Tours to Charles de Gaulle airport train.
I realize I'm not giving Paris enough time but I really want to see the country side.

Rick Steves' book is fine for you to see the places you want to see, just tear out the pages you need so you don't have to take the whole.

Have a nice trip.

I meant to say "the whole book"

PQ: I was just kidding, as I'm certain you knew. Good idea to visit the "real" France, and the OP seems to have taken your advice to heart.

kat4kat: the only thing that worries me is your return to the airport. Hope you have allotted sufficient time to get to CDG. The trains aren't that easy to figure out if it's your first visit. What time is your flight out?

rhon,

<i>la France profonde</i> is to be opposed to cosmopolitan Paris, which is not true France in the eyes of some Frenchmen; there is Paris and then there is France. The countryside in and of itself does not cut it. It's like the French tourist coming to New York, enjoying the city and then touring the Hudson valley for its sites and sights, and thinking that he has seen the dichotomies in the New York State residents; or driving through the valley to go from San Francisco to the Yosemite.

But I'm glad you enjoyed some of the less traveled parts of the Auvergne.

For most 2.5 days in Paris is fine and are ready to move on to something a little more calm and yes a little more the France you have in your mind's eye than Paris.

I'd rather be driving around Normandy than trekking thru yet another museum or church in Paris.

But to each their own - but for anyone to say you absolutely need X number of days in Paris is to me the ultimate of putting ones values on others - seeing more of France may be the real highlight of your trip rather than seeing yet another Paris museum IMO.

I have spent weeks in Paris and never been bored. So do not get me wrong. But i savor much more my time in the France outside of Paris.

Seems sad that someone who claims to have visited Paris many times thinks the essence of the city is museums and churches.

Note -- I never even suggested kat not visit another part(s) of France --only that her head will be spinning trying to see even a tiny bit of Paris in just 2+ days.

3 days is OK for a basic Paris visit (if the idea is that you'll make future trips to France including Paris. With the Other 5 days I'd suggest the Loire Valley and either Brittany or Burgundy or even your original idea Normandy.

Ah, Michael -the city/ country divide. We did not get to Paris until our third trip to France- I know most people do Paris first, but we had two five week trips before our first visit to Paris in 2010. Of course we loved every minute and will definitely return. But we do love country France and may miss Paris next time. That gives us permission to plan another visit in couple years. But, hey, do we really need an excuse. Each trip we make leads us to other areas we want to see.

Seems sad that someone who claims to have visited Paris many times thinks the essence of the city is museums and churches.>

janis Luv for once try to put yourself into the shoes of the average first-time visitor to Paris because that is pretty much what they do. No you do not need to spend all 8 days in Paris - 3 days is about what the average tourist will want - yes you could like janis traipse around every knook and crannie but this is not what the novice visitor to Paris does. Fodorgarchs have trouble realizing what the first-time visitor wants to do and does.

What's a "Fodorgarch"?

One learns something new every day.

a FodorGarch is an old-timer on Fodor's and these garchs often seem to forget what it was like the first time they went to Paris or Europe and now try to inflict their prescriptive way of doing things on others. They only see things thru their veteran traveler eyes and not first timer eyes.

Other option is to take train from Paris to...Caen (?) and rent car there.

PQ - quit drinking the paint will ya????

READ what I said! I <u>merely</u> posted that they cannot do a 3 day plan from Rick Steves in 2+ days. WHERE did I say any of the other things you imply.

2+ days is absolutely/100%/totally fine for a first visit to Paris - Did I say otherwise???? I said their heads WILL be spinning if they try to cover RS' 3 day plan in the 2+days they have. That is ALL I said -- and all I meant . . .

Janisj, I'm a pretty seasoned traveler, I don't plan on wasting one day or even a half checking in and unpacking. My husband has business later that day so my plan is to leave him to check in and I'm heading to the Louvre. I can unpack and settle that evening. Plan to sleep on plane, always do (business class).

Some Fodorgarchs just have trouble realizing anything but their own prescriptive way of traveling...

Personally, I love Paris and have spent a lot of time there over the years, but I know French and studied there, so it's not the same thing. I agree that for a typical first-time tourist to about anywhere, the optimal plan is not to just stay in the capital city for days and days on end and see nothing else. I never did that in any country I've visited. People want to see something when they travel and spend all that money, and they want to see more than just one city, the capital.

So I'd say get out of Paris for part of that time to have a more well-rounded trip. I think the itinerary to combine Normandy and the Loire with Paris is a good solution, however the individual fine points are tweaked.

Wait a minute, SMOG in Paris?

Yes smog and that is why a visit on Sat or sun IME is nicer as the car traffic which is in large part I think responsible for the smog is way down from weekdays.

Just go up the Eiffel Tower and you'll see how smoggy Paris can be - again better IME on weekends.

I could happily follow your itinerary with one exception--I would switch out Chambord for Villandry. Hope you'll write a trip report when you return.