Hi All!
I'm planning a family trip for late August and would love some recommendations.
Two of us (my mom and I) will be in Europe for a little over 3 weeks, while the other two family members will join us for the final 8 days. My mom and I are flying into Paris and plan to spend a few days there before choosing a base for about 1-2 weeks and taking day trips by train.
This is our favorite style of travel. A few years ago, we spent a month in Bologna, Italy, and used it as a base for day trips to Venice, Florence, Rimini, San Marino, Padua, and other nearby destinations. We'd love to recreate that same experience -- staying in one place long enough to settle in while exploring the surrounding region.
We're currently considering Lyon, Bordeaux, and Aix-en-Provence, but we're very open to other suggestions. Ideally, we'd like somewhere with excellent train connections, day-trip options, good food, and a walkable city center.
At the end of the trip (the last 8 days), we'll be meeting the rest of our family in Northern Spain for about a week, so destinations that connect reasonably well to the Basque Country/Northern Spain would be a positive!
Any recommendations or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!!