lz4542

Hello, all,

Thank you in advance for any suggestions and advice.

So on a whim I decided to take a quick trip to where ever was cheapest to fly into in Europe, and this turned out to be Paris - it’s great because of the many places in Europe I’ve been too, old enough I haven’t yet been to France beyond connecting in CDG.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get much time off of work so I have limited options as to what to see. I’m flying in from Los Angeles to CDG, arriving in CDG June 18th 1230pm local, and departing at 1450 from ORY June 22nd.

Conventional advice from other travel forums has more or less told me I have time only for Paris and nothing else, either near or far. As I’m flying in on Low Cost airlines I’m traveling light, so I was wondering about visiting the Alsace region. I understand the train to Strassbourg is about 2 hrs, so not that bad. Coming back is a bit tricker since I’m going out of ORY, still planing to leave on the first train out of Strassbourg on the 22nd.

I wanted to get other peoples opinion on what’s better to explore for such a short trip? I know Paris has tons of stuff to see, but it feels almost overwhelming. On one hand i love the History and culture of Paris, but I also love the beauty of the Alsace region (and wines, lol). If I go to Strassbourg my plan was to use Strassbourg as a base, then visit Colmar and the Wine Route towns. Nothing too ambitious.

What do you all think?

thanks

SusanP

With less than 3-1/2 days in Paris, I would just stay there, especially since you haven't been there before.
Also, it's a very bad idea to take the train back to Paris on your departure date. What if there is a strike?

bilboburgler

Strasbourg

check if there are any strikes that might muck up your plans.
certainly the wines are better than Paris ;-)
Strasbourg is lovely but a bit out on the edge. Train to Colmar might make more sense but given how short your trip is it probably doesn't matter.
https://www.connexionfrance.com/arti...ikes-in-France

Paris, what do they have? Less travel I guess and if you are jet lagged maybe staying put is better.

I like small places but up to you

AJPeabody

You've never been to Paris, you are flying to Paris, and you want to be somewhere else? Say it ain't so!

macdogmom

Paris and only Paris.

I just did that flight from LAX to CDG and your first afternoon is basically getting into town, checking in, finding coffee and a good place for dinner and then crashing. Just enjoy the city and don’t waste anytime going somewhere else within that small time frame.

kerouac

Paris is all you need, but if your heart craves Strasbourg for a day, it is possible. In the end you will be totally frustrated regarding both places -- not enough time in Paris, not enough time in Strasbourg.

shelemm

3 days in Paris is what you want. Takes too much energy to get anywhere else in such a short visit.

Top priority is to climb to the rooftop of the Basilique de Sacre Coeur. That way you get to see the Byzantine architecture of Sacre Coeur in the foreground and view the Eiffel Tower in the background. Go late afternoon and then enjoy the prettiness of Montmartre at night, but don't eat up on the hill. Most places are the very definition of a tourist trap.

Also a self-guided walking tour of the Marais. The beginnings of Paris, some of the oldest streets.

Go to a pastry shop, a really great one. If you can't decide which pastry to get, a St Honoré is named after the patron saint of bakers and is a king of 'greatest hits' of French pastry techniques all in one. (KL Patisserie in the 17th makes a great one) Unless you are lactose intolerant, in which case just forget I mentioned anything about it.

uktravelover

I agree with the others that staying in Paris is the best option and you can make the best use of your time.. One relaxing thing you could do on your first day is a boat trip on the Seine. I also love Le Marais. There are lots of boutiques, bars and restaurants. Another nice location to walk around are the Luxembourg Gardens.

KTtravel

I, too, would vote for staying in Paris. Don't worry about trying to see everything but pick top highlights that interest you and enjoy.

nonconformist2

If your heart is leading you to Alsace and you aren't inspired by Paris then yes, I would go there.

It IS a very long flight for a very short trip, whichever you pick, but you've committed to that now.

apersuader65

Change the name of your thread. Your trip is to Strasbourg, connecting from Paris. You cant reasonably expect to visit both places on west coast US jet lag (9 hours different) and make any thing sensible. Your arrival day you should head out to the train station and immediately go to Strasbourg. Day one is shot. Day two and Three in Strasbourg, with a train out at the last departure on day three to Paris. You will then wake up in your Paris hotel and get about three hours max in Paris before you have to be at Orly for your return.

Or stay in Paris and see just a few of the many places there without the added expense (approximately $400 US) of trains to and from Strasbourg.

bilboburgler

$400 US for Paris to Strasbourg and back.....

well it depends on class and actual train but $400 looks a bit high.

