Will be in Paris 8/22-25 and want to spend 2-3 days in France before returning to Paris for train back to AMS. Could go to the beaches or visit other towns/cities. Can do car or trains. Any suggestions!
Posted by
Grapevine, TX, USA
875 posts
Colmar is a lovely & quain small town -- lots of half-timbered buildings. Unterlinden Museum is very nice. You can take a wine trail tour to nearby other small villages. Or you could visit Strasbourg, but I don't think it could be an improvement over Colmar. You can take the train -- 2 hrs on the TGV from Paris to Strasbourg and then another 30 min to Colmar.
Posted by
Tinton Falls, NJ
792 posts
We just got back from France last week. Two of our favorite places outside of Paris were:
1) Giverny (Monet's home & gardens) was absolutely lovely if you like beautiful gardens. There were also other museums and attractions just outside his property. It's a really nice and relaxing day trip.
2) Versaille's Gardens. Best seen on the weekend when the fountains are running! We paid to go to the Saturday evening "spectacle" with fountains running, classical music filling the flower scented air, and special effects such as laser lights,etc...with fireworks at the end of the evening. It cost about $100 for a family of 4 with 2 children, but it was well worth it. I also visited the gardens by day, sans running fountains and music, and it's not nearly as wonderful. Of course you can also tour the interior of Versaille's chateau as well. You can buy your tickets on-line up to the morning of the spectacle.
One thing we wished we had done more of IN Paris was to simply spend more time in the evening walking the banks of the Seine. There is so much nightlife going on (for free) - even during the week, live music & dancing and people picknicking. It's really lovely. By day, the Paris Plage is a great place to grab a lounge chair and give your feet a rest from all the walking.
Posted by
Cary, IL, USA
6 posts
If you haven't already done the D-Day beaches in Normandy, I would definitely do that. We went out to Bayeux (neat little city) in the late morning, spent the night there, then did an all-day tour by ourselves of the beaches. We drove to Paris that night, but would spend a second night in Normandy if we did it again.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
I love Normandy but another option is the Loire Valley, staying in Amboise. It's beyond wonderful!