8.5 day trip tp Paris itinenary
 

Please help! We are travelling to Paris mid July for 8.5 days (leaving on the 9th day) 2 adults, 2 kids, ages 13 (boy) and 10 (girl) We are currently thinking of spending 3.5 days in Paris and then travelling by train to either Royan or Marseille for 3 days of beaches and then back to Paris for 2 days before flying out on the 9th day. We wanted to be able to see Versaille and hopefully Normandy's D-Day beaches as well. My questions are:
1. Which would be the better beach to visit?
2. Should we try and do Normandy as well or just stick with Paris and a beach area?

It seems like there is so much to see and do and I'm overwhelmed wit trying to plan a grea trip.
Any advice on any areas we should see would be appreciated

If I were you, I'd spend the entire time in Paris along with a trip to Versailles. It would take quite a bit of time to go to Normandy and even more time to go to the south of France. If you went to all three, you'd be spending pretty much all of your time traveling back and forth.

I'd also repost this in the Europe forum.

You should re-post this on the Europe forum.

I see you are new to this sight. It's a great place to get good info. You have posted in the US forum.

Click on the "Change Forum Button above.

You can also just do a search of this site and a "search the forums" button for a ton of info. Just type in Paris maybe Paris Beaches

I too suggest you stay in Paris and avail yourselves of the Paris Plage, the river made into a beach in the summer with 2012 apparently the 100th anniversary of the tradition (bottom of this page):
http://www.tilsitt.com/events.php

<i>the river made into a beach in the summer with 2012 apparently the 100th anniversary of the tradition</i>

Less than a hundred years, more than 100 days, as it was created in July 2002.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57623434012210

Thank you all so much!!! I will re-post in the Europe forum and look into your suggestions. Happy travelling :)

Hey L,

I agree with Shanti,
>If I were you, I'd spend the entire time in Paris along with a trip to Versailles. <

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

I suggest that you stay in Paris for 6 days and travel to the Normandy beaches to see the WWII sights for the other 2 days. With the short time you have, traveling south to the beaches is a bit impractical.

Go directly to Normandy from CDG and then return to Paris for the remainder of your time. Your family might be more comfortable in an apartment than a hotel.

thanks everyone but....I've heard Provence is so beautiful! is it not possible to catch the fast train for a few days in Marseille as well as time in Paris?

Well, of course it's possible, but you've planned a very, very short trip. And Marseilles, though not without its own charms, isn't exactly the Provence most people dream of.It's a big, bustling, somewhat disorganized city. If you wanted to visit the beautiful Provence you've heard about, Marseilles would not likely be your destination, but rather Avignon and the Bouche-du-Rhône or Lubéron. It's true you can get there on the TGV in under 3 hours, but you'd want at least 3-4 days there to appreciate it, and there goes half your trip!

I would either add a week to your trip or stick to Paris with a couple of days in Normandy and a day trip to Versailles or Auvers-sur-Oise or Chantilly and Senlis or elsewhere.

It's possible. But I don't think it would be a good use of time. Also, (I'm hoping that someone who has been to Marseilles will post here since I've only been to the Nice area), but from what I've heard it wouldn't be the most worthwhile use of time for a first trip to France. There are areas near Marseilles that are very nice but it would take even more time to get to and from them.

Michael wrote, regarding Paris Plage, "Less than a hundred years, more than 100 days, as it was created in July 2002".

I lived in Paris in 1966 and it was going then so maybe you're right about it's current incarnation but I was inclined to believe the website as a witness to it 45 years ago. Maybe others here can settle the matter for us.

Your alternate French city, Royan, is even more time consuming to get to than Marseilles, since the TGV only goes to Bordeaux. You don't say where you are coming from but, if the journey to get to Paris is a long one, most of your trip will be spent in travel, not vacation.

I'd veto the Marseille trip if the idea is to experience Provence because you won't.

Paris Plage is a gimmick and is NOT a beach. It is sand trucked into Paris and laid along the Seine, like a sandbox for children.

