Hi,
We're starting to plan for a vacation next year, but not sure where to go. I've been to Rome, Venice, Florence, London, Paris, Ireland, and Scotland. This will be the first trip to Europe for my fiancé. He really wants to go to Paris, and I would like to go somewhere I haven't been as well. I don't want to try to pack too many cities in the two weeks, so I would love some suggestions on your favorite cities that are easy to travel to from Paris.
Good planning so far, you're not trying to "do it all" in two weeks. How about a week in Paris and a week in Amsterdam (3+ hours away by train)? Or maybe carve out a few days in Belgium in between? Or, for a rural alternative, a week in Paris and then a week in Burgundy or the Loire or the Dordogne, with a car? Or, a week in Paris and a 2-hour flight to Budapest, "the Paris of the east"? (James will tell you that Paris is "the Budapest of the west," and he may be right.)
Your choices may be affected by the time of year. Midsummer isn't the most comfortable weather in Italy or Spain, early spring or late fall aren't the best in the northern cities. For winter I'd stick to big cities like Paris, London, Berlin, Rome, where you can do a lot indoors.
It appears to me that Dick's suggestion of "...a week in Paris and a week in Amsterdam..." is spot on. That will include something your other half wants to do and something you want to do. That sort of compromising should lead to many years of traveling together.
Thank you for the suggestions, Amsterdam sounds like a great idea!
If you're going in the summer, how about a trip to the Alps, either in France or Switzerland?
I would spend a few days in Paris, followed by the Berner Overland in Switzerland, and then finish with a few days in Munich with visits to the Bavarian castles.
Paris >> Bruges >> Amsterdam >> Berlin
Paris >> Barcelona >> Madrid >> Sevilla
Paris >> Switzerland >> Salzburg >> Vienna
Hi,
For two full weeks, what about a trip only in Germany...3-4 cities and one or two day trips...Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Potsdam, Lübeck. Weimar, Leipzig, or a trip focusing on only France...Paris, (along with Fontainebleau and Versailles), Dijon, Strasbourg, Amiens, Colmar, Rouen. I have in mind a ton of places, big and small just in France, regardless southwest, east, north, northwest, central,
When you're considering the Paris and Amsterdam plan, reserve your train tickets well in advance. It can make the difference between EUR 58 for the two of you or EUR 264 for this three-hour journey.
Consider seriously to have your accommodation outside Amsterdam. Every year it's getting more and more like Florence and Venice. Haarlem is a wonderful city where you're in the Netherlands and not among other tourists. It's just 15 train minutes from Amsterdam by trains so frequent it's unnecessary to look up the timetable.
