I will be in Paris during midmarch to vistit my a friend that is abroad, can anyone suggest a goodplace for a weekend trip. I know this is a broad question, I'm considering Amsterdam, Lyon, and Portugal, but I'm open to suggestions. The trip will be in the three day range. A couples location is a plus.

I've never been to Portugal, but have enjoyed weekend trips to both Amsterdam and Lyon (with my husband).

It's likely to be warmer in Portugal in March, if that's a consideration, likewise Barcelona or Madrid - we went to Madrid last April and the weather was beautiful.

Shortest travel time would have to be Eurostar to London. There are really good package deals including train + hotel.

Weather will be brisk though!
Have fun with the travel planning . . .

Hi

You might want to consider Beaune or Dijon.

I don't know what you mean by a couples location, but Nice or another town along the south coast can be done either by train or plane. Or how about Normandy?

Loire Valley... stay in a Chateau. If your couple is looking for something romantic, this is it. Montreux? That would be fun.

I agree that Amsterdam and Lyon are both great ideas too. Check out the cheap flights from Paris. Anywhere in Europe might be pretty do-able.

Lisbon is a nice destination for 3 days. Note that March is a generally a very rainy month in Portugal, and temps are only in the 50s. You should be able to add a full day in Sintra or another outlying village. Some of this will depend on whether you have 3 full days or if flight times will eat into this.

If you haven't been to Rome, I think that would also be nice for 3 days. You could see a lot in that time as nothing will be crowded (it is still early Spring and is before Easter).

Florence is a possibility provided you can fly there non-stop, as going via Rome and taking a train and/or going via a connection will add to your travel time. Milan would be another good choice.

I would suggest city over countryside locations, as March is pretty unpredictable weather-wise in Europe (I live here) and you may have 3 days of rain which interferes with seeing charming villages, etc but is not such a problem in a city location, IMO, esp a place like Rome with its museums.

Take a look at weatherbase.com and worldclimate.com for historical average temps and rainfall.

I second the suggestion for London if you have not already been there. Your original thought of Amsterdam is good too, check out whether the tulip festivals are running at that time. It will be cold and probably rainy there as well.