jadenewman123

My husband and I are spending 3 months in Europe this summer, June - August. We are hoping to spend June and July in the south of France, maybe a month June in Aix en Provence and July in Côte d’Azur (unsure on which town yet, any recommendations would be welcome!).

Would a month in each of these places be too long? My husband will be working every morning on weekdays with weekends off.

My question is would 2 months been too long in the south of France and if so is there anywhere else you would recommend? We would prefer not to move around too much in these months in terms of having a main base but plan to take short trips on the weekends and afternoons.

In terms of interests we are both 30 and our main passion is food. We plan on eating out a lot but also taking advantage of the fresh produce and cooking sometimes. The trip is a delayed 30th celebration so nice bars, beautiful scenery and restaurants are our main interests.

August will be split between Puglia, Sweden, Croatia and Greece which is booked.

Thank you in advance!

KayF

Two things that don't answer your question but came immediately to mind - do you need visas to stay that long in Europe? And if your husband is working does he need a working visa, which may be harder to get.

We spent a week in Nice once in December and loved the town. Did a few day trips and we could have spent a lot longer. There's a lot to do and see in the area. I don't think two months in south of France is too long but I'd probably aim to have a month each in two different places. Aix is also lovely and has a great open air food market.

And in August are you really visiting four countries?

hetismij2

Your husband is not allowed to work at all as a tourist. You are allowed 90 days (including arrival and departure days) in Schengen without needing a visa assuming you are from the US/Canada/Australia. Doesn't matter if he is working for his normal job at home he cannot legally work while in Europe without a visa.
Those will be the hottest, busiest months of the year, with much accommodation already booked for short holiday lets.
Four countries spread the length and breadth of Europe in a month seems a lot, and a lot of flying about the place. Why not spread those out more with longer in each country if those are also on your wish list.
Note that Croatia is now also a Schengen country so counts towards your 90 days.

balthy

2 months in the south of France is not too long but the trip isn't split in the best way IMO, the month of August you are attempting to cram in 4 countries and then devote 2 months to one area of France. If one of your main passions is food, I don't understand why Sweden is on your list. There isn't the food culture there that you might be seeking, I often joke that their national dish is burgers. You'll be ok in Stockholm but it really is slim pickings outside of big cities.

And your husbands working arrangements, what will those be? Is it remote working, ie getting paid where he normally gets paid? And what is your nationalilty, that does have a bearing on how long you can stay.

jadenewman123

Thank you for your responses! Just to answer some of your questions…

We are fine for a visa as we are allowed 90 days within the EU, we are from the UK but we currently live in Indonesia (so we are used to hot weather so this isn’t a problem for us). My husband works online for an overseas country and will be working during June and July but not in August, hence spending longer in France in June and July so he is able to focus.


4 countries in one month is fine for us, we have spent the last decade travelling so we are used to moving around a lot. Sweden will only be for a long weekend to meet a friend so we will have just under a month split between 3 countries. There is plenty of accommodation left at the moment, I’ve been keeping an eye out so we are fine on that front. Just to decide on our final destinations, but I’m happy to hear that 2 months isn’t too long in the south of France!

VANAARLE

Working online in France without the correct visa is still illegal.

https://www.relocate.world/en/articl...-france-how-to
I leave it for you to check the other countries. You can search for the information.
For tourism calculate the days you are allowed in the zone here
https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/po...-calculator_en

balthy

It's never enough time in the South of France IMO.

And working remotely isn't an issue either, as long as it is remote working and he is getting paid elsewhere. Some countries need a digital nomad visa for remote working but those tend to kick in if you are staying more than a month in one country & you want to stay a year or so but best to check the rules for each country you are going to. There isn't such a visa for France or Sweden. Summer holidays are over in Sweden by mid August anyway so no worries about accommodation.

hetismij2

Not true balthy, working remotely on a tourist visa, which is what they are doing even without an actual visa, is illegal.

balthy

It is true, you can work remotely. They are not getting paid in the EU, they are not paying taxes etc they are working remotely using technology. If they wanted to do it long term, then yes they would need a visa. But for 2 months, not needed.

As the link to the article says above:Interested in living in France as a Digital Nomad?

If you are planning to go to France for business or to work remotely as your traveling or visiting family for 90 days or less, then the short-stay visa is all you need.

And as UK citizens do not need a visa for stay under 90 days, they can stay in France to do any of the above. Short stay visas are only necessary for certain nationalities and even then, it covers the above scenarios.

But the OP should do their own research.

shelemm

You will not run out of amazing places to visit or sites to see. Your basic limitation is that, once you choose a base, it will depend on how far you want to go on any one day.

Get yourself the Michelin map atlas, a spiral bound book for all of France, which has a great legend and show the tiniest details. You will find the location of every dolmen, grotto, point of interest, viewpoint, and so much more. Availalbe used online.

For food, read up on the traditional foods of the area and get to know those dishes. Some will be hard to find, so you may have to actively seek them out. Tourist offices are not allowed to give out general restaurant advice, but if you ask where you might find a particular dish, then they can provide that info. They should also have lists of places to eat that might include spots not listed elsewhere. As a general rule, the more obscure the better. "cusine familiale" is a good indicator.

Seek out ferme-auberge: https://www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com/
At these places you can buy products directly from the farm or there are activities or very traditional meals.

Seek out table d'hotes: at some gites, they offer meals for people even if they are not staying there: https://www.gites-de-france.com/en
When you search, select filters/options/table d'hote

If by any chance you are interested in art.... in addition to the many sites devoted to the Impressionists, I highly recommend these sites devoted to more recent art: Fondation Vasarely in Aix, Musee Jean Cocteau in Menton, and the Fondation Maeght in St Paul-de-Vence.

In Nice, the local cuisine is called nissarde. There is an official designation for restaurants that have shown a fidelity to this cuisine: https://www.explorenicecotedazur.com...sine-nissarde/

Overall, wherever you stay, make sure you explore in all directions, For example, from Aix, not many tourists go northeast, and you can get to some pretty amazing places like Sisiteron, Digne, Manosque. No doubt, in this region even obscure villages like Jouques are a thrill.

In addition to markets, you should seek out traiteurs that provide cooked dishes - these are often a good source for traditional foods.


There are also Relais Routiers (literally, truck stops) that show off traditional food. Guide to all Relais Routiers: https://www.relais-routiers.com/Rela...iers_index.asp
One example in Provence: https://www.relaisdesfumades.fr/specialites-regionales/

gooster

It is getting late for month long rentals in the Cote d'Azur in July. That is peak season. The question of location might depend on availability and whether you will have a car. If you are car-free, I'd suggest a sizable place like Antibes or Nice, for transport and access to activities for a month long stay. Nice will be easiest for making transport connections for exploring the area, if you do not have a car or just intend to rent on the weekends/ad hoc.

shelemm

If you are worried about availability, then check the gites de france website for your dates. They have so many properties listed, though the really good value ones get snapped up faster, no doubt.

StuDudley

To reiterate what gooster mentioned, we are staying in the Luberon/Provence for all of June this year. Two different gites. We reserved them in May 2022.

Friends are staying in a gite in the Luberon the last 2 weeks of June. We helped them rent it (from gites-de-France) and they rented it in November & got the only 2-week slot that was available for the entire summer.

Stu Dudley