My fiance and I are planning a honeymoon in France and we have 13 full days to work with. We definitely want to spend a good amount of time in Paris, but we also want to visit other areas of the country by train.
What cities/regions are a must see that would fit in that 13 day timeline? What order and number of days would you visit those suggested destinations??
Interests are romance, wine, history, beautiful scenery- your typical honeymoon.
Please help!!! Very lost.
What month are you going? That might help with suggestions based on weather.
Hi sanderskn,
First full day starts October 26th, 2015, last full day November 7, 2015.
Thank you!!
There's lots of ways to do this, of course. One example: In September we flew into Marseille, spent 4 nights in Provence, saw the Luberon, Nimes, Arles, etc. (rented a car, based in Avignon) then trained to Lyon for 3 nights (loved it there) then on to Paris for 8, stopping for the day in Beaune, flew home from Paris.
Spend a minimum of 3 nights in any one place.
Congratulations, Katie.
You have a lot of great options, but that time of year I'd suggest going south to Provence, with perhaps a stop or two.
You could have a really wonderful honeymoon just in Paris and Provence, with a car in Provence to get out into the countryside. Great food, Roman antiquities, sweeping hills.
More or less enroute from Paris to Provence are Burgundy, French countryside and lovely wine scene, and Lyon. If you like to bicycle I'd recommend a few days in Burgundy.
You could also go further from Provence to the Cote d'Azure, stony tony beaches, and fly home from Nice.
I would not recommend all of these destinations but you could add one or even (if you are nimble) 2 to Paris and Provence.
Do a little research and take your pick.
Have a very happy honeymoon.
Thank you so much, Dave and Adam!! Very, very helpful advice!!! :)
If you haven't already bought plane tickets, you might consider flying into Paris, and then out of another place at the end (or vice versa). the cost difference is very little, especially compared to what you gain for time and flexibility in your trip! i leave for my honeymoon in 2 weeks. I will be going into Nice and returning from Paris. Have fun planning your trip! The Rick Steve, Michelin, and Rough Guides books are great resources. If you decide to visit Provence, make sure you get the Rick Steves Provence guidebook too, it covers much more than the main france book.
You can spent 5-6 days in paris ,then either take the train or plane to nice and spend 3 days in nice and go to Monaco and Cannes on day trips , then go back to paris, then take a 45 minute train to versaille for 2 days and tour the palace ,then back to Paris to finish off your trip ... Enjoy
Katie, Regardless of the locations on the final itinerary, my suggestion is that you start somewhere else and end up in Paris. That will give you a chance to acclimate fully to Europe and should help you enjoy Paris to the greatest extent possible. Just a thought. TC
If it were me, I would do one of the following:
Without car:
1-2. Fly into Marseille, two nights Marseille
3-4. 2 nights in Arles
5-6. 2 nights in Annecy
7-9. 3 nights in Beaune
10-11-12-13. Remainder of trip in Paris
With Car:
1-5. Fly into Marseille, five nights in Provence
6-9. Four nights in Burgundy
10-11-12-13. Ditch the car, remainder of trip in Paris
Congrats Katie!
My husband and I are traveling to France in September for three weeks without a car. We usually stay three nights each place and try to schedule at least one tour per place to see more of the country side and towns.
Fly to Paris stay 3 nights
next Colmar 3 nights with tour through the Route du Vin
next Beaune 3 nights with another bike tour through those wineries
then to Chamonix 3 night and go up the mountains
on to Avignon 4 nights couple of day trips to see the Provence area
Carcassonne 1 night then Albi 2 nights and back to Paris and home.
I know this is longer than your stay but can be adapted to your schedule. This includes lots of wine tasting and romantic French little towns. Whatever you do it will be fantastic. Hope this helps.
