Hi Any recommendations for a 10 to 15 day self guided trip to France, Belgium and Holland or a river boat cruise on the Seine. We are booked on a RS 11 day tour of Sicily in mid April 2023 and were thinking of visiting the above countries. We are both 70 and welcome any general recommendations. Any thoughts we are both retired and in good health. We would love to visit Paris for a few days then a trip to Normandy...other than this we are open to suggestions for mode of travel, Hotels, Professional 1 to 3 day guides.
Thank you. Fred
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7276 posts
This is the Italy forum
You might get better advice in the France forum
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france
Posted by
8405 posts
Belgium and Netherlands in 10 days, but not France.
In France, you could easily spend 5-6 days in Paris; a week in Normandy; two weeks in Provence, 4 days in the Loire Valley; a week in Bordeaux; a week in Alsace.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14895 posts
Here is a suggestion:
5 nights Paris especially if you've never been before, divided with 3 before Bayeux, 2 after
3 night Bayeux for 2 full days, one for a tour of the DDay landings and one for Bayeux
3 nights Bruges
4 night Amsterdam with one day being a visit to Keukenhof Gardens if it's still open when you are there. It closes mid May.
Given your time frame, I might try to do it before your Sicily trip so you can catch Keukenhof....or fly from Sicily to Amsterdam and do an itinerary in reverse.
**I actually never notice what forum a post is in. Don't most people just go to the All Topics view and read down thru everything?
Posted by
OP
Santa Rosa, CA
35 posts
Thank You very much for these responses. My wife and I truly appreciate your time and information. Fred