From Wikipedia:

French city-dwellers traditionally escape to the seaside or the countryside during the summer, especially in August. Paris is avoided, as the weather is unpleasantly hot and humid, and the centre is full of tourists. Nevertheless, each summer many residents are obliged to remain in the city, however reluctantly. The Paris-Plages scheme was instigated in 2002 by Bertrand Delanoë, the newly-elected Socialist Party mayor, as a haven for relieving the misery of those cooped up in the sweltering city.

Well Michael, again, in it's "current incarnation" but there has been a version of it for many decades. I was not a plage goer but my best friend made full use of it and obviously enjoyed it very much. I'm not dreaming.

People were sunning themselves on the banks of the Seine for decades; but not under palm trees and with sand under them. Then in the late sixties the authorities changed the right bank into a road. I believe that part of the intent of Paris Plage was to take back the river bank from car traffic.

I also agree spend the entire time in Paris. Last year I invited 3 neices all age 13 and 1 nephew age 14 to spend 8 days with me in Paris. Other than a 1 day trip to Versaille we spent the entire time in Paris. The kids were never bored, we all had a fabulous time. There is so much to see and enjoy in Paris that when it was time for the kids to return to the USA they were really sad.They all agreed it was the best vacation they ever had.

errr - don't they have beaches in Normandy too? yep, that's right, you're going to visit them, and in July too!

I would suggest trying to combine your D Day beach visit with some more conventional activities aimed at the children, ideally at the beginning or end of your trip so as not to break up your time in Paris.

I'd agree that you need to pick at most 2 locations. It could be Paris/Normanday or Paris/Aix or perhaps Nice.

With high speed trains you can visit these locations in a time efficient manner. You could also consider flying home from the South, if that is where you end up.

With jet lag, that first day may also be a wash.

Thankyou all! I think we have decided to stay the entire time in Paris with a day trip to Versailles. I feel much better about having a home base without the added stress of moving hotels. We won't be able to enjoy the Plage as we leave on the 20th.

tdk320n: Could you tell me some of the things you enjoyed with your nieces? I have two awesome kids but I don't think I can drag them around museums for 8 days!

great idea leavin'. Having a firm base always made our family holidays more successful.

Can I also suggest that you start looking at apartments for your stay? we have stayed in apartments in various places when travelling with our kids, and without exception, they have made our stays cheaper and more pleasant.

A fine plan.

Couple of kid friendly ideas:

http://citysegwaytours.com/paris
People here have done the Paris one with good reviews

http://fattirebiketours.com/paris
Good reviews for both Paris and Versailles tours.


Looks like you will be there for Bastille Day, which should be fun.

The kids might like the Catacombs. A ride on the Seine, maybe at night when the monuments are lit up??? Climbing the towers at Notre Dame and the bell tower at Sacre Coeur might also be enjoyable and give some great views of Paris. Also, maybe a cruise on Canal St Martin might be good for them.

Very wise to stick with Paris. There is plenty to do there.

Maybe make a game of finding the best macaron or pain au chocolat in Paris, if they are into food, at all.

My art-oriented friend takes her grandchildren to museums, but only after she has shown them a postcard or an internet photo of a certain painting in the museum they are going to. Then they make a game of finding that painting. The girls are about your childrens' ages.

I also thought the Promenade Plantee was great, and I'll bet kids would like it. It's like New York's High-Line, a completely different view of Paris.

Also the view from the Montparnasse Tower is staggering, and there are small drawings all around that show famous buildings, and we saw kids enjoying picking them out. It's a very safe place, with tall plexiglas screens (I dislike heights a lot!)

Lots of the parks have specific areas for kids. Others have written about them on this forum. I'm sure there will be lots for them to enjoy.

I am so thankful for all your wonderful suggestions! I've been a little under the weather (hence my late reply) but it helps tremendously to have some input. I will research all of them. Thanks again!