Dear friends

need your advice on a 7day trip in france for group of 4 , 2 adults & 2children aged 17 & 14

ajoy

Sorry -- you have given us nothing to work with. When, what sorts of things do you enjoy, is budget an issue, etc?

Also - if the entire trip is 7 days you will only have 4.5 days free on the ground after accounting for travel (Unless you are visiting from another European country - which would mean about 6 days free)

Typically - for such a short visit, Paris would be it with little time for anything else.

How much do you pay ?

thanks

I am flying from india & have full 7 days in france . actually i am going to pick up my son from near lille . ( where i will spend 2 days ) & after that i will have 7 full days in france ,

1) budget is not much of an issue
2) wouldn't mind traveling by train in the night to get more free days
3) few more must see places in france apart from paris ( about 2- 2 and half days

would appreciate your input

I would be traveling in the first week of may . we would enjoy seeing historic places , beautiful cities , nature anything will do ( which family would enjoy

Do you fly home from Paris as well?

I would just spend the whole week in Paris. The city itself has more than enough to see and do, but there are also lots of nearby places to visit as a day trip from Paris.

Leaving Paris for another city for only a day or two and then returning to Paris to fly home is a very inefficient use of your vacation time. But if you insist on doing it, then consider Dijon, Avignon, or Arles - all of which can be reached by high speed rail.

Well your information is clearer now and I wish you had said it in the first post..

If it is your first time in France (or first time in Europe - important to know), then all 7 days for Paris and day trips from Paris is reasonable. Here is an excellent list of day trips from Paris, written by FrenchMystiqueTours:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...s-446088-2.cfm
(look for the post of FrenchMystiqueTours not far down that thread)

If you want to split time to go somewhere else, your choice is nearly unlimited, but it will be very rushed, and your family needs to be well organised. Take a flight to Nice? Visit Mont Saint-Michel on a high-tided day? Visit the Loire Valley with bundle of great castles? Or even go to London for 3-4 days, if your budget is not restricted. Try to narrow it down to one city maximum other than Paris.

You have a mere week in France and no information to work with. Get a guidebook and a map and make a plan we can comment on. France is chock full of historic places, beautiful cities, and nature.

There are hardly any night trains anymore. Use www.seat61.com to learn about train travel.

You really need to do some serious research and narrow down your interests. Just " going to France" doesn't cut it.

Based on the minimal information you have provided, I think Paris & Provence would be the best choice for May.

TGV (fast train) Lille to the Avignon TGV station. Departs at 13:13 and arrives at 18:16. No train changes.

TGV Avignon to Paris - many departures. 2 3/4 hrs. No train changes.

Stu Dudley