What do we do with 10 days !?!?
 

Taking my wife to Paris for 10d over Thanksgiving. Arriving in Paris, we hope to efficiently take in the majors but mindful of stopping to smell les fleurs. Is it reasonable to expect to get down to say, Cinque Terre ?? Or even into the Alps and perhaps ski for a few days ?? I imagine the coastal areas although gorgeous, may be a bit bleak in Nov. Would appreciate any suggestions of what might be expeditiously achieved over a 10d sojourn.

Cinque Terre from Paris in 10 days I suppose is do-able, but seems a bit weird. I mean, if this is the first trip to Paris you'll want at LEAST a week there, and who wants to spend the time/money/energy to get all the way to the Italian coast for about 2 days in what is essentially winter?

I'd suggest you focus on Paris for a week with a daytrip or two - there are so many to choose from!

I agree w/ StCirq. Paris to CT would be odd enough, but in the winter it's an even more unusual itinerary.

Skiing would be an option - but again I agree that Paris warrants at least a week by itself. And in late Nov travel may be disrupted because of the weather.

If it were me I'd rent an apartment for the 10 days and really get to know Paris w/ maybe a couple of day trips.

Or I'd do 7 days in Paris and 3 in either London or Amsterdam. I definitely wouldn't try to go hundreds of miles down to Italy. But that is just me.

We recently had 10 days in Paris, we rented an apartment and took our time discovering lots of fantastic places. There was no rush, we could enjoy an area, have some lunch, come back have a snooze, out for dinner, enjoy a walk. etc. We only took one side trip to Giverny which was gorgeous. Even after 10 days there was still so much more to see and do.

Don't even think about going so far, why? Maybe take the train to Dijon or similar for a night, but truly Paris will keep you busy for a lot longer than 10 days. Go and enjoy, really "get to know" it rather than just skirting around and dashing off to somewhere else. We stayed in a Paris Perfect apt and it was great, highly recommended.

Dear Erieau:

With 10 days in France, I should think that you need to devote at least 5 in Paris, so as to see the "standouts" in a leisurely manner i.e Louvre, Musee D' Orsay, a Bateau Mouche cruise, Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame..

With a car on day 6, you can take drive toward the Loire valley and see the chateaus of Chaumont and Amboise; both on the Loire River and both about 2.5 hrs from Paris and only 12 miles apart.

Or, instead of the Loire valley, head Southeast toward Burgundy and meander through one of the finest regions of France to tour by car. Visit Auxerre, Autub, Vezelay and of couse Beaune, which should be in the midst of the Beaujolais craze by the time you get there in late November..

Drop me a line if you need some additional ideas..

Regards..
Luis

Clarification:

The town in Burgundy is Autun, NOT Autub..

L

Thanks gang, that is some sound advice. I figured that would be the concensus. Anyone have a link that I can explore apt rentals for a wk+.
Thanks in advance for your continued suggestions!

You could do more than Paris but you have to decide what you will interest you.

If you ski, then a French ski resort (or even a Swiss one) would be easy.

Research the weather before you make plans to stay on or near the water.

Have a good trip.