klieghj

My husband and I love Paris and consider visiting Versailles as one of the big highlights of our trip, we toured the interior our first two trips but for us it really is the grounds that are so extensive and captivating, we easily spend the entire day exploring and then wish we had a few more days to spend just in this one area. We always go late September and I can't imagine that you and your husband wouldn't enjoy it in October. Additionally, as many have said before me, you can easily catch a train and be there in a relatively short time, no costly tour needed.

Good luck with dinner

greg

Monet paintings are in Orsay, Orangerie, and Marmottan. Of the three, Marmottan is most intimate. Marmottan Monet collection is the largest and that is where you find Monet's Sunrise. http://www.marmottan.com/english/col...aude-monet.asp. Orangerie is where you find his large water lilies paintings as well as large bus tour groups.

mamcalice

Be careful about "picking restaurants where you are at the time." It is hard to seat 10 people - and unlikely tht good restaurants will have seating for 10. So you'll end up eating bad food since good food will attract crowds. If you can give us approximate budget for food, we can suggest a few good places to eat and you can have your hotel make a couple of reservations.

Judy_Rosa

Versailles is definitely ON my list to visit. The remainder of our time in Paris we will try to see as much as we can without taking away from the essence of being in Paris itself.

I might go to Marmottan instead of Orangerie, thank you for the great tip!

Thanks again all!

AlessandraZoe

I thought one person's suggestion--to leave Versailles to your last day, Friday--made sense. You all might be determined to do it by then OR just say, "Hey, let's do this another time. Let's do _____ instead." Or perhaps by that time, 3 of you will want to go and the others will want to do something else.

If you want to eat dinner other than at Leon's or McDonalds, get booking on those reservations. For ten people, roll up your shirtsleeves and get to it. Quickly. Even at a bakery, your ten people could swallow the place

Monet: what Greg said. I'd put L'Orangerie first, though. You aren't visiting Giverny so l'Orangerie will act as your simulated visit. And it's location is easy.

Nearby Musee d'Orsay is where you want to be if you like any of other Impressionists (Van Gogh, Renoir, etc) and it has some good Monets too.

Musee Marmatton is further out. So while it has value from a Monet perspective, from a touring perspective, it may not make your "hit" list for this trip.

Gretchen

If your group doesn't know Paris, if you don't hire a guide, it is going to be a fiasco, in my opinion. Sorry to say it. When we took our family I had already been to Paris at least 12 times and I wouldn't have been able to do it for them--let alone be the "captain". That's why we hired Michael and he showed us things I had never seen or known. Told everyone they (all of whom had been at least once) they could come along or do what they wanted. And we did split up some, but the 2 days we had MIchael (mind you, we had 7) everyone hung on.
You really must make dinner plans unless you want to eat at a chain restaurant. Fine--doesn't seem much like Paris to me where the food is REALLY part of the trip.
what age are these people?

PalenQ

Get the Paris Museum Pass which just a few major museum entries can pay for and you all may want to go at separate times to many more museums you ordinarily would not pay for

It also gives you priority entry to Louvre, Orsay and especaill at Versailles where skipping oft long ticket lines is a definite plus.

The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Champs-Elysees, Notre-Dame Cathedral - those are the top individual sights IN Paris IMO.

nytraveler

There is no reason all the members of your group need to do the same thing.

I would vote for staying in Paris all 4 days.

The ones that want to go to Versailles can. those who want to go to Giverny (I think not great out of season) can.

I don't know of any way of seeing both in one day and actually seeing much (those tours tend to rush you around and you will miss a lot of Versailles).

And you need to take weather into consideration. Neither will be much fun in the rain - so if you are going, pick your first nice sunny day.

ssander

I, too, feel that with only 4 days, I would skip Versailles and Giverny. You can, in fact, do either in about 4-5 hours (including transport), but it might feel rushed...especially Giverny, which requires transport to the train, transport on the train, and transport on the bus from the train.

Versailles is somewhat easier -- just RER -- but there is about a ten minute walk and usually a significant wait to get it...probably over an hour each way.

With only four days, I'd recommend spending as little time on transport as possible. Find a central location near the river, and plan each day to visit clusters on the map.
SS

Judy_Rosa

We're planning Versailles for our last day -- and since we're not booking a tour, we can easily go or not go depending on what we've been able to see and do up until that point.

Gretchen -- who is Michael and how do I contact him? Is a guide really necessary?

Restaurants -- I don't know where to book, and I agree that the food experience is special in Paris. After having read the dozens of restaurants threads on this site, I am more than overwhelmed as to what decisions to make. I am going to ask our concierge to reserve for us at Florimond upon our arrival but other than that I am at a loss regarding where to eat.

Given the short space of time we will have in Paris, I might stick to just L'Orangerie as first intended as I don't want to venture to far away from the places on my list.

I don't know if anyone read my other post (London visit), but based on everyone's suggestions there, our group is splitting up so that we can all see the things that are most important to each of us. We will, in all probability, do the same in Paris.

Pete and I want to wander through Paris....someone calls this being 'accidental tourists', which I find very appealing.

Planning this trip has been very stressful for me -- 10 people, 10 opinions -- as you can imagine, so I'm looking forward to 'de-stressing' in Paris.

