Is it just me, or is anyone else allowing themselves to do a little French travel planning?
I have the feeling that it will be a long time before Australians are able to travel anywhere. Let alone as far as the northern hemisphere. But that isn’t stopping me from having a little think about where we might travel to in France in the future.
I’ve even started a ‘French travel planning’ list. Because I love a good list. (Please don’t laugh – I think it has something to do with me being a project manager.)
My list is interesting because it’s full of French cities and towns that we’ve already visited. If you follow us on Instagram you’ll already know that the list is getting quite lengthy. I’ve been posting photos of our ‘must revisit locations’ for a while now. Some of the towns we’ve visited for only a day – others, we’ve stayed in for a week or longer.
But all of them have enough appeal to make me want to head back.
Today I thought I’d share my top three French destinations that are on my list to revisit.
French Travel Planning – 3 Destinations To Revisit
One – Nice
It took Scotty and I a very long time to get to Nice. I find it gets mixed reviews, depending on the time of year people visit. So we had taken a bit of a ‘take it or leave it’ approach to the entire French Riviera.
That approach, for the record, was a big mistake.
From the moment we set foot outside the airport, we loved Nice. The views, the food and the rambling old town are all reasons to head back. And that’s before I mention all the day trips you can do from there.
We spent a week in Nice and barely scratched the surface – there was still so much left for us to explore.
We are lucky that we can fly into Nice from Melbourne. And we’re thinking that we’d like to put together a little do-it-yourself tour from Nice to Venice when that part of the world opens up again.
Two – Toulouse
This one is Scotty’s choice. We had no idea when we visited Toulouse how much time we’d need. Safe to say that we didn’t allow enough. The city itself is very lovely, with its rosy glow. I’d head back to sit in the majestic square and watch the world go by.
And the surrounding areas are also worth a look. Two other places that we’d return to – Carcassonne and La Livinière – are both within striking distance of Toulouse.
Three – Paris
I thought about naming this post “French Travel Planning – My Top Destinations To Revisit Outside Paris’.
But I couldn’t.
Because if I had the chance to go to Paris tomorrow, I would. We’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve travelled to this beautiful city. Yet I still feel like there is more to see and do there.
I also hold some cherished memories from our visits to Paris. Watching the sun rise over the rooftops. Spending special times with dear friends. Exploring places I’d dreamed of for years. So I struggle to think about visiting France without at least spending a little time in Paris.
Are you allowing yourself to indulge in a little French travel planning yet? Which French destination would you return to if you had the chance? I’d love for you to let me know in the comments section below.
And until next time – au revoir.
6 thoughts on “French Travel Planning – 3 Destinations To Revisit”
One never ceases to find something new when revisiting destinations in France. Clearly, the larger the city to which you are returning, the more one can discover for the first time. We have now owned chez nous – a constant work in progress – for 10 years, in a small French village of 1800 residents and are still discovering “new” delights locally.
If one is visiting a French city, which is usually far more accessible by public transport than most villages, I can highly recommend both Dijon and Lyon. Both these beautiful gems are on the same TGV train line from Paris.
Warm regards from another Aussie dreaming about getting back to mon amore – France.
Hi Elizabeth, my apologies for not responding to your comment sooner. I work full time, and unfortunately that means that my blog admin is often slower than I’d like. I couldn’t agree more about your comments regarding Dijon and Lyon. We spent two weeks in Lyon in 2014 and loved every minute. We’ve spent a lot of time about an hour south of Lyon and seem to find ourselves back there again and again. And how delightful that you have been able to buy your own little piece of France – I love the fact that you are still finding little pieces of your village to get to know.
Yes, you struck a chord with me in this post. Now that things have settled down just a bit in the US, we’re beginning to ask when will it be possible to wander abroad. We had planned to travel this coming fall to Paris (2-3 weeks), Nice (5 days?), Turin (Torino, 3 days), and Rome (another week to 10 days).
Like you I suppose, we are best acquainted with Paris. Having lived there for extended periods, Paris is a familiar comfort and profound pleasure. Nice we have never visited, even though we have covered much of Provence. My husband claims I want to go there for a sandwich, which is partly true (I’ve a hankering for pan bagnat). Turin I read about in Frances Mayes’ appealing book about visiting the untrod cities of Italy. And Rome, like Paris, has become for us a familiar and beloved haunt.
So—two old faves and two newbies. How long must we wait?
Yes yes yes Janelle!! I’d already planned & booked our trip in September which is now cancelled 😥 but we are planning to do the same trip in September 2021😁
London to Paris then on to Avize, Colmar, Saint-Julie near Lyon, Saint Paul de vence & Menton then through to Italy stopping in Santa Margherita, Florence (we have Italian friends here) Montepulchiano, Sorrento & Rome (More Italian friends here) then home. About 7 weeks all up. 4 to 5 days in every place.
I got really excited just writing this!! 😂
We can’t wait to return but we are also thinking that it will be so much sweeter after being away for so long.8
Denise, you are an absolute gem. I love your positivity about your delayed trip – which sounds absolutely amazing btw. And I whole heartedly agree with you – all future visits to France (and Europe and anywhere else for that matter) will be all the more lovely thanks to C-19 xx
I feel like you’ve struck the perfect balance Kairosia – two old favourites and two new destinations to explore seems like an ideal trip. And for the record, I think a sandwich – or any other taste sensation – is more than a good enough reason to travel somewhere. As for how long we must wait….I wish I knew!!!!!! xx