Hi there! I am visiting France with my friend 18 Nov - 23.
We are flying in/out of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
We plan to spend a day or two in Paris shopping, but we've both been to Paris several times and love the idea of exploring outside of the city a bit. Are there any great places to stay/see? Any great B&Bs? We will be taking public transportation (no car).
Things we love: flea/vintage shopping, Christmas markets, food & wine, cute small towns, walking, architecture.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14735 posts
I immediately thought of a day trip to Strasbourg for the Christmas Markets but it looks like they do not open until Nov 25.
https://noel.strasbourg.eu/en/
Colmar's goes from Nov 24.
Here is a link on Paris Christmas Markets, some of which look like they will be open during your time frame.
Your daylight hours will be short but you could consider taking the train out to Chartres to see the cathedral and the stained glass if that is of interest to you.
There are some walks offered by Paris Walks for November if any of the subjects interests you.
http://www.paris-walks.com/cariboost_files/2022_20NOVEMBER_20WALKS_203.pdf
Do your dates include your travel days or are they excluded?
Posted by
OP
19 posts
We arrive afternoon of 18 and leave morning of 23.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14735 posts
With 5 nights and 4 full days, I'd probably stay put in Paris and do a day trip or two. You could certainly do a day trip to Strasbourg even though the Christmas Market will not be open yet. It and Colmar have a very different feel from Paris. I'd probably not want to go more than 2 hours or so away on a fast train in that time frame.
Posted by
10 posts
Take the train to Lille. Less than 2 hours. Very like cities in Belgium architectural wise. Great art museum and cathedral. Lots of students. Good market. If you like beer they have a zillion of them.
Could also do overnighter to Amsterdam or go to Berlin. It's a short flight or a 5ish hour train ride. If you venture to Berlin have dinner at the Einstein Cafe on Kurfurstenstrasse. Best weiner schnitzel ever. You have enough time if you don' t mind hustling.