Lexma90

We (DH, DD and myself) have a trip booked in mid-October for 10 nights, flying into Paris and out of London. We have been to each of those cities several times. We need to spend the last weekend in London, most likely; other than that, have no specific needs or plans yet.

Instead of all our time in those cities (wonderful as they are), I would like to have DD see some smaller French cities/villages, which she has not done yet. Due to the time limitations, it should probably be near Paris. Any ideas?

I know the Loire Valley is the logical choice, but DH and I have been there several times, as well, and I just don't think it's the prettiest part of France. Burgundy is another thought; we've been, but DD has not. But though she's interested in wine, she will only be 16 years old, so depending on the situation (she's been served wine in restaurants in Paris since she was 11), that could be not so fun for her.

Brittany is already on our must-visit list, but given our time limitations and the time of year, maybe we should save Brittany for a time when we can spend our entire vacation there?

It doesn't need to be a popular tourist destination, just a small city/village/town where we could spend three nights, enjoy the place, culture and food.

jamikins

Dijon and burgundy would be an easy choice...

MmePerdu

I'd recommend Beaune, just a short train ride beyond Dijon, in Burgundy. It's a lovely walled town and meets my criteria for a perfect place which is big enough and small enough. It has a variety of accommodations, is perfectly walkable or bike-able and has a great tourist information office with lots of ideas for activities. I don't think you could do better, in my experience.

There's also the advantage of proximity to jamikins' suggestion of Dijon and one could tour the historic center there easily, coming or going. But having stayed in both I preferred Beaune as a place to stay.

Robert2533

Dijon is 1-1/2 hours from Paris by rail (if the trains are running). You can also head south to Biarritz and the Irouléguy vineyards of the French Basque Country. It is quite beautiful any time of the year.

http://www.winesofsouthwestfrance.co...tion&a=54&p=19

Gretchen

I'd rent a car at CDG and head for the Normandy coast--Honfleur. Go by Giverney and Rouen en route. Take the Abbey Road out of Rouen. Tour some cideries and fromageries. See the beaches if you want, or go to Bayeux for the tapestry.
Return to Paris for your days, and then take the Eurostar to London. To me this consolidates your trip with less moving around.
Wherever you decide to go, I still suggest doing it on the front end of your trip.
You can be in provence in 3 hours from CDG.
You could do a tour of the Impressionist towns near Paris, almost as day trips.

leuk2

I'd second Beaunne. Very pleasant, walkable. a short train ride from Dijon.

FrenchMystiqueTours

There's loads to see and do within a 1 hour driving radius from Paris. If you've only got three days and you want to travel a bit beyond the Paris region then Burgundy, Normandy and the Loire are the obvious choices. With just three days I'd limit the time spent traveling but if you want to circle the Paris region I can give you loads of ideas for things to see and do that are closer to Paris.

Gretchen

Personally I did not find Beaune to be that wonderful (the hospital is, of course) and not for 3 days.

HappyTrvlr

Beaune is excellent as a base for exploring the small towns and vineyards plus a day in Dijon. We easily filed a week on our second visit there.

Gretchen

I guess it isn't that it isn't a lovely area--we certainly enjoyed it on our barge trip. But would it be so interesting for a 16 year old, even one who drinks some wine.

MmePerdu

"...she will only be 16 years old..." Lexma90

"But would it be so interesting for a 16 year old..." Gretchen

If you're questioning a 16 year old's ability to enjoy Burgundy, then one might also question whether anywhere in the countryside will entertain her. If it's a concern and the thought is to cater to her then I suppose the entire excursion might be junked. If, on the other hand, she's a bright and curious almost-adult then I'd give her some credit for that and plan to see a beautiful part of France. I'd think it obvious that Dijon and Beaune are a great deal more than wine.

An alternative would be to let her plan the 3 days with a bit of input from parents on the practicalities. If she were involved to that extent she couldn't help but be more interested in whatever places she chose for you to go. You might then go somewhere completely off the radar of a parent with all the preconceived ideas of what makes a place worth seeing.

Coquelicot

I don't have any specific towns near Paris to recommend. All of the towns we've visited near Paris seem either too small or too large and impersonal for your purposes. I'm hoping FM and Mrs FMT will come up with some good ideas because they know that region well.

We've liked many small towns throughout France, but 3 days would be too long for a stay in most of the ones we've been in--and we are pretty easily entertained.

