Hi everyone! My husband and I (he has never been to Europe and I have only been to Paris once when I was 12) are flying to Paris from San Francisco on a Sunday landing Monday morning and flying back the following Tuesday.
I was thinking Monday morning when we land hopping on a train and heading to Loire or Strasbourg possibly, staying Monday-Wednesday night then heading to Paris Wednesday and staying there until our flight home Tuesday. I am in the very beginning phase and only have flights planned so I am so open to suggestions. We are not so far planning on renting a car and I would really like to limit our home bases to Paris and one other place or my husband will be all stressed and no fun. We both love drinking booze and eating. Museums and architecture are cool. But. Mostly food and drinking. I have this picture in my head of a this fairy tale place that looks like a Disney movie and drinking wine there. We’re planning on an air bnb most likely, but are open to hotels. Does any one have any suggestions on where we should go for our first few days and the best ways to accomplish that? Such as trains or rent a car. Thanks so much!!!

Just for clarity, would you rent a car in order to get the dream place you're thinking of ?

yes for sure we can, whatever is best. I’m going in totally clueless at this point

Oh oh. Wrong answer.

The flights from SFO land in CDG in the afternoon, so you won't reach your next destination until the evening, assuming you can make a train connection that afternoon. That leaves only one day in Strasbourg, the Loire Valley, or ... for a fairy tale effect, how about Honfleur in Normandy.

You really only have a week, I'd spend the whole week in Paris. Paris is a great location for all of the things you say you want. You can always take a day trip if you can tear yourselves away form Paris.

Also, be aware that there are rules about renting apartments in Paris. If the ad doesn't have a registration number, it's an illegal rental. I'd suggest you choose a hotel for your first visit.

When are you visiting? The SNCF French train unions are threatening to strike 40% of the days between April to end of June. No one knows for sure if these massive strikes would fizzle or drag on at. Also realize that the BAC level for driving in France is lower than the U.S. if you are thinking of driving to do your drinking.

When in the morning? The usual non-stop United or AF from SFO don’t land in CDG until about 10:30am.

If you get caught during an industrial action, that also includes flights, having accommodation reservations with stiff cancellation clauses would not be your friend if you need to tinker with your booking. Just to get a sense of strikes, this week, there are triple announced strikes impacting your kind of itinerary. https://www.cntraveler.com/story/air...-around-france

You really only have a week. I'd find a great place to stay, and just do Paris. I would choose a hotel, not try to rent an AirBnB in a city you are not familiar with that has lots of issues with illegal rentals.

You need to take jet lag and time change into account those first couple days rather than try to add several extra places to your itinerary.

No way would I want to get off a plane from west coast USA to Europe, get from the airport to the train station, then take a 1-2 hour train ride of that same day!!

I agree with suze about staying in Paris. Paris is such an amazing city - you will not be able to see or do everything even in a week. And each move from one place to another basically takes the better part of a day - with the limited number of days you have, and accounting for jet lag, it seems a better idea to stay in one place.

But I have to disagree with the part about not renting an apartment. Check on VRBO or Homeaway - the apartments they list have registration numbers that show they are legal short term rentals. Having an apartment in a neighborhood allows you to feel more a part of the city, in my opinion. Also - it's pretty wonderful to get up in the morning and have a kitchen! And the extra space to stretch out can be wonderful at the end of a long day of sightseeing.

"No way would I want to get off a plane from west coast USA to Europe, get from the airport to the train station, then take a 1-2 hour train ride of that same day!!" --- suze - Having been to Paris a number of times, this is exactly what I will be doing later this year. Heading directly from the airport to Reims on the train. But I have a month, not just a week.

The other major advantage of a hotel for first timers is that you will have a front desk that will be able to give you advice on transportation, make restaurant recommendations and reservations, and in general make your stay more enjoyable and stress free.

Why I say no apartment is for the reasons nukesafe mentions.

When you are new to a city and I'm assuming don't speak French (maybe I'm wrong) AND only have one week... to me having a hotel room that you know will be nice, with a front desk staff to help you, can make or break the trip. What if there are issues with the apartment? Do you really want to spend your days figuring out why there are no towels or the hot water heater doesn't work, tracking down the owner to get things fixed.

scdreamer~ That's why I said "no way would *I* want to do it... speaking for myself. You and they are obviously free to do whatever you want I still think it is not the best plan for a newbie.

>>Check on VRBO or Homeaway - the apartments they list have registration numbers that show they are legal short term rentals.<<

SOME of the properties they list have registration numbers. The majority do not. If you find one with the city registration # it is safe to rent, otherwise not. A compromise if you want a kitchen/ette there are aparthotels - Citadines and other chains - that have the extra space of an apartment but the services of a hotels. PLUS they are legal.

You have just a week - your arrival day is mostly airport formalities/logistics/jet lag/maybe a little light sightseeing and your departure day is JUST departure. So stick to Paris -- day trips to places like Chartres, or Giverny, or Versailles or other nearby places are doable -- but with just a week -- one or at very most two day trips is all your'd want to consider.

