Help! 2 week itinerary from Paris

There are two good reasons to spend these two weeks in France only. First, there's plenty to occupy and delight you there. Second, you'll have an easier time dealing with only one country's Covid-related entry requirements.

Paris is good for at least a week, and you could take day trips to places like Versailles and Chartres if you want. The other week could be in another region, like Normandy, the Loire, the Dordogne, Languedoc, the Riviera, Provence, Burgundy, or Alsace-Lorraine (apologies to any that I missed). Pick one base with good train service to and from Paris and rent a car there. Be sure you're back in Paris the night before your homeward flight (or in an airport hotel if it's a morning flight).

You'll find lots of ideas for sightseeing here, and a good guidebook can help you more. People on this forum can be very helpful with specific questions. Happy birthday in May!

I agree that it might be a good idea to focus on France since it is hard to know what the covid rules will look like in May. If you want to see other countries, make small plans that can be changed if the situation changes, like a day trip to Brussels.

I agree with what Dick said but I think I would consider 5 nights in Paris, counting the first jet-lagged night and the last pre-flight home nights there. I would consider Strsbourg/Colmar and maybe a few nights in Switzerland from there. I haven't actually done this, so hopefully others who have will critique this idea. And I wouldn't waste a day on Brussels.

I suggest that you stay in France and here are some great options:

1. Normandy- West of Paris, some great places to visit, especially if you are interested in WWII history. The Normandy D-Day beaches and American Cemetery. Also, don't miss Bayeux, it ancient cathedral and especially the Bayeux Tapestry (900 year old tapestry that tell the story of the Norman conquest of England in 1066). 3-4 days works, but more if you visit Mt. St. Michel.
2. Loire Valley- We stayed in Blois. Visit some amazing Chateau. This area is south of Paris. 3-4 days is plenty.
3. Straussbourg also, you can visit Colmar in the Alsace region of France that is something of a mix of German and French. Just across the river you could visit the German Black Forest, Friberg and Triberg.
4. You could take the high speed train down to Lyon or all the way to the French Rivera, but if you spend much time in Paris, you would need more time to take in the Rhone River Valley and/or the Rivera.

My 2 cents....during these uncertain days with covid you might want to consider just staying in France for this trip. You will be delighted in Colmar, and it is a great place to rent bikes (get the electric assist) and ride through the route du vin. You will be biking through the most picturesque and fairy tale villages! You can stop along the way and wine taste and eat delicious meals.
Another wonderful city to check out is Strasbourg.

All of the high points of France can't begun to be seen in two weeks. One issue is whether you prefer to use a car for some of the trip or not. (Not saying which is better for YOU, but some areas lend themselves to having a car.) If you can't bear the idea of only one country, it's early for the season, but look for low-budget flights to Corsica, which would be a big change, and still one country.

We have trained Paris-St. Pierre des Corps and taken a car in a clockwise circle through the Loire, to Brittany, Mont St. Michel, Normandy, and back to Paris. (We'd been to Giverny already, but that's along the way.) Another year, we trained to Strasbourg, and took a car down Alsace to Avignon, and trained back to Paris from Avignon. But these are different styles of travel than you mentioned. You wrote (as I understand it) that you want to focus on big cities or places with lots of good dining and low-key nightlife. We went to two 3-star Michelins on the Alsace trip, but both were by car only, and not in "destination" cities. Do you have plenty of money for food and drink? Are you prepared to reserve weeks in advance for meals? Sorry, maybe you don't want 3-stars!

I would comment that Seville (just one example) is not one of the "great cities of the world", but it has plenty of dining and drinking for a multi-day stay. It's a real problem that you didn't get an open-jaw/multicity air ticket, if you're going to take a chance on multiple countries.

Positano is out of the question, for multi-seat travel reasons. I've been there in the last week of May, and pre-Covid, it was still hard to book less than 9 months in advance, if early in the season. Venice is so important and attractive that you could consider a plane trip there, but the Covid regulatory risk is very high.

Bon Jour!
I see you are still striving to define locations outside of France to fulfill a two week journey. Please consider placing a post in the France forum along the lines of the following:

"We have round trip tickets booked to Paris arriving May 7 and depart 21 May (14 nights total). We mainly like to explore by eating/drinking our way through a city with some light sightseeing/activities mixed in (not the type to spend whole days in museums). Obviously we will spend time in Paris, but seek your expertise/experiences in helping define other destinations in France to visit. Would greatly appreciate knowledge concerning festivals held in May. "

I suspect such a post will provide a number of responses helping to define the potential of creating a wonderful journey. You really do not need to cross political borders to experience a variety of cultures. Ah, if only we had your problem of planning to eat and drink your way through 14 nights in France!

Bonne chance!

How about Paris and Provence?

France offers more than enough to keep you very occupied for a two week stay. If you really want to venture just a bit out of France and if you have a car, Southern Belgium is fun. Luxemburg is also within range and worth a visit.

FYI: May 8 is a national holiday in France.

May 8 is a Sunday this year, so it will make no difference for travel.

If you do decide to stay in France or head to another country, do your main traveling all at once and end your week or so in Paris. That way you can get to your first destination, train or plane, out of the way. Then enjoy your time in Paris at the end when it's time to head back to CDG for your return.

I'm an advocate for flying into one city and flying home from another. France has a number of airports that are international gateways. You could, for instance, fly into Marseille and home from Paris, with lots of potential highlights in between. It will cost about the same as a simple round trip, once you eliminate the cost of returning to your arrival city, and will save significant time. You may have to connect to a domestic flight but that will be shown when you use a multi-destination search function to calculate a complete airline itinerary.

We are seniors favoring slow, immersive travels. We stayed in Paris for 3 weeks in 2016. Took day trips to Versailles, Givernay & Chartres. Wandered around Paris seeing the usual and the unusual sights. Visited areas away from the tourist zones. Spent hours in many museums and cathedrals, some multiple times. And still had time for leisurely meals of wide variety resulting in immense pleasure & noticeable weight gain. You should stay in the Paris area and savor the experience, relax from work and indulge in the various gustatory delights offered. At your age you will have time to rush around to the other places later.