Mary_Huff

flying in and out of paris with 9 days in between.....

paris is a must

venice is a possiblity

in between, what recommendations, Lake Como? The Cinqueterre? Nice?

or better to just do france?

I'm not likely to ever return, so would like to see the best...

love art, wine, and peace

thanks

madamtrashheap

What time of year are you planning your trip?

janisj

Well - you have put yourself into bit of a box by flying in/out of Paris. That means you will spend a day/night returning to Paris to fly home.

Is your entire trip 9 days,or 11 days, or 12 days? When you say 9 days 'in between' does that mean not counting your overnight flight, arrival, and departure days.

W/ 9 days and losing .5 to 1 full day every time you change cities -- pick two destinations- Paris and Venice, or Paris and the south of France, or Paris and ??

Hez

why are you never likely to return? and if that's true, why have you decided to do this trip? what do you hope to get out of it? what things do you love? food, wine, meeting people, art, etc?

spaarne

Mary_Huff,
You look like another newbie who doesn't know where you are going or why. Maybe you should get a guide book at your library or bookstore.

StCirq

Nine days is nothing when you're actually on the ground. I would stay in France since you are locked into flying into and out of Paris. You can hardly even begin to see France in nine days, so I would spend 5 days in Paris and maybe 4 in Provence or somewhere easily accessible by train from Paris.

denisea

Agreed, if Paris is a must..stay in France. Look for posts by StuDudley for France ideas and hopefully he will reply to your post.

also check for the excellent "road less travelled" reports by kerouac for ideas. very different perspective and attention to things you would never know about otherwise

bobthenavigator

I agree---stay in France this trip.

Mary_Huff

Thank you all...I'm going in late July, it's 11 days total, 9 on the ground.

I'm art, and wine, and my ancestors are from around Pau.

I have ovarian cancer, and am not curable. So, not much chance of going back.

I'll stay in France, as you suggest, going south after Paris, perhaps Nice?

any recommendations are welcome.

jent103

Hi Mary,

I'm very sorry about your diagnosis.

Staying in France would be a lovely trip, but at the same time, if you've always wanted to see Venice (or somewhere else), there's no reason you couldn't do Paris + Venice with nine days. Just grab a flight in between. Of the other destinations you've mentioned, I'm just back from Lake Como. It is LOVEly and I'm glad I got to see it; however, there are other places which I personally would rather see or go back to. To me, it seems to be a good place to relax and enjoy scenery, but that sounds like that may not be the sort of trip you want.

I have heard that Cinque Terre is quite crowded in the summer, but I haven't been, so I hope others chime in there. Can't speak to Nice.

I hope that you have a wonderful trip, whatever you end up doing.

annhig

oh Mary, that'll learn us to make smart a.. remarks about people doing their research.

In order to maximise your time, i would suggest going straight from Paris [if you feel up to this] to Nice on the TGV to soak up some sun and sea and recover from your journey. then get the train back up to Aix for a night or two, before returning to Paris.

if yo do it this way round, you are in the right place for flying home, ie Paris, and don't break up your stay there, which would cost you precious days.

in the circumstances, however, could you try to change your flight to one where you fly into Venice [since you mention it specifically] and out of Paris?

4 nights in Venice, 5 in Paris would be lovely. and you could treat yourself to the train journey in between - a real adventure. there is an overnight train that leaves Venice at about 7.30 pm and arrives in paris [bercy] at 8 the next morning. it does cost €130 but that includes the sleeper reservation.

have a great time, whatever you decide to do.

madamtrashheap

I'm with annhig in having 5 nights Paris and 4 nights Venice, as per your original destinations. In fact, as you're flying and and out of Paris, and assuming you can't change the flight, I'd recommend staying the first 2 days in Paris, then flying to Venice (fly from CDG or Orly, not Beauvais; and look at airlines like EasyJet from either airport for good deals, or check Air France in case they have a deal going) and then back to Paris for the remaining 3 days so you're there for the flight out and don't have to schlep back the day before you fly out. Book the flight from PAR to VCE as soon as possible to make sure you get the better price.

If you love food, wine, art and peace, you will certainly have an abundance of all of them in each city, despite it being Summer, and there are places you can find respite from the heat and all those pesky tourists! (Paris - Luxembourg Gardens; Venice - Dosoduro market area of Campo Santa Margherita for sitting and watching the world go by, or the Castello public garden or even the cloister gardens of the San Francesco church in Castello).

If you decide on staying in France for the duration of your trip, I'm not sure that I'd choose Nice based on your interests. Yes it will be sunny and warm, you can hire a sun lounger at the beach of your choice for a day (and be waited on by the staff there - very lovely), the Marc Chagall and Matisse museums are certainly worth a visit, but I'm not sure it will tick all the boxes for you. Of course food-wise, I'd recommend somewhere like Lyon (haven't had a bad meal yet in over 40 visits) but it too won't fulfill the other requirements. Have you considered the Loire Valley at all? Chateaux, food, wine, scenery - it might be worth noting. Or even a few days in Reims and surrounds for a champagne tasting and tour or 7.

LEVENLINKS

I would spend the $150 to change your flight itinerary to exit out of Venice instead of wasting two precious days to go back and forth, not to mention the cost and hassle.

Otherwise, stay in Paris and take short tours out of there. The beaches of Normandy would be one day, Monet's beautiful gardens and home in Giverny, maybe an overnight to Lyon. Six days in Paris with side day trips included and three in Venice to totally relax and just wander the beautiful city.

You haven't said what financial considerations there are, but if you decide to stay in France, i'd go to the high Village of Eze for the most spectacular views of the sea between Nice and Monte Carlo instead of Nice. Then fly home out of Nice.

StCirq

If Venice is a dream of yours - and I totally appreciate that - go to Venice. Try to change your flights so you fly into Paris and out of Venice and spend 5 nights in Paris and 4 in Venice. It's the most beautiful, romantic spot on earth, IMO, and I think you will be glad you saw it.

cathies

Flights to the US tend to depart Venice VERY early in the morning. If it's possible it might be a better option for you to fly into Venice and home from Paris where there will be more flexibility with flight times.

My best friend lost a battle with ovarian cancer some years ago and when she was ill it was difficult for her to rush around in the mornings. I hope that this trip is wonderful and am truly sorry to hear of your illness.

cathies

I meant to add - when you have decided which cities to visit, come back and tell us so that we can help you to plan a manageable itinerary.