Presidents’ Day (Feb 17-20) Weekend Suggestions?

Not sure I understand your timeline -- and nobody in France will know what Presidents' Day is! ;-) But consider Reims or Dijon, or maybe both if you can go by train without backtracking. I'd recommend Burgundy and a car (rented from Dijon) but in winter you might want to stick to cities.

If you are in Strasbourg it is a very fast and easy train trip south to Basel. Lots to see and do there, and they have a great sense of humour.

Here in the UK we don't know anything about Presidents Day Weekend, and neither will the Swiss.

Hi, apologies for the confusion... I am looking for destination suggestions for Feb 17-20.

Current plan:
Feb 17-20: Arrive Paris early am of Feb 17. Train to TBD? (Evening of Feb 20 train to Strasbourg)
Feb 21-23: Strasbourg (work) (train to Paris Friday pm)
Feb 24-25: Paris (return train to Strasbourg)
Feb 26-March 2: Strasbourg (work)

Indeed Presidents’ Day is a reference for the many Americans who visit the site, was looking for a crisp headline. Of course it’s irrelevant outside US. These days I avoid using the word “President” when traveling 😉

Basel, Dijon, Reims are great suggestions! I will be in Burgundy in the Fall visiting a Foreign Exchange student who lived with us, so will hold on that suggestion.

Any other suggestions are appreciated, if not for this trip then the next one!
Many thanks.

If you would like to visit the Picpus cemetery where Lafayette is buried, here are the hours and itinerary:
www.parisinfo.com/musee-monument-paris/71410/Cimetiere-de-Picpus

tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/

There are lots of nice smaller places near Strasbourg. My favorite is the gorgeous but veruvtouristy Colmar. Selestat is worth a visit if you want to feel like the only tourist in town. I haven't been to any of the picturesque wine villages recently.

Keep in mind that to get to Strasbourg from many likely tourist stops in NE France you will first need to travel to Paris. So the first thing to do when considering an interesting option is verify that it has direct bus or train service to/from Strasbourg, I liked Nancy for its Art Nouveau architecture and museum. It's accessible from Strasbourg.

Between Paris and Strasbourg is Nancy, an undiscovered gem - particularly if you are interested in glassware or Art Nouveau. It makes a great overnight, or even a long day, between Paris and Strasbourg.

There's also Metz, which I haven't been to. Both Metz and Nancy are in Lorraine, the less visited part of Alsace-Lorraine.

Hi,

Since the TGV connection between Paris and Metz, doing that as a day trip is feasible unless you prefer staying over night. I've been to Metz several times since my first time in 1984. If you're into the history, keep in mind that place was fought over in 1870, 1914, 1918 and 1944.

See the history museum in Metz plus the cathedral. Now given a choice between Strasbourg or Metz, take Strasbourg. You need a card to get to the outskirts of Metz and the villages, such as the Prussian-German military cemetery is at Gravelotte, west of Metz.

My adult kids went to Europe over that US holiday(Presidents Day) and were confronted with crowds at the sites they planned to visit. as it was a school holiday in parts of Europe too.

in the light of Suki's post above , here is the school holiday calendar. You might not be affected, but it's probably good to know

https://www.french-property.com/news/french_life/school_calendar_2017-18/