Hello my husband and I are off to Pairs for 10 days the end of Oct. Were are thinking of taking an over night trip to Brussles. Can this be done for an overnight or might we need a few days more to explore? Also is it $$$

Yes, it can be done.

If you take the nonstop Thalys train from Paris to Brussels, the trip is under 1.5 hr each way.

If you buy your ticket in advance through voyages-sncf.com, I see tickets at end of October anywhere from €29 to €49 per person one-way in 2nd class on Thalys. If you wait until you're in Paris to buy the tickets, you'll most likely pay more.

It may be cheaper if you go thru Lille by TGV from Paris, then buy a ticket from Lille to Brussels. This jouney takes longer and not worth the hassle IMO if you can get the €29 ticket on the nonstop Thalys.

Hard to say how many days is enough in Brussels. I personally think it deserves 2-3 days at least, but of course it depends on what your interests are.

But seriously speaking, if I were in Paris for 10 days, I'd probably just stay in Paris for the entire time and perhaps do a daytrip or 2 to surrounding towns and cities; rather than go to Brussels.

Where you recco for day trips around Paris?

Standards are Versailles - about 30 minutes and Chartres - not much more.

Are the 10 days on the ground in Paris? Or does that include the days to and fro? Have you ever been there before?

If you have a full 10 days on the ground (after the day you arrive and before the day you leave) I might consider doing 2 nights somewhere else - but would prefer Brugges to Brussels.

If the 10 days include travel days I would stay all nights in Paris - since there is so much to see/do.

Chateau de Fontainebleau?
Train to Avon/Fontainebleu station, then bus to the front of the chateau.

http://www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/

http://www.uk.fontainebleau-tourisme...-of-castle.asp

Combined train/entry ticket:
http://www.transilien.com/web/site/a...ebleau/lang/en

It can easily be done. I went up to Brussels on the Thalys out of Gare du Nord/Paris and was back in Paris the same day. I zipped up there for the King Leopold, the second exhibit at the Museum for Central Africa.

After arriving into Brussels, I actually had to take two other means of public transportation to get to the museum as it's in another town out in a forested area.

The Thalys is non-stop and takes a little under two hours. I fell asleep, most of the route, and woke up in Brussels. I was the only person in my compartment and this was in March a few years ago.

There is also the Explorer bus that is directly across the street from the train station, the main train station that is. The Thalys stopped at station one, then I remember getting off and getting on another train that took about 5 minutes to get to the main station. You could just exit the train station and cross the street and get on the Explorer bus and go around Brussels that way, jumping on and off wherever you want to. Happy Travels!

Oh, and personally, I'd go to Brussels. I've been to the areas outside of Paris and personally prefer Brussels. And since it's so easy on the Thalys, why not? At least you'd get another experience.

When I'm in Paris, annually, in the spring, I have 7-8 nights. However, on that particular trip when I zipped up to Brussels, I only had 6 nights total due to getting stuck, at home in L.A., and not being able to fly on to San Francisco (where I was to change planes) due to San Francisco fog being fogged in.

By the time the fog lifted, some 7 hours later, and I arrived into S.F., the flight to Paris had already been long gone. I ended up in an airport hotel waiting to fly out the next day... thus reducing the vacation by a day. Happy Travels!

edit....minus the "fog"...Happy Travels!

It's 10 days on the ground and yes we've been to Paris before 2 years ago. We rented and apartment this time.

We did the Thalys from Paris to Brussels as a day trip, out on the 8am-ish, back on the 6pm-ish.

Other than the Grand Place which is stunningly beautiful, I have very little to recommend in Brussels.

I'd strongly suggest another short jaunt. Although I've not been, I've heard great things about Brugges, Antwerp, etc.

Hard to say what's best for you without know what your interests are.

If you're a fan of Belgian beers, Belgian chocolates, moules et frites, Flemish paintings, Art Nouveau/Horta etc, then Brussels would be a wonderful destination.

For me personally, I would want to do daytrips from Paris to:
Giverny
Auvers-sur-Oise
Fontainebleau
Versailles

Brugge is wonderful as is Ghent. If you can do them, also do them which you could do, all three, on an overnight trip. I've been going to Belgium since the 70s as I have Flemish friends there. I stay with them and they drive me all over. The used to live in Brugge, so I would stay at their lovely house there. Happy Travels!