Hi everyone,
I know this isn't completly climbing related, but it does have to with Europe. I was wondering if anyone knows of great travel destinations in France other than Paris that they would not want to miss if visiting. My girlfrined and I are planning a trip in either October or November and are going to Paris for sure. We were thinking about going to the French Alps. I saw a town called Annecy that looked really nice. If anyone has any suggestions of places to go please post them.
Thanks,
Mike

Mike

I recommend for Alpine/Mountain/Hike activity - Chamonix and surroundings (ex. Annecy), it's beautiful place (6hours by car from Paris) and you will be in the "cot" of Alpinism and classic Mont Blanc

Another possibility is The Normandy region (North) (3-4h from Paris) - nice maritime villages with lot of history on World War II. Beautiful hikes on the cliffs - towns recommended ETRETAT - HONFLEUR - FECAMP.

Enjoy !
Pablo

I would second Pablo. Plus Brittany is wonderful! But if you´re over then maybe think about the Camargue down south. If you´re into sport climbing then there is the Verdon Gorge of course.

Enjoy yourselves!

For nature (climbing and hiking) I would also :

> Parc des Ecrins (south-east of Grenoble... my favourite Mountains in France)
> Pyrénées mountains (border with Spain)
> Provence (tons of beautiful villages, beaches, hills, cliffs to climb, and sun !) : around Marseille, Toulon, Avignon, Sisteron...
> Massif Central (near Clermont-Ferrand) : ancient volcanoes covered with grass, beautiful for mountain-biking and hiking.

Enjoy !

I lived in France for a few years and was able to see quite a bit of the country. One of my favorite places was Mount St. Michael in Normandy. It's really an amazing place and I'd highly recommend it. I'd also have to put in another good word for Etretat as Pablo has already said. Have a fun trip.

wetsponge007 wrote:Hi everyone,
I know this isn't completly climbing related, but it does have to with Europe. I was wondering if anyone knows of great travel destinations in France other than Paris that they would not want to miss if visiting. My girlfrined and I are planning a trip in either October or November and are going to Paris for sure. We were thinking about going to the French Alps. I saw a town called Annecy that looked really nice. If anyone has any suggestions of places to go please post them.
Thanks,
Mike

Every places are nice in France, except Paris or Chamonix. In the Alps, i would recommend Briançon and Ecrins National Parc (one of the wildest place in the Alps).

You might go between Bourges and Herisson and check out the Forest of Troncais to see some big oaks.
http://perso.orange.fr/baignereau/troncais/arbres/images/stebbing3.jpg

First off, thank you all. I will be in France for the first week in December. There seems to be so many great places to see. The Encrins National Park looks very nice. My girlfriend I an I are so excited to go, she has been before but it will be my first time. If anyone else reads this or has and wants to put there input in please do. Thanks again everyone.

If you go to PN Les Ecrins in December the last part of the road going to La Berarde will probably be blocked by snow.
However you can at least drive up to St Christophe en Oisans, and from there it is easy to get in deeper into the valley with snowshoes.
It is also a great area for mountaineering skiing : a beautiful itinerary is to ski up in the "Vallon des Etancons" (north of La Bérarde) to admire the South Face of La Meije.

I suggest you to buy both maps for full details and itineraries :
<b><a href=http://www.ign.fr/rubrique.asp?rbr_id=866&lng_id=FR&saisie=3436ET>Meije/Pelvoux 3436ET</a></b> (East part of Les Ecrins)
<b><a href=http://www.ign.fr/rubrique.asp?lng_id=FR&rbr_id=2314&saisie=3336ET>Muzelle/Olan 3336ET</a></b> (West part of Les Ecrins)

Ski / Snowshoes itineraries are marked in blue on IGN Maps.