Christina

I never would have done this if I lived in LA, gads, I guess I admire your stamina but I wouldn't even do that from the East Coast, I don't care how cheap the flights are. It's just too short a time with the travel time and jet lag. I might from East Coast for London or Dublin.

You say Paris seems overwhelming and seem to really want to visit Strasbourg. I say go with your guts, IT IS YOUR VACATION,. not anyone else's. If that is fine with you, do it.

The main reasons to do Paris instead would be because you've never been there AND mainly because you are leaving from ORY. You are flying into CDG after all, Strasbourg is easy from there. I might think definitely not worth it IF you were flying into ORY also, but you're not.

You will NOT spend $400 on train trips if you go to Strasbourg.
Right now train to Strasbourg would be 14:59 to 17:37 your arrival day and costs 58 euro. Train back to CDG or Gare de l'Est would be around 35-115 euro depending when you go.

The fact is you can do either, there is no right or wrong answer. I don't agree with some of the must-see things some say you just have to do in Paris instead, not as a must-see for your first trip. In fact, some of the things mentioned I don't even like (like the Marais). I have neve climbed to the roof of Sacre Coeur and never will, either. There are plenty of pastry shops in Strasbourg, but it does have different cuisine a lot in restaurants being Alsace.

Paris is fine if you want to go there, it will save you some time. It's what I would do given you are leaving from ORY as that means you will have to spend the entire day of departure en route and some possibility you won't make it if something happens. ANd it's a long trip to ORY from Strasbourg, have you figured out how you would even do that? If you go back to Paris on the 21st, say to spend the evening near, you could do that.

uktravelover

Christina, you are right to say go with your heart. I think this is the classic dilemma of heart v practicality. I like Alsace a lot, however most people go to see Colmar and tour the wine villages and spend a day or so in Strasbourg.

Lz, if Alsace is what you really want to do, go for it. You can get the train from Strasbourg to Molsheim, Rosheim, Obernai and Barr (Strasbourg-Sélestat line). Alternatively if you stay in Colmar, there are frequent trains from CDG and it takes about an 2 hours 45 minutes. Then you could book tickets on the Kut’zig bus and see Ribeauvillé, Hunawihr, Riquewihr, Kaysersberg Vignoble, Turckheim and Eguisheim from Colmar on a couple of days. I think the cost of the hop on/ off bus is around 15 euros a day. Since you are returning to Orly, you might consider spending your last night in Paris. That way you could take an evening train to Gare du Nord and stay in a hotel in that area. On your last day you can leave your bag at the hotel and see something of Paris. The train to Orly from Gare du Nord takes about 40 minutes.

kerouac

"most people go to see Colmar and tour the wine villages"

Is that so? Strasbourg always has my preference, and I find the "wine villages" boring and mostly identical. Naturally they should be seen at least once when one has the time.

Fleur_de_Lis

I'm a little biased because Paris is my favorite place in the world, so I think you should stay there! For your first trip to France - and with basically only three days - I just think it'll end up being too stressful trying to fly into Paris and cramming in the trip out to Strasbourg, then village tours, then cramming in the trip back to Paris just to fly out again. I've been to Strasbourg and it is lovely - but in my opinion it has nothing on Paris.

I'm a novice itinerary maker for people visiting Paris, and I'd be happy to help you plan a relaxing itinerary that takes you by the main sights (if that's what you'd like) and also builds in time for just relaxing and wandering around the city, sitting at a cafe and people watching, exploring the beautiful parks - the best way to discover Paris. Just let me know if you'd like me to plan out an itinerary for you (and if there are any must-sees for you in Paris!)

apersuader65

Those were from Rome2Rio website and used the times of arrival and departure from the OP as a guide. The cheap trains can't be made given the arrival time.

kerouac

The official SNCF site just quoted me a fare of 35€ for a train tomorrow, therefore not bought well in advance. No, I did not check the return.

Sassafrass

With such a long travel time already, I would definitely stay in Paris. Paris is not overwhelming when you are there. It is easy to navigate, great metro, lovely for walking. Just pick a couple of things to see or visit each day that are close together. Use the rest of the day for exploring walking areas, parks, etc. I would try to fit in an evening cruise on the Seine because it gives a nice picture of Paris. Don’t do a bus tour or HOHO. It is a waste of time that you could use actually seeing an area, museum, etc.