I fell in love with Paris and other places have fallen short - where to go?
 

DH and I are itching to start planning our next trip. We had planned on going back to Paris and spending 2 weeks there with some daytrips to break it up. We LOVE Paris. We've been twice before, but for some reason her siren song keeps calling us back. It's like no place I've been and I'd happily spend much more than 2 weeks there!

So here's the thing: our last two trips have been pretty epic. I keep visiting new places each time I go, but only a few of them have measured up to my hopes. The first trip was for a month and we visited London-Amsterdam-Paris-Loire Valley-Rome-Venice. The second was for 3 weeks and we visited Amsterdam-Switzerland-Florence-Tuscany. We didn't go to Paris last time and I regretted it sorely because I was missing it; now it's all I can think about and I know that it will be included on the next trip... I just don't know if I should make it a Paris-only trip or pair it with some other place we haven't yet visited (Among other places, we're interested in Spain - Barcelona and Seville as well as Prague and Vienna; maybe even Scotland). The distance between Paris and some of those destinations is no problem for us, because we don't mind taking a train or budget airline to get from one place to another and we'd buy an open-jaw ticket.

Of the places we visited, we did not care for London (too busy/hectic) or Switzerland (in the Bernese Oberland, there wasn't much to do besides hike, and while we enjoyed doing that, we're not serious hikers), and Florence (disliked for so many reasons). We really enjoyed Amsterdam and Rome, LOVED Tuscany (Val d'Orcia area), and of course LOVE Paris above all else. I enjoyed Venice enough, but don't feel a need to go back.

The thing I love about Paris is how it makes me feel and the opportunity it gives to do as little or as much as you want. It's the most sensual city in the world to me, and it encourages you to pamper yourself with great food/wine/coffee/perfumes/chocolates. The language is beautiful and I speak enough French to appreciate how much it's helped me. You can spend a day with a book in a cafe or you can ambitiously visit some of the best museums in the world. Public transport is great. The city itself is beautiful and I like just walking around looking at the archectiture. I love Art Nouveau.

Based on all that, where else in Europe might I find that sort of magic? Or is my heart destined to remain only with Paris forever?

First, my congratulations to your traveling style. You are not one of those "it's Thursday, it must be Belgium"-types who are hopping from attraction to attraction, but you are able to catch the genius loci.

To be frank: Paris had always been famous for exactly the magic that you feel and has therefore attracted so many poets, composers, painters.

I remember well when I came to Paris for the first time in my life (some 30 years ago) and was overwhelmed by the LIGHT. It is not just the attractions, it is the light, the architecture, the layout of the city. We came back to Paris with an Ukrainian girl in tow, and she said she had seen dozens of films about Paris but she said being there was more impressive than she had imagined.

So I have to disappoint you: You will find no city that equals Paris. The "feel" of Paris is unique.

But there are other cities which have a "feel" too, though different.

E.g. Vienna is certainly not Paris, much smaller and not so airy. But the Vienna "Kaffehaus" stands for a certain style of living which might be appealing to you. BTW, you will find a lot of art nouveau in Vienna, e.g. the "Secession" and the works of Klimt.

You may also try Berlin. The architecture of Berlin is not so beautiful as the architecture of Paris (although Unter den Linden comes close) but you will find museums of equal if not superior quality as in Paris, and Berlin is a vibrant city. Helmut Newton, when he came back to Berlin after his long exile, called it "the world's most sinful city", and for David Bowie, it was a cure to live in Berlin (where he wrote one of his finest songs, "Helden" or, in the English version, "Heroes"). It is also one of those cities where you can spend a lifetime.

Another "sexy" city is Istanbul. The mixture of East and West is amazing, and the nightlife is legendary.

While nowhere near as well travelled as other posters, including traveller 1959, both times I've been to Paris it's been for 10 days and we've stayed in apartments. It's a divine way to see Paris, we would take it in turns to do the morning croissant run etc.

I loved feeling that just for a little while I was living as Parisian would, except that I was on hols. Last June we were in a tiny apartment opposite the Jardin du Luxembourg and each afternoon would head across the street for a stroll. It was so beautiful...... I think I'm rambling now?

I'm planning a trip to New York with some girlfriends for Sept '10 and just yesterday we decided that we should come home (Sydney) via Paris!!

