Suehor

I am spending 5 weeks in Europe in September/October. We have 10 days between leaving Milan and flying out of Paris. Want to spend 4 days in Paris, so that leaves us 6 days. We had planned to go from Milan to Provence then up to Paris, but I think we will lose too much time in transit. We are keen to go to a small village as a base, and just enjoy the environment. . By we.. my 82 year old mother and 21 year old daughter are meeting up. I am now considering going to Alsace ( possibly via Northern Italian lakes) then onto Paris. There are so options, that I keep going around in circles. I am happy to drive and /or train. Any suggestions on your favourite villages. travel tips are very welcome

neckervd

"Any suggestions on your favourite villages"
Lake Maggiore, Lake Orta, Lake Lugano, Lake Como, PACA or Alsace?

adrienne

<< We are keen to go to a small village as a base >>

Are you sure you want a small village? Do you speak French or Italian? You will probably need a car as small villages often do not have public transportation or very limited public transportation.

Do you want a small village with shops and a restaurant or more of a place where people live and go elsewhere for entertainment/shopping?

How is your mother's mobility? Will you need someplace flat so she can walk around or is she able to walk hills?

The only small village I'm familiar with and can recommend is Peillon (France), built into the side of a cliff. You would need a car and there's lots of towns to explore in the area but it will take time to get to them and return and I would not want to drive after dark.

For my money, I would look for a large town or small city with evening/early night activity. You'd also want things to do in the day in case it rains or the weather is gloomy and you don't feel like getting in the car and driving. In between Milan and Paris you can consider Dijon, Lyon, Beaune. The Italian lakes are beautiful but it's not the best time of year for them.

Suehor

Many thanks for your comments. My mothers mobility is good..very hilly will be challenging though. I think she may get tired. We only speak English. Your comments on staying in a larger town is a good one. We will have done many large cities, so feel we want to be somewhere less busy before heading to Paris. I am happy doing some driving.
Will take a look at Beaune, have heard great things about it

adrienne

Beaune is a good choice, it's flat and is on a train line so if you want to explore Dijon one day you can easily do that. You would need a car for access to other small towns in the area.

Dukey1

How about a "small" village along the shore of Lac Leman in Switzerland and with convenient train connections to Paris? Or lone of the towns between Basel and Strasbourg?

Suehor

I like the Switzerland town idea..

so this is where I have got to...
Colmar in Alsace for 4 nights.. then to Paris.

the trains from Milan via Switzerland look spectacular. Someone suggested Annecy.. looks lovely but a bit of a detour I think. The scenic train goes to Chur. So I am thinking we could spend 2 nights in Chur the train to Colmar for 5 nights then on to Paris. Do you think tthis time split works. What have your experiences been of Chur?



Has anyon

neckervd

"What have your experiences been of Chur?"
Chur may serve as a base for excursions to more scenic places in the mountains, like Engadin (St. Moritz, Pontresina or the Bernina area). Otherwise, there is not much to see and to do there. The town can be visited in 1 hr, count more time if you are interested in the regional museum.

drlaz

The art museum in Chur is small, but this was the hometown of the Giacomettis and the exhibit is worth a visit if you have interest in 20th Century art. The building itself is beautiful. There is also a self-service laundromat, which is not such a common thing in Europe, and you will have been on the road for a while. As neckervd says, other than that, the rail and bus station is the most important part; you are an hour by train from quite a bit of scenery.

asps

My favourite place would be Besancon, but it is well out of the way (this is why it has remained a little gem). It would be easy to reach from Paris, but getting to Milan would be much more difficult.
On the shortest railway link between Paris and Milan you would find Lausanne, Montreux and Stresa.

neckervd

Besancon - Milan by train isn't a problem; change at Basel SBB

spaarne

Ditto adrienne. Beaune, Dijon, and a bit of Burgundy would be a nice stopover.