European Honeymoon in late November
 

Hi! My fiance and I are planning our 10-day honeymoon in late November (around Thanksgiving). We have decided that we are the most indecisive couple on the planet, hence why I ended up on this forum. We live in South Florida so we are not looking for the typical “island-vibe” honeymoon and are actually welcoming the idea of a chill and a chance to wear a coat :) With that being said, we are no travel experts and really have no idea what European destinations to visit in late November. Our ideal honeymoon encompasses relaxation, romanticism, culture, food, and wine.

We have finally agreed on Paris as a starting point-- as cliche as it may be, it is a bucket list destination that neither of us have been to. We hope to spend half our time in Paris and the other half at a TBD destination. We have considered staying in France and traveling to different regions (Champagne? Bordeaux? Provence? Avignon? Nice?), but also love the idea of traveling to Spain, Italy, or really any other European country (this is where the indecisiveness comes into play). I have been to Rome, Florence, Venice, and Orvieto, so if we travel to Italy I'd prefer it to be a city that I have not yet been to. HELP! Please and thank you :)

-Farah & Derek

Oh I forgot to mention that we would prefer to travel by train, cabs, and walking. We don't want to rent a car (or worry about drinking and driving!), so that may limit what cities we should visit.

The French Riviera would be great for 4 days or so and with high-speed trains about 5 hours from Paris by rail (and you see the French countryside as opposed to flying which all in all would take about as long)- I would avoid northern Europe with its dark dank dismal November weather (though Paris of course is delightful in any weather!)

Base in Nice or other seaside towns and use trains to trundle up and down the coast.

For lots on trains check www.seat61.com (great info on discounted train tickets - way cheaper than just showing up; www.budgeteuropetravel.com (superb online European Planning & Rail Guide) and www.ricksteves.com.

Forget about any railpass - not even near cost-effective for such few days.

FYI, both Avignon and Nice are in Provence. Nice is my favorite place in the world and has excellent public transportation links for exploring both east and west, and north if you want to take a train up into the mountains.

Great, thanks for the input! I think we are going to stay 5 nights in Paris, and then train down to Provence (Avignon for 2 nights and Nice for 2 nights).

Book those train tickets early for discounted fares - Paris to Avignon-TGV station and from there to Nice-Ville.

There are shuttle trains Avignon-TGV into the center of Avignon and the Avignon-Centre train station served now mainly by regional trains.

For Me THE romantic place for a honeymoon is Venice.
Short of it Firenze. Paris fir a start of course.
And congrats for your wedding.

Venice would be a nice second destination but the possibility of aqua alta in November might give me a pause. I would skip Avignon and go directly to Nice and spend 4 nights in the Cote. 2 nights in Avignon gives one a day in Avignon which is ok but there is so much more to see in the vicinity. I would rather spend the time in Nice and see more of the Cote. Save the rest of Provence for another trip.

I have been to Venice before so am looking to explore new areas.

I just assumed that because of the time of year we are going (late November), a lot of the Cote would be shut down / unavailable due to weather; that's why we were thinking to spend an equal amount of time in Avignon. Am I wrong?

I think that could be reverse French Riviera never shut down -have stayed in Nice several times in off-season - lots of retirees go there -kind of the Florida of France. Weather would be as good or better than Avignon I'd think.

Hmm..interesting. Good to know, thank you! Does anyone happen to have hotel recommendations in these areas? (Nice, French Riviera, Avignon, etc.)

Acqua alta in Venice is miserable - and it stinks, too...

Provence including cite d azur and alpes maritimes is completely shut down end of November.
The shops are closed sellers are under way to the ski resorts.

All villages are hibernating. Big cities like Nice of course never close nor smaller ones or big towns like Aix or AVIGNON or ste maxime.

Try to go to la Garde Frénétique for example which us full of souvenir shops and terraces in summer and you'll find one shopper : pharmacy.

Sicily ? Warm and beautiful.

We are set on Paris and Nice, but would you all recommend a 2-night stay in Avignon or Aix en Provence? Pros and cons of both? Thanks in advance!

I live in Florida but even with being ok with wearing a coat, most of Europe in November is very gray.

I realize you already decided on Paris and Nice. But if you reconsider, Andalucia (Spain) could be a beautiful destinations in November.

Avignon for me but really can't go wrong.