Paris to Cinque Terre? Or Paris to Belgium?

Elaina .. for best answers it would help if we knew how long is duration of trip and what month you are planning on going.

My thoughts would be Paris and Amsterdam or Paris and London .. Brugges is cute for a day or two.. but it won't blow you away since you have already been to the real city of canals.. and Brussels was boring to me.. ( and yes,, I know others like it.. this is only my opinion)

Both Amsterdam and London are easy train trips..

What Pat said…and I've never been to Belgium, but Paris, while so special and never ending, is quite intense and a break in the CT for perhaps three nights sounds pretty good. Easy Jet goes from Orly to Pisa Aeroporto for just about 55 euro apiece, easy train from there to Vernazza or one of the other CT villages. And no, that's not crazy, that's one of the great things about Europe! Lots of folks here like Monterosso, with a lot of lodging , eating, and beach options; we were quite happy with Vernazza. CT is packed in high season, late season maybe better, but as Pat says, more specifics will get better input.
We are doing Provence to Paris this year, and Provence could be a really nice break after Paris too, plus you can train it-no airports.
Have fun, whatever you do!
Dave

I loved Belgium, it's a very easy country to travel in and has a very different vibe from Paris, which I find intense. I loved Brugge, Gent, and Brussels. Great food, friendly people, interesting sights, and of course waffles, chocolate and beer.

Hi Elaina
As someone who is planning her next trip also there are so many choices. I have planned a lot of trips over the years. I try and keep my traveling time down. Paris to Cinque Terra is doable. But how long are you going to be gone for? How much time do you want to spend traveling. Yes the flight might only be an hour or two. But how long will it take to get to and from the airport and how long will you sit in the airport. You have to decide if that time away from sight seeing is worth it. I try to keep my total travel time to 3 hours, hotel to hotel. If I must I will try and only do one long travel day. From where you have already been I would give a different part of Europe a chance. Maybe fly into Brussels see Bruge and Ghent. then Paris. from there you have lots of options. Lorrie Valley, London. Also what time of year are you going. In April you have Tulips blooming in Holland. In July Lavender and Sun Flowering in Provence. What ever you do take advantage of flying open jaw.

Good Luck
Wendy

I have also been to all the places you list. I highly recommend Belgium. We took a side trip from Paris and we really had fantastic time. We stayed at the Novotel Grand Palace in Brussels for four nights, again recommended (a tip is to book a room that includes breakfast, it was a reasonable addition and a lot cheaper than eating out. ) There were plenty of young people to be found in the square and it had a real festive atmosphere. We took a City walking tour , available at the square. Great frijtz, beers and chocolates! We went to Bruges one day, but did not have time to go to Ghent. Both are short train rides from Brussels. Enjoy!

We did the Paris/Brussels trip last fall and loved it all. I'd been to Brussels about twenty years prior and still loved it last year. The high speed train from Paris to Brussels took about 80 minutes and was fantastic. took less than an hour to get to Brugge which was also great. A very medieval and quaint town on the canals. It's an entirely different feel that Venice. Stayed two nights in Brugge and could have stayed another day just to wander around. Stayed just outside the canal at the Hotel Ter Brugge. Super cute and very charming.

Went back to Brussels for two more nights and then flew out of Brussels back to the US. Stayed at the Cafe Hotel Pacific only three or so blocks from the Grand Place but a much quieter neighborhood. Not as touristy, more a locals neighborhood. Would go back through Brussels again as a stopover to another country trip. The only problem with Belgium is that it rains a lot as it's the more northern part of Western Europe. Even the hotel operator said it rains about 300 days it year it seems.

Can't say enough about Paris so I won't here. You won't be disappointed.

We have done Paris the Cinque Terre on two trips to Europe. They are our favorite places so we make sure to make time to visit both. I would break it up and visit somewhere in between--it's a long train trip otherwise.