First and foremost, Backroads is awesome. The hotels, food and guides are top notch. Enjoy.

It all depends on what you like and if you've been to Paris before. If not, than go to Paris and run around like a nut job and try to see as much as you can. Having been 4 or 5 times, it's just another huge-ass crowded loud city for me. I like the St. Germain section.

Flights: Why not Nice? Much closer to Provence. If you are already planning on doing Paris, then I'd suggest museums unless you've already been... Louvre, d'Orsay. Louvre is insanely large. Takes days to see the whole enchilada. d'Orsay has night hours on one night (Tuesday?) and it's much more manageable. Either way, line up early. Unless you can buy pre-admission slot tickets, otherwise Louvre can be a 3 hour wait to get in. The reality is you won't scratch the surface with Paris in 2 days.

I would not bring my bike unless I planned to ride it post trip. What a hassle to schlep it around. However, if you want to ride around after the Backroads ends, bring it. Riding in Provence, France, etc is AMAZING. My recommendation post trip it is hole up in a hotel in a cool village like Gordes or Aix and walk around and absorb the lifestyle, chill out, rent bikes and ride, eat all that delicious food and wine. That's what I'd do.

I'll take a shot a some of these.

1) Flying out of Milan probably won't be any cheaper. maybe you can find a deal. I wouldn't head over that way unless you have specific things in Italy you want to see. There are plenty of other cities in France along the Paris to Provence route to check out pre/post trip. Here are just a few I recommend. - Lyon to Beaune to Dijon, maybe over to Carcassonne then back up thru Bordeaux, or just Bordeaux area.

2) I hate shipping bikes I would just pay the $200 extra for theirs. Why deal with the logistics of your bike? Better question is what is your GF riding? Don't want to mismatch.

3) If you're taking the train to Provence look for something near the Gare de Lyon, maybe near the botanical gardens or slightly towards Notre Dame. Don't have anything specific to recommend for eating, just enjoy whatever. As far as what to see, if you haven't already hit the big stuff, Eiffel(get tickets as soon as available - 60 days out I think, be online at whatever the time is the websight opens to get the best time possible), Sacre Coeur, museums(musee d'orsay, orangerie, rodin museum, Louvre) . Depending on how much time you have the only one I might skip would be the Lourve. You could easily spend the day there and loss out on seeing so much more. Stuff outside of Paris - Versailles and Monet's Gardens in Giverny

4) See above #1. I might also throw in Mont-Saint-Michel if you wanted to check out surrounding Normandy and the beaches.

Crazy idea involving Italy - head to Cinque Terre(would be pretty crowded and hot in July), then head over to and fly out of Florence.

ETA - I just read hdog above. If you want to do the small village route, which I love as well, other good ones are Arles, Nimes and St Remy. Depending on what you didn't get to see on your Backroads tour

I would use the extra time to visit the locations where van Gogh painted in Arles.

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On shipping your bike: be prepared for the french gov. to hold your bike hostage until you pay a ridiculous fee. They will argue that you are trying to sell the bike and as such need to pay a tax. And the guy in charge of handling this is likely on vacation. On the other hand, if you fly with your bike, no problem. Don't ask how I know...

Thanks so much for awesome input so far

I really appreciate it!!

Whenever I'm in paris:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d783857-Reviews-Les_Cocottes_de_Christian_Constant-Paris_Ile_de_France.html


My favorite low key comfort food place...after eating and drinking too much...wander to the eiffel tower and lie on the grass and star gaze...

I live in grasse

Train from Paris to anywhere from Aix to Menton

Milan is 3 hours ish from Nice

I'd fly from Paris, not sure of exact routes but guessing you'd need to get train from Nice and then change to get to Milan in somewhere like Genoa

Rent. Bring pedals. Schlepping a bike from CdG across Paris would be shit

What to do in Paris? Sit in your room........

I'd do ND, mont mate, louvre, walk, walk walk......... Stay away from quai d'orssay..........

Villa allessadra....... Is good, somewhere between the Arc and the Louvre off the CE is ideal

Where to recommend depends on where you are riding. Provence is huge. To drive from antibes to northern provence is more than six hours

I'd stay in Nice and take train to towns with beaches, lunch, swim, drink repeat