We went to Paris May 6-May 13.
I tried to organize this in sections so you can check out what may be helpful.
Scroll to the end for quick things I learned otherwise, they will be integrated in the itinerary.
THE LONG FLIGHT: We bought 300 Euros in advance before we left the U.S. We tried sleeping pills and tricking our bodies to get on European time but nothing really worked. We just can%26#39;t sleep on planes (economy ticket). Lesson learned....sleep as much as we can before boarding next time. We took several different snacks for our trip and the flights. The snacks all came in handy throughout the trip (saving money especially).
CDG AIRPORT: Easy getting around but a lot of walking. Finding the right train to take into Paris wasn%26#39;t too hard. We waited in a long line to buy the tickets. Notice that some kiosks for all transportation take either Euros/Smart Credit Cards (the European issued cc%26#39;s).
WHERE WE STAYED: We rented an apartment in the St Germain area. It was our first time to do this...a little scary to fork over deposits and the total payment before we even arrived but very well worth it. From here on out, I will always try to book an apartment.
THE APARTMENT: Built in the 18th century. It was on the 5th floor (had a lift, thank goodness) and it had a narrow balcony that extended the entire length of the apartment. We had 5 large windows that opened up and let light in. The apartment was nestled in a bustling area. For us, it was great. We could open the windows and hear the sounds of Paris below us, or close them and it was completely quiet. We had a huge bathroom (for European standards), fully functioning kitchen, living area with breakfast table and a washer/dryer. We had plenty of places to eat surrounding us; brasseries, creperies, gelato shops, great restaurants. We couldn%26#39;t have asked for a better location!! And to top it off, we had a metro stop and an RER station within a 3 minute walk from the apartment. Too easy!
RER %26amp; METRO: Now this one for us was the biggest ordeal. I read these forums so much before leaving and even took copies with us to help us out. But, I guess it was inevitable for us to still get twisted around a bit. I prefer the RER over the metro because it seemed a bit cleaner and MUCH less crowded. It became more and more crowded towards the afternoon and evening on all lines. We even got twisted around on the way back to CDG. Take a good map!!
TRAINS: We took trains to Versailles, Bayeaux, and Tours. The trains were very comfortable. We payed too much for our Tours tickets. Buy your tickets early for the trains and save money. We had unreserved tickets sometimes but it%26#39;s just a matter of finding a seat that doesn%26#39;t have a little card in the slot to show that it isn%26#39;t reserved. Most people tend to steal others seats anyway. You can simply ask them nicely to move or steal someone else%26#39;s seat. We did both.
THE PARISIANS: We found everyone to be very kind. We had no negative experiences with anyone we encountered (except for maybe the transportation people behind the glass windows selling RER/Metro/Train tickets). They were a little testy (probably because I kept verifying which train to get on). I took recommendations from this site on greetings. I encourage you to greet them appropriately with a friendly %26quot;Bonjour/Bonsoir Madame/Monsieur%26quot;. We used what little french as much as possible and mixed it with english. They didn%26#39;t seem to mind at all.
THE FOOD: Simply fantastic. We were careful to avoid spending too much on food though. We ate our fair share of crepes, gelato (yum!), paninis, etc. I%26#39;ll share more of food info throughout the itinerary.
OUR HECTIC ITINERARY:
DAY 1-Plane landed at 10:30am. Took the RER B into Paris to find our apartment. Got unpacked, took a quickie 1 hour nap (much needed) and hit the streets. For day 1, we visited mainly churches and parks; Jardin du Luxembourg, Palais de Luxembourg, Pantheon, Crypts of Pantheon, St Etienne du Mont, St Germain des Pres, St Sulpice, Rue Visconti, Rue Monsieur de Prince. (We wanted to stretch our legs and get fresh air). For dinner we made reservations at Le Christine (after reading good reports). The food was very good!! I would eat there again. About 34 Euros pp.
DAY 2- Boy this was a packed day. Woke up at 7am. Skipped breakfast (wasn%26#39;t very hungry). Visited the following: Notre Dame and Crypts, Conciergerie, St Chapelle, crossed the Pont Neuf, took the RER to the Eiffel Tower, ate lunch at Altitude 95. Notre Dame was so beautiful that we just stared at the exterior with our jaws wide open. The intricate structure was absolutely unbelievable. And I loved how the cathedrals we walked in all had a certain ancient scent. After a while, you could almost tell which cathedrals were older (St Severin especially). It was lovely! The Conciergerie...I could%26#39;ve done without. Wasn%26#39;t really impressed to see this. St Chapelle was an absolute treasure. We didn%26#39;t do a lot of research on it before and to walk up the steps to the main area was so impressive. We stayed in there for a long time just in awe.
Lunch was good. We ate chilled tomato soup for appetizer, excellent salmon with potatoes and my husband ate sirloin for entree, chocolate and pistachio dessert. We had a great view right by the window and best of all we never waited in line to get up the Eiffel Tower! I would recommend booking at Altitude 95 for the simple purpose of enjoying a great view, getting up their earlier and without lines, and to enjoy pretty good food.
