Best place to visit for 3 days outside of Paris
 

I am joining my husband on his business trip to Paris in May. Since we have been to Paris before, we would like to explore outside of Paris preferably within a 3 hour train ride. We only have a few days to do this and are considering Burgundy. Is anyone familiar with the region and have some suggestions on a town to stay in? We would like a charming town with sites to see on foot or bike. Or is there a better region visit? Thanks!

In Burgundy, Autun. In Normandy, Honfleur

Marseille is "within a 3 hour train ride" -- as is Avignon (2h40).

- In Burgundy, Beaune and any of the wine villages north and south of Beaune.

- In Normandy, there are several coastal towns. Etretat is most spectacular.

- Honfleur was mentioned already.

- Think about Rouen.

- The whole Loire valley with all its castles and towns is just one hour from Paris.

- The Ile de France itsself has nice attractions: Chantilly in the north, Fontainebleue in the south..

- You can also reach the Champagne.

So many options...

Sgoetz, very interesting thread, I hope to do this trip also!

Thank you all for your input! We would like to go where the weather is warmer, so we are assuming Normandy would not be the best choice, although beautiful. We have been to the Loire Valley and loved it, but want to see a place we haven't been. If you only had a few days, would you go to Avignon or would you stay closer to Paris and go to Dijon and Beaune? I couldn't get any infomation on Autun (Dave in Paris suggested).

I would do Avignon. As noted fast train ride from Paris but you are genuinely in another world. You actually feel like you are in Provence even in the center of Avignon. And outside the walls along the river will be very pleasant in May. You may even see some plam trees and cacti.

I meant palm trees but you will also see plane trees so typical of Provence.

I'd lean toward Avignon also. Dijon and Beaune are nice, but unless you are doing a wine tour, 3 days is probably more than you'd need in that area. There's more variety in and around Avignon ... Roman ruins, les Baux and St Remy, the Camargue ... and by May it should be pretty warm.

Sounds like Avignon is the place!Is Avignon a big city? Is it fairly easy to also see surrounding countryside possibly on a bike? I really appreciate anyone's opinion, since we were hoping for a quaint town...

London is within a 3 hour train ride.

hmmm.... I'd TGV to Avignon but if you want to ride bikes it would be better to do it from a smaller town like St. Remy so traffic at the start and finish is less of a hassle.

Yup - take the TVG to Avignon, but don't base yourself there. Rent a car and stay in St-Rémy or thereabouts.

Avignon has a population of around 90K.

There are various websites with information on Autun, this is one

http://www.autun-tourisme.com/

Thank you, thank you for all of your information. We have decided that St Remy is exactly what we were looking for. We are very excited about our trip. Happy travels to all of you!