My husband and I will be traveling in May with our two adult children (24/26) to Paris for 1 week. Ideally we'd like to spend 3 or 4 days exploring and taking in Paris and then venture out to the wine country. I'm just not sure if we should stay in Paris the entire time and do day trips (via train or car) out to the wine country or stay in a city/town in the wine country, rent a car and venture out from a base town? We did this in Tuscany (stayed in Montepulciano) and explored the hilltop towns from there. Would love your suggestions on where to go for day trips and/or what city/town to stay in as a base to explore. Thank you in advance.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
There aren't many wine regions close to Paris so 'wine country' is a bit unclear. Day trips would be pretty hard.
With a specific region in mind you'd probably get some better answers. The closest is going to be the Champagne area centered on Reims.
Posted by
Orinda, California, United States
308 posts
We love Reims and taking the train there is very easy. You can go for the day and enjoy several champagne houses before taking the train back, but you would not see the beautiful country side. Leave from gare de l'est - 45 minutes to Reims and then a cab or bus out to the houses; some need reservations. With only a week in Paris, this would be my choice.
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3398 posts
I suggest checking our Pezenas down in Herault. It's a very old "village circulade" surrounded by other quaint villages and many vineyards with small, family owned wineries. This one is my personal favorite; Abbaye de Valmagne. The giant wine casks fill the side chapels of the ancient abbey and they hold concerts in that space that are unique and wonderful! This whole area is quintessential France to me.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
How serious are you about wine? Almost all of France is "wine country," so you could make your decision based on other considerations and check out the wine scene wherever that takes you. Just not Normandy or Brittany.
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If you are "serious," I think Burgundy is an obvious choice (and you might choose it anyway). I think a day trip there would be a poor use of your time, though it is feasible. Alsace is also interesting oenologically (and in other ways).
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Some of these regions have direct morning trains to Charles deGaulle, no need to double back to Paris.
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Paris has a little bit of every part of France in it, so if the draw is the wine rather than the country you could plan to taste a different region every evening, along with appropriate regional cuisine.