Itinerary for 9 full days in France with 3 day trip outside Paris

The first time that I planned a month-long trip to France, I based myself in Paris and had 4 3-day trips each week but none of them were to the Burgundy region. A friend of mine insisted that I had to go to Burgundy and I showed him my itinerary and asked him which 3-day trip to drop so I could fit in the Burgundy region and he was stumped. We had the Loire Valley, Normandy, the Dordogne and the Champagne region on our list. I recall that experience to say that France has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to places that you can go for 3 days. By the way, I later went to the Burgundy region on another trip and loved it so much that I ended up with a long-term stay there. And do not get me started on Provence and Languedoc-Rousssillon. It is very difficult to pick one spot so it is not surprising that you are overwhelmed. This is a big-deal trip and you want it go well and that adds pressure to the decision making, but you probably cannot make a mistake with the places you have on your list. Maybe you can think about what each area is most know for and try to figure out your 3-day trip by prioritizing how much you would want that.

When you say Normandy, where do you mean? Often times people mean the World War II beaches and that will be a 14-hour all-in day trip from Paris so that is something to consider for the Normandy thing. You will get beautiful architecture everywhere in France so that will not really help you narrow down where to go. No matter where you go in late November, you will be in late autumn heading to winter and days will be shorter and the foliage will not be at its most thrilling. If your list of things you like in order of importance, I am thinking that Burgundy is the place for you – great wine and food and rolling terrain. If you love great wine, I feel like that helps narrow down your choices to Burgundy or Bordeaux. I am passionate about Pinot Noir and un-oaked Chardonnay so I am all in for Burgundy. My husband loves Cabernet Sauvignon, but even he likes visiting Burgundy better because he likes the food and the wineries better. Burgundy had great wine, great food (so many dishes that we think of classic French food are from Burgundy) and beautiful rolling terrain. If scenic coastline is the number one thing on your list, then Normandy near Etretat would be great – you’ll get your coastline but the wine is not great and I find the food in Normandy to be okay but I am not big on dairy products and apples. If mountainous terrain is number one, then the best of the list would be the Alsace area especially if you could head over near the Route de Cretes in the Vosges Mountains but part of the route could be closed in late November because of snow. I am not a big fan of the food but it can be good if you go to the right spot.

Because nine days is not a ton of time, I would stay in northern France. That means saving Bordeaux for another trip.

You'll also maximize your time if you can manage to take your out-of-Paris excursion at either the very start or very end of your trip, rather than going Paris > destination > Paris > home. For example, going directly to Burgundy, then to Paris. Or ending your Norman excursion by returning your car at the airport. It helps to have an afternoon flight.

If you choose Alsace, note there is one very early train that goes directly from Strasbourg to Charles deGaulle, arriving at 8 AM. There are similar trains from Dijon and Lyon.

Lyon is not on your list but perhaps ought to be. The old town is loaded with renaissance architecture and there are restored Roman antiquities on top of the spectacularly steep hill. And it is a major food town.

The problem with daytrips in late November BTW is that the days are very short. Darkness hides the most spectacular scenery. Better to spend the night and be up with the sun.

Weather can also be problematic. In fact whatever your plan is to see countryside, mountains, coast, etc., you should really have a plan B where you take refuge in a lively city. (Again, Lyon comes to mind.) Fortunately, that time of year you can reliably travel without reservations and make your plans as you go based on the weather.

I'm not going to tell you where to go, but maybe this gives the two of you something to think over. Have a fabulous trip.

JHK and Adam -- thank you so much for your advice! We think that Burgundy sounds like the best place for us, based on what you've told us. Is there a place or area that you've stayed there that you really loved?

Great advice on putting trip at beginning or end of our trip. We fly into Paris at 11 a.m., so we think we might take the train to Burgundy immediately for a few days first before we return to Paris and fly home form Paris. I read some interesting things about the Burgundy area -- sounds great for bike rides and wine tastings. We will just need to be sure to wake up early. I am also a Cabernet lover, but based on your advice and the fact that Burgundy is closer than Bordeaux, sounds like Burgundy won't disappoint. Regarding Lyon, that sounds very tempting. But Burgundy sounds like a nice opposite extreme from Paris -- a little less quiet and busy. And while the food in Lyon sounds amazing, I hope that Burgundy will have just as many delicious food and wine to offer.

I am a big fan of Burgundy, but you may need to hedge your bets in late November. As previously noted, the days are shorter, the weather can be crummy, and sights are on shorter hours. Many of the delights of Burgundy are rural, and are at risk from bad weather.

(That said, I spent 8 days there on a bike in April: it rained a lot and I nonetheless had a great trip. The right layers helped immensely.)

The most "efficient" use of your time is probably to set up in Beaune and see it as a base for day trips with a car. If you get a heat wave you might explore by bicycle, if the rental shop is open. (Call them, in that case.)

However, you should really start with a good guidebook to the region and design an itinerary based on what calls to you. On a recent family trip to France, we took a train to Auxerre in northern Burgundy, picked up a car, had lunch in Chablis, and drove to Vezeley, with a stop in the Serien valley. On to Beaune the next day. A bit of extra driving, but it was scenic.

Beaune is a lively friendly place, with some great wine options in town (such as the Marche du Vins) and really good food. But it's small and you would not want to spend 3 days there without a car to get out into the countryside and see the sights. You would be bored.

By the way, you mentioned Cabernet. The grapes in Burgundy are mostly Pinot and Chardoney, but put away everything you know about American wine. In France wine is not about the grape and you can't understand things that way. There is tremendous variation within Burgundy Pinot. Chablis whites are astonishing.

Anything else I can tell you?

It looks like the Christmas markets in Alsace begin on Nov. 25. The markets are fun with lots of local products and beautiful decorations. You can sightseeing during the day and enjoy a different town's markets after dark, then go out for dinner. I'd spend one day in Strasbourg, but stay in Colmar, closer to the villages.