10 days in Paris or...
 

We are going to Paris in September for the first time. We have 10 days to spend and are wondering if we should spend them all in Paris and its surrounding areas or try to split them between Paris and Provence. Are five days each enough to spend in both Paris and Provence or would we be better off saving Provence for another trip? Thank you.

Hi <BR>You would not be bored with 10 days in Paris and environs, it just depends on how much you want to visit Provence,which is lovely. <BR>With 10 days in Paris you could do daytrips to such wonderful places as Versailles, Giverny, Chartres, Reims (champagne country),even <BR>Normandy for a long daytrip or an overnighter. With daytrips no packing or unpacking is required, no time lost in checking in and checking out. <BR>On the other hand, 5-6 days in Paris plus 4-5 days in Provence would also be a lovely trip. You won't have seen everything in Paris by a long shot, but you could see quite a bit. The day getting from the one area to another, even with the TGV train, would pretty much be a lost day, maybe you could salvage a few hours of it if you travel early. Within Provence, a car is helpful for the small towns, but you can use trains by taking daytrips from a "hub" like Avignon. <BR>There's never "enough" time, it just depends on what interests you.

You could split your time between both places, and get a taste of each. 5 days isn't ever enough!...but you'll still see plenty. <BR> <BR>A lot depends upon what you want to accomplish...if giving up a trip to Versailles or Chartres to visit Provence would make you unhappy, then stay in Paris....

I think the 5-5 split is a great idea. Five days of Paris is not enough to see everything -- it will leave you wanting more -- but will be a great introduction, and 5 days in Provence will be a nice contrast.

Thank you for your replies, now I'm really confused:)

Hi David. Would you be willing to leave your final five nights open (i.e. not make hotel reservations anywhere)? If so, then you could always spend your first five days in Paris and see how you feel. If you're absolutely in love with it, then stay there for the final five days as well. If you're enjoying Paris, but still have a yearning to see Provence, then hop on the super-fast TGV and head south for a few days.

David - To try to get yourselves un-confused, think about what you like to do on your vacations. Do you love city life, and the hustle and bustle there? Like lots of museums and culture? Do you enjoy train travel, and look forward to lots of day trips by train? Or are you more of a rural person, and while you enjoy visiting cities, maybe you would like some time in a quieter location for part of your trip. Possibly you're interested in Roman history - there's a lot more of that in Provence than in Paris & surrounds. Think about what you have done on previous vacations, and in what kind of locales you have spent most of your time. <BR> <BR>I love cities, and always enjoy my time in Paris, but I would choose a trip with more variety, and spend part of my time in Provence. That way you get to see two very different parts of France. However, your decision depends on what kind of stuff you enjoy.

I agree with Lexma and would probably split it to experience both places. Ten days in a city you are not familiar with seems a lot to me; actually, I think the more you know a place and if you know the language, those long stays in one city are more enjoyable than for the average tourist on a first visit. Although you can certainly see a lot around Paris, also, but it's not the same as Provence. Whatever you do, my advice is do NOT go to Paris in September without hotel reservations for part of your stay, it is very difficult to get hotel rooms in Paris that month.