EmilySD

My husband and I leave next week for Paris, without our two boys, to celebrate our 10th anniversary. This is our first vacation in Europe.
Here is our itinerary. Is there anything I'm overlooking, or could arrange better? Any advice greatly appreciated!

5/23 T - arrive CDG 9:30am, check-in Hotel du Pantheon (across from the Pantheon), lunch, Luxembourg Gardens, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, dinner, bed

5/24 W - Louvre 8:30am before opening, afternoon walk along Seine to Eiffel Tower

5/25 H - Giverny 8:00am train to Vernon, return to Paris 4pm, late hours at Musee D'Orsay 9:45pm, if we are up for it

5/26 F - Musee D'Orsay 9:00am before opening (if we didn't go night before), not sure about afternoon? Hotel des Invalides and Rodin? Conciergerie?

5/27 S - Bus, actually a minvan tour to Normandy 6:15am pick-up at our hotel return 6pm. Maybe visit Eiffel at night?

5/28 Sun - Montmarte? anything we haven't gotten to

5/29 M - travel to Loire Valley, staying in Amboise, walk around town and visit da Vinci museum

5/30 T - tour of Loire Valley, still deciding best way to accomplish this without a car

5/31 W - travel back to Paris in morning, check-in Hotel Vernet, Champs Elysees, Arc De Triomphe, late hours at Louvre until 9:45pm, if we want to go back

6/1 H - flight back to CVG 1:30pm


Thank you for your time, I truly appreciate any advice. Have a great week!

Gretchen

Too much leaving Paris. Do one day trip, if any at all. Take some time to just enjoy Paris. You're pretty regimented.

StCirq

Let's see...too much happening 5/23 and not enough happening 5/24....

Way too much traveling out of Paris, and no time scheduled just to soak it up. I agree, take one day trip, then relegate yourself to Paris and really explore...

RonZ

If you are going to travel to Amboise [which I would not recommend, given the lengh of your trip and with what is already planned], then consider ending your trip there. There is an 8am train [with one change] that gets to CDG at 10:50am.

If chateaux interest you, then visit Vaux-le-Vicomte, an easy daytrip from the city.

bardo1

Are you not interested in exploring St-Germain-des-Prés, the Marais, and Montparnasse? You could easily spend a day in each of these neighborhoods.

You need more time to explore the neighborhood around your hotel as well.

Expand 5/23 to fully explore Ile de la Cité & Ile St-Louis.

Oh yes, you might want to limit the day trips to one.

kpilling

Don't leave Paris - you will have plenty to keep you busy there. I would highly recommend taking the Paris walks tour. Look them up online. You just meet at the subway stop and pay 10.00 and your guide will guide you through the history of the Montemarte Village and tell you all about the artists that thrived there. It was a highlight - trust me!

Robespierre

I don't know what makes these people think that one small part of France is more worthy of visiting than others. I happen to think the contrasts are far more interesting than the sameness of being in a big city every day - no matter how diverse its neighborhoods may be.

Normandy is not only idyllic, but it's also the site of some of the most important events in history. You could even stop off at Vernon on the way and see Monet's gardens.

The châteaux of the Loire are breathtaking, and not at all like either Paris or Normandy. Just go out early and come back late the same day so you don't waste a lot of time packing and checking in and out.

It's your vacation - do what you want to and don't modify your itinerary based on anyone else's tastes.

<i>Pas de lieu Rh&ocirc;ne que nous.</i>

Gekko

In my personal, non-judgmental opinion, you need to relax your itinerary a bit. I too would cut out at least one of the trips out of Paris.

Like New York, Paris lends itself to walking &amp; exploration. Rue Mouffetard, for example, is a lot of fun, if you're not in a rush.

Of course, if this is your one and only visit to France, never to return, then a &quot;check the box&quot; trip might be required.

Good luck &amp; Enjoy!

Michel_Paris

In my opinion, too much traveling. You can easily fill your days in Paris. If you want a trip to a castle, consider a half day to Versailles. Do you want your trip to be rushed, or do you want it to be relaxing? Since you have booked your hotels, I guess you are committed to this plan. The Loire Valley is huge, not possible to see it all in one day. A train would be the easiest to go from town to town. Have a look at the Fodor's guide on this site.
I would head east/south east and visit Blois, Chenonceau and Chambord

dcd

I agree with Robes. With 9 nights, I think you'll have time for the side trips and cover what you want to see and do in Paris. The 2 of you appear to favor an active vacation and your itinerary is great for that. We just returned from 8 nights in Paris and took day trips to Versailles and Loire Valley and a half day to Giverny. In the end, we were very glad we did. That still left us lots of time to explore Paris. The fact is that there's always something that gets missed and that's what return trips are for.

Gretchen

Robespierre is talking about a leisurely trip to Normandy for &quot;stopping off&quot;. They are taking a tour to the beaches.
This their FIRST trip to Europe. Stay in Paris. Take ONE side trip--Normandy is a far piece and a tiring day, but that is fine. Just please don't do 3 day trips in 11 days, including transit days.
If it's Tuesday, it might be Paris but maybe not

Robespierre

A first-time visitor can't <i>possibly</i> expect to experience much of <u>any</u>thing in any depth in 8½ days. So I say: do a little sampling of different regions, different landscapes, different history.

Normandy and Giverny can be seen in a day to the same level of detail as doing the Louvre in a morning - not that there's anything wrong with that. The only slight alteration I might suggest would be the substitution of Fontainebleau for the Loire trip. The <i>Forfait Loisirs</i> sold by SNCF is a package that includes all ground transport plus entrance to the castle (closed Tuesday). The logistics of of a Loire trip are daunting.

Don't hurry. Stop and take the time to smell the roses.

cigalechanta

too programmed, take time to enjoy what may happen unexpectantly.

