10 days in Paris and......
 

.....where else? My wife and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary in May and are looking to hit two places, one of which will be Paris. I can't seem to decide on the second place. We'll actually have only 8 days with travel but are aggressive vacationers. We love wine, food, cathedrals (architecture in general) but also lakes, mountains, and the coast. We've done much of Italy over the last few years, including Lake Como last year. Contenders so far include London, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Amsterdam, and Spain. We hope to use trains to get around but would be open to a short flight and/or car rental if necessary. We're looking to do an open jaw trip. Someone sell me on where we should land for half our trip!

How about Switzerland - lots to do for 8 days - mountains, castles,gorgeous scenery, easy or hard hiking -spend say 4 days in the fabulous Jungfrau Region and the others in say Montreux and Lake Geneva area- get an 8-day Swiss Pass that will cover everything almost from trains to lake boats to city transports to postal buses and gives 50% off most lifts to mountain tops.

www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com for lots on Swiss trains and where to go.

Paris to Montreux by train -TGV Paris to Lausanne then local train to Montreux or Vevey, another lakeside gem many like.

Take one of Switzerland's iconic scenic trains Montreux to Interlaken and then head by train to the hills - Wengen and Grindelwald are mountain villages eyeball to eyeball with the soaring glacier-girdled Alps. Lots of varied things to do as well- lake boat trips on the two lakes book-ending Interlaken- day trip if foul weather to wonderful Bern, Lucerne, etc

You may want to make Lucerne you last stop for a few days and then take train direct to Zurich Airport for flight home.

Well one possibility not too far from Paris.

No doubt, I'd choose London. The greatest city I know in so many ways, so easy from Paris on Eurostar, fly into one city & out from the other to maximize your time. I just don't believe there's a better city combo on the planet, my opinion of course (a voice of experience).

In May, I'd likely go into Paris, home from London, but weather can be mixed in both locations so choose the best flights for you, as it hardly matters. I like to choose flights in early afternoon out of Heathrow, less crowded in my experience.

"...flights in early afternoon out of Heathrow, less crowded..."

Meaning, less crowded than in the morning. And a bonus, a leisurely breakfast before heading to the airport.

I'd choose to spend the whole time in Paris, after all you only have 8 days. We had 10 full days in Paris a couple of years ago and couldn't tear ourselves away to even do a day trip outside of Paris. If you opt for another city, you'll waste at least half a day in transit - figure from the time you check out of your hotel until you check in ta the next city. But if you have to add in another city, I agree with Mme Perdu - London is an excellent option.

Annecy. Great lake.
Switzerland is further away, expensive and people are not welcoming.
Italy you already went to Lake Como, so Annecy...

Switzerland is further away, expensive and people are not welcoming. >

depends on how one acts on that and in your case...

Some ideas, in order of my preference:

1. As above, spend the entire 8 days in Paris. You lose the first 1 or 2 to jet lag anyway.

2. Take a driving trip to the Rhine valley / Strasbourg. Good roads, nice wine country, not expensive. Food! Take your return flight out of Frankfurt.

3. Switzerland. City plus mountains. Beautiful. Return from Zurich.

4. London. Love the city but the weather can be, you know, English.

Where have you already been?

I would do Paris and London is you have never been to London - but you will be giving both cities short shrift.

If you want wonderful scenery then do Paris and Switz - but be aware that the latter is very expensive (ignore the not welcoming comment -but do be aware that a lot of things are not open Sundays or later in the evenings.

"We love wine, food, cathedrals (architecture in general) but also lakes, mountains, and the coast... We hope to use trains..."

Strasbourg (cathedral) is in the Alsace (major wine region) less than 2 hours by train from Paris but a world away.

See the Black Forest too.

