My wife and I are making our first trip to Paris in September. We are the type that like to see the sights but don't spend a lot of time looking at any one thing....we breeze through museums rather fast. We are empty nesters in our 40's.

I am curious in the following general itinerary seems feasible. We are flying business class from Dallas Texas on Friday overnight arriving in Paris Saturday evening and should be well rested.

Sunday-Wander aimlessly and get acquainted with the city, Eiffel Tower in the evening
Monday-Notre Dame and river cruise
Tuesday-Disneyland
Wednesday-early train to London to tour Buckingham and the eye...stay overnight
Thursday-train to Brussels in morning ....spend some time in Brussels and then back to Paris
Friday-fly home.

I understand we won't come close to seeing and doing the many things possible but I am just wondering if this itinerary is too much.

Thanks

You need more activities on Monday; what you have planned won't take 1/2 day.
I know I might be on shaky ground, but -- I would NEVER waste a day in Paris to go to Disneyland. With only 3 full days, I would make much better use of the day.

Why, oh why would you go to Disney ?? What a waste of time. Also your trips to London and Brussels are wastes of time. Get a good guidebook and spend your very few days in Paris. There is plenty to see.

Do you expect to sleep on the plane over? First trip to Paris - but have you flown to Europe before? After twelve overseas trips, I never feel "well rested" when I take the red eye flights - but I can't sleep at all on a plane. Some people can. I'm usually exhausted my first day or two getting over jet lag.

I wouldn't waste my time at Disneyland in Paris unless I had kids with me, personally, when there is soooo much more to see. I'd day trip up to a town like Rouen or Versailles instead.

I would day trip to Brussels one day, if you think it's worth the long day of trains up there (Brussels is nice and definitely worth a stop but not necessarily worth it for a long day trip in my opinion. Bruges might be.) Then train to London for the last few days and fly home from there.

You have almost no time in Paris - I can't imagine wasting time at Disneyland!

Spending some time on the Seine is a fine idea, but know what you want. We just wanted to be on the river - no commentary, no food, so found the batobus perfect for our purposes. If you want commentary, there are other boats. I don't recommend the dinner cruises.

Also, think carefully about what you want to do/see/experience on this trip. with less than a week, I'd spend all my time in Paris. Save Brussels and London for another trip.

Your itinerary doesn't add up. If you are flying overnight direct from Texas, you will arrive mid-morning if not earlier and so will have most of the afternoon and then the evening Saturday in Paris. Better make use of it since the majority of your time isn't going to be in Paris at all. And if you really must spend half a day getting to London, why use another half-day returning to Paris when you could easily fly home from London ("multi-city destination" search)? I politely urge a full re-think here.

Agree you are giving Paris very short shrift. Disney IMHO is a total waste unless you have small kids - its nothing like DisneyWorld with few attractions for adults.

I would bag Brussels and add the day to London and fly home from there rather than wasting time returning to Paris.

Would be able to give better advice on what to see/do in Paris (and you will have much time on Sat to at least get oriented).

I already have the plane tickets and bought based on price after a lot of looking. We fly out of Dallas at 10pm and have a little layover in London before arriving in Paris 5pm then fly directly back from Paris Friday. We did fly to Dublin from Phoenix AZ last year in coach seats and did ok.

We will definitely ditch the Disneyland. To be honest I am not that excited about London but my wife really wants to see Buckingham palace....my thinking was if we were going to go there that I could get Brussels in on the way back.

I have also thought about changing plans to be able to go to Bayeux/caen and see some of the D-day memorials. I would entertain ditching London all together for another time. Is Bruges worth the trip?

I open to suggested itineraries...

Thanks

If you have to go back and forth to London from Paris, then yes, I would certainly ditch it on this trip. I did that (in reverse) on my first trip over there and it worked out OK but I had a few more days than you have.

Bruges is wonderful. Worth it? Maybe or maybe not with such a short time in Paris and the long train ride back and forth. On the other hand, it is pretty small (especially compared with London) so easy to navigate on a day trip, really. You can check into the trains (try www.bahn.com for schedules not just for German trains but for most of Europe) and see if there's a direct train from Paris in the morning and what the travel times are. You can always decide on the fly after you get over there, depending on how you are feeling. Train tickets may cost a little more at the last minute, though.

If you want to see the D-Day stuff (I loved it - I'm a history buff), you'll probably need to do a one day guided whirlwind tour from Paris unless you want to try to rent a car and do it yourself. Not really possible to do by public transit at least with the time you have. I had three nights there. People do do the day trips and enjoy it, I guess, but it would be too fast for me.

Definitely ditch Disneyland!

I'm probably one of the few ppl on the board who really liked Brussels but I wouldn't give up time in Paris to sit on a train to Brussels.

You only have a short time and Paris is a large and wonderful city. There is so much to do, even if it's just goofing off a little. But if wandering in a beautiful city isn't to your taste. Take Andrew's advice and take a D-Day tour. We went to Normandy last month and the Normandy Beach and cemetery was one of the most moving places I've been.

There are many places to go on day trips: Versailles is a short train ride out of the city.
Fontainbleau (not to my taste but many people love it)
Chartes is an interesting day trip from Paris also.
Giverny.

If you give Paris a chance, you may not want to set foot out of it for the short time you have in one of the world's most exciting cities.

