Hello,
I could use some help planning a fall trip to Paris and beyond. We are late 50s have been to Europe several times and may be joined by son and/or daughter who are in their 20s. We like art, architecture, museums, walking in parks, history, food and wine. Husband and kids enjoy climbing towers like Duomo in Florence and Belfry in Bruges while I sit and enjoy the view.
We plan to start in Paris, me traveling from London by train and husband joining by flying into Paris.
We have been to Paris a several times and really enjoy spending four to five days in the city.
We would like to see other parts of France using rail, (highspeed preferred) without renting a car. We love train travel!
I’m thinking we would take the TGV to a spot to spend four to five nights, I really don’t like changing hotels that often. We would consider renting a car in the stops for day trips.
Then maybe another train to another spot for four to five nights, hopefully near a good location for flights back to San Diego, (I realize there will be connecting flights involved in return).
Sorry for the long introduction.
I’m thinking Paris/Lyon/Nice or maybe Paris/Lyon/Geneva.
Would love to go Paris/Bordeaux, but I can’t figure out the next leg without very long train connections.
Thank you!
Posted by
Washington DC
28073 posts
The TGV lines fan out from Paris, so east-west trips tend to be somewhat awkward.
When do you plan to take the trip? I'm thinking about weather. (I'm always thinking about weather, LOL.) If this is a summer trip, I'd consider Brittany and/or Normandy for the low risk of hitting a heat wave, even though you'd spend more time on trains.
I like Lyon a lot. There's lots to see there. But to a certain degree, it feels a bit like Paris, so seeing those two cities back-to-back wouldn't be my preference. However, that may not matter to you. Lyon is absolutely great.
If you haven't already been to Alsace, you might also consider Strasbourg--or Colmar if easier access to wine villages is enough to make up for the likely tourist load in that gorgeous smaller city. You'd have access to side trips into Germany as well as that part of France.
Edited to add: Bordeaux wouldn't be a five-night stop for me. Most foreign tourists who go there probably use it as a gateway to the Dordogne/Lot, and seeing that area means a rental car (easier) or regional trains and buses.
Posted by
Chicago
8164 posts
Skip Paris this time or limit it and go to Aix en Provence and explore the Roman ruins and the little towns around there and then end the trip in Nice (lots of easy daytrips around there along the Mediterranean) where you can get a flight that would connect in New York on the way back.
Posted by
OP
Solana Beach
113 posts
Thank you for the replies. I’m planning a couple of itineraries to run by the family.
acraven, we are planning for this fall, I know we need to get hotel and air booked asap as many have reported high prices and lack of availability. I appreciate your comments on Lyon and Bordeaux. I have been thinking about Alsace after watching an interesting travel show about the area and my husband has not been to Germany.
Jazz+travels, I like your suggestion for Aix and Nice. I noticed some hotel recommendations for hotels in Avignon in another thread. I know is not Aix, but near and the TGV from Paris takes less than three hours. Getting from Aix or Avignon to Nice is a longer, but must be a beautiful drive.
Posted by
OP
Solana Beach
113 posts
We really like the idea of spending a few days in Aix. I see a direct train from Aix to Nice with OUIGO that is scheduled for 2h41m, which seems really good, however, from what I see by searching the forum, OUIGO is not a very comfortable option.
Is picking up a car in AIX and dropping in Nice a better option?
Thank you!
Posted by
28 posts
I just returned from a trip to France using trains for the entire itinerary as follows
7 nights in Paris
3 nights in Reims
5 nights in Strasbourg
1 night in CDG
Great combination of places!