Paris, then where to?

My wife has a conference in Brussels in early June, then we are going to Paris for 3 or 4 days. Any suggestions on where to go for another 3 or 4? How plausible is it just to get a eurail pass and wander about for three days?

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Hi,

What sort of places do you enjoy when on holiday, e.g., were you thinking wine regions, near the sea, somewhere with history, mountains - there are so many possibilities in France it%26#39;s a bit difficult to suggest somwhere you may like without a bit more info.

Depending on the answer to the above I%26#39;m not sure about the train pass, you may not really get your moneys worth out of it as there is a limit to how much wandering you can do in just three days

Alison

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VacationDon. it all depends what you wish to do and how you plan to get there. 3-4 days can be well spent in Amsterdam, London, Barcelona ... numerous places. In you can fly then the travel distances expand. If you are using the trains exclusively (or renting a car) then, obviously, the distances shorten.

The three places I%26#39;ve mentioned are full of culture, bars, restaurants, museums and fantastic, iconic attractions.

You could also consider Lille/Antwerp (in Belgium), Cologne in Germany ... also cities with a little of everything.

My advice would be to visit Amsterdam if you%26#39;ve not been there before. It%26#39;s small, easy to walk round, has excellent public transport if you struggle with walking, everybody speaks English and it%26#39;s stuffed full of interesting things to see and do.

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You can explore Belgium where there is much more than Brussels, or you can go to Provence and the South of France. I do not think you need a eurail pass for that. Best is to take TGV to AIX or AVIGNON and then rent a car for local sightseeing.

If you explore Belgium (you can go to Gand/Ghent, Anvers/Antwerp, Bruges/Brugge, the coast or the Ardennes and do it with regular trains that are not expensive.

I was born in Belgium and can highly recommend the country. Lots to see on small area so not a lot of travelling. Good food, good beer and a variety of landscape and architecture.

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VacationDon, has others have mentioned it depends on what you like. I always do Paris and Italy, I have done

Rome 2 times (love it) such and exciting city, chock full of history, history everywhere you turn in Rome.

I have done Venice also beautiful, no other city in the world like that surronded by water, it was so amazing to me to go visit a friend you have to take a water taxi, no cars at all.

The coast of Naples amazing views.

So my suggestion is Italy after Paris

ENJOY

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We had thought of Amsterdam, touring Belgium, and/or the Avignon area. I just watched the movie %26quot;A Good Year%26quot; and I%26#39;m very interested in Provence, especially if it is much like the areas in the movie. That%26#39;s the type of atmosphere I think we%26#39;re looking for. I%26#39;m a bit of a history nut (my wife isn%26#39;t) and I%26#39;ve got a day to myself in Brussels. Is it worth the trip to Bastogne and is there anything to actually see? Is Normandy very far? and is it hard or easy to get to in a day? We think Spain, Germany and London all deserve a trip of their on later.

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sorry for the misspellings I am at work and trying to not get caught :)

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la_photographe,

Could you give us suggestions on three days in Paris? We are currently booked at the Hotel Galileo. Any feedback there?

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Hi Don,

First, I have been to Bastogne. There%26#39;s a smallish museum there and a monument. That%26#39;s about it. If you%26#39;re a WWII buff, and you want to see where %26#39;nuts%26#39; actually happened, then go. We only went on the way to somewhere else, but I probably wouldn%26#39;t make a special trip.

As for Paris, is it your first time there? If so, 3 or 4 days is just a drop in the bucket. You could easily spend the rest of your time in Paris and still have things left to see. There are some great day trips (Versailles, Giverny, Reims) and loads of things to keep you occupied. If you%26#39;ve already been, then consider Provence, or even an intra-Europe budget flight to Rome, perhaps. It%26#39;s a wonderful city. Especially exciting if you%26#39;ve never been. It%26#39;s a short plane ride and you can get very inexpensive tickets. Check www.ryanair.com or www.easyjet.com. Probably cheaper than a rail pass.

I would absolutely not %26#39;wander about%26#39; for 3 days. Packing and unpacking would be a killer and all that traveling around would eat up so much of your valuable time. Just a thought.

Enjoy your trip!

Vicki

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If you want the sort of %26quot;get away from it all%26quot; feeling, I%26#39;d recommend Lucerne, Switzerland. But if it were me and I wanted to tack on three or four days in another city, I%26#39;d probably look at Rome or Venice.

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Venice is an other good idea. I love Venice. My recommendations were more local and easy to reach.

For 3 days in Paris it depends on what you like. There are hundreds of itineraries on this site so first get a travel book (I prefer those that have many photos) and then do some research.

In Paris, proceed in a logical way to avoid spending too much time on transportation. It all depends on where you are staying and also your interests.