I'm joining a friend for a last minute trip beginning 10/23 in Frankfurt. After 4 days near Heidelberg (she's doing the German itinerary), we'll head to Paris for 3 days via train. I've been to Paris, but it was 10 years ago, so I'm happy to revisit as much of Rick's 3 day whirlwind itinerary as possible before my friend flies out on 10/30. I'll be solo from that point on. I'm thinking of staying in Paris for 4 more days (although 11/1 is a public holiday, so my choices that day will be limited). I've considered and discarded several grand plans that involve Brittany, the Dordogne and 2 weeks of driving (which would need to be an automatic as I'd be driving and navigating, and if I had to also worry about handling a manual my head might explode). After much hair-pulling and some frustration at having to pull this together with very little lead time, I'm thinking about narrowing my trip to a region of France I've never visited and that (I hope) would allow me to take the train rather than drive: RS favorites Beaune and Colmar for 5 days each. I would be there the first half of November. Here are my questions: How much is there to do in these areas at that time of year? Is it worthwhile in November or should I look elsewhere? Any alternative recommendations? Am I allotting too much time for either area? Is this really workable without a car? If it helps, I haven't purchased my airline ticket yet so have flexibility on my return flight, I have a high museum and cathedral tolerance, love experiencing and learning about good food and wine, am female and in my 40s. I've devoted most of my travel in recent years to Italy, Greece and Turkey, so am at a bit of a loss. Any input would be very much appreciated.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
For the city of Colmar itself, I would say 5 days is far more than you need. Unless you wanted to hike the nearby Vosges mountains, November is as good a time as any to visit. You can probably explore most of the sites of interest in less than two days.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA
41 posts
Tom - Does the two day estimate for Colmar include the general area, i.e. Kayserberg and Strasbourg?
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
No, just Colmar. I haven't been to the other two places.
Posted by
Lancaster, PA, USA
43 posts
I know nothing about Beaune and little of Colmar in November - my visits have been in the summer. You might consider the wine route slightly south and mostly north of Colmar, visiting small towns such as Ribeauville, Obernai, and Wissembourg. Someone else may know if visiting these places in November is as charming as in the summer. If you do that, I would suggest staying only two nights in Colmar and then travel to another overnight destination. In addition, I might suggest Baden-Baden and the spa. I have never been to Strasbourg but that certainly would have great possibilities.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Without a car, I do not think either of these destinations offer enough to do for five days each. However, the good news is that that time of year you can travel without reservations and made decisions as you go. Here is my suggestion. ¶ Visit Colmar, planning maybe two nights, but if you love it, stay longer. Then move on to Beaune and give it the same treatment. If the weather is nice rent a bicycle and see some of the countryside. ¶ I'm betting you will have something like a week left on your dance card. If so, why not visit Lyon? Larger cities have an advantage in uncertain weather[INVALID]they are full of museums and cafes and things to do at night. Or, if the weather is nice, you could consider Arles or Avignon. Or move from Lyon to Provence. Both places have excellent rail connections to Paris.
Posted by
Taylor, TX, USA
416 posts
I've been in both areas in December/January and found them quite charming. Colmar is quite close to Strasbourg so you could spend a day there, too (and quite easily by train). Both are definitely great places to learn about good food and wine. I would probably cut Beaune to 3 days and add in Dijon for the balance, too. Also, pick up Beçanson for a day while you are in the area if you. It has a great museum/zoo in the fortress overlooking town and an intriguing park in town where the street level over time has ended up being considerably higher than the park level. As a result, trees along the street have their roots exposed on the park side. Reminded me of the rubber trees growing down into the Mayan ruins in Mexico.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA
41 posts
Thanks very much for the ideas. Based on what I've heard, it sounds like I'll need a car for at least part of the time to get the most from the area. Here's what I'm now thinking. Fly into Frankfurt, 4 days in Heidelberg area then Paris for 6 nights. From Paris - TGV to Lyon. 2.5 days/3 nights in Lyon. Pick up car and drive to Beaune. 3 nights in Beaune area. Drive to Colmar. 4 nights in Colmar area with day trips to Freiberg, Strasbourg, Kayserberg, Ribeauville. Drop off car in Strasbourg and fly out of Frankfurt. Does the breakdown sound about right, or should I spend less time in Lyon and add it to the Beaune/Dijon/Besancon area? I can tweak the nights in each area as I go, but prefer to avoid one night stays wherever possible. This plan puts me at one week car rental rather than two. Provence would be wonderful, but I'm trying to limit my budget where I can since this is sort of a spur of the moment trip and I spent a previous vacation exclusively in Provence and the Cote d'Azur...not that you can every spend too much time in Provence, of course. :) Thanks again for the feedback.
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
Re your updated itinerary: I would be tempted to squeeze in 1 or 2 days in Champagne- Reims is good and driving to various champagne houses; cut the days off Colmar and Beaune. Definitely dont go home early. Enjoy while you are there.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Part of your question was weather related: In Colmar during Nov 2 - 15 in the last 14 years the average daily low temp has been 37 and the average high (say at 4pm) has been 51. So the most likely expectation would be day time temps in the 40's. That's from a data base of 196 days, Nov 2 - 15 for the last 14 years. You can get the details, and same for Beaune, at this site: http://www.wunderground.com/tripplanner/index.asp, input your location and time span.