&quot;What good this life so full of care,
if we have no time to stop and stare.&quot;

EmilySD

Thank you all for your advice. I wasn't expecting the suggestions not to take the daytrips. I had looked into the idea of visiting Giverny, then heading to Amboise that afternoon, but we would have our luggage with us, so it didn't seem practical.

My husband and I decided months ago that he wanted to visit the D-Day beaches in Normandy and I wanted to visit the castles. And we are active vacationers. My husband will not want to shop, visit farmer's markets, flea markets or even stroll much. Maybe he will surprise me. He is very interested in history, especially military history. I appreciate art, particularly sculpture, although I haven't studied it. We do hope/plan to get back to Paris someday with our children, now 2 and 6. We would also like to visit Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, Ireland etc. It is very difficult for us to get away for 10 days at a time. Hopefully every 2 or 3 years we will have the opportunity to get back to Europe, somewhere.

I am going to look into some alternate plans and report back. I really do appreciate everyones time to read through my itinerary and give their thoughtful suggestions. You have all been there and we have not, so I will re-examine everything again.

Thank you again! Merci!

perth2europe

Have you considered getting the Museum Pass and lumping those sites together over 2-3 days. Even if it's not for the price, the time it saves you queueing is already worthwhile!

The Conciergerie and Sainte Chapelle are practically next to each other so visit them in the same day if you can.

Hotel Invalides - your husband would definitely like Napoleon's Tomb and the Military Museum if he enjoys history. They're all at the same area.

If you're okay with climbing steps, the Towers of Notre Dame is very worthwhile. Walk amongst the gargoyles and chimera. The view it offers is quite different to the one from the Eiffel Tower as it is in the heart of the city, and the self-guide leaflet is very easy to follow. But go early as they don't allow many people up there at once, and there is no priority entry for passholders so everyone needs to queue.

Take the Seine Cruise at sunset. Then get off and cross the road over to the Eiffel Tower. Make sure you stay to watch the lights twinkling for 10 minutes at the hour every hour. It's a magical sight!

We did a day trip to Chenonceaux, very easy to do by train as the train stops right between the chateau and the little town, 5 mins walk from each.

Enjoy!

annhig

Oh my - I'd already decided you were trying to do too much before I read that you've got a 6 and a 2 year old! I think that they will impose flexibility upon you - all that travelling will make you all miserable. You need to factor in sleep time [for the two year old] and running around time for the 6 year old. Also you will need time to find eating places to meet their tastes [unless you are blessed with kids who eat everything, and even so that may not apply on holiday]. I would plan one thing a day, with a fall back, and be prepared to change according to the weather.
I also agree about the trip to the Loire - it's just too much travelling for not enough time there. Versailles can be reached easily by train [RER] from Paris, and will give the kids plenty of chances for activity. Also consider how much time your kids are going to be able to tolerate in a museum - the whole morning in the Louvre looks too ambitious to me. Unless they are used to that sort of thing, you're ina for a hard time.
If you are up for a radical suggestion, could you swap the whole trip round, stay on the Loire, and do the odd day trip to Paris? THere are fast connections from Blois, and you could hire a car, giving you much more flexibility. Or you could split your time bewteen Normandy [staying in Rouen for example] and the Loire, and still fit in a couple of day trips to Paris. Most of the chateaux have gardens for running about, and you could leave the Paris stay until the kids are old enough to let you enjoy it!

Margo_Chester

I think your itinerary is doable, especially if you stay flexible; some days you might do less and someday more, you can adjust as you go. I prefer an itinerary that might be more ambitious and can be scaled back if needed instead of one that is too light and you find your self with an extra afternoon and you are wondering what museum is open, what tour is available or when the train leaves for such-and-such. A list of things with opening times, locations etc is nice to have to choose from when you have extra time, especially since your husband is not once to stroll or wander - and there is nothing wrong with that, everyone's travel style is different. No one knows your family, how much your kids will do in a day, and what types of things you all enjoy better than you do. Our first visit to Paris was just about 7 days (not including arrival/departure) and we took 2 day trips and still spent a lot of time exploring Paris. Did we see it all? No. That's why you go back. I like the idea that you have a day for &quot;things you didn't get to&quot;. Maybe make the Loire overnight into a day trip if you decide you don't have enough Paris time?

Gretchen

The children are not coming on this trip. This is an anniversary trip sans kids.
If you are still wedded to the Loire take a train to Tours and rent a car there.
Since the Normandy beaches are of great interest to your husband, do that too.
I would leave out Giverney then. Go to the Marmottan museum for MOnets--OR, now that the Orangerie is open again, DO NOT MISS it.
There is much in Paris just to be experienced.
If you decide to rent a car, try AutoEurope and do it in the US online. It will save much money.

EmilySD

Updated itinerary:

5/23 T - check-in hotel, lunch, Luxembourg Gardens, maybe Eiffel Tower

5/24 W - Louvre 8:30am, Hotel des Invalides, Musee Rodin, evening cruise?

5/25 H - Notre Dame, Conciergerie, Ste Chapelle

5/26 F - Musee D'Orsay 9:00am, Place de la Concorde and L'Orangerie

5/27 Sat - Tour of Normandy and D-Day beaches 6:15am pick-up

5/28 Sun - Montmartre, Sacre Couer, Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Musee des Arts et Metiers

5/29 Mon - Giverny, then travel on to Amboise, Da Vinci museum

5/30 T - tour chateux

5/31 W - travel back to Paris, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe

6/1 H - Flight home 1:30pm

How do the days look? Too full? Any recommnendations for dining in these areas would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you again for all your time and advice.

RonZ

What method of transportation are you using to get from Giverny to Amboise?