You'd want a place with things going on during the day and evening. It shouldn't be such a tourist hotspot that it's dead at night. You'd want a walkable, still active town center (not someplace whose center is dying because of the hypermarche outside of town) with a choice of shops, restaurants, cafes, and places to hang out. The town should have something of interest for rainy day activities. Easy getaways into the countryside would be a plus.

Wherever you go, try to time it so the town's market day falls during your 3-day visit. Avoid Sundays and Mondays when lots of places are closed.

Dinan in Brittany came to mind, but it's not in the Paris region.

Lexma90

Thanks for all of the suggestions; I've added Dijon and Beaune to the list of possibilities. Dinan is one of the cities on my Brittany list. Normandy I've been too, and I just find all of the other areas on the idea list more appealing to me.

DD checked out Dijon and Beaune briefly, and felt they looked like possibilities; she'll investigate further later this week. DH and I have been to Beaune as part of several days in Burgundy that were primarily spent visiting vineyards (he's a big oenophile - that's where DD gets it from). I liked the area, DD's hesitation about visiting a wine region isn't that she wouldn't enjoy it, but because she's interested in wine, if they won't/can't let her taste, it will be a bit frustrating for her.

Also, we're big foodies, but Burgundian cuisine (fine as it is) is not the favorite of DH or me, so that would be a bit of a drawback for me, which is why I haven't pushed this area so much.

I'm a bit hurt by the comment about catering to DD. She is bright and curious and likes many of the same things DH and I - chiefly museums and art and great food. Except for wanting to sleep in later than I do, she's a great travel companion! I want all three of us (DS will be joining us for the London portion - he's a student at Edinburgh) to enjoy wherever it is that we go.

MmePerdu

If you refer to my use of the word "cater" it was used only in an effort to balance, what seemed to me, not giving her enough credit when you said "only 16". Don't bother being hurt and I'm glad you've now mentioned that she's part of the decision-making process. That was my point.

kja

Rouen? Honfleur? Dinan? Rennes?

I'm no expert, but I think you might find any of these suitable for a brief stay with a day-trip or two....

jamikins

Another option would be Strasbourg and Alsace...lovely villages wine and food

We just got back - our pics are here

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...7644953485474/

Gretchen

Hey folks, it wasn't my original idea that the wine country might not be so interesting to the daughter "But though she's interested in wine, she will only be 16 years old, so depending on the situation (she's been served wine in restaurants in Paris since she was 11), that could be not so fun for her."

I think the first thing you think of when saying "Burgundy" is wine, vineyards, etc. and they are VERY interesting. There are other parts of France where the architecture, food, are also VERY interesting.

The OP mentions "time limitations". French Mystique mentions and knows many places VERY near Paris. Just driving up the Seine and visiting along the way could be LOVELY. The museum in Rouen is very enjoyable. We especially like the Impressionist wing for a short visit. The half timber architecture and the fromageries could be fun.

Maybe if DD got the Michelin Green Guides to several areas she would be piqued.

and the TGV makes almost anywhere in France "not far".

Is there a way to get to London form Le Havre that isn't too tortuous? head that way and go on to London.

FrenchMystiqueTours

If parents are in attendance with the teen no one will turn your daughter down for a tasting. I wouldn't worry about that.

If Brittany is on the list and you've never been there then why not take a train to Rennes and rent a car and visit Dinan and environs? If you want you can look at a photo report I wrote about spending five days exploring the area around Dinan:

http://tinyurl.com/82azcyh

Lexma90

A very tardy response, busy with work and home. But I think that, in the end, we will spend four nights near Dinan and Rennes. I couldn't generate enough interest between the three of us for either Dijon/Beaune or Normandy. But what sealed the decision was realizing that there are a number of castles in near Dinan / Rennes area - in addition to everything else to see and do in the area. And we all LOVE castles, of all periods (including ruins).

DD did a little research on her own, but balked at more. In the end, patting myself on the back as I write this, she said that she knows that I come up with places and things that she enjoys, so it's ok if I do it. What usually happens is that I come up with hotels, restaurants, etc., and we have fun looking at them together. She's more interested in doing that than DH is (who apparently also trusts my trip planning).

Thank you, FrenchMystiqueTours, for telling me that vineyards will provide her tastings if we're there. She's been fretting for a while that the high school graduation trip that we've promised her (in 2 years), which she would love to take to a wine region (probably the Rhone or the Piedmont), would be not worth it because she won't be 18yo yet at the time. So even if we don't go to a wine region this trip, there are some in her future!