Suggestions, Northern France

Hello-

Headed to France in couple of months. Flying in and out of Koln. Just wondering if some one could suggest some towns to visit in Northern France. We are going to go to Paris for a couple night but then have to make our way back to Germany, so we do not want to head to far west or south.

If any one could suggest so pretty towns to drive to, or even spend a night off the beaten path that would be great. We are more interested in scenery than museums or sightseeing (we will do those in Paris) Any help would be greatly apprciated. Even if it is bit out of the way :)

Matt

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The northeast of France is perhaps the least interesting area in the country as far as scenery is concerned. You might want to head either to Burgundy, south-east of Paris, or to Normandy, north-west of Paris. Neither would be exactly at their best in January/February but you can always hope that the weather will be atypical next year...

As for which you should visit, that really depends on your own personal preferences. I would suggest that you get your hands on a good guidebook and see what each of these regions — and any others — have to offer. The DK Eyewitness Guide to France would perhaps work for you as it is well illustrated.

You might also want to consider taking the Thalys high speed train from Köln to Paris and back and renting a car after you have visited Paris. You really don%26#39;t want a car in Paris and the train will save you about 1000km driving through mostly dull scenery and probably at least a couple of hours in both directions.

BTW, if you have never been to Paris I%26#39;d be inclined to give it a minimum of five days. There is SO much to see and do there and it is not a city that repays a rushed visit. Maybe just take a couple of daytrips out of the city by train? There are a dozen or more places worth exploring within an hour or less of Paris...

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