Paris to Bordeaux

yeraulone

Hello,

I'm going to drive from Paris to Bordeaux at the end of next september over the space of 6 days.

Can anyone recommend any nice villages, places of interest, places to stay/eat etc along the way? We are not taking any particular route, so any suggestions would be welcomed.

Thanks

Miss Fluff

Oh you lucky thing! What are you hoping for in the six days? Do you love wine? Do you like coastal drives or prefer mainland drives, i.e. B Roads? You could go via Rennes or go via Tours, Rennes taking a coastal route or the latter through the Loire Valley. Really depends on what you are looking for. As the crow flies we are talking about a journey of roughly 350 miles I reckon so 6 days will afford you lots of time. Are you prepared to travel perhaps 100+miles some days and then not at all others? It's a big country so difficult to give you recommendations unless you have an idea of a vague route!

Ponster

Yep. It kinda comes dpwn to mountains or the coast.
Head west from Paris to Loire Vally, Angers, Tours, La Rochelle then down the Bordeaux.

Or try Fontaineblue, Dijon, Lyon, Avignon, Perpignan, Carcassonne, Bordeaux which means leaving Paris, heading south-east, then south until you get to the Med. and then west to Bordeaux.

I've done Paris-Bordeaux in a day leaving in the morning so the idea of having 6 days means that you should really get off the beaten track and not always stick to the moterways.

Carawaystick

I'd recomend La Rochelle,
you could then go to Royan, get a ferry across the gironde and down to Bordeaux through the medoc.

that'd be 2 days, Tours, the Loire valley, the Dordogne region, all good.

jrar

I'd suggest Chartres-Tours-Poitiers-La Rochelle-Saintes/Cognac-Bordeaux but via N and D roads only, and checking out many of the lovely smaller towns along the way. You could cycle the route in 6 days so driving give you loads of time !!

yeraulone

Thank you all for your informative replies. Its been very helpfully

I think we will head towards the west coast (north of La Rochelle) and take a route down that way.

So if anyone knows of any nice villages to visit, or places to stay, restaurants etc that would be great.

thanks again!

jrar

Spent 2 weeks in that area earlier this year - in La Rochelle you will be spoled for hotels and restaurants so depending on whether you're budgeting or want to splash out, there's something for all pockets there. For day and night-time eats, try to avoid the streets on the harbour itself as they tend to be slightly over-priced and catering for the tourist / day-tripper market with the marketing mentality you'd expect with that approach. Alternatively, esp. at night, follow the Cours des Dames towards the sea, and swing right at the bottom which will take you onto a street full of restaurants and bars where a lot of the locals seem to go. Great choice to suit all taste-buds and pockets (though seafood DOES tend to be the dominant theme !) and lots of spaces to eat out on the street etc.


Between La R. and Bordeaux, there's a couple of good coastal stops incl. Fouras, Rochefort, Brouage (very unusual setting), and Talmont -sur-Gironde which is small but very pretty esp. if the sun is shining.

Also, if you have time and like your vino, the town of St. Emilion a little way east of Bord. is the wine capital of the region and well worth a look

jrar

jrar wrote:

I'd suggest Chartres-Tours-Poitiers-La Rochelle-Saintes/Cognac-Bordeaux

Some good suggestions there. Chartres Cathedral is well worth a visit. Poitiers is a nice town and has Futuroscope, a theme park based on virtual reality rides that's very good. La Rochelle is lovely.

P. Breathnach

I'd also support jrar's suggestion.

If you decide to spend a day or two in the Loire Valley, I'd suggest that you do not stay in Tours simply because there are far nicer places to stop. I'd recommend Amboise or Saumur.

P. Breathnach

P. Breathnach wrote:

I'd suggest that you do not stay in Tours simply because there are far nicer places to stop. I'd recommend Amboise or Saumur.

Yeah, was thinking that too. Thought Tours was just an industrial town really, though haven't stayed there to be honest. Amboise and Saumur are lovely, as is Blois. Some fantastic chateaux in those towns. Orleans is okay, nice enough centre but little else.

If you're near Chartres, you're near enough to Versailles as well. Would take in those two in the first day.

yeraulone

thats great! thanks everybody for your help and advice

P. Breathnach

yeraulone wrote:

thats great! thanks everybody for your help and advice

You're welcome. I like it when people say thank you, something that many neglect to do.

When you have an outline of your itinerary, I suggest you post it and we might be able to weigh in with some more specific suggestions on accommodation, food, and places to visit. [For that, you would need to indicate your budget level and what sort of things you like.]

jrar

Deleted User wrote:

Yeah, was thinking that too. Thought Tours was just an industrial town really, though haven't stayed there to be honest. Amboise and Saumur are lovely, as is Blois.
.

I agree that Tours doesn't look much, but it actually has a very nice centre with narrow streets etc. around the cathedral, with lots of good places to eat, so it was suggested more as a staging post than anything else.

P. Breathnach

jrar wrote:

I agree that Tours doesn't look much, but it actually has a very nice centre with narrow streets etc. around the cathedral, with lots of good places to eat, so it was suggested more as a staging post than anything else.

I'll give you that, and I found it easy enough both to navigate my way in and find parking. I'd say yes for a lunch-stop and a walk around, but I still would not care to use it as a base.

Ponster

WAY too many Irish pubs in Tours for my liking...