Hey yall!
My wife and I are planning on going to France. We know we want to go to Paris but we are lost on where else to go. We love to explore the culinary scene wherever we go.
Going to a close by country isn’t out of question but before we started looking I wanted to ask if there were any must visit places that were ‘closeish’ to Paris 3-5 hour commute ideally!
I appreciate any help and knowledge your willing to share!
When and for how long will you be going? Do you have any other interests in Europe other than culinary? More information would help, since 3-5 hours by train from Paris includes just about all of France, plus Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and as far east as Frankfurt Germany
It would help if you read up on France a bit - you could start here - open the At a Glance section:
A good guidebook would be invaluable - you could start with one from your public library. This should be your trip - see what interests you.
You may wish to take the train from Paris to Strasbourg, France in the Alsace region for a few nights. It is an easy train ride from Paris around 2 hours depending on the train you take. The food in Strasbourg and Colmar would have more of a German influence, and it is a lovely area. You will love the food in Paris!
Yeah I completely forgot to add that in, we are looking at ideally 14-17 days in France.
We are going to spend around 7 days in or around Paris.
Outside of food my wife and I just love to explore the city. I enjoy some good history and we both love a good pub to soak up the local knowledge.
We are getting a guidebook next weekend but I wanted to ask everyone here since this is such an invaluable resource.
With 7-10 days you could go to two or three different areas. Are you deducting arrival and departure days from the 14-17 days? If so, that leaves you with 5-8 days after Paris, so I would opt for only two locations. The Alsace (Strasbourg/Colmar) area is a great idea...not far by train, great food, charming towns, fairly easy options to visit nearby towns and wineries. Check out comments on this forum for suggestions. There is a TGV to/from Paris. A four-five night stay there would be good.
The Loire Valley, in the opposite direction is another good choice for a three night stay. Even without a car, there are tours available to visit some chateaux, and there are also the troglodyte sites to experience, plus more wineries. As everywhere is France, the food will be delicious.
Seven days in Paris is definitely not too long there. If you opt to stay there longer, there are lots of good day trips. (Versailles, Giverny, Vaux-le-Vicomte. Fountainbleau, Reims, just to name the most well-known).
Have a wonderful trip!
If culinary arts are important to you, you shouldn't miss Lyon. Many people regard it to be the food capital of the world. I personally agree. :o)
Lyon is 2 hours from Paris by train (TGV).
If you want to stick exclusively to public transport, then I’d look into Paris-Lyon-Arles, and include a day trip to Chartres/Rouen/Reims to round it out.
The Loire is pretty wonderful, but I feel like a car is needed to get the best of it. Also, you can get start to get tired of chateaux after seeing about 5 of them. You can TGV to Tours and rent a car there. Then stay in a smaller town.
Provence is also best done by car. Once you get away from Avignon/Arles useful transport is scarce, but you can get there via TGV. Provence covers a lot of sightseeing ground, and could easily fill your trip. You have the Luberon and its villages, Aix, Arles (I hated Avignon) and on the northern edge Orange and the Dentelles de Montmirail is prime wine country surrounded by world famous vineyards. It’s all gorgeous country, with great food, markets, and stunning Roman ruins.
