Traveling to Paris France to arrive August 17, 2013 and will spend 3 days touring Paris on the 17th, 18th and 19th.
Welcome suggestions what other city one could stay for 3 nights and use as a hub to travel via train to visit additional cities for day trips from 8/20 to 8/22. Will need to travel back to CGD/Paris or alternate airport so that we can arrive in London on the 8/24. Originally we were planning to visit the Basque country but do to everyone on holiday, this region is booked and looking for alternative locations outside of Paris.
Thanks

I would stay in Paris for 6 days and do day trips from there. Three days is not nearly enough time to do justice to this great city. Use Paris as your hub to visit Chartres, Reims, Versailles or other locations outside of Paris.

Why are you flying to London? Are you actually visiting London or just connecting through Heathrow to fly somewhere else?

If you are visiting London - then you'll want to take the Eurostar train. from central Paris to central London - much faster/easier than flying. Am I right in assuming you've never been to Paris? If so, spend ALL 6 days in Paris. And <i>maybe</i> take <u>one</u> day trip out of the city. You still won't see all of Paris in your 5 or 6 days.

I am returning to London to spend four days there. I have been to Paris once before, so have done many of the basic tourist visits. My idea for this trip was to enjoy some new thing in Paris for 3 days and then spend 4 days exploring some other areas of France.

Dijon - and use it to visit Beaune & Auxerre.

Stu Dudley

August is THE vacation month for most Europeans. Decide where you want to go and get hotel reservations ASAP.

Stay in Paris. If you must, do a day trip to Giverney or Chartres.

I'm with you, I'd want to see something else for a change also, it's a big world, and maybe you don't want to see more of a big city. If so, you could go to Provence pretty easily now by TGV in a few hours each way (to Avignon, anyway). It is busy there in August due to a lot of people on holiday. Brittany is also from what I've heard. We've had similar threads recently, you could obviously do Burgundy, also, why not.

Appreciate the great suggestions. The recommendation to travel to Dijon and visit Beaune & Auxerre appears to be suitable due to various train travel time, many of Dijon hotels are available, lots to see Dijon and appears to have great restaurants.

>>Dijon and appears to have great restaurants.<<

Stephane Derbord in Dijon – one of the top 5 meals of all time in France (we dine out about 40 times per year in France)
Michelin 1 star

First round of Amuse Bouches
Bite sized squares of Croque Monsieurs
Carp mousse with black & white sesame seeds
Parmesan chip and a bite sized tomato “truffle” with a semi-liquid center
Second round of Amuse Bouches
Sushi (California roll) with cockle, with Asian spices & bean sprouts
Potato puree
Leek Mousse with green beans
55E menu
-Smoked sander – thin rolls stuffed with finely julienned vegetables served with tart greens (incl dandelion greens) topped with paper thin lengthwise sliced carrots. The plate was edged with a piping of honey mustard and crumbled hazelnuts
-Perch with a wild mushrooms and green beans served in a deep plate with a “soup de poisons” reduction sauce
-cheese chariot
-Poached, pealed pear with a red wine sauce in pain epice with sage ice cream – all very refreshing

65E menu
-Sauteed scallops, each served on a cucumber “coin” with a topping of lemon cream & caviar, with julienned apples & dandelion greens
-Sandre on a bed of spinach with a butter sauce accompanied by a small tomato stuffed with diced cepes on a squash “coin”
-Filet of Cerf, served with berries & a dark berry reduced sauce with green beans & wild mushrooms with a ‘grain” of some sort
-Cheese chariot
-pre-dessert refresher
-Chocolate fondant – top & bottom layers of dark chocolate “sandwiching” lighter chocolate mousse with dark chocolate wafers & vanilla ice cream
-Post-dessert refresher

Stu Dudley

Stu - that dinner sounds amazing. So now I have two questions that I am sure you can help with since you are in France so much. First, I don't speak a word of French...how will I make out in English and a French good morning? Second, I am thinking about renting a car for 3-4 days...is driving a hassle there?

I'm probably not the best person to answer this question because my wife speaks French so I never have to worry about communication with the French people, and we have been driving in France yearly since '77 and I don't recall what driving was like the first time we were there. It is easier than in Italy and Spain - but that may be because we have spent more time in France than in Italy & Spain.

Stu Dudley

My idea for this trip was to enjoy some new thing in Paris for 3 days and then spend 4 days exploring some other areas of France.>

How about Normandy and Mont-Saint-Michel? Base in a lovely town like Bayeux - about the only city in the area not blitzed to smithereens during D-Day and its aftermath - a lovely town with a lovely cathedral and Queen Matilda's famous Tapestry, woven shortly after the 1066 Norman Conquest of England to document the various battles, etc.

Bayeux is a great base from which to visit the many nearby D-Day sites along the coast - several different minibus companies run trips from hotels to the sites.

And take the train or bus to Mont-Saint-Michel.

Then if you want to move onto London you can take the high-speed ferries from this area (Cherbourg or Oustreham,near Caen) to England and trains to London rather than having to backtrack thru Paris.

If going from Paris to London I endorse janisj's advice to take the Chunnel train being faster and easier then schlepping out to some airport, etc.

For lots of great info on French trains and Eurostar (a k a Chunnel trains for many Americans) check out these IMO superb sites - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

If you do go to Bayeux, the Hotel Churchill runs minivan day-trips to Mt. St. Michel.