My husband and I would like any suggestions, input or preferences as to whether we would be better off taking "day trips" from Paris to Reims, Amiens, and Rouen OR are we better off staying in each city for 2 or 3 days? Thank you; much appreciated.
Karen K.
I spent two days in Rouen last summer, and while I liked it, I don't know that you really need to be there that long. I spent a fully day/night in Bayeux, and then the two days in Rouen, and if I could do it over, I'd reverse that. What kinds of things are you looking to do in these cities?
If you haven't seen this page already, check out "The Savvy Backpacker's" guide to day trips from Paris. http://thesavvybackpacker.com/day-trips-paris/
Caroline
All three are worth visiting but I think 1 full day in each would be enough to get a good taste of the city and all three are easy day trips from Paris - all less than 1hr 15min on the train. I'm partial to staying in one place and doing day trips from there rather than moving around from place to place. Personally I dislike picking up and moving from hotel to hotel unless necessary. If you're interested in Reims to visit champagne growers/cellars then you may need more than one day but that's not my interest so one day was enough for me in Reims.
Karen: I recommend doing day trips. We did the day trip thing for Amiens--the cathedral is excellent and is worth the time.
We spent a great few hours in Amiens looking at their Notre Dame (huge) and the Jules Verne house. Don't know if there's enough to interest for 3 days.
Hi,
I've always visited Amiens as a day trip, either from Paris taking the regional train from Gare du Nord or from Arras. Spending two nights in Amiens is not excessive, nice town to walk and explore. I like Amiens. You can do a day trip to Beauvais from Amiens, ca one hour.
Whilst there are direct trains between Amiens and Rouen, neither station offers luggage storage, so there's no advantage attempting to visit both with an overnight stay.
I was very pleased that I stayed overnight in Reims, arriving on a morning train, leaving the next evening. That gave me time to enjoy the town without rushing and to spend a good part of the second day in Epernay - the Mercier tour is lots of fun.
