9 days in France - Paris only or other?

With 9 days I would suggest staying in the Paris/Ile-de-France region. You can take a day trip to Chartres, Reims, or some of the nearby chateaux, but I suggest totally savoring that region.

Thanks for the quick reply. So, would you get 1 hotel room for the entire stay? We're finding a hard time finding a hotel for 9 nights with 1 week's notice. Thanks again!

I agree that staying in Paris would be what I would do. And yes, I would try for one place for the whole time, provided its centrally located. I can't offer any suggestions but if you put your budget out here maybe someone could help. I know we saw what looked like some great hotels on the Ile St. Louis and in the St. Germain area, but they are probably pretty pricey.

If you decide after a few days to get out of town for a day trip, you can do that on the fly with relative ease.

Enjoy your trip. We just got back a week ago and I miss it already!

Plenty to see and do in Paris in those 9 days , check out the passé navigo card , gets you on the subways , Rer, the 5 zones in Paris , use it for day trips to Versailles, fountainbleau. Enjoy

It is never an error to stay in Paris. But in your case, with your love of wine, I would spend perhaps 3 nights in Burgundy or in Alsace, depending on which region's wines interest you the most. You'd still need to return to Paris to catch your flight.

The train rides are in the 2-3 hour range.

Certainly you can easily spend 9 days in Paris, but if you do decide to go farther afield, consider going to
Burgundy. Dijon is an easy train ride away, and a rental car picked up there puts you in easy reach of Beaune and vicinity. We spent the better part of a week there 2 summers ago, and loved it. Drank (and shipped home) some terrific wine. Alternatively, Normandy is also easily accessible, and Bayeux is a great base. Have fun!

We have been here 9 days so far on this trip; we will be here 3 weeks. Usually we stay a month or two. Last week we did a day trip to Luzarches (not recommended) and to Provins (terrific) There are literally dozens of great day trips from Paris and they are mostly accessible with the Navigo Decouverte travel pass which you should get for a stay this long. They run Mon-Sun and are so cheap that even if you use them 3 or 4 days, you get more than your money's worth.

Rouen and Reims and the champagne houses are nice cities to visit and very different from Paris (these are outside the ile de France and the ND pass) Chartres, Giverny and Versailles are great day trips (the first two are outside the pass) Smaller towns we have visited with the pass include Auvers sur Oise where Van Gogh spent his last days (terrific), Moret sur Loing, Crecy la Chapelle (both picturesque small towns), and Conflans Ste. Honorine. Chateau: Versailles, Vaux le Vicomte (our favorite), Fontainebleau, Malmaison, Sceaux, Ecouen, Rambouillet -- all easily reached. Just so many options. Here area few we have done in the last few years:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/category/day-trips-from-paris/
There are many more. You could also do a side trip to Strasbourg, Normandy or Burgundy for a few days, but I wouldn't. I'd get an apartment in Paris and shop the markets and cook in and do day trips to add variety.

Going on Janet's advice alone, on the same train line there's Versailles, Rambouillet, Maintenon {my favorite} (all have amazing chateaux), and then Chartres for its' magnificent cathedral.

As far as accommodations, an apartment might work for you for that length of time. Check out vacationinparis.com. We've used them twice, and always had a great experience. They may have specials too for last minute rentals.

Thanks everyone for the great info! Much appreciated.

Thanks everyone for the great info! Much appreciated.

I think we're going to try 2 nights in Burgundy with Beaune as our base. Would you recommend a train from Paris to Beaune and the renting a car from there, or driving from Paris to Beaune? Has anyone done this trip? Thank you!