newbie to france..2/3 trip around limoges?
 

hello all

ive only briefly been to france , im somewhat nervous about driving there and also speak no french:(

can anyone reccomend a gentle trip based on arriving/leaving from limoges airport , prefer smaller towns and villages and must easy to find my way lol

thanks

Well, driving is fairly easy in France. Right side drive. You must yield at roundabouts, cars already in the roundabout have right of way. A LOT of roundabouts.

Pavement in France is about the best in Europe. Rarely a pothole, or even a seam. Very well maintained roads. Very well marked as well, lots of destination signs.

Why Limoges? A fairly dull area, compared to the rest of France. It straddles the Dordogne and the Loire, those are far more interesting areas. If you are doing a discount airline, consider arriving in Tours or Toulouse. I mean, the Limousin is pretty, as is most of France, but not a lot of action. Limoges is a large city, driving there will be a bit more taxing than the countryside.

Limoges does have some pottery factories, and nearby Aubusson has tapestry artisans, but IMO you would do a lot better in the Loire, or the Dordogne. Dordogne can knock your socks off, actually!

why limoges..i can fly there for cheap from near my house

just wanted a gentle intro to france to build my confidence and see how i like it

Yes, if you read my post I suspected that. Ryanair also goes to Tours.

Well, France is a beautiful country, and liking it will depend on your interests. Scenery, history, food, wine, etc. But if you vegetate somewhere you won't get a good feel for the place.

France is a highly rural country, after you leave the cities it is tgruly "middle of nowhere". It's remarkable, considering this is a country of 55 million.

As I've said, the roads are in A1 condition, and very well marked. The Tours area will have a lot more history, architecture, and is really just as rural as the Limousin.

Try to get a Gite or Chambre d'Hote, less formal places to stay run by a family. Very low key, and very gentle.

You'll have no problem driving in France. It's easy. Get a GPS.

Bobette

There is actually plenty of public transport in France and an auto is only necessary in a few situations. In France, as in most other European countries, the train personnel will speak English, so your lack of French need not be a problem.

You can start here (http://www.seat61.com/France.htm) for some train information. You can also get some information about the city (in English) from here: http://www.limoges.fr/

Since you only want an introduction, I would recommend staying primarily in the city. You will find, either in the train station or near the "hotel de ville" (town hall) a tourist office where they will speak English and supply you with any information you need.

If you tire of the city, you can ask at the tourist office for other places in the area worth visiting and also get train and bus schedules to those places.

Using public transport will also save you a considerably amount of money as parking and petrol prices on the continent are not cheap.

I disagree. Perhaps if you are just doing the whole vacation in one large city. But to see the French countryside, a car is 99% essential. OP mentioned that he wants small towns and villages. Those would be quite daunting to get to with public trans.

im not against driving , id just like to plan some easy days that avoid any big city centers etc so im eased into it

Well, you hadn't mentioned that you were wealthy:D

If you want to ramble around the countryside, perhaps this would be a good question for the tourist information.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "eased into it". Do you mean France? Do you mean French? Do you mean driving?

I will tell you that I live in a right-hand drive country and when I drove in the UK, the only thing that gave me a problem (a BIG problem) were the roundabouts. I usually entered them the wrong way.

I used to think the same way. But after all the inconveniences connected with autos (searching for the best rates, dealing with insurance, driving on a one-lane road behind a cart or slow truck, paying parking fees or looking for parking spaces, standing in line at petrol stations, dealing with small problems with the auto, etc.), I found that there are far, far cheaper alternatives that have a different set of inconveniences I find much easier to live with. For example, if I use a bicycle instead of an auto, I cannot cover as much area. If an area is hilly, a bicycle is not practical but a bus or taxi might work.

If you don't look for alternatives, you won't find any.

I do think you will need a car. I'm not familiar with this part of France but I found this article that should be helpful.

Bobette

This article is indeed very helpful, it might fit what OP is looking for. I know some of the cities, area which are described here.
One must have a car in Limousin as this part of France is very rural and common transportation is very limited. Except of course in major cities such as Limoges, Gueret.

As suggested by others you should have a look to:
http://www.tourismelimousin.com/en/index.php