Paris (France) --car--> Nice (France) --flight--> Rome (Italy) PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES?

[l2oBiN]

The following is an itinerary for a holiday I will be taking in ~2weeks.

Paris (France) (4days) --car(2days)--> Nice (France)(4days) --flight--> Rome (Italy)(4days)

I would like to get some advice on the location of some great landscape/cityscape shots during the trip. Any advice?

I much appreciate your input. Thank you in advance.

[lenicolas]

I guess those cities are scenic enough on their own.. at least for the little time you get to spend there...
Just hang out all day, pick a great restaurant at night, and shoot whatever you see in between.
:)

[l2oBiN]

I guess those cities are scenic enough on their own.. at least for the little time you get to spend there...
Just hang out all day, pick a great restaurant at night, and shoot whatever you see in between.
:)

Houw about the car route Paris to Nice? Any great stop along the way?

Which places do you suggest are "must shoot" in

Paris?
Nice?
Rome?

[Nathan Potter]

Well you could go SW out of Paris down to Dijon then south thru the Burgundy area to Lyon. The town of Beaune along the way is quite photogenic and you can quench your thirst locally with some nice Beaune wine and food. The Chateau de Beaune is very attractive photographically. Wend your way further south to Grenoble a highly attractive city then on south to Nice at the Italian border. Some splendid roads thru the French Alps between Grenoble and Nice. Decent highways most of the way although not perfectly direct.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[sanchi heuser]

http://bootedcelso.blogspot.com/2007/05/le-cyclope-of-fontainebleau.html

[Joanna Carter]

Houw about the car route Paris to Nice? Any great stop along the way?
So, let me get this straight; you want to take a 1000km trip over only 2 days, with around 11 hours driving, and still have time to take photographs?

Sir, you will be travelling in France! What about the 2 hour lunch break? :D

One possible route goes via Aix-en-Provence but that would take you around a week, just to discover that city alone!


Which places do you suggest are "must shoot" in

Paris?
Nice?
Rome?
Paris is a big city; do you want architecture, people, countryside? What about "les banlieues" (the suburbs) or the tower block housing complexes or the little old-fashioned back streets that will take you all day to find, let alone photograph?

As to the route from Paris to Nice, Google maps gives at least three recommended routes, including some of the most beautiful, twisty, mountain roads through some of the national forests.

From Nice, you could always take a day trip to Monte Carlo; if you take the autoroute you should be able to avoid the distractions of the rest of the countryside along the way.

My advice would be to re-schedule your life to allow yourself around 6 months to meander your way from one place to the next, taking at least a couple of days in each place just to find the photographs; otherwise you might as well buy some postcards :rolleyes: ;)

[Steve Smith]

I do wonder why people pick cities as their destination points when travelling. I would find some more picturesque quieter areas.

I certainly wouldn't hire a car to drive around Paris.


Steve.

[l2oBiN]

I totally agree that a lot more time is needed, but this is all I have. It's is not a photo trip but rather a travel trip (with a family). Since they have some tolerance to me taking my large format gear, i am trying to get an idea of what would be the absolute essential shots you would try to take if facing the same sittuation?

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

I like the challenge to indicate an absolute 'must see & photograph in LF' between Paris an Nice within a 2 day travel ;)

The quickest route, at least in theory when there are no traffic jams, is without possible discussion the motorway from Paris to Beaune, Châlon, Lyon, the Rhône Valley and the Provence motorway to Nice through Draguignan.
If we refer to a route planner like the Via Michelin web route planner (http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/web/Itineraires?strStartLocid=31NDJ2dDMxMGNORGd1T0RVMk9EUT1jTWk0ek5URXdOdz09&strDestLocid=31NDI3NXcxMGNORE11TnpBek5ETT1jTnk0eU5qWXlOdz09&intItineraryType=1&caravaneHidden=false&vh=CAR&strVehicle=0&itineraryCarType=0&itineraryFuelType=0&isFavoriseAutoroute=false&isAvoidPeage=false&isAvoidVignette=false&isAvoidLNR=false&isAvoidFrontiers=true&dtmDeparture=04%2F07%2F2011&distance=mi&devise=0.6756757|GBP&indemnite=&carbCost=1.3&autoConso=6.8&villeConso=6&routeConso=5.6), we learn that the total distance and number of driving hours is about 940 km / 8h30.
4h30 of driving per day sounds reasonable, but you'll have little freedom to use any other route. along the Rhône Valley if you want to make it in 2 days only; And this motorway itinerary is probably the busiest route in summer of all French motorways.

As an alternative, from Lyon you could follow the so-called Napoléon route through Grenoble, Gap and Digne-les-Bains, rated at 5h14 (Paris->Grenoble) plus 5h03 (Grenoble->Nice).
From Grenoble to Nice you'll experiment magnificent landscapes and experience an abrupt climate change from a green and alpine envirornment near Grenoble to the dry and mediterranean landscape of Haute Provence when you cross either the Col Bayard near Gap or Col de la Croix Haute (according to your choice of itinerary, la Croix Haute is quicker than Col Bayard and Gap, but just before la Croix Haute in a magnificent area named le Trièves you'll see the incredible Mont Aiguille near the Vercors range, really worth a LF shot, wheather permmitting).
Coming from the Alps, you'll discover the Mediterranean sea at the last minute, coming slowly by winding routes down to the Côte d'Azur (the Riviera). So if you are impatient so see the Riviera, you should choose the Rhône valley option.
My personal choice in summer would be in any case to avoid the Rhône Valley.

