5 Days in France, Where to go?

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Cabal

You did not say if you would travel only by train.

Stop at Lyon, visit the old town and the old churches, eat in one of the old restaurants called bouchon, climb on the Croix Rousse to see the city at your feet. Walk in the huge park Tête d'Or.

Then stop at Dijon, old capital city of the Burgundy Dukes. Visit the palace, the 13th century old cathedral and other churches, enjoy the Bourgogne wine and the Dijon mustard as well as the food.

From there if you're not fed up with old cities you can go to Provins, a Unesco site, a medieval town with the old (and huge) walls and dry moats.

Or why not cross over westward and visit Orleans, one of the royal cities on the Loire river, cathedral, old streets and houses, castle, Joan of Arc house and if you have the time go see one of the other famous Loire castles.

Dijon boasts a large number of churches and cathedrals, including St. Bénigne, Notre-Dame, St. Étienne, and St. Michel. The crypt of Dijon Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Benignus, dates from 1,000 years ago, and the city has retained many architectural styles from many of the main periods from the past millennium, including Gothic, Renaissance and Capetian. Many of the still-inhabited houses in the city's central district date from before the 18th century.

Dijon was spared the destruction of various wars such as the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, despite the fact that the Prussian army invaded the city. Therefore, many of the old buildings such as the half-timbered houses dating from the 12th to the 15th century (found mainly in the city's core district) are undamaged, at least by organized violence.

There are many museums in the city, including one dedicated to mustard and steak. Another is the Musée des Beaux Arts in the old part of the Ducal Palace (see below). It contains, among other things, ducal kitchens that date back to the mid-1400s, and a collection of European paintings from the early Renaissance to the Impressionistic periods.

Among the more interesting of Dijon's sights is the Ducal Palace, the Palais des Ducs et des États de Bourgogne or "Palace of the Dukes and the States of Burgundy" (47°19′19″N 5°2′29″E / 47.32194°N 5.04139°E / 47.32194; 5.04139), which is one of only a few remaining examples of the Capetian period in the region. Another is a curious carving of a little owl, la chouette, on the church of Notre Dame on the rue de la Préfecture. It is reported that this has become regarded as a good-luck charm: people touch it with their left hand and make a wish. The current carving is a copy as the original was destroyed the night of January 5 or 6 2001 by vandals. The current version is now protected by video surveillance.

Nancy
The Place Stanislas[1] named after the king of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and duke of Lorraine Stanisław Leszczyński, Place de la Carrière, and Place d'Alliance were added on the World Heritage Sites list by the UNESCO in 1983.

The "École de Nancy", a group of artists and architects founded by the glassmaster and furniture maker Émile Gallé, worked in the Art Nouveau style at the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century. It was principally their work which made Nancy a centre of art and architecture that rivaled Paris and helped give the city the nickname "Capitale de l'Est." The city still possesses many Art Nouveau buildings (mostly banks or private homes). Furniture, glassware, and other pieces of the decorative arts are conserved at the Musée de l'École de Nancy, which is housed in the 1909 villa of Eugène Corbin, a Nancy businessman and supporter of the Art Nouveau there.

The old city centre's heritage dates from the Middle Ages to the 18th century. The cathedral of Nancy is a fine example of 18th century architecture. The surroundings of the train station are a busy commercial area.

There is also a major botanical garden in Nancy, the Jardin botanique du Montet. Other gardens of interest include the city's earliest botanical garden, the Jardin Dominique Alexandre Godron, and various other public gardens and places of interest including the Pépinière and Parc Sainte-Marie (public gardens).

There is also the aquarium, the Musée de l'École de Nancy, the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Musée Lorrain amongst others

Verdun (Latin: Verodunum - meaning "strong fort") was founded by the Gauls (as its Celtic name shows; "Dunum" is the Latinized version of a Celtic word meaning oppidum). It has been the seat of the bishop of Verdun since the 4th century, with interruptions. In the Treaty of Verdun in 843, the empire of Charlemagne was divided into three parts.

At around this time Verdun was the centre of a Europe-wide thriving trade selling young boys to be enslaved eunuchs to the Islamic emirates of Iberia[1].

Verdun became part of the middle kingdom Lotharingia, and later of the Holy Roman Empire, in which it was an Imperial Free City. The Bishopric of Verdun formed together with Tull (Toul) and Metz the Three Bishoprics, which were annexed by France in 1552 (recognized in 1648).

la vita e bella

Normandie, the D-Day beaches.
Bayeaux, the tapestry.
Nice, everywhere.
The Dordogne region (a few hours from Switzerland), there are prehistoric caves there--really great.
Have fun!

Domenica P

Stop at Lyon. You can visit the old town and the old churches, eat in one of the old restaurants, climb on the Croix Rousse to see the city at your feet. Lyon was to me a dream come true. If you're looking for a hotel in Lyon, France you can go to Scoobit.com, the hotel search engine at http://www.scoobit.com and fill the form with Lyon, France. We went to the hotel on the right in the second row: nice and clean place, loving it, but feel free to choose the hotel that best fits your needs. Scoobit.com is a safe website I've used many times so far, and you can book on line. Have a great time.

Then stop at Dijon, old capital city of the Burgundy Dukes. Don't forget to visit the palace, the 13th century old cathedral and other churches, enjoy the Bourgogne wine and the Dijon mustard. For a nice and cheap hotel in Dijon, France fill the given website's form with Dijon, France. We went to the first hotel on the left. It was a clean, well located and nicely staffed hotel. Not over-priced.

Finally stop at Nancy. For a nice and cheap hotel in Nancy, France fill the form with Nancy, France. We went to the second hotel on the left, really beautiful. Look also this website to get to know what you can find in Nancy http://blog.dreamstime.com/2007/11/20/a-week-end-in-nancy-france_art24940 Huge hugs.

Sabine

I would spend it all in Provence. Cassis or St Remy for preference.

Jerry 71

Nice is a nice place to visit. The Mediterranean Sea is beautiful and the whole city is too (real orange trees line the street). See the Roman ruins (still in good shape after all these years), the Matisse Museum, the Chagall Museum, etc. You'll also be able to try the unique cooking of this part of France.

bo$$

the one... the only...eiffel tower!!

Katie

eiffel tower
pentagon
buckingham palace

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