After lunch, we visted the Invalides (Napoleon%26#39;s tomb was very interesting), Musee Rodin (highly recommend), and Musee D%26#39;Orsay (we flew through this museum and should%26#39;ve spent more time). Our feet were too tired to really appreciate it and take it all in. We used podcasts downloaded for guides for several museums (Louvre, Musee D%26#39;Orsay, Versailles, etc.)
Lastly, at 6pm, we met up with a tour guide and did a Segway tour. I read on this website that it was fun so we gave it a try. We had a blast!! This was money so well spent. It was about 70Euros pp. We toured the main sites and had so much fun. I would definetely do a Segway tour again and would highly recommend it to anyone going. We had people ranging from 15 yrs old to about 57yrs old. They all had fun!
DAY 3: Versailles Day!
We bought our Forfait Loisirs the 1st day we arrived in Paris. Took the RER to Versailles, and arrived about 10 minutes before it opened. The RER was a piece of cake and trip flew by. No wait at all in line. Grabbed our audio guides and off we went. Versailles was almost difficult to take in when inside the palace. The gardens were lovely. We were there on May 8th (which was considered a Holiday) but they schedule the Grandes Musicailes. Unfortunately for us, the Neptune show was cancelled due to mechanical difficulties but we absolutely loved visiting the other main fountains. Our feet were so tired by this point that we took the little train to drag us to Marie Antoinette%26#39;s place and Hamlet. Hamlet was an absolute treasure to come across. I adored this area and walking through the gardens. The Trianon, Petite Trianon, etc. was interesting but I was more impressed with Hamlet and the idea of why it was created. Very interesting! We then spent several hours walking the gardens and listening to the beatiful music. Versailles was so impressive that I don%26#39;t know why anyone would want to miss it on their visit. We ate lunch in the gardens and enjoyed some ice cream.
DAY 4: Finally caught up on some sleep and slept in till 10am. We visited the Les Catacombs (about a 35 minute wait). I wouldn%26#39;t recommend going to the catacombs unless you really desire to see it. We weren%26#39;t very impressed with this. We rushed on through. Not to sound tacky but once you%26#39;ve seen about 10,000 bones, it all starts looking the same. I would save the money and use it elsewhere.
We decided we had to see Normandy so we booked our tour guide and picked up our tickets. Then it was off to the Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, and the Louvre (it was open late that night). We didn%26#39;t go up the Arc de Triomphe mainly because of the crowds. I decided that we don%26#39;t have to go up every tower we see. The Louvre was so much more impressive than I envisioned. What an amazing structure and museums. I can%26#39;t see enough about it! We toured the state apartments too (which from what I hear, most people don%26#39;t do). I would recommend seeing them. Beautiful and amazing!
This evening we took a River Seine cruise with Vendettes du Pont Neuf. Got a discount coupon online and took it with us. This was a relaxing cruise. And it was lovely to see the Eiffel Tower glittering at 10pm at night in all its glory!
DAY 5: Normandy day
Took the train to Bayeaux and oh my goodness what a cute town this is! We would love to have visited more towns like this. We visted the huge cathedral, ate a panini and frites then met up with our tour guide. The whole time we planned the trip my husband wanted to do Normandy and I didn%26#39;t. I am so glad we went. This was an incredible day and a pleasure to learn so much about our history. I%26#39;m a visual learner and it just brought everything to life. We visited the German and American cemetaries, Pont du Hoc, Omaha Beach, and the museum. Highly recommend going! There was such a calmness and peacefulness.
DAY 6:
Visited Sacre Couer. Prepare yourself when you go. You will need good shoes! We counted the steps that day (approximately 1500). Our thighs were on fire. Sacre Couer had an amazing view of Paris. We didn%26#39;t care for the Montmartre area much. We were hoping to find art but could only seem to find very amateur artist. (A bit disappointing after visiting Rome last year...the art was much better).
At a typical French lunch (or what we thought of as typical). French onion soup, escargots, duck, roasted chicken, profiteroles and creme brulee for dessert. Lunch was excellent and a great price (15Euros pp).
After lunch we headed to Notre Dame towers. Oh this was well worth it to be so close the gargoyles. We took about 40 pictures and they are so beautiful! Again, the structure is phenomenol.
The rest of the day we just walked the streets and took in this beautiful city. Tonight, we ate some of the wonderful Amorino gelato. Oh my gosh was that yummy! It reminded us of the gelator in Italy. We opted for Amorino over Berthillion and was not disappointed at all!
DAY 7: LOIRE VALLEY
Took the train to Tours, grabbed lunch at (yes, I hate to say it...but McDonalds). I know, I know, I didn%26#39;t want to do it but it was a Holiday and most of the town was closed. We did find a sandwich shop and bought sandwiches but the chicken looked uncooked and it made me nervous. We decided chicken nuggets would be sufficient. We took the Ligeris tours for the Loire Valley. We visited Chenonceaux, Amboise, and Close Luce.
Overall, our vacation was a dream! I am so pleased that we mixed up the attractions and sites in Paris with our sidetrips to Versailles, Loire Valley and Normandy. It was an excellent balance to our trip. We adored Paris and our sidetrips. I don%26#39;t think we realized how much we loved it until we got home. I was almost in tears looking at our pictures. The next day I even went and bought croissants and nutella. We have decided to redecorate our master bedroom in a more Parisian style and hurry up and return to Paris as quickly as possible.
