France vs Greece, which desitination

What a dilemma! France is my much loved favourite but Athens and Santorini call me, too. Never have I seen anything to compare with being on the terrace of our Santorini hotel, overlooking the sea and the caldera.

Still, France ........

You can toss a coin or let the airfares decide.

These are so very different that there is no rational basis for comparison.
Follow your hearts.

Shelly,

I agree with Norma & Adam.

France & Greece are very different but both amazingly beautiful!

You can't go wrong with either one!

When in the Fall do you plan to travel?
We visited Athens, Santorini & Mykonos at the end of September a few years ago & the weather was very nice.
I even went swimming in the Aegean Sea one day while in Mykonos!

If you want to relax at the beach, the weather will depend on when you plan to travel.

You may check the weather for the particular month you choose on this website:
http://www.wunderground.com/travelplanner/index.asp
Happy planning!

P.S. When you decide where you will end up going, you can post in the respective forums (Greece & France) for more info.
Lee, (from Oregon) in the Greece Forum, is very knowledgeable & helpful and he will give you great advise!

Been to both.. loved both.. no way to compare,, except for me personally Greece was a bit more about relaxing.. beaching etc.. Paris has so many historical sites , having been dozens of times , I still haven't seen them all.. However Greece is magical too..

There is simply no way to compare, its personal taste and what you want out of vacation.

PS There will be no beach days in Paris at all .

Early fall - France, late fall - Greece. Greece is warmer (or in summer hotter) and living in Seattle I like milder climate.

We've been to both.

In fact, we were in Greece this fall (Athens, Santorini, Crete [Heraklion and Chania], Hydra, Nafplio and Delphi) from 11 October to 4 November. It was warm and sunny in Athens, but the weather was iffy after mid-October everywhere else with cool temperatures, wind and frequent rain. Greece is logistically complicated unless you stay on the mainland. Rough seas and wind in the fall can disrupt both boat and plane schedules. The later in the season you go, the more likely hotels, restaurants, etc. will be closed or closing down.

With only 10 days and assuming all of them are "on the ground" and not arrival or departure days, if you choose Greece, I'd stick with the mainland. We managed to catch a cheap flight from Athens to Santorini and our catamaran and hydrofoil boat tickets were quite reasonable, but the boats were not as fast as usual due to the rough water. We took an overnight ferry from Chania to Piraeus mostly because even with having a private cabin with a double bed and ensuite bath, it was cheaper than flying. Having read all about the cheap flights to and from the islands, I was shocked at the actual prices and I never saw what I would consider to be a cheap price. If you want to fly between Santorini and Crete, you have to fly back to Athens to do it.

We have also spent time in Paris and the south of France. Again, if you truly have 10 days on the ground, you could fly to Paris and spend time there, take the fast (2-3 hours) TGV to the south to spend time there, and fly home from somewhere in the south or take the TGV back to Paris to fly home.

If 2 of those 10 days are arrival and departure days leaving only 8 actual days on the ground, I'd choose France over Greece. And I'd pick the Paris area OR the south depending on your interests, not both.

I have taken RS tours to both locations including Greece this last summer. I would have said exactly what llja posted.
If beach days are a requisite you should choose Greece. Having just gone to Greece for the first time, I will be returning to Paris this coming June for the third or forth time. Hope you have 10 days on the ground not counting travel days. happy travels.

September is grape-harvesting time in most of France, sounds like a nice time to be there. If you plan to be in Paris, make hotel reservations early. September is a huge month for trade shows. It's not as crowded with tourists as in summer, but hotels sell out pretty early.

Really, apples and oranges. If you can't decide, flip a coin. Then start saving for the other trip . . .

Been to both and I think you need to visit both places. They are both beautiful.