First time visitor seeking itinerary help

Hi Jacey,
12 days is not a lot. As you say, you will return. I would pick things that are closer together (for example, if you drove from Paris to Monte Carlo, you'd eat a lot of those 12 days. Of course, you could fly that part), and pick fewer things - that is, don't try to do too much. I think staying 2 nights in one place is a minimum, so that you can get a feel for it and not just check sites off a list. The travel agent's suggestion is a good one for 12 days; were they thinking you would drive that route and then fly home from Nice? Again, if you account for travel time, and you want to maximize being in places rather than on trains/in a car... If you did Monte Carlo and the CT, were you thinking you would fly from Paris to Nice, and then train to the CT, and then fly home from where? Since you don't have tickets, you should decide which city you will fly into, and out of, and that should help narrow things down

Jessica

I would pick things that are simple... as you said, so much to do, and not much time. I prefer traveling by train, especially in a 12 day trip. I would look for places you can reach by train... so

Paris - London? That can eat 12 days easily.
Paris - Bruges - Amsterdam?
Paris - Avignon-Nice?
Paris - Arles - Barcelona (I am about to do this one in 10 days - you could even add Madrid maybe...)
Paris and any random small French towns
Paris - Strasbourg- Munich or Zurich

Good luck!
Kim

Hello Jacey,

The bad news is - there are so many choices! The good news is - you probably will like any combination you choose. Which isn't very helpful, is it?

So, some hopefully helpful points to keep in mind when trying to plan your trip-

Each change of location will use up anywhere from a minimum of 1/2 to a full day by the time you factor in packing, checking in/checking out, travel to train/plane, transportation time and then travel time to new accommodations. Only you can decide if the trade off (time to travel to a new destination versus time seeing/doing) is worth it. Traveling is all about trade offs!!

Since you are flying into Paris, do some deep diving into Rick Steve's Paris book. Come up with a list of what you truly wish to see/do in Paris. That will help you to estimate how many days you want to spend in Paris and thus help guide you as to what is reasonably possible for the remaining days you will have.

I just returned from my fourth trip to Paris and spent 10 days there - and I still saw things I hadn't in my first 3 trips so there is truly plenty to see and do in Paris, especially if you combine that with some easy day trips.

Personally, I would limit your trip to areas that you can easily reach by train since trains tend to go city center to city center unlike planes which can help minimize travel time. You didn't mention if this was your first trip to France - if it is, I would definitely limit the trip to locations in France.

A nice combination would be Paris and the Loire or Paris and Provence for example and (assuming you have 12 full days and not a total of 12 days) would give you ample time to enjoy each.

Thank you all so very much for your input! We pulled out a map last night, and sticking to your suggestions regarding access to trains, we are considering Paris-Champagne-Stuttgart (for my Porsche fanatic husband) - then either some time in Switzerland or Munich and fly home from there. We know this is quite an ambitious itinerary, but these are all stops that are very exciting to each of us, and it feels right!

Jacey,

Your travel agent's suggestion works, barely, because of the great rail connections. Munich etc is several towns too far. I think that Stuttgart and "the alps" might be possible if you are nimble and the weather cooperates. You don't want to detour to Switzerland for anything less than 3 or 4 nights to allow for inclement weather.

Beware the classic newbie mistake of underestimating logistics and squeezing in too much.