I recall from my last visit many years ago that the nicest thing about Paris was not doing much of anything, just relaxing, people watching, strolling along the Seine. My bucket list is extensive but I will be OK with the things I get to see and save what I don't get to see for my next trip.

Good plan? Bad plan?

Grassshopper

Remember, if you get a museum card you can skip long lines. Plan wisely for where you go which days because you buy the card for a number of consecutive days. The card is worth it just to skip the lines at Versailles, the Louvre and the Orsay.

From my perspective, Versailles is so much more than the chateau itself. You can wander the gardens, see the fountains, take the little tram or a horse drawn coach to Petit Versailles and see the grounds.

You can book restaurants on thefork.com. I found it really useful on a recent trip because it also lists menus and prices.

Judy_Rosa

Thank you -- will check out that site.

I didn't know the museum card could also be used at Versailles. Sigh....looks like I need to start researching this....again!

I am very much looking forward to Versailles, whether or not Pete and I go on our own or with the entire group.

I'm not too concerned about the things I'll not get to see...I believe the entire Paris experience will be amazing and if I start worrying about the things I'll miss I won't truly appreciate the things I will get to see and do.

Gretchen

"Planning this trip has been very stressful for me -- 10 people, 10 opinions -- as you can imagine, so I'm looking forward to 'de-stressing' in Paris"

Ummmm, yes. Hence my post about hiring a guide like Michael--especially Michael (Michael Osman). He is VERY reasonable, he can show you the highlights or the hidden gems, maximize your tour of the city or any museum since he is also an artist--and an excellent "teacher". Very engaging.
HOW are you going to plan for these 10 people and what they want to do--herding cats, unless your family is very different from any other!! LOL Of course a guide isn't "necessary". It's a choice of making your trip memorable or at least covering the bases, since your last trip seems to be a while ago. A real honest to goodness guide is really a great "destresser", since YOU are not in charge--that is exactly the reason I hired Michael, although I was perfectly capable of making up a tour for our family. I didn't want to be "in charge".
When we go we spend a LOT of time just being your "accidental tourist" type of thing. That's fine for you. What about the other 8 people that you seem to be responsible to or for.
Just a note--The fountains are not on all the time, and October may be a bit off season for the gardens. The Pass is only good for parts of the Palace, if I recall correctly--certainly plenty to see however.
Your group will come close to filling Florimond--ours took one whole side. I made the reservations far ahead.

Gretchen

A restaurant our group really enjoyed and was very reasonable was Au Piano Muet on rue Mouffetard.

PalenQ

Versailles is somewhat easier -- just RER -- but there is about a ten minute walk and usually a significant wait to get it...probably over an hour each way.>

Well with a Paris Museum Card in hand you just skip those long lines.

And yes grasshopper makes a great point - Versailles is much more than the famous palace - the gardens - the big pool behind them and Marie Antoinette's Hameau where she allegedly played peasant girl - thatched cottages she at times stayed in I guess.

And the city of Versailles itself is a sweet regional town. Drop into the Versailles Tourist Office just opposite the RER C station and pick up a walking tour map of the old part of Versailles just north of the palace area - where you find stately old squares and edifices that were only homes to ambassadors to the Court of King Louis were quartered - plaques tell about Benjamin Franklin's quarters, etc.

Judy_Rosa

I just emailed Michael Osman -- thank you for the suggestion.

I absolutely DO NOT want to be the person in charge -- it's my vacation too, after all!

Pete and I will chart our own course, and if the rest of the group wants to join us, all the better. We're trying not to put any pressure on any one person. My quest by asking so many questions on this forum is to try to form a good plan based on what I want to see and do given the few number of day I am in Paris.

Is it NOT a good idea to ask our hotel concierge to arrange dinner reservations for us?

StCirq

<<Is it NOT a good idea to ask our hotel concierge to arrange dinner reservations for us?>>

Are all 10 of you planning to dine together every night? If so, even though I have never used, and never would use, a concierge in Paris to make dinner reservations, I might under those circumstances. But actually, if you do want to eat together, I'd just get online and on the phone right this minute and make them yourself. Paris has thousands of restaurants and, depending on the type of place that appeals to you and how popular it is and what time of year it is, it can make sense to make reservations. You can also always, always, just roam around and find good food (but not with 10 people).

Judy_Rosa

That is very true. Will start researching restaurants.....sigh!

StCirq

Let someone else do some of the work, Judy! It's not rocket science these days for anyone who has a computer!

Gretchen

Yes, what are the rest of these people doing. If they are old enough to be going on this trip, they could do some research also. We had friends who went to France in June with young children, and each family researched and suggested things to do.
Yes, a conscierge can make the reservations, BUT I would suggest that YOU have the restaurant picked out, with the address and phone number and you ask them to call for the reservation. BUT your time is so short, by the time you get there, you might need back up plans for a given busy night.
The one night when the "concierge" at our hotel wanted to help DH make a special dinner for MY birthday (I had the week planned) she wanted us to go to Procope. I could have suggested a lot of other places, but didn't want to hurt feelings. It IS one of the "premier" restaurants in Paris and it was a night of total and complete catastrophe from start to finish.