excursion from Paris
 

We (husband and 11 week old daughter) are going to Paris mid Feb. and we are looking for suggestions for a 4 day excursion after our stay in Paris. We were considering the champagne counrty, but are open to suggestions. Many thanks

Hi:

I think Champagne would be great. Also, heading in that direction, Strasbourg is one of my favorite cities in all of Europe, and the surrounding Alsatian countryside is a joy. It is about 2 hours to Champagne and another 2 to Alcace. Something to think about.

Hey Cathleen.

4 days could bring you to a lot of beautiful places, but here I would recommend 2½. The ½ is something about Alsace, which you have already been recommended. Go and visit the town of Colmar, which is very beautiful - especially the old town - and then there is a small town by the name of Riquewihr, but the latest years it has gone pretty touristed.
Well - here are my recommends! Either the Normandy - and the coast of D-Day (town of Verdun) with Mont St. Michel and St. Malo. It's a very interesting place - also for a 11 years old - and the landscape is so beautiful. You could also go to the Loire Valley with all it's castle - and great wine. There's a lot of small/charming/interesting villages and some very pittoresque views and images. My favourite is a village by the name of Chinon.

Have a nice trip
Sanne

You haven't got a lot of time for planning, nor is mid-February one of the great times to see the French countryside (think cold, wet, and cold again). A few suggestions: Melun, about an hour south of Paris, is home to Vaux le Vicomte, one of the great country houses of France. Seeing it easily consumes one day. Giverny, an hour and a half northwest, puts you in Monet's house and gardens, as well as the nearby Musee des Artes Americains (go to France to see American art? Where do you think all of those French-speaking people standing around the Met came from?) Rouen and Chartes have a certain haunting beauty in winter. The preceding can be done either as a series of day trips out of Paris or by staying locally.

I'm going to France for 2 weeks in Mar/April and am doing the research myself. I think the above recommendations sound great - we are visiting Alsace (staying in a wine village called Eguisheim) and Loire Valley. I am so excited about seeing Giverney, but I am pretty sure it doesn't open until April 1. At least that's what I've read about it. Have a great time! There will be something interesting where ever you choose to go!

Hi. All of the above are great. I have a good friend who lives in Paris. The last time I visited with her (last January) we took a beautiful road trip from Paris to Rouen and then to the seaside town of Deauville. But I think the best excusrion might be the Chateaux and churches of the Loire Valley. My suggestion would be to rent a car and drive through the Loire. There is no way you can be disappointed because every minute will be filled by the most gorgeous landscape, and you will be overwhelmed by the history and grandeur of the buildings. It is also very do-able in four days, if you need to be back in Paris at the end. They are spaced so that you won't feel like you're driving all day, you can pick and choose which you'd like to see, and it might be the most manageable with the baby.