Which would you rather have more of: weekdays or weekends?
 

I'm trying to decide on the dates for a trip to France in May. We plan to be there for 10 nights, so we could either arrive on a Friday and leave the second Monday (for example, May 12-22, giving me two weekends and 6 weekdays), or arrive Monday and leave on the second Thursday (May 8-18, giving us one weekend and 8 weekdays).

Given that stores and museums (at least in Paris; not sure about more rural areas) are often closed on Sundays and/or Mondays, which would you pick and why? If it matters, we plan to do more sightseeing (historical places, museums, gardens, etc.) than shopping.

ttt

I would plan on more weekdays as most all stores and alot of restaurants are closed on Sunday. Not a good day to be in rural areas..............I always plan to be in Paris on Sunday as the museums are opened and the city is much more relaxed

Also, check on the May bank holiday schedules - there are several in May in which stores and such close.

I try to maximize the number of weekend days in my trips, because that means I have to take fewer vacation days.

Sundays and Mondays are a pain in the a** in Paris. You never know what will be open or closed. Sundays can be a fun strolling day and the Marias has a lot of shops and stores open and is usually packed with people. As far as restaurants go, you never know. If I have my way i would arrive and/or depart on Sunday. The airports and traffic are easier to deal with and you can use the dael to recover from your flight.

The number of vacation days are not a factor--in this case, it's a difference of 8 vs. 9 (because if I come back on Monday, I'd take Tuesday off also to recuperate), so not a big deal.

I was thinking of doing the "more weekdays" option and coming into Paris on Sunday or Monday, meaning it would basically be a travel day. I'm thinking now that might be the best approach...

There just so many darn decisions to make! :-)