The numbers, the planning, and the highlights behind the diary
Actual GPS route from Paul's phone — drag to pan, scroll/pinch to zoom, click a dot for the place name.
| Place | Dates | Nights | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 15–16 Apr | 1 | Arrived from home; night at Hotel de Venise before the train south |
| St Bauzille de Montmel | 16 Apr – 5 May | 19 | Base near Montpellier; day trips to Sommières, Pic St-Loup, Sète, Pont du Gard, Nîmes, St Guilhem-le-Désert, Cambous |
| Montpellier | 5–6 May | 1 | Visited friends at Palavas-les-Flots |
| Ajaccio / Isolella (Corsica) | 6–14 May | 7 | Overnight ferries each way; bike ride, Tenutella beach, Ajaccio old town & Fesch Museum |
| Marseille | 14–19 May | 4 | Notre-Dame de la Garde, Grotte Cosquer, Fort St Jean, old town |
| Meudon (Paris) | 19–28 May | 9 | Versailles, Montmartre, Musée d'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées, Jardin des Plantes |
| Angers | 28–30 May | 2 | Château d'Angers — a Nantes booking fell through |
| Pénestin | 30–31 May | 1 | Plage de la Mine d'Or, via Quiberon & the Carnac stones |
| Bénodet | 1–2 Jun | 1 | Rest day for Kayleen's strained Achilles |
| Kerfourn, Brittany | 2–8 Jun | 6 | Workaway farm stay; day trips to Rochefort-en-Terre and La Gacilly |
| Malansac | 8–9 Jun | 1 | Weekend visiting friends, via Josselin & Malestroit |
| Kerfourn, Brittany | 9–14 Jun | 5 | Back to the farm stay; Valley of the Saints, Bon Repos Abbey, Lake Guerlédan |
| Lannion | 14–15 Jun | 1 | Start of the Pink Granite Coast |
| Tréguier | 15–16 Jun | 1 | Aigue Marine hotel |
| Pontorson (Mont Saint-Michel) | 16–18 Jun | 2 | Mont Saint-Michel day visit |
| Granville | 18–19 Jun | 1 | Au Bout Du Quai hotel |
| Deauville | 19–21 Jun | 2 | Christian Dior Museum, Bayeux Tapestry |
| Laval | 21–22 Jun | 1 | Via Villers-sur-Mer, Flers, Château de la Motte-Husson; coincided with a music festival |
| Nantes | 22–23 Jun | 1 | Overnight stopover |
| Bordeaux | 23–27 Jun | 3 | Tram tour, Cathedral St André, Grosse Cloche |
| Clermont-Ferrand | 27–29 Jun | 2 | Visited friends; Puy de Dôme; overnight in a nearby village |
| Lyon | 29 Jun – 3 Jul | 3 | Old town, Fourvière Basilica, Roman theatre, Parc de la Tête d'Or |
| Annecy | 3–7 Jul | 4 | Electric-bike ride around the lake, Palais de l'Île, watched France v Portugal (Euro 2024) |
| Lyon (transit) | 7–8 Jul | 1 | Delayed train, one-night stopover near the station |
| Strasbourg | 8–12 Jul | 4 | Petite France, river cruise, Notre-Dame light show, Alsace region day tour incl. Colmar |
| Strasbourg → departure | 12–13 Jul | 1 | Final night near Paris/the airport; flew out via Dubai on the 13th |
Kayleen did most of the planning for this trip. We first visited France in 2010 for skiing. We loved the food and the culture. We have been learning French ever since and planning our return. This trip was built around the two home exchanges, the first near Montpellier (finalised Jan 24) and the second one (a shorter points exchange) near Paris. We planned to be out of Paris before the Olympics to miss the crowds, but did not realise how much the torch relay would affect other areas. Late in the planning we had the offer of staying at a friend’s holiday home on Corsica. We used Flight Centre to book the flights and flew via Dubai on the way over (Emirates) and Dubai and Singapore on the way back (Emirates and Qantas). The layover in Dubai on the way back was so tight we had to run all the way. Apart from the home exchanges, a lot of the accommodation and trains in France were only booked a week or so in advance. We added a few days in Singapore to the trip home, which was great. We did some of the intercity travel by train, but also hired a car in Nantes (30th May to 22nd June). The first home exchange came with a small car, so we did a fair bit of driving around St Bauzille de Montmel as well. We packed light, using only backpacks.
My favourite memories are: The hiking we did at Pic St-Loup near Montpellier. The museums in Paris. Annecy was amazing. Bénodet was also a favourite.
[Kayleen's best memory from this trip]