My 19 year old daughter is studying French in La Rochelle, France until early March. I am going to meet her in France when she finishes school and will spend a week with her there. I am having a hard time deciding where to go in France at that time of year. I have only been to Europe once before and we do not plan on renting a car. I can fly into any large city in France and have her meet me. I would appreciate any suggestions as I am really struggling on this.

A week in Paris with side trips if the weather permits might be the ideal solution. Paris has sufficient indoor activities if the weather is bad. But you might want to pick her up in La Rochelle. The town is definitely worth a visit and you'll get an insider's view.

You don't give much to go on...budget, interests, previously visited Paris or other large city in France? Flying in from what country?

La Rochelle is one of our favorite cities and only 3 hrs from Paris by TGV--you might still be able to purchase PREMs tickets for March if you make your decision soon.

That's what I'd do without further info...La Rochelle & Paris.

Without question, Paris. No need for a car and it has easy access by train for many day trips (Versailles, Chartres, etc.) But if you are like I am, you won't want to leave Paris!

Thank you so much for your comments. Can you tell me what TGV and PREM tickets are?

http://www.sncf.com/

LauriJo = the above link is the French rail website. A PREM is a type of cheap fare and you can easily find them and purchase them online.

La Rochelle is gorgeous, and you can visit the beautiful Ile de Re from there (not sure how without a car though). You can purchase discount PREM fares on line starting 3 months out from your travel date. There's a ton of information on this site about how to do it. I would divide the time between Paris and La Rochelle.