Visiting Paris for the first time, and nearby countries...

Hi everyone.

Me and my girlfriend will be visitng Paris for the first time in May. We will be there for 8 days. We are planning to stay 6 nights in Paris. However, for the remaining two nights, we would like to go someplace else. What is a good nearby country to visit that is easily and quickly accessable by rail? I%26#39;ve heard Spain is nice. Anyone else have any reccomendations... would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!!

Nizar

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Hi Nizar,

We are also travelling to France but for 9 days.We are spending 4 days in Paris and 5 days touring the Loire Valley and some of Normandy.We will be pushing it for time.

The advice people have given me is not to do too much.

How about visiting the Loire Valley for 2 days.Very romantic and not too far to drive.

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If you really want to visit another country Spain is probably not your best choice as rail travel to Spain is very slow. You could however check EasyJet for a flight to Barcelona.

www.easyjet.com

If that works, then what you want is to book an %26quot;Open Jaw%26quot; ticket from Toronto to Paris and Barcelona to Toronto.

Another option would be Amsterdam by train which is four hours from Paris (if my memory is correct) also with an Open Jaw ticket, or Brussels/Bruges which would probably be the only one I would recommend if you have to return to Paris for your flight home. About 2 hours by train from Paris - again from memory (and my brain is a bit fried right now).

All three options are much worth visiting, and two FULL days in each are OK, though more would be better.

But do NOT short-change Paris. Five days there is about the minimum that makes sense for a first visit - and it wouldn%26#39;t hurt at all to spend all your time there this trip and go to Spain or the Netherlands another time.

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Thanks for the great trips. I checked Barcelona by train and yah. it takes 13 hours. which is a lot.

Would a day trip to Brussels be good (possibly last or second last day of our trip).. where else would be recommended for possible day trips (stay in paris at night).. and how are cities like normandy, lyon, and nice

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Where is loire valley.. does the TGV train go there?

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Recommended day trips from Paris: Versailles, Giverny, Chantilly, Fontainebleau, Vaux-le-Vicomte.

Theoretically doable day trips from Paris: Rouen, Reims, Chartres, Dijon.

I may have left one or two out, and no doubt someone will tell me which ones.

This is just MY list. There are many other day trips that can *in theory* be made from Paris, but, IMO, they are not trips that *should* be made, either because the travel time is too long, or because there is far more to see/do at the destination than can possibly be seen/done in a few hours. These include (but are not limited to) Normandy (not a city, but a region, BTW), Lyon, Brussels, Bruges, London, the Loire valley, and most others anybody has ever suggested...

YMMV...

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Loire Valley is South West if Paris.You can catch a train to Tours and hire a car to tour around visiting chateau and pretty villages.