So eventually if you choose the Rhône Valley motorway, we could find many places of interest for a LF photographer, but you should allow at least 1/2 day only for one selected spot. For example, sacrificing everything between Paris and Lyon; for example selecting a single spot somewhere along the Rhône Valley to set up your tripod quietly whereas you familiy will wait for you enjoying a Rosé de Provence in the comfortable shade at the terrace of a small restaurant during the mandatory 2-hour lunch break ;) Do not forget that Provence can be really hot in summer, and that the air is not as dry as it is in the US West. Saint Ansel when he came to Arles invited by Lartigue, photographically complained about everything; he did not complain however about the lunch he was served in the train ;)

And you should find accommodation at a certain driving distance from the motorway, prices usually follow a 1/f-square law vs the distance to the motorway ;)

[Ash]

Leave the car, Paris is a nightmare for the veterans, you're going to struggle. Make sure you give yourself a few hours to get to Versailles - if not for the palace then the town. We were once in a crash that killed the other driver and injured his wife and child on our way along the western front - be very careful on the roads.

[Ash]

Oh and if you can afford it, take a day trip down to Pompeii from Rome (via Naples usually). Herculanium is much nicer but Pompeii is an easier trip.

[RoMFOTO]

If you like photographing architecture, you'll love Paris. I've been there last weekend and there are so many great locations!!!!
Especially in the night the city is great!

If you don't want to go by car, the train may is a solution for you. It's pretty fast and cheap. The fuel prices in Europe are pretty high and for the French motorways you have to pay road charge.

[Bill_1856]

Sorry, but there are no photo opportunities in Paris, Nice, or Rome.

[kev curry]

Bill it might be time to consider a change in medication?

[Joanna Carter]

Bill it might be time to consider a change in medication?
Again? :rolleyes:

[anglophone1]

Nice in July?
+ve to photography ,Nice rococo buildings, nice chairs (really), nice lamps
-ve Too hot,too busy, crap light in july except at 0630 and 2030.
Consequently I'm in Arles right now, then Scotland, then Ireland until September. Antibes is 10 mins from Nice.

[tom thomas]

Forget Paris in mid July. Too many tourists, and little Roma (Gypsy) pickpockets in the subways. A French friend visiting his sister in Paris was hit twice by juvenile Roma pickpockets, caught luckily after lifting his billfold from rear pocket, caught with her hand in his front pocket the second time.

Lugging LF via metro will make you a real target. If you must, hit Montmartre in the evening, find a clear elevated spot and enjoy the evening Paris skyline. Watch out for Pigalle at the base though, lots of pickpockets again. I was able to park a car there a couple years ago to spend the evening at the Moulin Rouge. Never again in a car though.

Buy a man's purse too, shoulder strap, wear it with the strap over your head, tucked under your arm, under your shirt even. All the French men carry them so you won't look out of place, unless you have a bulging billfold in your rear pocket, even front.

Being a lover of the Gard region (have a town house there), I'd rent a car at CDG (if you have lots of luggage, especially. Catch the Francielliene (ring road) around Paris near Disneyworld, then the autoroute to Lyon and on to Avignon. Before Lyon, you'll pass through Burgundy with beautiful castles on hilltops, near stops where you can catch some great shots. Stop near Avignon for so many photo ops you wont' believe it. It will be hot though, some smog around in summer.

Lug your stuff up to the walkways atop the Palace to get some nice landscapes of the town and surrounding Rhone River valley. Even a river boat trip on the Rhone will amaze you as you pass the famous Pont du Avignon where the kids have danced in song since the 15th Century.

If you'll visit the Tour of Philippe le Bel across the Rhone from Avignon in Villenueve des Avignon. Park your car nearby, and spend a couple Euro to visit the tower, climb the circular stairwell lugging your LF gear, and then be amazed at the great landscape shots you can get up there. Nice breeze too. The Pope's Palace, the Rhone River with all it's bridges, the Alpilles, just to name a few opportunities from that one spot. Then walk the streets of Villeneuve des Avignon to enjoy the reconstructed villas and old pathways.

From Avignon, head west to the Pont du Gard, then down to Nimes, on to Arles, back through Les Baux, Fontvielle (Daudet's Moulin), St Remy du Provence (Greek and Roman ruins nearby, and Van Gogh's stomping grounds for beautiful shots.

If you insist on continuing, you can catch the autoroute south to Marseilles from Avignon, on to Nice, along the beautiful coast into Italy and on to Rome. After Ercolano and Pompeii, head further south along the coast to Paestum for some of the best preserved Greek ruins in Europe. Geez, I had to live in that area when I was in the Air Force. Nice beaches too, but hot in the sun.

All the rental cars now are air conditioned, most are roomy, have trunk space, some even have GPS ( a few dollars more) Gas is nearly $9.00 a gallon for Premium, diesel about $7.50 but more economical due to the mpg increase. Take a diesel, they run very clean, smell sweet, and are powerful runners.

The autoroute toll booths won't accept our American credit cards, neither will the gas stations (at the pumps) but the cashiers inside will. Plus there are lanes for Pikepasses, cash, cash/credit/debit. It can get confusing as your "fly" up the the toll area and everyone is jockying for a lane. Stores do but special readers. Tell them "sans puce" and they will swipe the card in another slot of the card reader. European cards have an imbedded chip, and they have PIN numbers that they validate each card usage. Most are actually Debit cards.

I tried to attach a couple photos but the loader appears to be less forgiving on the new server.

Tom