isle Sur la Sorgue and return to Avignon (30 minutes) then on to Orange, walk to Orange bus stop (gawk at the theater nearby), hop bus to Vaison la Romaine (1 hour). Arrive in Vaison la Romaine with time to visit the Roman Ruins, wander the Medieval upper town and dine in the lower town nearer my hotel. If time allows, short hiking opportunity for views/sunset (of course, with a bottle of wine). Wake to Tuesday’s morning market. More watching of elbows and rubbing of produce; more sampling of the market treats; more sleepy cafes.

Bus/train to Arles (1.5-2 hours). Spending the remainder of the day and the following day/night here. Might see the Ancient History museum and tour the Van Gogh Foundation. Plan to walk through the city using the self-guided Van Gogh walking plan. I will gather a picnic at Saturday’s market, watch people fondle produce, continued sampling of cafe and market treats. Given your feedback, daytrips to Nimes or St. Remy/Les Baux are likely impossible given the time available. I guess I can live with that. I already knew that St. Remy and Les Baux were quite difficult to travel to using public transport. I trust that I will return with a car someday.

The following morning, a TGV to Paris with an early afternoon arrival in Paris. Will compare the difference between big city life and small town life while engineering a way to smuggle fruits and vegetables back into the US.

Do you find anything that seems impossible or terribly difficult to accomplish? Am I making huge mistakes with this itinerary? What would you consider removing from this itinerary? Any suggestions for "not-to-miss" points of interest? I certainly appreciate any and all feeback. Thanks!

if i can count correctly you are going to visit 10 places in 14 days. I went to 9 places in 21 days this summer and that pace was too much for me in the end. i was glad i spent at least 2 nights in the same bunk. if you can execute your itineray, go for it. however, if there is flexibility in your schedule, can you rank the places you want to visit and maybe decide to drop some of the low ranking ones on the fly. i agree with the previous posters – i don’t think i’d spend 1 night someplace. day tripping it would be better if possible. plus you get to dry your clothes somewhere if you spend 2 or more nights in one place. happy travels

Lyon: went there this summer just to eat. was content enough considering my budget. lunch found me at 10-12 euro menus. dinner was at 20-22 euro menus. tried one of the cheaper paul bocuse places, ‘nord’ which was more traditional french food. he also has ‘sud’ , mediterranean fare. i used let’s go france for the food suggestions. you need mega bucks to be able to afford his restaurants though. check out the chocolate shops in Lyon too. i tried some ‘pudding’ – the main course on a 20 euro menu somewhere near the big square. in french it was boudin. this turned out to be a pigs blood sausage. suprisingly good. bon apetit!

It’s hard to imagine you could spend so much and let alone, do so much within the given time I like to ponder where your source of income, may I, comes from? Speaking of income sources, I need a job.

quote:if i can count correctly you are going to visit 10 places in 14 days. I went to 9 places in 21 days this summer and that pace was too much for me in the end. i was glad i spent at least 2 nights in the same bunk.

I feel the same way. It just sounds so rushed and always on the move that you won’t get to enjoy everything. I just returned a week ago from a 28 day trip where I visited 9, maybe 10 places, and by times it seemed rushed. I always stayed a minimum of 2 nights in one place and that seemed like too short of a stay come the end of the trip where you were getting tired and just wanting to rest. Most places I went I spent 3 nights, but there were a few where I spent 4 and one where I spent 5. Just realize that going at that pace, you will probably change your plans a week in to the trip when you realize it’s too much. But maybe now, i’ve heard of equal or more places in a similar or shorter period of time.

Anyways, hope you have good time.

In response to the more recent replies, technically, I am spending 6-nights in Provence. All of the towns between Carcassonne and Paris in my itinerary are more or less in Provence. It’s just that instead of daytrips from a larger home base, such as Avignon, I’m spending the nights in the small towns and villages that I would have planned to daytrip to. Given the limited bus schedules to some of those destinations, and the fact that my interests lie in smaller towns and villages, this plan makes sense to me. Your points about feeling rushed are well taken; however, I am not travelling far to most destinations. It would be absolutely different if I were going from Munich to Venice and spending one night before moving on to another location. I have taken into account that I must do laundry and I’ve already decided where I will visit the launderettes during two night stays. I am not opposed to bagging up a damp pair of socks for an hour or two while I travel to another destination. I have gone ahead and considered dropping some stops (i.e.: Strasbourg, Dijon, Orange, Les Baux and St. Remy). If time allows, I might make a short stop in these locations, if not I won’t. My top priority is getting to the places where I plan to stay overnight.

