We are planning another visit to Paris this spring and would like to do a several day, side trip by train. On previous trips we visited the Normandy and Beaune areas. We have also visited Belgium. I am leaning towards Colmar. Any thoughts?
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
With the expansion of the TGV service, you can be in many places in France in a short time. Assuming by "a few days" you mean at least three, I'd agree that Colmar would be a great choice. It's a very different flavor of France because of the German influence. Since you've been to Normandy and Burgundy, you might also consider Provence. You could be in Avignon in a few hours by train and make day trips from there.
Posted by
Tarzana, California, USA
67 posts
My wife and I visited Normandy, Beaune and Colmar last year. We also spent time in the Loire Valley, Paris and Switzerland.
We loved Colmar. It was one of the highlites of our trip.
Good luck with your planning. It's half of the fun!!
Posted by
Atlanta
3261 posts
Hi Shawn,
Colmar would be a great choice. We were there last year and enjoyed its restaurants with Alsatian cuisine, visiting the Unterlinden museum with the Isenheim alterpiece, and taking the self-guided walk in Rick's book. We stayed at Hotel le Rapp and found it to be a nice hotel in a good location. It was about a 10 minute walk from the train station. If you have time you could visit Strasbourg as a day trip from there but we were content to just stay in Colmar for the 3 days that we were there.
This year, we're going to Lyon for a few days after a trip to Paris and I'm especially looking forward to the cuisine.
A smaller city in Provence to consider would be Arles but it depends on how much time you have.
Enjoy exploring your options as you plan your trip!
Posted by
Grapevine, TX, USA
875 posts
Colmar is wonderful as are the little villages on the wine trail (Kaysersberg, Riquewihr, etc.). If you rent a car, you can easily visit all the villages on the wine trail at your own pace, or you can take a tour which is also nice. Then you could visit Strasbourg at the end of your Alsation visit.