Paris & where else? (last minute 10-day trip)
 

My sister and I are taking a last minute 10-day vacation to Europe at the end of February. Our flights are in and out of Paris. I've been to Paris once and my sister isn't much for museums so we aren't planning on spending too much time in Paris. Any itinerary suggestions that start and end in Paris?

My sister has never been. I went to Paris and Italy four years ago but didn't spend much time in any city. I would actually like to go back to Florence and Cinque Terre (didn't get to go there). Is the weather good enough at the end of February for the Cinque Terre?

EasyJet has flights from Paris to Pisa, which is a quick trip. From there, you can hop on a 1-hour bus or train to Florence. We did this for our honeymoon and it was easy as pie.

Take a look at www.whichbudget.com to see other low-cost carriers and the many destinations they fly to from Paris.

Have fun!

Ryan Air has cheap flights from Paris to Rome. I think they're a great combo.

Rather than flying from Paris to somewhere else (and missing everything in between) a Eurail pass (and map you get with it) would let you take short train rides, of an hour or so, to several towns/cities "near" Paris. You'll get to see the countryside and can hop off on a whim. Considering the season of travel I'd stay relatively close to the coastline and avoid Germany and Switzerland. Where you go depends on what you would enjoy seeing/doing. I might take a semi-circuitous route from Paris-Dover-London-Brussels-Amsterdam-Luxembourg-Paris.

Ten days will give you plenty of time to add a destination to your itinerary and you're getting some good suggestions, but don't sell Paris short as a place to spend a reasonable share of your time -- particularly since you are flying in and out of Paris anyway. I've been to Paris many times and I still haven't been inside any museums at all; (some rainy day, perhaps I will have to do that.) There's a lot more to Paris than museums.

Ditto on Paris and the museums. So much to see and do in Paris...one wonders where the day has gone. I planned to see one museum a day - and ended up just spending a few hours on two days in museums.

I wouldn't do CT in Feb.

Thanks for the tips so far. I was looking at EasyJet because they fly from Paris to Pisa (Florence). The price is normally around $45, but for some reason between Feb 23 and Feb 26 the prices go up to $160 - $300. I thought this might be due to the Olympics in Turin, but prices for flignts into Turin and Milan didn't change and are much lower. Anybody know if there is something going on in Florence that weekend that is driving the prices up?

I thought the Florence airport was closing for a while.

I don't understand something.....You don't like museums so you don't want to stay in Paris that long - but you really seem you want to go to Florence. I think Florence has a much higher ratio of Museums to "other stuff" than Paris does. You could spend several years in Paris, never go into a museum, and still not be bored. Non-museum things in Florence will probably take about 2-3 days (IMO) before you start seeing the same things again.

Most people don't realize this, but Florence is north on Milwaukee WI. What's the weather like in Milwaukee in February??? Because of the Med, the weather is much less severe than Great Lakes weather, but it will not be spring there for several months. We were in Tuscany the last week of March in'04 and it snowed.

I think the Cinque Terra will not be enjoyable at all in February.

If this were my trip, I would spend the entire time in Paris. My most enjoyable trips there have been in the off season. If you really want to see someplace different, take the 3 hr TGV to Provence & spend a few days there.

Stu Dudley

Train down to Geneva or Lausanne and on to Vevey or Montreux, in Switzerland, about a 5 hour trip. It's lovely there. It is winter and will be cold.

Florence aiport closure could be affecting pricing?

You could fly or take an overnight train to Venice.

We will definitely spend some time in Paris. Any specific suggestions that would be good for the off season?

I've been to Paris in December and in March. AS far as the off season, you may want to skip those places known for their beautiful gardens.

Definitely avoid Cinque Terre the end of February. As recommended, spend some time in Paris and perhaps visit Provence. I prefer cities for winter travel because the scenery is not at its best and there is lots to do inside in the cities. Have you considered London? It has lots to do in winter and is an easy trip from Paris.