There are of course a crap-ton of battlefields in northwestern Europe if you're into that. Waterloo is just south of Brussels.
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Europe in November/December
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If you do wind up in the UK, I recommend a visit to Bath. It's a beautiful city, small enough that you can walk around the entire place, and has a wonderfully-preserved Roman bathhouse. (Though I suppose if you end up in Italy or somewhere, they might have some of those too.
 ) It also has a marvellous Christmas Market from 23rd November to 10th December, so there's that. You can actually get there near-direct from Europe - Eurostar to London, a quick hop around the Underground, then direct line to Bath Spa station.(I used to live there. I miss it. You can tell.) I also recently got sent to Brussels, which is also a beautiful city. I walked through the Grand Place at night, it was gorgeous. Also they have chocolate. Like, so much chocolate.
Melt chocolate onto the waffles. Problem solved.
I've been to Brussels breifly recently. Excellent beer and good food. I found that the central touristy bits are really pretty (partcularly the Grand Place), but it's a bit run down everywhere else. Much the same as many major cities, I guess. Agreed that you should skip the UK (and most of northern Europe) if you're trying to avoid cold wet weather at that time of year. Trains are a much more sensible option in Western Europe than they are in the US. The intercity services are mostly clean and fast. If you want to visit just a few cities and can book everything in advance, it's not worth getting a rail pass: pre-book either trains or short-haul flights. If you prefer freedom to move around a lot or on short notice, though, Eurail is a really good deal. Watch out that you need to reserve seats for some trains (and pay a supplement for a few). www.seat61.com is an awesome resource for rail travel throughout Europe. It lists some scenic rail routes through the alps that might appeal. Hmm, where would I recommend visiting? I really enjoyed Amsterdam when I visited it (20 years ago). Lots to see and a very friendly atmosphere. Plenty to see in Paris too, and some excellent food. If you're interested in historical stuff it's difficult to beat Rome, with the Vatican and the old Roman forum. Once you're there, a quick trip down to Pompeii and Herculaneum is a good idea, and the nearby Amalfi coast is beautiful. You're likely to find rather nicer weather in Italy, too.
All,
Many thanks for the replies! UK: Lived there for a while, like a lot about it but seems like a good idea to skip this time around (I *love* Bath). Amsterdam: No coincidence I fly into there, plan on spending a solid 5-7 days as its at the top of my list of cities in Europe I haven't visited. Brussels: Did not really consider it but given all the positive press I'll make it a point to do so. 5 days enough? Greece/Italy: I have a good friend from Athens, and its tempting, but I kind of like the path from Amsterdam to Côte d'Azur. Paris: I've been there a half dozen times in the past, but given its my favorite city in the world I will certainly spend a solid week hitting my favorite spots (basically street cafes, people watching, and scribbling in my journal). I have never been to the south of France, was thinking that might be a good spot. Nice is the cliche place but I wonder are there other less known places that might be better? Burgundy is also my favorite wine, so I was tempted to go there for at least a day. Not sure November is a good time though... Given I am Western Europe I think train makes sense. Was also thinking airbnb instead of hotels. Shaping up to something like Amsterdam (6) -> Brussels (5) -> Paris (7) -> Burgundy (1) -> Côte d'Azur (4) Darrell 
No way you can get from Paris to Nice in 2h. 4 perhaps ?
I prefer the S and SW to the SE. A trip from Montpellier to Carcassonne (all the way to Toulouse ?) might be something to consider, perhaps along the Canal du Midi. If you want I can craft a list of cool things to do in Paris that most people don't know about Edit : I would advise 4 days in Brussels instead of 5, it's a nice city but not a large one. But others might disagree.  (October 3rd, 2017, 08:53)darrelljs Wrote: I have never been to the south of France, was thinking that might be a good spot. Nice is the cliche place but I wonder are there other less known places that might be better? Burgundy is also my favorite wine, so I was tempted to go there for at least a day. Not sure November is a good time though... I'd recommend the Pont du Gard and the various Roman remains in Nîmes and Arles. Other than that, I don't know much about the area. darrelljs Wrote:Amazing...if I read things correctly TGV Duplex 6155 goes from Paris to Nice in under 2 hours and for under 200 euros. See, that sounds really expensive to me. Is that a walk-up fare? I recently went from London to Munich and back for 250 euros in first class (about 16 hours on the train). Admittedly that was booked 6 months in advance and entirely non-flexible. (October 3rd, 2017, 08:56)darrelljs Wrote: Amazing...if I read things correctly TGV Duplex 6155 goes from Paris to Nice in under 2 hours and for under 200 euros. (October 3rd, 2017, 09:15)AdrienIer Wrote: No way you can get from Paris to Nice in 2h. 4 perhaps ? Yeah I just checked and it takes 5h30 with the TGV. But it only costs 19 euros per ticket. And if you take the plane it's a 1h25 flight for 50 euros per ticket.
Where and what to visit kinda depends on what you enjoy (vistas ? bucket-list places ? the people ?).
I believe the usual Côte d'Azur triptych is made of Nice, Cannes and Monaco. Could throw in a day inland (Grasse and Saint-Paul de Vence for instance). If you're not absolutely set on the Côte d'Azur, there are also some nice areas further West: - Marseille may not have a strong reputation as a touristy place, but Le Vieux Port can be a nice place to hang out enjoying the crowd at a "café terrasse", Aix-en-Provence is next door. - The area around the Mont Aigoual is very picturesque (I believe that's where the "French Colorado" is). - Arles / Avignon / Les Baux-de-Provence. - Nîmes / Alès / Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-mer / Aigues-Mortes and the whole Camargue area are also picturesque and historical places worth seeing. As far as the time of year is concerned: - Night falls pretty early: at the end of October daylight savings time ends, so expect it to get dark by 6pm (that said, if you've lived in England, no surprise there). - Autumn in Southern France is often mild temperature-wise, but heavy rains aren't uncommon. |
