Iceland vs Paris/Dordogne? vs Serbia/Croatia

If you (1) have only 7 or 8 days, (2) must include Paris, and (3) hit the beautiful outdoors, I suggest Paris plus either (a) Burgundy, (b) Normandy, or (c) Provence. (That's in approximate order of logistical ease, btw.) You might be able to make some other destinations work, but I think that both The Balkans and the Dordogne are not good choices in such a short time frame. I also think you can have a marvelous time in the more-feasible regions I suggest. If you really want to see the countryside, and it is worth it, you need wheels. Are bicycles options for you? There's a shop in Beaune that will rent you bikes for either day trips or longer. Otherwise, bite the bullet and rent a car. It will help you get the most out of your brief visit.

Iceland is certainly for people who love the outdoors: volcanoes, geysers, continental plates. You'll have daylight about 20 hours a day that time of year. We saw a double rainbow at 2 am. For France, I have to agree with Adam about looking at Provence. Some like the coast, and there are walking paths along the coast, but we prefer the back country. It's not yet too hot in the mountains in May, early June. The Verdon Gorge is for outdoor adventures but it resembles California, so you might want to check out the Merveilles Valley in the mountains behind Nice. http://www.france-voyage.com/travel-guide/merveilles-valley-18.htm It's a protected area, famous for its prehistoric rock paintings, which you can visit only with a guide in a 4 by 4. A special steam engine train goes up the mountains to Tende from Nice, a spectacular ride. There are two hotels and a B and B. Few Americans, mostly French and Italians, but there will be enough people speaking English to get by. You'll need high top hiking boots for the rocky terrain in Provence. Burgundy will give you a combo of some outdoors but more art and history. The trails are shorter, less spectacular than Provence. You can walk in tennis shoes--but careful, I got Lyme Disease in the Burgundy woods last summer. Never saw the tick but got the big red bull's eye rash ten days after my last hike. (Due to family circumstances, I've spent big chunks of time in Burgundy and Provence over the last thirty years.)

Lauren, Given the fact that your husband hasn't yet been to Europe, my suggestion would also be to visit France this time. However with only 7-8 days you won't have time to cover more than a few days in Paris and a few days in one other area. The Dordogne is certainly one possibility, but Burgundy, Provence or the Cote d'Azur are other areas you might consider. Does that time frame include your travel days to and from Europe? I'd suggest leaving Iceland and Serbia / Croatia for another trip, hopefully where you have more time to explore and enjoy the destination a bit more. Happy travels!

Sorry, should have clarified for this board that the 7-8 days excludes travel. Thanks!

I agree that trying to visit Serbia and Croatia in 7-8 full days is a bit ambitious (you'd need at least 2 weeks, IMO), and that for this trip you'd probably be best served focusing your efforts on one country/region within the country. I've not been, but recently a girlfriend of mine was in Iceland for 5 days and she'd like to go back soon. Her pictures were beautiful, and I know they spent a lot of time outdoors hiking and viewing the unique landscape. They did, however, have a car, which it sounds as though you might need for ease of travel.

We went to Paris and then the Dordogne in May. High speed train to Bordeaux and then a rental car (with a GPS)which we kept the entire time. driving through wine country and visiting the Dordogne was everything we expected and more. I had the GPS keep us off toll roads so we would be on scenic back roads. The Dordogne is an outdoor vacation area and you'll see plenty of RV's. The natural beauty combined with history made us saying everything was amazing and incredible. It is also a food gourmet destination. Of course we did the obligatory canoe rental which is not what you see in the RS video. The idea is to take your time and haul out along the river to stop and swim or relax. Swans, otters, fish and then castles and bridges, a whole lot of things to see. I think it's a great place to combine with Paris for two completely different experiences.

My wife and I traveled to Europe twice this fall stopping both times in Iceland. Icelandair has a good deal if one wishes to stop in Rekjavik for a few days . There's no extra flight expence to stay a few days and then continue on to Europe or stopping a few days on your return home. We found it a great stop to fight jetlag. Iceland is fun, great side trips and a fun night life and very friendly people. We stayed four days in September and three days in December and even though it was cooler weather there we dressed for it and had a great time. We flew to Paris on each trip and stayed a week there on both. We have been to France many times and there are some good side trips from Paris. We drove to the Dordogne a couple years ago and loved it. With only 7-8 days you may wish to do just a couple places and save the rest for another trip. That way you aren't spending your precious time traveling.