The best way to experience Europe in November

We are thinking of visiting Europe in November, travelling to Edinburgh, London and Paris before beginning our Christmas markets tour in early December in Munich. We have done sightseeing in Paris before, thinking now of the Loire Valley and day trips from our bases in London/Paris to the countryside. Do you suggest we hire a car and drive in Edinburgh and the countryside? A. Liang, Lane Cove

November is not my favourite month for poking about in the countryside of France and Scotland. It's chilly, the skies are often grey, days are short and there's a likelihood of rain. The Loire Valley will be a pale shadow of the ripe green landscape of spring and summer. However, November is quite a reasonable time to see Europe's cities, when queues are shorter and hotel prices drop. Moving into December the Christmas markets are gorgeous, but I wouldn't be hiring a car to go exploring the countryside with high expectations.

Since you've already experienced Paris and possibly London, what you could do is explore some of the cities of France and Britain outside the capitals. In Britain my list would include Bath, York, Harrogate, Canterbury, Salisbury, Chichester, Oxford, Cambridge, Chester and Wells. In France, Nice, Strasbourg, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes, Avignon and Reims.

If this sounds feasible, travelling by train would be far more practical than hiring a vehicle. Cars are a cussed nuisance in European cities.

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