Help on Outside-of-Paris Itinerary

The only one of the three that I've been to is the Alsace where we based in Colmar for 2 nights and I highly recommend it. We didn't do it from Paris though, we had finished a river cruise in Basel and headed to Colmar from there. I highly recommend the Alsace Region, and if we were to go back we'd consider basing in Strasbourg which could easily eat up three days.

Whichever you choose, consider how long travel will take so you don't feel rushed. Does your three days include you travel days or would it be 5 days total with 3 full days at the location? A total of three days only gives you one full day and two half days.

Allan, thanks for your thoughts.

Since we'll be based out of Paris, travel to Strasbourg/Luxembourg is 2-3 hours each way. With the first train and last train, that gives us a solid 10-12 hours for a day trip--and of course more if we stay overnight. (Brittany is further at 4-5 hours, and less feasible for a day trip.)

shaylafirz,
The Alsace region is a bit far for a day trip. If you do choose to not stay the night in Colmar or Strasbourg, I suggest Strasbourg, which has a TGV option and a 2 to 2 1/2 hour ride each way.. Colmar would be a separate train from Strasbourg and takes about 30 minutes Add that extra 30 minutes coming and going, plus another 30 minutes or so to walk from the station to Colmar centre ville, you now have 2 extra hours used up. Strasbourg has tons to offer. However, I would still plan on an overnight there. If you have three days, it would give you both cities plus a day to visit the small charming towns in the area (good local transport available).

As for Mont St. Michel/St. Malo, I feel that is a bit too far for a day trip, but spending 2 nights there works for the Mont. Over half of one day would be getting to the Mont and returning from it. The train doesn't drop you off right by the Mont, so it takes additional time getting to the base of it. Definitely not a day trip IMO. Just MSM is 3 1/2-4 hours from Paris to the Mont, not counting St Malo.

Have you been to Reims, the birthplace of champagne? That is a very doable one day trip by train. The cathedral there has some magnificent stained glass and is where almost every king of France was crowned, going back to Louis the Pious in 816. And there are good half-day trips from there visiting some champagne houses. The train ride to Reims takes just under an hour. The Musee de la Reddition is there also, walkable from the cathedral. It is where the surrender was signed by Germany for WWII.

Other day trip ideas: Giverny, Rouen, Chartres, Provins, Lille, Le Mans, the chateaux at Fontainebleau, Vaux-le-Vicomte, Chantilly, plus Beaune, Dijon or Lyons (but I think an overnight at these last three is best due to distance).

Lots is great choices!

P.S. Should you visit Reims where the kings were crowned, it is nice to visit the Basilica of St. Dennis just north of Paris. The church is beautiful, but the best thing is that this is where many French kings and queens are interred. It makes for nice historical bookends. There is no charge to visit the church, but there is a feeto visit the location of the interments.

I’m writing from Strasbourg and recommend it highly. This is my fourth time and I think the town gets better and better. We did spend a day visiting the countryside with Tour Alsace Rhine Valley Sightseeing Tours. Our family visiting from NY really loved it. It goes to a castle, wine villages -and Colmar in one day. They drive; you look at the scenery. Today our offspring rented bikes to ride along the Rhine, while we rented tour devices and did a long, informative walking tour on our own. We were supposed to have 3+ days, but our train was delayed for four hours, so never try a day trip. This isn’t the first time we’ve had major rail delays due to accidents. Luckily we did get to visit the cathedral and do a wonderful Batorama boat tour after the late arrival. I’ve seen a lot of France ( I live here), but am really impressed with Strasbourg and do plan to return.

Are you planning a day trip to Loire Valley from Paris? That's a looong day. Why not turn that into at least an overnight so you can enjoy it?

What are you hoping to see/do outside of Paris? What's the interest in Luxembourg? Are you relying on public transport or renting a car?

Do you really want to sit on a train for 5 hours for several separate days trips?

If you want Mont St. Michel without crowds, you'll have to overnight.

What if you start your trip in Loire Valley with 2 nights, then either drive or travel by trains and bus to Mont St Michel for a night?

We were just in France - flew to Paris, drove to Rouen for a night (which was lovely), then saw MSM the next day before driving to Bayeux.

Rouen is a great place to spend a day getting over jet lag - small town, Joan of Arc memorial, cute streets, cathedral, art museum.

We loved MSM - and the crowds were nothing compared to the big Paris attractions (musee d’orsay, notre dame).

As someone in Paris now, who just did Loire and MSM and visited Strasbourg previously..... You should stay longer in Loire - it's huge I wish I had an extra two days there. It's beautiful and quiet and nothing like Paris. You could also tack on Chartres cathedral or maybe Nantes. Strasbourg is nice but it's far from Paris. MSM is majorly overrated. It's a tourist trap and exhausting. I spent pretty much all day taking photos there but the upper cathedral is a tad underwhelming. What is overwhelming is the 20 flights of stairs 😆. Yes it's cute, but there are better more relaxing and medieval places to visit in Loire like Chinon. You might even consider a train to the Dordogne region for a few days that was better than MSM. If you do decide to MSM bring euros for the one functioning bathroom that is clean(ish).

I'll suggest spending more time in the Loire, just a day trip would be far too short. This is based on the assumption that the Loire is your top non-Paris choice since you already plan on going there. Much more to see than you could on a day trip. Renting a car there would be the most efficient way to get around.

I haven't been to Alsace, but it seems a long way for a day trip, as does MSM. Remember our host's perennial advice: "Pace yourself. Assume you will return." Even if that's not the case, it's the right attitude.

11 days. Just for clarification, does this include your arrival and departure days from France, but not your departure day from North America? If so, that would mean 10 nights in France, but only 9 full days in France.

I will assume you have 11 full days in France and 12 nights given your description of your travel. 6 days in Paris sounds good. Full days or does that include your arrival day? Arrival day will be a truncated day due to time from the airport, getting to your hotel and fatigue.

Agree with others that the Loire is too far as a day trip, so you should spend, perhaps two days and three nights there, at a minimum. See some chateaux, some countryside, nights in the city of Tours or smaller towns - many to choose from, not limited to Blois or Amboise; we also enjoyed Azay le Rideau and Chinon. Apart from the many chateaux in the area, there are wineries to visit and cave dwellings near Saumur, as well as the medieval section of Tours.

We spent 7 nights in the area, cycling from Blois to Saumur, visiting one winery, seven chateaux, Tours’ medieval center and Fontevraud Abbey where the remarkable Aleinor of Acquitane’s tomb lies next to her husband’s (Henry II of England) and her favorite son’s, Richard the Lionhearted.

So, if you have six nights in Paris that includes five full days in Paris plus a sixth (CORRECTION - 7th) night in Paris for your day trip to Versailles, plus three nights in the Loire, that would be 9 (CORRECTION 10) of your 10 or 12 nights. That 10th or 12th night would be in or near Paris for your flight home, which maybe leaves you just two nights for a brief trip to somewhere else.

If you have only 10 nights in France, you’re tapped out. If you do have just one other night, just add that night to Paris or the Loire, with the option of a day trip to Chartres, Fontenbleu, Giverny, or wherever is close and suits your fancy.

If you have 12 nights, then you might consider a short visit to just one of the areas that you mention.

One can never do it all, so slow it down and enjoy it more. Spend less time on one to two hour train journeys in each direction plus another one or two hours on busses or metro trains in Paris getting to and from the RER or TER trains that take you on “day trips.”

LATE NOTE - it may make sense to split up your Paris time. Say, 4 nights in Paris, then 3 in the Loire, then the balance back in Paris.

I wouldn't recommend driving to Rouen on arrival day in France after a flight from the US. That is a bit long for anyone with possible jet lag. Plus, add in almost 2 hours just to go through car rental process and getting out of the CDG quagmire and around Paris to get on the road to Rouen.