Good luck with your decision Tara, in lots of ways it should be easy :)

We recently had a lovely and relaxing long weekend in Bruges.
It allows for one to feel pampered - with little compulsory sightseeing pressure, beautiful buildings, canals, great cafes and chocolate shops and a huge choice of excellent restaurants.
I found some restaurant advice on this site - but really we just had an indulgent weekend wandering - also some great small modern galleries.
We stayed at B and B Sint Niklaas - just 5 minutes from the market square - but ever so quiet and beautifully renovated - with fabulous modern facilities.
This was a break after a compulsory time in London and quite a lot of work time - a happy time indeed.
A good little excursion if you want to return to Paris for a longer time.

Just as there diffferent types of books, movies, and foods, there are different types of places to visit. Although Paris is one of our favorite cities, we loved scaling the temples at Tikal, Guatemala and traveling about Sicily visiting the antiquties, or watching the volcano erupt in Arenal, Costa Rica.

Then I have friend who visits Paris 4 out of 5 trips out of the country.

And there are those of us who have been to Paris once and will not go back. And I didn't like Florence too much either.

C'est la vie!

Keep trying on different places - outside of the Bernese Oberland and Tuscany, there seems to be very little of small town Europe in your travel history.

My first love will always be Germany but I "force" (chuckle) myself to visit other places because I know there is often something you never think of that makes a place special. I was "iffy" on going to Tuscany - yeah yeah yeah, wine and olive groves, it will be "great" - loved it. I tossed Spain (never thought I would even go) into a trip to the Dordogne because our friends wanted to see Segovia. - discovered San Sebastian (OMG!), Iberico jamon (Serrano is, unfortunately, more my budget), Manchego cheese, and Rioja wines on that trip, have already been back, and I am trying to figure how I can get back 2 more times in the near future to finish off a "first"' pass of that magnificent and diverse country.

Most ancient ruins are not in the big cities, and talkin with the locals often works better in smaller towns, too.

Given your preferences, I would agree that Vienna might do something for you.

Go to Paris.

Hi ta,

Why are you bothered that nowhere else is as wonderful as Paris?

If I don't get back there every 2 years I get anxious and itchy.

If I was told that I couldn;t go anywhere else in Europe, I wouldn't mind.

Go to Paris.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

The only city I like as much as Paris is St Petersburg

The French countryside can be gorgeous. If you get outside of Paris you'll find a lot of pretty villages and most of them have the basics of advanced civilization--good boulangeries/patisseries, restaurants, very nice public gardens, fine old architecture, bookstores, neat shops. The towns and villages are of course not as grand or as packed with interest as Paris. but enough to show you that the French know how to live wherever they are.

Like Ira said...go, give in to your addiction :)

I've been several times, and it is not conceivable that I will not be going again. I cannot see ever running out of things to do..and eat. At wrost, I could just repeat what I do everytime...walk along Ile St Louis and the banks of hte Seine, or hang out at a cafe...not hard to take.

My last visit was 2005, and I am planning another for April of this year. Over last couple of years I've gone to Lyons, Ghana and Turkey. All would be places I would return to. Cities that I would like to try or revisit include Prague and Vienna..both seem to have a bit of what Paris has.

Think about combining Paris with another location. Lyons was a nice choice, not too large, a culinary destination, nice Old Town, good museums, Roman ruins, scenic vistas, Alps nearby, and a bit more relaxed attitude compared to Paris. Easy trip via TGV. I could see spending 4-5 days and feeling you've 'seen' it.

I also did a Paris-Loire combo and liked the mix of city and country. On my list are the Dordogne, Brittany and Burgundy. You could land at CDG, then train, rent a car..and train back to Paris to finish your trip, kind of like desert after a meal.

Istanbul was a fantastic experience also. The merging of many cultures, a mix of the ancient and ultra-modern...and combine with some time on the Turkish Riviera...and a stopover in Paris on the way back...fantastic trip.

I also tend to agree with notion that to appreciate Paris, go elsewhere...then your return to City of Lights is just that much better.

tara3056 wrote: "... where else in Europe might I find that sort of magic?"

That's the question that reveals all: you want a Paris experience wherever you go. The best place to get a Paris experience is Paris.

I love Paris. But I am happy to visit other places and experience them for what they are.

We feel the same way about Paris. We didn't go last year, opting instead to just go to Rome. I had a very nice visit to Rome and I'm glad I went, but I did miss Paris. We have been to Paris 8 times and would like to go at least 8 more times in my lifetime. However, that said in May I booked a trip to Istanbul. The fare was great and the fares to Paris at the time were astronomical. My husband has been pushing for Istanbul for some time. I have heard wonderful things about Istanbul. I am looking forward to our trip in March, but am also missing Paris and planning to go back in May 2010.

If I could have afforded the cost and the time I would have combined Istanbul and Paris.