We just spent seven nights in Paris and this was our third trip and still not enough time. We landed and drove to Reims which was very fun. We needed the car as we were doing WW1 battle sites and memorials for five days. There was snow and ice and we still had a good time. We come from the east coast and don't have as far a trip as you so I'd suggest you book a train several months in advance and get a cheaper ticket. You can walk, cab or take the trolley around Reims. We walked as the snow and ice had totally disrupted public transportation.

You can get direct TGV trains CDG Airport to Tours (St-Pierre-des-Corps station) and pick up car there and head to Amboise a great base for the most popular chateaux.

Anyway trains are great to get out of and back to Paris - www.oui.sncf is the place to book your own discounted tickets - much cheaper than walk-up fares - www.seat61.com has tons of info on just doing that yourselves online -general info BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

Yes you could easily stay in Paris the whole week and do day trips - even to places like Bayeux and D-Day beaches by train or Reims, Loire, etc.

Oh my gosh, so much info, thank you! I had no idea about the registration numbers, so we are exclusively looking at places with numbers or we will find hotels. Any favorite hotels? And the strikes, I guess we just have to keep our fingers crossed that isn't an issue during our trip!

That being said, after reading all the input, we have decided to stay put in Paris as far as overnight is concerned, especially since we land at 4:25 and there were a lot of comments that's too late to head somewhere.
Is Strasbourg a doable day trip? Any other opinions on "fairy tale" day trips? I think the Alsace region is the way to go for us, but it seems like the areas I most want to go to are too far, for example, Riquewihr and Ribeauville are supposedly the towns Beauty and the Beast town was based off which would TOTALLY fit my fairy tale fantasy but I think are way too far for a day?
Has anyone been to Lille or Rouen or Provins? Or any of those good options?

I don't think Versaille is high on my list since I have already been there, what about Fontainbleau?

Do I need to buy train tickets soon? Or do I just do that when I am there? What about the museum pass?

My mom is helping us pick a neighborhood, (she grew up bouncing between Iran and Paris and went to Sorbonne). We just have VERY different tastes and travel goals, so any other input is appreciated. She suggested Quartier Latin, so the 5th and 6th. What are everyone's thoughts on that, or any other suggested arrondissements? Like I said initially, restaurants and bars are important, I think a lively area would be ideal. I am super social and like to be out and about.

Thank you again for all the input, this is so helpful! I really appreciate it!

As for the arrondissement, any single digit will work for what you're talking about. Each arrondissement has different "vibes", and can have somewhat significant cost differences. 5/6 is some of the more pricey. Sounds like your interests would better fit with the Marais area, so 2/3/4 would be more akin to what you seem to seek.

As for day trips, DW and I have kind of fallen for Rouen. I wouldn't put it into the "fairy tale" realm, however. Plenty on the Jean d'Arc stuff, and we liked several of the restaurants. Your fairy tale vibe would probably be best suited to a Fontainbleau visit. It is an easy train trip down and back in one day.

As for hotels/apartments, I think a rough daily budget would help (at least me) to give you recommendations.

" Any favorite hotels?"

No recommendations without a budget - it's a waste of time for both of us if the suggestion is $100/night more than you want to blow. Note that you need to think in terms of major U.S. city business class hotel prices to find a decent place in Paris. Quality tends to correlate with price. That's not a hard rule, but it is a decent one. If you stay in one of the 2-4 arrondissements, you're likely to pay less than an equivalent place of lodging in the 5th or 6th.

Also, you need to familiarize yourself with the Metro. Getting around Paris by bus or taxi or uber is a suck deal because old European cities (Paris, London, Edinburgh, Prague, etc.) were not designed for modern transport.

FYI: Booze (as hard liquor) is expensive, wine is usually not.

the 5th and 6th. What are everyone's thoughts on that,

Perfect!!

(maybe you already know this but you can tell which arrondissement by the last two digits of the street address postal code as you are looking at hotels)

DH and I spent an entire 2 weeks in Paris. We took a bus tour through Paris City Vision of the Loire valley and saw 3 chateaux. We drank without having to drive. Because of jet lag, I hate to see anyone get into an automobile. Add finding the correct lane to be in and you've got stress.

Other trips we took from Paris: Chartres, Versailles, Bruges.

Our favorite hotel was on Rue du Cherche Midi but it is gone--if you google hotels near there, you might find something that fits. We were close to Montparnasse, reasonable walks to most things or bus routes, Bon Marche, and wonderful Sevres market.

We stayed here on our first trip: www.hotelceramic.com/index.php It is about a block from the Arc de Triomphe. Not sure about its cost today. About a mile from Louvre and a fun walk down the Champs Elysees.

Looking forward to reading your trip report!

3 stars hotel paris 5th district - hotel du Levant 75005
Stayed here just once, a fun and funky 3-star in a central location.