Hello. I am trying to help a friend who will be in Paris in August. She and her husband would like to spend the weekend somewhere. Considering the late date, the crowds, the heat, and the ease of travel to and from Paris-what would you recommend? They are open to almost anything. My thought is somewhere they could go quickly on the train.

Thanks so much!

Ashley

Do you mean in France? They could go to London, that's what I'd suggest.

Hi Ash,

They could go to Bruges, Avignon, Reims, Beaune, Dijon, Nancy........

What interests them, and why do they wish to leave Paris?

They could go a bazillion places for the weekend by train. We need more information to make intelligent suggestions.

I agree with Christina, take the train to London and spend the weekend there. The West End theatres are great. (My fav show was Jersey Boys.) Londontown.com is a fun site that will give you info about shows, museums, restaurants, etc. You might be able to find a package deal that includes your hotel and tickets to a show.

I know it is so wide open-I am having trouble getting ideas from them. My initial thought was to send them to Avignon by train-rent a car and stay in St Remy or a small countryside place in Provence. We did this and it was perfect-but that was in May. I am worried about the heat and crowds in August. We also spent an incredible 3 days in the Sarlat-again in May. I am wondering if there is an area in France that is not as frequented by the French vacationing that month that might not be too crowded.

Their motivation is just to extend their week trip to Paris by a few days to see "something different." They are not frequent European travelers and the week in Paris is a trip they won for business. My personal opinion is to do something other than another large city as you get such a different feel for the country in the smaller towns or countryside.

Thanks for any ideas, and I will try to get a better idea from them what they enjoy. They do already have a day in Normandy planned as well as a trip to Versailles that they arranged themselves.

I definitely wouldn't do Sarlat for a weekend in August. It's not just a quick zip on a train, and the area is packed in August.

Maybe they could take the TGV to Rennes and see some of Brittany. It's cooler there in August than some other parts of France and the scenery is gorgeous.

Another thought is La Rochelle and the Ile de Ré.

Going to Avignon and renting a car and staying in St Remy, etc, is too much for a simple weekend, I think. Not to mention very hot and very crowded in August. So if you want a smaller place that is not a big city, there are also a million places they could go, I think there is another current thread on a similar topic you might check. For example, they could go to Strasbourg, that's an idea and it might not be too busy in August as I assume there is no business that month in Strasbourg. Of course, tourists will be there, too, but at least not combined with the business crowd. It's easy by train and a real change from Paris. There is no guaranteed cool place in France I can think of in August -- at least not that would be easy for a weekend from Paris. For example, some place over near the Alps might be cooler, I really don't know the climate (like Annecy). YOu could check into that, I'm not sure how long it takes to get there. I agree, Brittany is an idea. It is also very busy in August, lots of British tourists, I think.

Hi Ash,

>They do already have a day in Normandy planned as well as a trip to Versailles that they arranged themselves.<

Their 7 days in Paris is now only 5 days in Paris.

I suggest adding a day to Normandy and a day to Paris.