This is an usual ask....General Europe

You have a long stay visa to be in Paris for 6 months?

sue,
First, be aware of ther limit on stays in the Schengen are (180 days...not one minute over that, including arrival and departure days). So plan on maybe a bit less than 6 months to allow for any hiccups with transportation out.

Second, my choices to visit would be Italy (a month total...it has so much to offer); Austria (Vienna is a terrific city, maybe 10-12 days there and its surrounding area); Germany (at least 3 weeks, with one week for Munich and surrounding areas).

And if you haven't spent time in Brittany when in France before, give it about 5 days.

Lucky you! Have fun!

Ditto the first response. Do the paperwork for a Visa. Candidly, I’ve visited Paris off and on since 1973 and it’s magical but with limits on my time I wouldn’t stay there for 6 months.. Personal choice would be rural Normandie but your choices are without limits and the recommendations here are endless.

That being said we are staying in Normandie this summer and we’re estimating 2000 Euro in gas for a RT across France to our old home near Wiesbaden. The current situation isn’t stopping our 18th year in France but it’s necessitating change.

Pick a small city and radiate out across France and some of Europe. Don’t be tied to the Paris routine and maybe create a new adventure.

EDIT

Looking at the comments from others, and that you’ll soon apply for a Visa I strongly recommend studying that whole process more carefully. You are little more than 6 months from the beginning of your desired travel plan and have started no paperwork. Consider also that at 180 days you become a tax resident of France with new financial requirements attached to your stay. You may want to consider an immigration lawyer (of which there are Americans practicing that kind of law in Paris) to create a workable solution. Good luck in any event.

We'll be applying for a longterm visa soon.

We lived in Rome for a time and used it as a base for exploring not only Italy but lots of time in Switzerland, some in Austria, France, and the UK. Wish we’d gone even more places. Like Rome, from Paris you can explore much of at least Western Europe by train and short flights. A week d here, a 2-week stint there using your “base camp” as home. I am envious and wish you well in getting the visa and permission to live in France. Be aware of tax laws that may require you to pay French taxes. In Italy one is liable for taxes if you live there more than 180 days in a year.

Hi sue, If you are getting the one-year visitor's visa, you are allowed to be out of France only a certain amount of time within that one-year. I know one couple who sold up in the US and has been here in France for five years in order to travel. They go over the limit, but now the electronic gates for travel outside the Schengen will be implemented and length of stays inside and outside the Schengen will be immediately visible.

France has very strict rental laws: a furnished apartment has a one-year lease. Airbnb in Paris is restricted, so you would need to look for short-term rentals just over the border: Neuilly-sur-Seine, Montrouge, etc. An agent could help. Maybe a home exchange?

Third, you'll be paying for three places at the same time: your home in California, rental in France, and a hotel in the country you are visiting.

Fourth, pay attention to how long you stay to avoid having to file in France, as well as your US taxes. Look at the rules for primary residence and maintain California as your primary.

Finally, with only 6 months, you could move countries, changing every few weeks instead of one base. You would move inside and outside the Schengen to be sure you don't go over the 90 days,; check "Schengen shuffle" for Facebook groups of people who do this. Even some Americans who own homes in France come over for 90 days and then go back to the States for 90.

Finally, you might want to add Egypt, Cyprus, Madera (Portugal), Canary Islands (Spain), Morocco to the mix of countries to visit to avoid some of that winter weather. And the south of Spain for warmth.

Sounds great, have fun. I am certain you can overcome all the challenges in the planning.

I am not going to suggest any place because I suspect my interests and yours are not the same. But a few observations.

Six months from now is November, so that is Christmas Market season. That can be interesting
Unless you are into skiing, January and February can be miserable, so hunker down with the Paris locals and survive it. Theater mostly, maybe do as many museums as possible.

Spring comes earlier in the south so think about that for March, April, May (southern Italy, Malta, Balkans, Med coast of Spain, Morrocco). Otherwise, you will still be wearing a coat up until the date you return home.

Coastal areas in the south, for my money, aren’t worth the time until June, but you are leaving by then.

Paris is a long way from anywhere warm by train. Think about a discount card from WizzAir.

We'll be applying for a longterm visa soon.

A VLS (visa) allows you to remain in France for 6 - 12 months but not elsewhere within the Schengen zone. For Schengen locations outside France, you are still limited to 90 total days within a sliding 180 day period. Ironically, the UK is one of the places you can go to stop the 90 day clock.

Nobody is tracking your movements in Europe,. so for all practical purposes you can ignore the Schengen clock. But the thing you should be aware of is that local authorities in France might become suspicious if you are never around. May be less of a problem in a big city though.

What does “finish up Europe” mean to you? It could be interpreted so many ways.

It really doesn’t matter what we suggest unless we truly understand what your goals are for your trip.

Also, a quick question. Are you already committed to 6 months of housing in Paris? If not, I would suggest having two bases. 3 months in a more southern area near the Med and 3 months more to the north.

Ireland is another country that is not in Schengen. You can stay there for up to 90 days. If it were me, I'd make a list of all the places I want to visit, plot them on a map and plan to fly into the southernmost city with a direct flight from my home airport (probably Rome), and work my way north, flying home from Dublin (or Paris or whatever airport offers direct flights home).
For context, I spent 7 months (it was supposed to be a whole year) beginning in July 2018 traveling through Europe with my then 12yoa son. Carryon roller bags and personal item backpacks. We stayed anywhere from 2 days to 3 weeks in each place. In all, we visited 15 countries. The back end of that trip is still on my to-do list. BTW, I got an Irish passport so I wouldn't have to do the "Schengen shuffle."

you might check out my post about the joys of the Schengen Shuffle

Just curious: If your plan is to stay up to a week in other countries, why a 6 month stay in Paris with an empty apartment? Would it not be more efficient to stay for a month or two at different locations, perhaps starting and ending in Paris for an extended time?

I am going to disagree with Mr. E. We were in France from Jan 27-April 2 this year. Feb was certainly not cold. At most it was cool. We wore sweaters and light jackets, and were very comfy. It was, however, wet, at least in Bretagne. Flooding in some places, rain on 6 of 7 days. When we arrived, the daffodils were blooming.

As to the time commitment, I strongly agree with those who advocate for several central locations. We were in Bretagne for 2 months with a rental car. We really ran out of trips to take with about 10 days to go. It would have been far better to rent our house for 1 M and another house for 1 month. Driving more than 120 K in a day is tiring.

We did stay in more rural areas, and found that to be quite nice. Less expensive certainly than Paris, closer to the actual French living experience.

Thank you all for your suggestions! We will have a 6 month visitor's visa and we already know what to expect. This gives us free rein on visiting other countries in the Schengen zone from what we've been told. I understand your suggestions about using several different locations for a base. We love Paris. 2 years ago, which I didn't say, we stayed for 3 months February - April and traveled extensively in France. Still more to see, and we're up for visiting more of France as well as other countries. The weather can be an adventure in itself. We'll spend some time in southern countries during December-February as well as Paris. Looking forward to the Christmas markets in so many places! We'll also be visiting Svalbard for polar nights and other Scandinavian countries when it warms up (it will be our second time). Our home in CA will be rented to Furnished Finders as our cat will need some company.

What are your thoughts on Latvia & Lithuania?

Someone asked about finish up Europe? To us it means visiting the countries we haven't made it to yet. Then we'll give europe a break and visit other desired countries (and there are so many!)