isabel

I'm probably going to Paris next March for about 9-10 days. I'd like to also go somewhere else for a few days and can't decide where.

My requirements are that it be less than a half day's train ride from Paris. Since I only have 9-10 days I don't want to spend an entire day traveling. I know you can fly low-cost airlines just about everywhere but when you add in the getting to and fro, the getting there 2 hours ahead of flight time, etc. it ususally ends up taking the whole day.

Last year I did 7 days Paris and 3 Amersterdam, two years before that I did 6 days Paris and 3 Belgium (Brugge, then flew home from Brussles). Those and London (which I've also been to several times in the last few years) are the obvious places so I need some help coming up with somewhere else.

Any suggestions.

rex

Although I do not share your prejudice against a fly-away second destination - - you could have breakfast at 7 am in Paris and lunch in a ton of distant cities, reachable by plane - - I will recommend a train possibility: a "region", actually.

Maastricht (NL), Liege/Luik (B), Aachen (D) and/or Cologne.

Good for 1-4 days easily.

Best wishes,

Rex

StCirq

In less than a half day's train ride, you could be in Provence or the Côte d'Azur, where it might be pleasantly warmer and sunnier than Paris in March.

Margaretlb

We're doing a short three nights in Venice next month; volareweb from Orly to Marco Polo. We first considered three nights in Champagne country - train to Reims (90 minutes)stay one night, car rental with hotel based in Epernay for two nights. Good info on www.tourisme-champagne-ardenne.com.

Margaretlb

You might also consider Dijon or Strasborg.

jjester

Why not go somewhere in Italy - Rome, Florence, Venice etc. There are overnight trains from Paris to most of these places and it gives you a complete change of scene.

Last month we spent 9 days in Paris then 3 days in Rome and it worked very well. I booked the train thru Voyages-sncf.com - the French railways website. They have a system where you can book and pay for your ticket online then pick up the tickets at the automatic ticket machines or ticket counters on the day of travel. Very easy!

We had a lovely train trip to Rome, enjoying the French countryside in the evening and the Italian countryside next morning. It's not super cheap especially if you pick a sleeper compartment option but you save on hotel accomodation that night. And there is a great hotel in Rome just three blocks from the Termini station - the Mecenate Palace Hotel. Check out the comments on the Rants and Raves section for this.

SalB

Rouen is a beautiful city and so close to Paris that it would give you almost an entire extra day.

My second choice would be Strasbourg. It's farther away but it is so different from Paris that it would be quite a new experience.

Whatever you choose, have a great time.

suze

Overnight train to Venice?

isabel

Thanks for the suggestions. As I said, I want something quick and easy for this trip so someplace like Italy is out (plus I was there for three weeks last summer and will be back there next summer).

St Cirq - I was thinking of Provence, it's really tempting but plans for my summer trip next year include that area (we're thinking of starting in Barcelona and driving through Provence to Italy).

I will definitly look into Strasborg, I hadn't thought of that but that might work out great. Also will look into Germany, hadn't realized it was quite that close.

Has anyone gone to Luxemborg? I'm wondering if that might be a good place to go from Paris.

ira

Hi isabel,

Beaune, Bordeaux, Dijon, Strasbourg come immediately to mind.

leuk

Try taking the TGV to Nice and enjoy the the somewhat better weather.

isabel

Leuk - do you know if the TGV goes all the way to Nice? About five years ago I took the train from Paris to Nice and it was super fast as far as Avignon and then took forever to get from there to Nice (I think about 8 in all, although the train was late getting in for some unexplained reason). Do you know how long it takes now?

Leburta

Have you been to the Loire Valley? There is lots of history to see in a short train ride from Paris. The weather may not be the best as March can be chilly, but I suppose inclement weather is relative to where you are travelling from.

nancy

I very much enjoyed a trip to Lyon several years ago that I stayed an extra night. We took a city bus tour and a boat tour which were great. Also, for just a day or perhaps a night, Rouen is wonderful.

Christina

I think Strasbourg could be a good idea. I enjoyed my stay there (I spent 3-4 days). I also probably would have suggested Provence, but since you are going there another time, I can see why you'd want to go elsewhere.

I feel the same way you do have flying. Even if the trip only takes an hour, the airport and getting to/from makes it much longer.

I think you are right about Nice and the train. I think they've extended the TGV a little bit, but it still is not fast speed between Marseilles and Nice (I think). It's a little less time than before, but is not half a day.

isabel

Christina - thanks for the input on the train to Nice, I think you are right that it is still more than half a day. Although I'll be traveling through that region next summer we are going to concentrate on the area around Avignon, Arles, etc rather than Nice because of the crowds on the coast in July. So if Nice really were only a half day train from Paris then it might be an idea for March. But, sadly, I don't think it is (or I can't find a schedule that says it is online).

So I'm back to thinking about Strasbourg. Glad you like it. Ideally I'd like where ever I go to be somewhere I could fly home from (like Amsterdam and Brussles were) so as to avoid the half day train ride back to Paris. But I'm not ruling out someplace that I'd have to backtrack to Paris from. I'm also still thinking about Luxembourg. But any other suggestions I'd love to hear them.

mmcarr

Luxumborg is delightful. French in customs. The TGV trains in France are great. Bordeaux is being restored & metros added. Don't know what the weather in March is tho. Lots of places just surf the net and pick one.mm

Wayne

I don't think anyone has mentioned Normandy or Brittany -- quaint towns, great food. There are lots of towns to choose from in Normandy. I'd suggest you consider the smaller villages such as the Normandy beach towns, or a little larger place like Quimper. Good luck; you've got lots of good choices and no bad ones.

zola

isabel:

I'm assuming you have not taken any day trips to Versailles or Chartres. Both are close to Paris and make for excellent day excursions by train. On the other hand, if you have been to those locations, don't be so quick to discard the low-priced airlines. What others have said should be considered. First of all, many of the "budgets" fly out of Orly, which is a little bit closer to Paris than Rossy. Secondly, you can choose a host of cities that are within a couple of hours' flight time. As someone suggested, leave early one morning and return a couple days later. There are cheap flights to Barcelona, Nice, Geneva, Naples, Milan, Madrid and Toulouse on Easy Jet alone. I'd say you have plenty of places to go if you leave your options open a bit.

isabel

Just realized people were responding to this post again. In the two months since I posed the question my plans have changed and now it's London I'll be going to instead of Paris (I'll be visiting my daughter who was going to return for a second semester at the University of Paris but at the last moment decided on an internship in London instead - oh well, London is nice too). But thanks for the responses as I'm sure I'll be back to Paris in the next couple of years.