Freiburg (cathedral): https://heinzalbers.org/picture-frb0032.jpg
Gutach: http://www.bensbauernhof.com/gutachimschwarzwald.html
Schiltach: https://www.orte-bw.de/grafik/upload..._2010_1040.JPG
Baiersbronn's Schwarzwaldstube for top-end dining: https://www.viamichelin.com/web/Rest...be-70972-41102
Scenic train ride on the Black Forest Railway: https://www.black-forest-travel.com/...t-railway.html

I "think" the total trip is 18 days - 10 in Paris and then * somewhere else??

If I am correct, I'd do 4 days in Madrid and 4 days in Barcelona.

We made Paris our base for 2 weeks one time. We took day trips to Versailles, Bruges, and Loire Valley Chateaux. Another possible day trip is to Chartres.

There is soooo much to see in Paris, you might not find time for anything else!

Happy Anni!

I think I would base in Strasbourg and visit the towns in Alsace for part two of the trip, if two locations are a must.

There are so many great day trips from Paris that my first choice would be to stay in Paris and take several day trips from there. No changing hotels! Chartres, Reims, Vernon/Giverny, barbizon, Fontainebleau, Rouen, chantilly, Vaux Le Vicomte etc....

How could I forget Giverny! Was just there in April. I also took a day trip to see the Bayeux Tapestry.

Provins is another gem close to Paris by train.

Auvers-sur-Oise I liked as much as Giverny - lots of Impressionists painted here and many pictures by Van Gogh especially have been set up where they painted them. Also a unique if not typically old castle-great Impressionists Experience set up inside. About an hour from Paris by train.

DebitNM, the trip is only 10 days unfortunately - I guess I didn't communicate that very well. I know I could easily burn the full trip in the city, but wanted to see if we could at least split with one other location. Trust me, based on our past trips ONLY staying in two locations is a dramatic cut back!

Michguy, I've only done Italy, and even then only Venice, Cinque Terre, Tuscany, Florence, and Lake Como.

Thanks for all the suggestions. It looks like we have a lot of Googling to do.

Trust me, based on our past trips ONLY staying in two locations is a dramatic cut back!>

I think then three places would be more your bag - about 3 days in Paris then the rest going around Switzerland? May is a great time to avoid tourists anywhere.

But again Paris - Bruges- Amsterdam with day trips possible from each is very realistic.

MarkE, all subjective I know, but spend some time, while you're at it, Googling London & environs. While Paris has innumerable things to see and places for day trips, I think I can safely say that there is no end to the possibilities in & around London. I've lost count of my visits there and will never see everything of interest to me. It is mind-boggling. The more I find, the more I find in addition, I exaggerate not.

The down side to it is it does nothing to assuage the desire to return and I sacrifice travel time to places I haven't been. I've seen a lot of the world and, with time closing in, I keep coming back to the feeling that I must concentrate on London and England in general.

Happy anniversary. London, Paris and Rome are the big three for good reason. If you haven't done London, by all means, put it on the top of your list.

It offers tons of attractions from the theater (check Tkts at Leicester Square for half-price, day-of-performance tickets) to neck-deep history and famous sights. You can find a lot to please what're interest you can think up ... from the Globe Theater to the British Museum with the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. Go shopping at Herrods or widow shopping among the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. Visit the fabulous 200 treasures at the British library near St Pancras station (Gutenberg bible to hand written scores of The Hallelujah Chorus to the Beatles and the Magna Carta.) London museums are all free. Visit Churchill's underground war rooms. Help the band change the guard at Buckingham Palace, have fish and chips at a pub. Day trip to Bath or the Cotswolds, Oxford and Cambridge.

I love Germany, Austria and a number of other places but London should be a first choice. The Chunnel train, Eurostar, takes you from city-center to city-center in a couple of hours.

"Someone sell me on where we should land for half our trip!"

Sounds to me like a task for your wife. ;-)

"We love wine, food, cathedrals (architecture in general)>

How about a day trip from Paris to Reims -less than an hour by train - super cathedral and of course Champagne House and Caves tours and tasting?