small French towns?

[GoJoel]

Does anyone have any advice on small, quiet French towns? I think I am going to pass up the South and try and find something in the Burgundy area or Loire Valley. I really like the medieval villages and am considering Dijon/Beaunne area on the way out of Paris to Switzerland. Any feedback would help!

[madamtrashheap]

Hi Joel, good to see you back. I'm interested in the teaching job you did in Italy too (from another Post).

Towns in France that might be of interest to you are:
Macon (not medieval, but still pretty, well I liked it!); Beaune (very medieval and very pretty); Dijon is pretty but not so quiet during tourist season; Carcassonne - I know it's not in your regions, but it fits the bill perfectly and is a pretty amazing town; Avignon (small but very popular with tourists as it is quite pretty and on the edge of Provence); Besancon - amazing city that is on the route between Paris and Switzerland and in the middle of agricultural land, would be my pick; Auxerre - just near Chablis, medium sized town, I like it but a lot of people find it too industrial; Limoges - it's probably more Gothic than medieval, so to speak, but it's an interesting town.

Hope these get you started - are you visiting or planning to stay there for a while?

[GoJoel]

Thanks for the advice, Madam. I'm looking into the towns you've suggested and just today came accross Riquewihr on the Route du Vin. It's not exactly on the main route out of Paris but looks awesome. The trip would only be a few days passing through, although you never know!

[Eagle]

Madam, you're amazing!!! Is there any place you haven't been?

[madamtrashheap]

The list of places I still want to see, just in Europe, is still long - and the more time I spend on these boards the more I keep coming up with! ;D

I've been lucky enough to have spent the better part of the last 18 years in and out of Europe so I've been to lots of big towns as well as villages (for the record, I like both types of places!). But, I still haven't made it to Madrid (sorry Herrbert, never had time yet!), St Petersburg is the one that got away (for now) and Croatia and Albania (I know - blame Paul Theroux) have been beckoning me for a few years now.

I enjoy visiting France, hence the long list, but Joel has managed to find a place I haven't been to - quelle surprise! At least it's on the Route du Vin - already sounds like my kind of place! I didn't even mention the Alsace region - sorry for the oversight. I know it's in France, but you'll get a real cross section of all things French and German there. I'm interested to hear where you finally decide to go Joel.

[herrbert]

Riquewihr ... that brings back some memories. I visited the place, with my parents when I was young. As I recall it it's a small town that is worth a quick visit. There are a lot of really old houses, that are build in the style they used for a long time. (They are kind of simalar to the houses you'll find in the German Eiffel-region in places like Monschau).

My only concern would be that there is no Railway near to this place, so I guess you have to get to Colmar, and get on a bus from there? (or maybe you can get a bus on the trainstation at Ribeauville-Garé)

[Jules80]

I enjoyed Tours just south of france. nice old midevily town with loads of fabulous castles around to visit! it was probably my second favorite place in france (after nice).

julie