We spend two months in Europe every year - 2 trips of 1 monthe each. The places we return to the most are:
Paris
Provence
Dordogne
Val d'Orcia in Tuscany.

I think Provence in late June when the lavender blooms would be a good complement to Paris. Three hours by TGV. Also direct TGV connection to/from CDG airport. You will need a car. Rent a gite (house) close to a small village like Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, Bedoin, etc. Find one with a pool, it this appeals to you. Go to market, buy food, and have it at the Gite. If you like laid back/do nothing - you can find it in Provence. If you want to explore cute villages, pretty countryside, Alps, Roman Ruins - you'll find that in Provence too.

We've never encountered huge crowds in cities there, like in Florence.

Stu Dudley

I've been vacationing in Paris, almost annually, since the mid 70s and yes it is a magical city.

However, there are other cities, around the world, that I've also liked. I spent 20+ years of summers living in Copenhagen and traveling around Denmark and then zipping down to Paris on the train.

And Istanbul is an incredible city.

I also love Bangkok and have been going there, almost annually, since Dec 1998 and rent a serviced apartment there.

And then there's also Buenos Aires, which I just returned from about 3 weeks ago. It was wonderful.

There's also Marrakesh, Morocco and Singapore and a list of many other places of which some I've been to many times over.

I loved Accra, Ghana,too for other reasons...just absorbing it all and talking with the people. It's not a city of historical sites.

It's a big world out there and although I love Paris, I go to a lot of places since I usually take more than one overseas vacation a year.

If I only take one trip a year, to Europe, then many times I'll route myself through Paris...like when I went to Istanbul and when I go to Copenhagen and some other places and on my way to Venice two months from now. Happy Travels!

I too could spend all my vacations in Paris. It has everything and more that I love to do/see/eat/experience.

I have been exploring other areas of France, I think that the whole country is magical,we have loved Provence, Dordogne and the Cote d'Azure.

Maybe you could include one of these areas with Paris, that would make my day!

Ira - you got it in a nutshell honey!

You can always do Paris AND something else. This summer we're going to Croatia and Slovenia, but laying over in Paris on the way over and in Rome on the way back.

Seconding those who suggest complementing Paris with some other French region, for the contrasts it presents. I too am a Paris lover, but "la France profonde" has much to offer as well. Still dreaming of visiting every departement in the country, and slowly working my way through this process. Thanks for the comments on Provence and the Dordogne, which are highest on my to-do list right now.

OK, so maybe my ideas are a bit different, but I find a lot of the "romance" of Paris in many cities if you just settle in and take the time to look and enjoy.

You mentioned you had been to Rome. It certainly isn't a bad big city complement to Paris. For a smaller big city and one that hasn't been mentioned, I suggest Budapest -- maybe touristy at times, but with its own version of Hungarian romaticism.

Then finally, one could shuck the whole big city scene and visit some of the charming villages in any European country, finding a nice version of the romantic feel in lots of places. Wherever you go, you sound like a person who will enjoy what you do. Good luck.

...and I am the opposite! I found Paris to be disappointing. Don't get me wrong - I don't hate it but most other cities tickle my fancy more.

However, I can understand what you are saying. After our first few trips to Scotland we felt that nothing would come close (and almost felt as though we betrayed the country when we went elsewhere!).

I would recommend Prague. It is a lovely small city with superb views, glorious architecture, great atmosphere, etc. Incredibly romantic. Dubrovnik is another favourite city of mine. Very small but unique and stupendously pretty. I love Rome for its historical sites.

The rural areas are much more romantic in my opinion than cities but of course everyone has preferences. We love getting out into peace and tranquility with few people.

hi tara,

i've loved reading this thread. i posted something similar:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35175256

we've decided to go back and now we're just trying to decide whether to combine paris with something else ... our options are:

normandy/loire + paris
barcelona + paris
prague + paris
just paris

tough decisions!!!

let me know what you decide.

Think outside the box.

Buenos Aires
Bangkok
Istanbul

Thin

I've been to Paris so many times my opinion of it doesn't really count any more, I'm afraid; I am the worlds greatest apologist for returning so many times.

That said, go to Marrakesh or Istanbul.

Dear tara,

Another Paris addict...

Also not so over the moon about italy...

But,

I have loved Berlin, Stockholm, Prague, Amsterdam... and (sorry) hiking in Switzerland (can't get enough of that either...)

I also really liked Normandy and wished I could have spent more time there. All the great things that are French, but not Paris. How about Normandy plus Paris next trip?

(I didn't love Provence near as much as Normandy, but then I didn't talk to Stu first, so I may have to go back there again...)

gruezi