If you really don't feel that Paris will entertain you for five days, rent a car for 2-3 days and go to Normandy. There's so much to see but I'd save it for another trip because it's hard not to fall in love with Paris.

What type of things are you most interested in? That would be a good place to start.

I have absolutely no intention of sounding rude, but your itinerary smacks of being let loose in the candy store, and not knowing which way to turn!

You are young enough to be thinking that this won't be your one and only trip to Europe, so why not take the 'thumb print' approach rather than buzzing willy-nilly from here to there?

Paris is far more than I ever thought it could be - after 3 separate trips there, I still have so much more to discover. It's a foreign culture, and it takes time for someone from far flung places to really get into; I think you'd go home far more satisfied (and rested) by taking the time to enjoy all the culture, food and sights. Di

Why bother to even go with the itinerary you have. You could probably dial in a webcam for Paris and London.

Brussels and Disneyland--in a 5 day on the ground trip--really?
Your plane "connections" allow you to spend an entire 24 hours getting to Paris when it takes us about 7 (plus 2-3 huor lead time to board to leave).
Since this is your first trip, go ahead and do it as you have it and see how enjoyable it is for the money spent (but that apparently is not a problem) in order to make plans for your next one. An assumption on my part. It could make you hating to travel to Europe so much you'll never go again.

I don't want to beat a dead horse but for sure, spend your 5 days in Paris. There is an incredible amount to see and do. We just spent two weeks there (my 9th trip) and still have lots to do next time.

London and Brussels are not worth leaving Paris for such a short time. Disney is never worth leaving Paris for. London deserves at least a week and Buckingham Palace might not even make my list of things to see in a week.

If you simply must do something else, Normandy is a lovely place to visit. The countryside is pleasant and the WWII sites, very moving. Baueux is a delightful small town.

Do some research on Paris. Get a really good guidebook, use this forum and come back for suggestions. Have fun planning.

Can't you use your layover in London to visit Buckingham ?
From there you should take Eurostar to Paris.
This way you can combine London and Paris.
Even better if you fly back from Paris.

Definitely ditch Bruges, there are some who find it is a must for US tourists, but you'd spend a lot of time seeing something nice but Paris is so nice, that you would take from Paul to give to Pierre...

Ignore all snarky remarks, and yes, if you are a 'country ticker' and want to embrace all and see next to nothing, well, it is your trip !

Enjoy

Ahem, it's not Bruges. It's Brussels (which personally I found a little more exciting than Bruges but understandably most ppl don't.)

If you wife wants to see Buckingham Palace, tickets to tour the State Rooms should be bought in advance. Here is the link for buying tickets. http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/vi...lan-your-visit

Buckingham Palace tour tickets are mailed to your home. I have tickets for the very last day, September 27th, and am looking forward to it.

I agree with all other posters, you are giving Paris way too little time. Sainte Chapelle, near Notre Dame, is just one of the many stunning sights in Paris that you are leaving out. Montmartre, especially the western part, is very charming. The Paris Walks 12 euro tour of Montmartre is highly recommended.

There are a hundred ways to make a 5 day trip workable and enjoyable, educational (not sure this is a priority), memorable, delicious, stimulating, etc. And probably even include Buckingham Palace. It just seems so short sighted to jump hither thither and yon.
Come back next year an do 5 days in London.

"If you simply must do something else", yes, Normandy or 100 other possibilities--or just SEE Paris.

Let's get specific about your first two days.

If you arrive at CDG, assume an hour to get out of the airport and 45 minutes to get to your hotel. Fifteen minutes to check in and wash.

It is now 7PM. Grab a bite to eat in a cafe. It is now 8 PM.

Depending on where your hotel is, make your way to the Pont Neuf to take a river cruise. Take a river cruise on the Vedettes. It will be getting dark, and the evening cruise is magical. The lights will come on in the Eiffel for the first ten minutes in every hour. It is magical to see, much more magical than the Tower up close. Crash.

Monday -- Left Bank including Ile de la Cité, Notre Dame, Cluny Museum, Luxembourg Gardens, Latin Quarter, Ste Chapelle, St Germain. If the weather is lousy, go to the Musee d'Orsay instead of the Luxembourg Gardens.

Tuesday -- Right Bank and Marais including Place Vendome, Tuileries Garden, Rue de Rivoli, Palais Royal, Louvre, metro line 1 to St Paul, Place des Vosges (enter through the secret door), Rue des Francs Bourgeois for trendy shopping, Rue du Temple and narrow streets off it. Back to hotel to soak feet and crash.

Pariswat that may be a good idea to just not get back on the plane from London to Paris. We could spend Saturday afternoon and Sunday day in London and then head to Paris for the entirety or the rest of the trip.

I appreciate everyone's input, and I am even amazed that some folks know my financial situation lol.

I was going to try the webcam idea but I need to make a new post on if I should look at webcams in Paris, London, or Brussels because I am not sure I have time for all.

"Pariswat that may be a good idea to just not get back on the plane from London to Paris."

NOT a good idea. If you skip a leg on a RT ticket, the rest of the ticket will be cancelled!! Since you have already bought the ticket, I am guessing all 3 flights are on one itin. Do not skip the flight from London to Paris or you won't have a flight home.