Paris first then where?
 

Hi!
We are traveling to Paris this mid Oct and will spend 5 days. Then we have 1 week free to travel elsewhere.. We have never visited anywhere else in Europe other than Paris and we are eager to hear suggestions!
Where should we travel to?

What are your interests? So many options, so little time. Off the bat, I'd say go to London because it's easy to do. But good lord, there are sooooo many other options. It would be helpful if you could give us an idea of what your interests are.

What are your interests?

Hey! I'm going to NYC and haven't been anywhere else in the US. I have another week to tour around, where should I go?

Do you see why your question is unanswerable?

Barcelona

Thanks for your quick responses!
I know I'm not being specific enough, but we simply don't have a plan yet and we are hoping for some good suggestions to help us form an itinerary.
With so many countries bordering France we can't decide whether to hop on a plane/train and visit another country after our 5 days in Paris or rent a car and explore all over France for 2~2 1/2 weeks (we are somewhat flexible on our length of stay).
We like visiting city centers if we have a purpose such as seeing historical sights great restaurant etc but our greater interest is seeing beautiful landscape and natural wonders, smaller towns and villages, exceptional drives, winery/champagne tours etc.. We don't mind a bit of a fast pace either if we can experience more!
I hope this helps
Thanks!

Switzerland seems to tick all your boxes. But, then you could achieve the same touring France.

You could takr the TGV south to Avignon or Aix and explore the French Riviera. That was our 1st adventure after some days in Paris. We did this twice as it was so lovely driving around to all the small towns. 1st to Avignon and we liked it so much we returned to Antibes on another trip. These trips really hit all the buttons for quaint towns, seaside views, and historical sights.

We just returned from Paris & London---easy to get there on the Eurostar(chunnel.). Our 1st time in London, we really liked it, but then it is a big city.

After visiting several countries in Europe, we have found France to be our favorite. Easy trains, then pick up a car and drive---beautiful. Another thought is The Loire Valley. The chateaux are fantastic, easy train and driving.

Of course, you could add Rome or other parts of Italy, but my vote gos to staying in France. Winery, exceptional drives, fantastic food, you have it all.

We spent time in The Luberon region of Provence in late September and it was simply a beautiful time of year to be there.

I took a Paris/ Limoges & Oradour-sur-Glane/Dordogne trip once that was fantastic. Provence and/or the Languedoc might also work very well for you given your interests. Burgundy (I haven't been but want to visit).

And then of course there is Italy!

Normandy, Burgundy, Alsace or Provence would work well and are a good fit your description of what you're looking for..

Did you watch any of the Tour De France? I have a whole list now of places to see in France. I just read a book about Compiegne and it is on my list. I love Normandy but also the Alsace Region of France with a side trip to Strasburg Germany.

First they have 1 week and then they have 3 weeks. Please, give us some idea of what you want to see. Surely you have SOME idea.

Thank you so much to those of you that shared your positive thoughts and provided specific places and areas to explore. It has motivated me to study a map of France and start planning our adventure.
I apologize for not having a set time frame but we have one week in Paris for business/pleasure then approximately an additional 1 to 1 1/2 weeks to explore for a total of 2 to 2 1/2 weeks in Europe.
I would love to hear more specifics!
The advice for a side trip to Germany has us thinking now! Thanks again!

As TPAYT says, get a car and explore France outside Paris. All the suggestions above are good because France is a beautiful country and has lots of everything you're interested in.

For wine, Champagne, Burgundy and Cotes du Rhone would be my recommendations. Maybe drive to Dijon and continue down the Rhone through Lyon (very interesting city center) to Avignon.

Hello again!
With your kind patience and advice I am beginning to form a loose travel plan. My husband votes to stay in France and explore it after leaving Paris. Our daughter wants to make a day trip to London via the Channel Tunnel.
Any suggestions on how to do a day trip to the Royal Palace outside of Paris?
We have decided to lease a car after we are finished in Paris to explore the country. I think it would be a challenge to drive from Paris. What smaller town/city should we lease our vehicle?
Normandy is on our wish list too? Day trip out of Paris? Or should that be our first car trip then continue on to ??
I have more questions now than I did before!
Thanks for any advice!

Another country to consider is Belgium... it is quite easy to get to Brussels or even Bruges via train... We went to Belgium in 2008 and 2010 and I'd go again tomorrow!

We are doing this trip in a few weeks but Paris at the end . Go to Provence . We are starting in Avignon, spending three nights visiting St. Remy, Les Baux and l'isle de la Sorgue. Cooking class at La Mirande. Hot air ballooning in Forcalquier. Then Aix de Provence and a day trip to Cassis. We are so excited to go. I have been really working on this itinerary .

DKey--

There are quite a few royal palaces outside Paris, but all can be visited by train from Paris. Assuming you mean Versailles, take RER C from Sant-Michel or Champ de Mars. We are going to France in October and had originally planned to drive to Versailles from where we're staying NW of Paris but after looking at the logistics, decided it is better to take the train while we are in Paris.

I would not do Normandy as a day-trip because there is lots to see--much more than one day's worth. If you are going to Normandy, I'd suggest you take the train to Rouen and pick up the car there. In any event, start off by train to wherever you want to go because you should save a lot of time getting nearer your desired area and getting the car will be easier.

Thank you for such excellent specific advice! Yes, we will now spend more than one day in Normandy, and pick up our rental car outside of Paris. Any good suggestions on car leasing agencies?
Thanks for walking me through how to take the metro from Paris to Versailles that is exactly the kind of help I need,
I'm new to all of this!
Hot air ballooning would be quite exciting.
What is the weather like in Paris mid Oct to mid November?
Also the South of France during that same time period?
Has anyone been to the underground catacombs in Paris?
The more advice you offer the more questions I seem to have.