Best weekend getaway from Paris in early November
 

Excited to explore an area outside of Paris for a long weekend in mid November. We have a vacation rental apartment in Paris for a month and have the opportunity to get away for a long weekend. Visited Normandy about 10 years ago but that is still a possibility. Seriously considering the Alsace/Lorraine region. Strasbourg and Colmar both look wonderful. Any suggestions for best place to take a long weekend the 2nd weekend in November?

Given the speed of the TGV, almost any location on its lines will do--Lyon might be a good choice, as is Strasbourg. Just purchase the tickets as soon as possible to get lower prices.

Given that a one way TGV ticket for Strasbourg on Saturday November 16th is between 59€ and 72€ if you purchased it today (so at least 240€ for both of you round trip) have you considered renting a car? The car will likely be more expensive, especially with tolls and fuel, but at least it gives you the flexibility of watching the weather and choosing an area that will have the best weather so you can be spontaneous at the last minute. It also gives you the flexibility to explore the countryside and see some small towns and villages and out of the way places.

I think either Avignon or Strasbourg would be a good choice. If you are foodies, Lyon. If the weather is nice, perhaps the French Riviera. With a car, the Loire Valley would be a consideration.

It's just what you are interested in, you can get to many places in a few hours, as mentioned. I would not mark Normandy as the best choice in mid-November, however.

For mid-November when the weather in Alsace could be grim as anywhere in northern France why not hop the TGV and head to the Avignon area of Provence which will have somewhat better weather and there is a lot to do in Avignon/Arles and surrounding areas. Have a rental car waiting at Avignon-TGV station.

Investigate the SNCF (French railways train + auto plan - if it still exists for a train ticket plus car waiting at your destination station.

Amsterdam is not also only about 3.5 hours by train (www.thalys.com for fares).

Lots of choices besides just France - Switzerland is only a few hours away now by TGV.

Or how about taking the Eurostar train to London in just two hours and spend a great weekend in a city that can be enjoyable in any weather. www.eurostar.com for fares.

Strasbourg wold be a great choice for a weekend - a little taste of Germany s well as FRance.

And for a cheaper alternative, the charm of the deserted coastal resorts can be remarkable if you are in the mood for being alone (and don't mind having fewer restaurant choices). For example, I absolutely loved a little trip to Deauville totally out of season: http://tinyurl.com/3mgnvm2

The nice hôtels of Deauville have absolutely fantastic discounts at this time of year. Same goes for Le Touquet, Etretat, Honfleur, Cabourg....