Brussels

" Is it worth a train ride to see Brussels?" Depends on your expectations. Apart from the well-known Grand Place, it isn't the most immediately pretty city in Europe. Make a little effort at exploration, however, and you'll find a lot of interesting stuff, particularly if you like late 19th century architecture. I'm also going to take a guess. "Normandy" on this website is usually used as short-hand for the sites of the DDay invasions. If your family has an interest in the world wars, the Royal Museum of Military History in Brussels has the largest trove of material from these two conflicts that I have ever seen. Half the museum space is devoted to a relatively uninteresting collection of Belgian uniforms and weapons, but the half on the world wars is amazing.

I'm also a fan of Brussels. Be warned though that some people will tire quickly of Brussels after the Grand Place-- so it's a good idea to include day trip(s) to Bruges, Ghent, or other locations. Bruges especially is guaranteed to please older, stodgier folks who might not care for Brussels. And it's such a small country that day trips between cities are very quick and easy.

After thoroughly enjoying the Grand Place in Brussels and some wonderful chocolate, as noted above, I tired quickly of the city. Apparently, I easily fall into the "older, stodgier" category, as Bruges was more my cuppa tea.

Grand Place alone makes it worth it to me. It's amazing, and I can linger around just that area happily for several hours. Also, the chocolate, beer and delicious food you can get there add to the "worth it" value.

It's not three hours from Paris as someone else said...it's only about an hour and twenty minutes, which is nothing in terms of travel time. You can daytrip to Ghent or even Bruges from there if you want to. It's also a good gateway to Antwerp. I say do it. Brussels is a world capital with plenty of great things to do and see...one can spend a lot of time there. BTW, the world's best chocolate is actually at Chocolaterie Stam in Amsterdam (and Des Moines, IA).

Julie, Depending on how much time you're giving to this planned trip in Nov., I would suggest Berlin too, since you are "looking for something else to see as well." You didn't mention any geographic limits. Very easy to do, either night/day from Paris since you are there anyway. Take the 0706 dep. ICE from Paris Est-Frankfurt Hbf. You'll have time for lunch at the Hbf., then take next ICE direct to Berlin Hbf. Or, to avoid changing trains, take Paris Est-Berlin Hbf CNL night train direct. I've done both the day and night options.

As much as I love Berlin, it seems like a left-field recommendation for this trip. If a 90 minute train ride (NOT 3 HOURS) to Brussels is something Julie is wondering if it's "worth it" the many, many hours to get to Berlin may not be. I haven't been to Belgium yet so I can't comment, I'm afraid. The nice thing about Paris aside from it being, well, Paris, is that with it being the hub of the TGV system, you are just one fast train ride away from a ton of amazing destinations. Strasbourg, in Alsace, gateway to the Alsatian wine route and home of a stunning cathederal, is just 2 hours away by TGV. Nancy is a little closer, I think, and it has what is considered by many to be the most beautiful square in France, if not Europe. You can find amazing cities and destinations in every direction, honestly. You could also extend your trip in Normandy to see Brittany as well. I spent a short amount of time in St. Malo but loved it and hope to return. There are neolithic monuments in Brittany as well. So a better starting point would be, what are your interests?

Question:For those who know what I'm referring to, is the construction scheduled b/n Paris and points north (incl Brussels) still on? It's not showing up in the skeds for the 1st of Oct anymore...Good news for travelers... Julie, definitely go to Brussels/Bruges! I'm not sure if you're talking about a day trip or 3 nights, though. That might color my advice. Also, how many people and what are the kids' ages? If you book your train ticket 3 months in advance, a 2nd-class seat will be €29; full walk-up fare is €69. Depending on where you end up in Normandy, you might want to travel Liege-Brussels instead...and the tgv-europe.com website just went down for overnight maintenance, so I can't check prices for you...but I bet they're cheaper. Or maybe not. This trip is 0h45m - 1h00m, depending on the train. Brussels IS a cool name ;-)