Paris in 8 days
 

I am suprising my 16 yr old daughter with a trip to Paris in early November. We have never been to Europe and I am wondering if we should plan on spending our entire week in Paris or is there neighboring cities/countries that we could possibly consider for a day or overnight trip throughout our stay. A flight or rail opportunity that would allow us to get a few flavors or Europe under our belt during our stay. Any advise would be so helpful! Thanks so much <3

depends on what you want to do. eight days in Paris sounds lovely to me, because of the great museums, galleries, walking, shopping, and restaurants.

If you don't want to spend all of your time in Paris you could begin with a 2 night stay in Normandy or Loire. Both can be reached by train in a couple of hours from Paris. Or you could spend all of your nights in Paris and do a couple of daytrips; Versailles, Fontainebleu, etc. If you have the funds you can even do a day or overnight in London by Eurostar.

Depends on whether you like big, cosmopolitain cities. If you do, Paris is a dream come true and I wouldn't bother going elsewhere. For that amount of time, if you aren't doing an apartment rental, I would consider two different hotels in two different neighborhoods to get a comparison feel for the city. I'd imagine after day 3 or four I'd start getting tired of the same 4 walls, even if I'm not there that much.

Personally, I love Paris, but only for 3-4 days...after that too many people, too much noise,...just "too much" and I need some tranquility in a calmer environment. I just get antsy.

A train to an outlaying town or area like Provins (one day/2 nights), La Rochelle, Beaune, Amboise (2-3 days for these) or even Chartres or Fontainebleau would be a nice change of pace imo.

Others often recommend staying in the same hotel or appartment and just making day trips if you feel the need; it's a personal preference.

Hi 2pariswlove,
My husband and I spent 7 nights in Paris and then took the train to Brussels for one night (Dec. 2008). We decided to visit Brussels for their large Christmas Market/Winter Festival. However, there is plenty to occupy your time in Paris for one week. We visited Versailles and also took the train to Chartres (less than one hour from Paris). We both enjoyed Chartres because in addition to the beautiful cathedral, there is a historic walk through town and it provides a different perspective. We visited on Monday and I found many shops closed which was unfortunate because there was some good shopping!

The train to Brussels was under 2 hrs. We arrived around noon and left the following day at 3:30 pm. It was a quick, but fun trip and we stayed at the Brussels Marriott which has a great location. I bought the Brussels tickets through Rail Europe before leaving the US. Although it was more expensive, I needed reserved seats because of our time constraints. The Chartres tickets were purchased at Charles de Gaulle. It was convenient to purchase the Metro carnets and the Chatres tickets at the airport. In fact, the Chartres tickets were half what Rail Europe was charging (even with the currency conversion).

You will not go wrong if you decide to stay in Paris. The French people were very nice and I will defintely return. Please let me know if you have specific questions.

I'd second 3sistahs for Chartres. The cathedral is really impressive, and the old town is easy to explore.

For that amount of time, I would probably opt for staying in Paris with perhaps one or two day trips (Versailles, Chartres, etc.) --there is so much to see and I would guess if your daughter is a typical 16 year old, she'll probably prefer spending most of her time in Paris. If this is the first time for both of you, you will probably do your research and come up with a list of places that you absolutely want to see and by all means see as much as time allows, but be sure to make time just to wander, sit in a park or a cafe and people-watch, shop, etc. because that is as important to the Paris experience as seeing the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. You'll find that the 8 days goes by very quickly and you'll definitely wish you had more time in Paris. There are many wonderful day trips you could take from Paris -- if you do a search you should find a number of suggestions -- so you can easily get a little variety in your experience without the hassle of packing and changing hotels.

I also suggest you plan to stay in Paris. A week inside Paris is not much at all as you will soon see. If you decide after arriving to do a day trip (one at most would be my advice), there are many possibilities. I think a 16 year old might prefer Versailles, although there are many other choices - all easily reachable by train.

On a side note, have you considered an apartment instead of a hotel?

2pariswlove: Forgot to add what a wonderful surprise for your daughter! Don't know how far in advance you're telling her, but you might want to give her the heads up sooner rather than later so she can do some online research on what would interest her. I'm sure after this trip you'll begin planning for your next!

Hi 2

I would rather spend 8 days in Paris than 2 weeks anywhere else.

Enjoy your visit.

Save France for later.

((I))

Such wonderful advise! Thank you to all who have responded!
A little more about us...Both my daughter and I love traveling, love big cities like New York City, but also love to wander, dabble with photography, sit and watch people, and street shop. She has tickled me with being "in love" with Paris for years and has pictures of most of tourist spots all over her wonder walls. She is always practicing a new phrase for her future adventure to the city of love even though she has no clue how soon the adventure will start. I was thinking of waiting until the day we fly out to tell her (her actual birthday) because she has left enough footprints of what she would love to do there throughout the years and I know she would never imagine I'd have planned this trip out. She loves to shop flea markets and little boutiques looking for unique and homemade treasures. (Similar to Soho, Chinatown, Hells Kitchen Fleas, and even antique shops, and little boutiques throughout the states). Any advice in that area would be fantastic as we are not big Designer shoppers. I think the Marais and fleas maybe more fun for her. Also, although she won't be drinking would she still be too young to see a performance at the Moulin Rouge? She knows every single word of the movie and loves anything theatrical, broadway, dance, and music driven. I agree with all of you that maybe one or possibly two day trips should be fine because I would really love her the opportunity to not have to rush the experience by a heavy itinery and just get lost in moments as they arise. We can always do something spontaneous and your day trip options are all great. Thanks again for the input you are giving!

Also several you suggested an apartment versus a hotel. I hadn't considered this before, do you recommend any particular quarter or site for more information?

Re apartment rental, just go to the search box above, type in paris apartment rental and you'll get literally hundreds of threads to read through about renting apartments in Paris.

Here's a specific Paris Apartment thread, with over 400 responses, which should be of some help to you!

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ent-thread.cfm
and this one might also be useful to you...

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ent-thread.cfm

Good luck and have a wonderful time with your daughter!

Here's a place VERY popular with Fodorites - they have apts. in all price ranges. It's a US based company. They mail you the apt. key before you leave USA - very convenient. Look at the map provided for each apt., the closer to the river, the better. I would start with Districts 1, 4, 5, & 6.

1BR's: http://www.vacationinparis.com/infop/one_br.htm

2BR's: http://www.vacationinparis.com/infop/two_br.htm

My husband and I rented an apartment a few years ago, after having stayed at a hotel on our 1st trip a year earlier and we really loved the extra room and comfort, plus having a small kitchen. I agree with Bardo 1's suggestion on districts to look at (whether for an apt. or hotel). I would also suggest that if you get an apartment, you choose one where there is someone in the building or nearby to contact should you have any problems. Our rental experience was great, and we're going to repeat it in October, but last time we had a small problem that would have been resolved much easier if there had been a close by contact.

Hi 2pariswlove ,
What an absolutely wonderful surprise for your daughter. What a lucky girl. :)

We loved our week long stay in Paris last year and really enjoyed staying in an apt versus a hotel. I loved having our own little space to come back to every day, not just a bedroom and bath.

You are on your own with an apt rental as opposed to a hotel where you can just pop down to the desk to ask various questions. If you are used to traveling then you probably have the experience you need to stay in an apt. It's fun to shop in the local markets and try to figure out what the foods are! Can be a bit tricky at times but fun nonetheless.

I would agree with spending the entire time in Paris with a day trip or two at most. You will be surprised at how the time will fly. Have a great time.

Michele