I do hope that I can find room for chocolate after eating wonderful meals in Lyon. I think I’ll pass on the blood sausage. Thanks for the tips!

As for the finances of this trip, my husband and I have been saving $600 USD each month since about February of this year. We have double incomes, no children or pets, and we don’t own SUVs. We should have roughly 4000€ for this trip, based on a 1.3 exchange rate. Our flights have already been paid for (about $675.00 per person). We budget 65€ per night accomodation for the two of us, 50€ per person and per day for food and drink, and 15€ per person and per day for sights and local transport. This leaves us some spending allowance per day. Our long train trips will be done via a French Railpass. This, along with some point-to-point fares costs about $750 USD total. Although not the typical backpackers’ budget, we enjoy ourselves immensely and have become so addicted to travels in Europe. We do usually have some money left over when we return home.

Checking to see if I can still reply to this post…

I came across this post that I wrote a while ago. I realized that I never updated as to this trip. I must have been too busy sorting and organizing trip memories upon my return. So, I’ll update now, mostly to show others that a little planning can make a whirlwind trip absolutely fantastic.

This has actually been one of my favorite European vacations. The trip ultimately inspired a 10-night trip to Paris earlier this year. I’m in love with France.

This was an October trip. I landed in Frankfurt and took the train to Baden-Baden for a 1-night stay. Took a bath, which was glorius. Napped in the final relaxation room. Returned to hotel down the street. Went for dinner…not the best German meal I’ve had. Went out for beers. Had great sex in a wonderfully squeaky bed back at my hotel. Ahhhh. Great start to a great Eurotrip!

Next day: Train to Colmar. Picnic and toiletry shopping before a bus to Riquwier. Picnic, strolling, cafe, strolling, shopping, strolling, wine, strolling, lost sunglasses. Return to Colmar. Fabulous dinner, bieres and french language butchering at a local pub. Day #2 in Colmar-Lazy Sunday of Croissaints and Cappucino, laundry, strolling the city and sights, cafe and bieres, fun people watching, another fabulous dinner, more bieres.

Next day: Train to Lyon. Quick bite to eat upon arrival, bath at hotel, stop at the sunglasses shop, Fourviere Hill and the Amphitheater, sunset view over the city, Stroll through Presque L’Isle, bieres at a crappy Irish Pub, awesome dinner splurge (about 35 Euro per person with wine and dessert), nightlife spots on the way back to hotel.

Next day: Train to Carcassone. Quick shower at hotel near train station, stroll through the city with a stop for panini and espresso, really long wait at the bus stop and a lot of cigarette smoking, late afternoon arrival at the ramparts, rampart walk with the place practically to ourselves, coffee/biere, dinner with live music…followed the beggar outside of the church to this incredible little restaurant, night stroll outside the wall, walk back to hotel. (Along the way we found a street party and couldn’t resist more beers and interesting people.)

Next day: Train to Nimes. Peek at the theater and Maison Carree. Bus to Uzes. Check-in at hotel. Coffee and panini, bakery stop for a baguette. Bus to Pont du Gard. Afternoon exploring Pont du Gard, bottle of wine and baguette behind a bush across from the bus stop, school bus stops along the way back to Uzes. Street food, a couple bieres and back to the hotel to watch some cheesy French television shows.

Next day: Morning market…a good one. Bus to Avignon. City stroll, gelato, picnic overlooking the river. Train to Isle Sur la Sorgue. Shower in the splurge hotel, night stroll, bieres for dinner and for after dinner.

Isle Sur la Sorgue Day #2-Market, picnic gathering, strolling
flea market, picnicking on hotel room balcony, laundry, napping, incredible pizzas for dinner, wine back at the hotel.

Next day: Train to Avignon, bus to Vaison la Romaine. Panini and coffee (of course), stop at a bakery(of course), hike to the Chateau, Roman Ruins, wine tasting, Pastis on the square, fabulous dinner reservations, wine and cigars on hotel room balcony over the square.

Next day: Several hours at the Vaison la Romaine Morning Market, walk to bus stop for return to Avignon. Bus to Arles. Stoll through the carnival by the Arles train station, shower at hotel, walk to Ancient History Museum following some of the Van Gogh self-guided walk, street food, laundry and pizza, night strolling, Place du Forum nightcap(s).

Arles Day #2-City strolling, major sights, gelato, Pastis, chocolates, a most memorable dinner in a little hole of a place with great Pasta Carbonara, nightcap on Place du Forum.

TGV to Paris. Much of the usual Paris to-do’s, with some Marais nightlife and late-night taxis.

Ta da. Voila. The return home had been devastating after this trip. I certainly wanted and needed more France in my system.