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Itinerary for Spain/France, would like input please!

Itinerary for Spain/France, would like input please!

Old Jun 11th, 2016, 01:49 PM
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Itinerary for Spain/France, would like input please!

Hi everyone!

I am planning a trip to Spain for my mother and myself and would really appreciate some input. We arrive in Madrid on Saturday 12/3 @ 9:35am and depart on Friday 12/16 @ 11:15am. We will be staying in Toledo for the duration of our trip as we have family there.

However, since I don't know when I'll be back to Europe, I thought it might be a good idea to take a quick 3 day trip to Paris, as the flight from Madrid is only 2 hours. My question is: is the hassle of booking extra flights and trying to coordinate train times into Atocha from Toledo and then shuttle bus from Atocha to Barajas worth it? I would like to leave for Paris as early as possible and come back as late as possible but I am realizing that the AVE train is not 24 hours.

The idea is to go to Paris in the middle of my trip, leave on Sunday 5/11 and come back on Tuesday 5/13, spend those last 2 days with family and then leave for home on Friday 5/16.While in Paris, my mother absolutely has to go the Eiffel Tower and I would like to go to L'Orangerie (Monet!). We also plan on visiting the Christmas markets at the Trocadero and walk along the Champs Elysee for the Christmas lights. But that's pretty much it, I don't want to pack too much in there since it's only 2 days.

Anyway, I am rambling. I guess my concern is that it just seems like a lot of traveling and that is the opposite of what I want my travel experiences to be like. I am not the "4 cities in 10 days" type tourist because you don't see anything. So would this be worth it for a little piece of Paris?

Please and Thank you!
ealeon25 is offline  
Old Jun 11th, 2016, 01:54 PM
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Look into private shuttles from Toledo right to Madrid Airport - will make it seem less and go night and day probably - will cost a bit but make it so so much easier.
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Old Jun 11th, 2016, 02:58 PM
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With assumably no option to fly into Madrid and out of Paris, this a tough thing to pull off, as a flight of "only 2 hours" becomes several hours when you factor everything in. There is a flight MAD to ORY on Monday at 8:25PM [getting to the airport at 6:30], and a return on Tuesday at 6:45PM that might be suitable.
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Old Jun 11th, 2016, 04:42 PM
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I would wait and put Paris at the end of your trip so that you don;t have to waste all of that time and money going to and fro. (And trying to do this in 2 days will give you at most 1 day in Paris and IMHO makes no sense at all.)

Simply get an open-jaws (multi-destination on flight web sites) flight into Madrid and out of Paris and it should cost no more than RT to Madrid.
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Old Jun 11th, 2016, 06:23 PM
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Two weeks in Toledo sounds boring...

...if you wish to go to Paris,...go!
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Old Jun 11th, 2016, 06:54 PM
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We have visited our family many times in Galicia and it as boring as your family may be. And we are returning this September.

Fly directly to Paris on the day of arrival or at the end.

Hint: Once in you are in the grasp of a Spanish family, your life is not your own.
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Old Jun 11th, 2016, 08:59 PM
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Flights seem to be already booked, which is a problem.
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 01:59 AM
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I agree with IMDoneHere about flying right to Paris.

You arrive in Madrid at 9:35 am. There is an 11:55am Iberia flight to Orly. (Not sure whether 2.5 hours is enough at MAD; other Fodorites would know.)

There's also a 2:50pm Transavia flight to Orly.

Both flights (on Kayak) are showing for $56...so if you wanted to hedge your bets at little cost, buy seats on both, in case your incoming flight is delayed a few hours.

If you prefer to fly to CDG, there are 1:00pm and 2:30pm flights for $68 and $64 respectively.

After a few days in Paris, fly back to Madrid.

ssander
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 10:17 AM
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Thank you all so much for your responses! It is very much appreciated.

The tickets are already purchased so changing them is not an option. However, I am inclined to agree with IMDonehere and ssander, flying directly to Paris when we arrive in Madrid sounds like the best option.

It will be quite a bit of travel packed in 2 days but this option would give us 2 full days in Paris vs just one. And our family would pick us up at the airport on the way back so zero coordinating of trains, busses and the like.

If you all have any tips for restaurants, bakeries and such in Paris, those would be appreciated too! I was thinking of staying in the 7th or 8th arr. I've already got some ideas for cutting costs while traveling but I must do a 3 course lunch or dinner in Paris. It is French cuisine after all!

Again, thank you so much!
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Old Jun 12th, 2016, 03:44 PM
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I am not a foodie, but I have yet to go to a patisserie without finding something that looks great and tastes great. (Of course, I am borderline diabetic, so I only eat those things when traveling abroad where I know breakfast will be followed by 20,000+ steps walking each day...my judgement is suspect.)


ssander
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