What we learned:
Download some podcasts and take with you rather than buying audio guides. (We did buy a Museum Pass but only a 2 day-that%26#39;s what worked best with our itinerary).
Save money by selecting a few key places you want to eat then just enjoy yummy paninis and sandwiches in the parks. Take snacks with you: protein bars, nuts, etc.
Renting an apartment is the way to go. We still asked directions from time to time so don%26#39;t feel like you have to depend on a front desk of a hotel for help.
Good shoes are adament needed as well as hand sanitizer (it will come in very handy in the Metro/RER stations).
Organize your itinerary appropriately so you don%26#39;t zigzag across the city.
Don%26#39;t worry about being on a diet in Paris-the food is too good and you walk almost everywhere---so they should cancel each other out...right? :-)
Buy a Forfait Loisirs pass for Versailles. All the work and organizing is done for you. It%26#39;s too simple to pass up.
Use the Museum Pass to your advantage as best as possible.
Take a few sidetrips if you can. We still left sidetrips open for us in the future. Want to visit Chartres, Fontainebleu, Giverny, etc. (Will save that for next time).
Be courteous and politely greet the Parisians. Walk fast out of the Metro/RER areas and get out of the way when necessary.
BEST OF ALL!! We didn%26#39;t have a single drop of rain one time over our entire trip! I couldn%26#39;t believe it. We brought umbrellas, and parkas and were fully prepared. We had the most beautiful weather and were so grateful!
I hope you enjoyed reading this rather lengthy trip report. Friends and family have asked us what our favorite part of the trip was and we can%26#39;t even pick just one. All of our trip was excellent for a variety of reasons. Each place we visited and experienced was a treasure of some sort. Paris is the most beautiful city I%26#39;ve ever visited and it lived up to all my expectations and more! I left part of my heart in Paris and I hope everyone who has an opportunity to go will feel the same.
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Great trip report! Thanks!
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trader08, good stuff here. I%26#39;m with you on the catacombs. I%26#39;m glad you visited the gargoyles at Notre Dame. I%26#39;m apartment hunting myself. Would you mind sharing your apartment with me? Feel free to PM me. Thanks again!
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The apartment we rented was from the company %26quot;My Apartment in Paris%26quot; (think it%26#39;s www.myapartmentinparis.com). We stayed off of 1 Rue Hautefeuille in the 6th district. You should be able to see pictures of it on their website.
Hope this helps! I could%26#39;t honestly tell you if we got a great deal on the apartment. At the end of the day, I just wanted something clean, bright and very airy with a balcony. A lot of apartments I saw online were very dark and didn%26#39;t look welcoming at all. Even the employees of the company who rented it said this was such a nice apartment because of it%26#39;s large windows that opened up and it was so bright.
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What a great trip report. I am amazed at how much you saw during your visit. That shows smart planning.
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Hi Trader, thanks for your post! We leave in less than 3 weeks and I%26#39;m nervous that I don%26#39;t have everything together! Where did you buy this pass for Versailles? we will be doing that on our first full day in Paris. I%26#39;m very excited to see St. Chappelle!!
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Wow! Thanks for posting your report and the extra tips. Sounds like you had an amazing trip.
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Thanks for your lovely report. As a lone woman, who doesn%26#39;t speak French and going for the first time to Paris TOMORROW (!!) it is a cross between being really excited and a little scared.
Unfortunately, I only have Tues to Friday there and Versailles will be my main adventure, the rest of what little time I have, will be spent around the very centre of Paris. I am very seriously thinking of doing a bike tour (3.1/2 hours, saves the feet but not so sure about your rear :-). They are supposed to be very leisurely with expert tour guides.
Wish me luck!!
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Thanks for your lovely report. As a lone woman, who doesn%26#39;t speak French and going for the first time to Paris TOMORROW (!!) it is a cross between being really excited and a little scared.
Unfortunately, I only have Tues to Friday there and Versailles will be my main adventure, the rest of what little time I have, will be spent around the very centre of Paris. I am very seriously thinking of doing a bike tour (3.1/2 hours, saves the feet but not so sure about your rear :-). They are supposed to be very leisurely with expert tour guides.
Wish me luck!!
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I, too, would like to know about the apartment -- sounds wonderful! However, www.myapartmentinparis.com doesn%26#39;t come up with a website for a company with that name. However, I know I%26#39;ve heard of that one. Can you recheck for us, please?
Thanks!
joy/luvparee
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I apologize for the confusion. Their website is www.my-apartment-in-paris.com. When you look on their website, we stayed in the 1 bedroom with the number T06291. Click on the number and you%26#39;ll see pictures. It says it%26#39;s in the Latin Quarter but if you map it, it%26#39;s on the border of the St Germain area. (Right near Metro/RER stations and a 5 min. walk to Notre Dame).
It isn%26#39;t overly fancy because we were still trying to save money. But, we loved how sunny and bright it was.
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