Greece or France?

My husband and I went to Italy with friends last summer for two weeks and rented a villa in Positano. We loved being in one place and doing day trips from there. After our friends left we stay in Tuscany for two weeks and again loved staying in one place and doing some day trips. Next summer (2009) our group is planning another trip. We are trying to decide if we should go to Greece (one of the islands such as Santorini) and do two weeks there or to the South of France and station ourselves somewhere along Nice etc. My question........... Any opinions on which place would be a better choice for us? My husband and I would again stay an sdditional two weeks and try to see a different part of the country that we are in. Thanks for any help.

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We stayed for two weeks in Napflio, Greece, from which we did day trips to many of the famous (and not-so-famous) ruins, including Ancient Olympia and Monemvasia (one of our favorite places). Napflio was a lovely seaside Venetian styled town. We followed up this two weeks with 4 days on Santorini. I can%26#39;t imagine spending two weeks there, I would have been bored silly. But we like very active vacations.

We also stayed for two weeks in an apt. in Montalcino, in Tuscany, so we subscribe to your style of vacationing! IMHO, France might be more what you are looking for than staying on an island for two weeks (tho of course you can always take day trips to some other islands) I may be biased though, because while I longed to go to Greece for twenty-five years, it%26#39;s one of the few places I%26#39;ve ever been that I feel no need or desire to return to (pardon the grammar!)

On the other hand, we are returning to France next year to spend a few weeks in the provinces we%26#39;ve missed!

Good luck either way!

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I%26#39;ve been to Greece five times and France more than 20. My heart is given to France. However Greece is a great place. What do you want to spend time doing? Eg if you are serious foodies, then France would be better. If you want to spend all day in boats, then Greece. Of course you can eat well in Greece and do boat trips in France, but to me Greece is sun, sea, ruins and boats and being seriously lazy while France is markets, walking in the countryside, shopping, eating stupendous food, and being a culture vulture.

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You would get stir crazy on Santorini for more than a week.You might like Greek food. I do every now and again but not night after night for 2 or 4 weeks. No food boredom problems in France.And Greek wine-ugh! Public hygiene/sanitation issues contrast too.No contest IMO.

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Ah yes, Wirral, how could I have neglected to mention the sanitation issue? Ancient Greece seems to have had a better sanitation system than now exists in modern Greece. That may not be an issue for some, but for others, it might come as quite a shock.

Of course it is all personal preference. We have friends who are serious sailors, so go on sailing vacations, spending very little time on land. She keeps saying they intend to go to Europe one day, but I am certain that visit will be confined to the Med, where they can sail their way around! I believe they would love sailing the Greek Isles.

I also think there are people who love the big cities of the world, and those who want to spend very little of their vacation time in cities. C%26#39;est la vie!

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You%26#39;ll tend to find a bias for France on this French forum :)

Honestly, as gorgeous as Santorini is, I would not recommend it as a base for a two week stay in the middle of Summer.

The ferry boats are bloated in the summertime, and there%26#39;s no other affordable way to island hop.

Crowds stretch the local restaurants%26#39; capacity for good fresh food (not to mention water) on the islands. And it get very hot. The Cyclades are best experienced outside of July %26amp; August, in my view.

AzurAlive.com

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Hi Martee. We did both. I%26#39;ll say... France. We are just back from France and it%26#39;s always a new adventure!! Have a look at a little village called Haute%26#39;s sur Mer close to Cagnes sur Mer. Stay there. Provence is also a VERY good choice!

Enjoy!

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My husband and I have been to the south of France 3 times and the Greek Islands once, but we%26#39;re going back to the Greek Islands next year. We absolutely love both.

If you choose the Greek Islands, you should probably visit 3 islands within the 2 weeks. We did Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes and loved every one. Island hopping is very easy.

If you go to the South of France, you should also move around a bit so that you can experience more. We%26#39;ve stayed in Monaco, Beaulieu, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, Nice, Cannes, St. Paul de Vence, the Four Seasons in Provence and in St. Tropez.

There is no bad decision here both are incredible.

Vickie

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I vote for south of France. we did that last year w/ a mixed group/family. Lovely pace very different than the North. Trains make everything accesible and realtively cheap.

Food and wine-no complaints. Also we had no language problems or attitude which you find more in the North-specifically only Paris.

I vote for South of France- scenery and contrasts superior. Try to get some truffle oil to bring back.Taste the wines of Rhone and Chateneu du Papf. Fresh from winery they are amazing.

LadyDar

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