Tripologist: What are the best short trips to take from Paris?

Together with our adult daughter, my husband and I are spending a couple of weeks over Christmas in Paris and we’d like to do some short trips, either overnight or even a couple of nights, perhaps visiting nearby countries. We have all visited Paris previously.
C. Wormald, Hurstville Grove NSW

Colmar is worth a visit.Credit: Getty Images

My short list would include Lyon for the food and culture and Strasbourg for its canals, its gingerbread architecture and Christmas markets, and combine that with Colmar. Also Rouen for its Gothic churches, the wonderful Notre-Dame Cathedral and its cobblestoned pedestrian centre with medieval half-timbered houses. All these cities deserve a night or two.

Liz and I had a fantastic stay in Rouen in October last year, in a two-bedroom Airbnb, Le Crosne, which was really lovely, in a good location and the price was terrific. Also Versailles and Fontainebleau if you haven’t visited previously.

Belgium is the obvious candidate if you want a more dramatic change of culture and food and Ghent, Brugge and Brussels would make a great five-day break.

Would love to visit Morocco with my husband. Please could you suggest a company or two that provide guided tours? I want to spend at least one night in Chefchaouen.
S. Scott, Claremont WA

The blue walls of Chefchaouen, Morocco.Credit: iStock

One outstanding tour operator in Morocco is Plan-it Morocco. They organise individual tours and while they’re quite expensive they do an excellent job. Another possibility is By Prior Arrangement, an Australia-based operator that offers group as well as individual itineraries. Bunnik Tours is an Adelaide-based, family-business tour operator. They have group tours of Morocco but they can also organise private tours.

Chefchaouen sees crowds of visitors during the daytime, but they’re mostly passing through. Staying overnight is a better option since you’ll have the town almost to yourself in the early hours of morning and evening.

Could you please advise the best way of organising a round of golf at St Andrews in Scotland. We plan on visiting around September/October 2025 and it’s my husband’s dream to play there.
R. Stafford, Rose Bay NSW

Assuming you’re wanting to play the Old Course, and also that you’re both intending to play, go to the St Andrews’ Links club website and enter your details either online, by phone or at one of the clubhouses for the ballot. You need to do this before 2 pm, two days before the day on which you wish to play. The ballot is drawn 48 hours in advance of play. If your husband is playing alone, he can enter the Singles Daily Draw between 9 am and 5 pm at either The Old Pavilion or Links Clubhouse on the day prior. The website also has a list of Busy Dates which are best avoided.

Note there are also packages such as the Unlimited Golf 3 Day Advanced Ticket, which gives you three tickets for unlimited golf per day on all six St Andrews Links courses, but excluding the Old Course, starting from £175 ($335). The best accommodation in the area is the Fairmont St Andrews. There is also the Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & Spa but the price is over $1000 per night.

My husband and I will be flying into Madrid in September then travelling around Spain by train. We are over 60, would you recommend purchasing the Tarjeta Dorada for rail travel?
M. Munro, Drummoyne NSW

The Tarjeta Dorada, available to anyone over 60 at a cost of €6 ($9.70), gives generous discounts on train travel in Spain. That sounds great but the problem is it’s only available for purchase in person at a Spanish train station. Once purchased, you must enter the card number to get the discount on your rail tickets. Since rail tickets typically become more expensive as the day of travel approaches, anything you save with the discount will be gobbled up by the higher price you have to pay for the ticket.

On the other hand, if you book your tickets ahead using a specialist agency such as Rail Europe, which has an Australian presence, you can usually save more than you would using the Tarjeta Dorada.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances.