3 months in Paris
 

How would you spend 3 months in Paris?!

My husband and I will be living there for three months starting in September. We'll be there mostly just to live and enjoy the experience, but we also both freelance for work so will have to dedicate *some* time to working at home & in cafes ;-)... We're doing this because it's likely the one small window in our life for a while where we don't have kids, a house mortgage, health issues, or any reason NOT to take a leap and change our scenery.

Looking for some advice on...

-We're renting an apartment in Le Marais, but want to take short trips to visit other towns / countries. For traveling within the schengen zone, would it be in our best interest to buy individual train tickets, or would renting a car be a smarter idea?

-After 3 months in Paris, we're most likely heading to the UK for my husband's work for a yet-to-be-decided amount of time. Therefore, we don't want to visit any UK countries during our time in France. What are your favorite say, weekend trips out of Paris?

-For spending a good chunk of time in Paris, what would you recommend that you couldn't easily do on a short trip? Of course we'll visit all the galleries (we're both freelance artists), enjoy way too many pain au chocolats & cups of espresso, and just gaze at everything, but if there's anything else that doesn't readily come to mind, please share!

Information that might help... We'll both be turning 27 while we're there, we'll also be celebrating our wedding anniversary there (8 years! That will actually be once we make it to the UK), we're into history, art, literature, good food, and importantly, not spending lots of money. :)

Thanks for any suggestions!!

Without knowing where you would go by train, hard to advise but in general, train is best in Europe unless you have a good reason to rent a car. And it sounds like you are talking other countries, actually, so long distances. I guess as long as you take the car back to Paris, that could work (like Belgium).

There really isn't anything you can't do in Paris on a short trip IMO except take some classes. That's what I would do. I'd take French classes, which I've done there before, but never had the luxury of spending 3 months there. I've also taken piano master classes at a music school in Paris one summer for a month.

SOme people like cooking classes, for example, if you aren't interested in learning French or are already fluent. YOu can't really do that well on a short trip.

There are a plethora of day trips or weekend trips out of Paris.

I would start with the Michelin green guides which have info on all sights of note, including details on how to visit and how long to expect to spend there. I would count on spending most weekends outside the city in better weather since when it gets colder you will probably want to stick to the city.

For most trips train will work fine - I would rent a car for a day or weekend only if you are going to a place with very limited public transit - like the Normandy WWII sights. But note that train fares are usually much less if bought far in advance.

Realistically you can get to many places in france and some in Belgium, Netherlands and possibly far western Germany with a day or weekend

Thanks, Christina! For trips, really anywhere within the Schengen zone. Particularly Spain, Italy, Belgium, & Germany. We'd also love to make it up to Norway & Sweden, but it might not work our financially for this trip.

nytraveler, I hadn't heard of Michelin green guides until you mentioned it. Thanks!!

Congratulations!

A car is contraindicated in my opinion. Get a copy of "An hour from Paris" by Annabelle Sims, and you will find many trips to do via public transportation. There are also train passes you can buy which will give you much freedom in traveling. It will be far less costly and stressful to take the train to near where you want to go and to rent a car for a few days. Many towns have local agencies which are far less costly than the major renters, e.g. Buggs Car Rental in Limoges and Bergerac, even if the cars are a little less shiny.

In Paris, get transit and museum passes and be certain to visit the majors on non-weekends and during their free evenings. For eating out, lunches at places that display a "Cheque Dejuner" sign is a good way to have a local and authentic meal without breaking the bank or eating a large meal late in the day.

Remember, the stores in the Marais are open on Sunday afternoon, a nod to the Jewish Heritage in the district, and often have specials that day.

Expect a good deal of rain from early October onward. There are good trains to Annecy and a visit in mid-October should find glorious fall colors around the lake and on the roads into the alps.

There are several people on this board who live in Paris who will no doubt be answering specific questions shortly. Finally, take a look at the Paris Walks web site. They have good inexpensive walking tours that provide very good backgrounds in the neighborhoods of Paris. For a treat, book the Thursday chocolate tour in advance. And, if it were me, I would splurge for lunch at Spring at least once.

I highly recommend a short trip to San Sebastian, Spain. Here's a link to my blog post about my recent trip:

http://www.parisonadime.com/blog/

I've also enjoyed day trips to Giverny and Auvers sur Oise. Here's a post on my trip to Auvers:

http://www.parisonadime.com/blog/201...oghs-footsteps

I've also been to Nice and the Italian Riviera and am headed to Provence next week.

For any longer distance plane or train trips you need to plan in advance to get the best fares. Most, more local trips can be planned at the last minute.

Hellomoe,
We spent four months in Paris two years ago and had a great time. I wrote a lot about what we did and saw on my blog which you may find interesting. Theres an ongoing trip report somewhere on Fodors too.

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/search/label/Paris

My husband freelances too and he used a mixture of cafes and Regus for work which gave him some variety.

We loved the Marais and although I though we'd do lots of day trips and weekends away we ended up focusing on Paris itself. Yes we did a weekend in Burgundy and a trip to the Dordogne and the Luberon but for the most part we were in the city. I didn't even make it to Giverny which I intended to.

I did lots of organized walks and we bought quite a number of walking books which I used to visit all the arrondissements. My husband took a class at Alliance Francias and I met people through conversation exchange. Several people we knew were big fans of Meet Up in Paris.

To be honest I enjoyed the flat we'd rented so much that I didn't really want to go away for the weekend. There were so many neighborhoods, small museums, gardens and exhibits to see that I was quite happy exploring something new in Paris. I wanted to run in and out of the major galleries so it worked for me to buy an annual pass. If you do this get the Louvre one first as it gives you a discount on the others. Theres a blog post on all of this too.

Anyway, here's a link to my Top Ten Tips for Paris,
http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2013/...for-paris.html

and one on budget eats in the Marais. When you stay for months you'll want to mix it up.
http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2013/...in-marais.html

It's great to "liberate" your life. We've been doing this for the last couple of years by renting out our house at home and traveling for several months at a time, we are just back from three months in London, you 'll have a great time there too!

Strictly speaking of course under the terms of your 90 days visa free in Schengen you are not allowed to work. Not even freelance work for a US company. Certainly not freelance work for a European company.

I also hope you have health insurance in place, just in case.

Hire a car occasionally for weekends away from the city. Head for the coast perhaps just to blow the cobwebs away.


If you aren't just limited to weekends, and why would you be, then renting a car, flying by low cost airline or train travel are all possible.
Get the northern European trips in early in your stay and save the southern ones for later, when the weather turns wetter and colder and the days are much shorter.

Two years ago we had the good fortune to spend 9 weeks in Paris. Our apt was in the 10th between Gare du Nord and Gare de l'est.
Beside doing all the typical things we found that the greatest feeling was not being hurried and exploring many different areas at our own pace. We arrived in March and left in May and it was fun seeing the seasons change. The canal st. Martin was quite desolate in March compared to May.
So too were the Tuileries.
The only day trip we made was to Giverny. In hindsight, I wished we made more of an effort to get out of Paris.
We also flew to Prague for 4 days and after leaving Paris we spent 10 days in Ireland.
You will enjoy the freedom to explore on your own time. On a nice weekend day make an effort to go out to places like the Parc de Buttes-Chaumont where you won't find many tourists but it will be filled with locals enjoying the Parc along with their picnics and obligatory wine. Another great place to explore on a similar day would be Jardin des Plantes.

Your Paris plans are deeply flawed. For one, they do not include me.

Recommend a "Day With Monet"...easy short day trip. Train from Gare d l'Est, about 50 minutes. Short local bus ride from station in Vernon to Giverny. Nice little restaurant in Giverny for lunch. Even though we were there in October, we were amazed at the riot of color in the gardens surrounding the Monet house. As artists, you'll feel you're in easel heaven.

The trains back to Paris run regularly through the day. Check it out.

Another art oriented day trip would be south to Fontainebleau and it's palace and grounds, and nearby Barbizon and it's appeal as an artsy village. (I live in one in California, so I know about the "daytripper invasion brigades!!!)

You could venture as far north as the D-Day Beaches, but this would be a much longer distance for a one day-trip. I couldn't recommend it. Two days or three would be much wiser. Also keep in mind that the shorter days of autumn will be upon you.

Enjoy your time in Paris and wherever else you visit.

f1racegirl, your blog is an awesome resource! Thanks so much for posting... I'll be spending the next few hours looking through your tips :)

welltraveledbrit, thanks so much!

Thanks hellomoe. It's a work in progress. I have a long list of things to add....

By all means go to Giverny both to the gardens and to the Impressionist museum there. But go at the beginning of your Paris stay as the gardens are best in September and will close later in the fall.

Amsterdam is a great city to visit for 3 days - a quick trip from Paris and you don't need a car. The Loire Valley is lovely in the fall and makes a nice long weekend with a car. The same is true of Normandy, the earlieer in your stay, the better. Go south as the days get cooler. Visit Provence for 4 or 5 days, Andalucia for a week. It is very hot through September so go later. As recommended above, use the Michelin Green Guides - they are the greatest.

Enjoy your trip!

<< For spending a good chunk of time in Paris, what would you recommend that you couldn't easily do on a short trip? Of course we'll visit all the galleries (we're both freelance artists), enjoy way too many pain au chocolats & cups of espresso, and just gaze at everything, but if there's anything else that doesn't readily come to mind, please share! >>

well, work on your french a bit, join your neighbourhood gardening project, meet people through franglish (brilliant concept), etc. are you jewish? because if you are there's still a number of international oriented things you can get involved in, although the Marais, strictly speaking, isn't jewish anymore.
oh, and buy some cheap bikes and learn to bike in Paris. It will give you more independence.

whereabouts is your apartment? my feeling is that the crowds sometimes get to you: well into october it will be busy, in november that will subside somewhat. and be prepared for the fact that after a few weeks, even the special becomes common place. of course, that's common place in paris, but nevertheless. so, seek out things that will get you through the tedium too. after two weeks you'll find that you've really seen enough art. If you are artists yourself, perhaps it's good to become a member of a collective or society or club

One thing that will work out well for you is the de zoning of the Navigo Decouverte beginning in September. For 70€ per month you will be able to travel anywhere in Paris in zones 1-5. There are lots of options for zone 5 day trips.

I disagree with menachem, that after 2 weeks you'll be tired of art, unless you are trying to jam as many museums as possible in this amount of time. And after 4 months here I haven't felt that the special has become common place. I still smile to myself every time I walk out the door thinking "I live in Paris".

I notice that after a few years of part time life in Paris I hardly seek out museums or visual arts places. If a show is good, I'll go, other than that it's not front of mind anymore. I got really sick, while in Paris, that's when it started to be a city where I needed to get serious stuff done. Still Paris, but it's an ordinary place too, for many of its citizens.

If you are doing any out of France trips [weekends, or several days] and are heading east-- Prague, Budapest, Vienna - I would do them earlier in trip rather than later. November can be pretty chilly and rainy in those places and it gets dark early.