First time visitor to France with Adult Children

Start with a quick survey and/or your knowledge about what the interests are that your adult children have. Make sure everyone on the trip gets some of their top interests addressed in your planning. What do they think is important for this trip? For example, my daughter-in-law loves flea markets. I could go my whole life without visiting one. When we are traveling together we always schedule in flea market or thrift store time. Everyone in the travel party deserves to have a favorite activity included!

I don’t know if budget matters, but Paris is expensive. I would definitely split my time between Paris and Normandy. Some days in Paris and then train to Bayeux. From here day trip operators provide tours of D day sites as well as day tours to Mont St-Michel. You could rely on public transport/day tours.

Try a Rick Steves travel guid? Always worked for us early on in Europe. Assuming you may pay for your entire family…..ask them to do research. You have a busy schedule even with most tentative plans. Two weeks in France will go by in a flash.

On to Paris in a few days ourselves...we will do a train day trip to Normandy...early train, arrange guide & transportation to meet us in Caen & take a late train back to Paris. We are going with our adult kids & grandkids...they can sleep on the train.
We are also spending a full day at Versailles & half a day at Giverny.

Thought about linking the Normandy trip to a day trip visit to Bayeux & Mont-Saint-Michel, but the bucket list of Paris wouldn't allow the time.
Spend the rest of the time getting lost in Paris museums, churchs, towers, parks, eatting & Harry's.
Enjoy

WE took our adult kids to Paris when they were in their 20s -- rented an apartment in the Marais (it was slightly less tourist ridden then) and our son brought his girlfriend. For us the key to a good family trip is the chance to spend quality time one on one (we didn't all live in the same city). So on many days we split up in pairs or threes and everyone got to do the things they most wanted to do -- sometimes all 5 of us were together and almost always for dinner -- we did Christmas dinner in the apartment. THe shops are full of wonderful treats -- main course was a boned duck stuffed with pate prepared for the oven by the butcher and the dessert looked like an architect had designed it.

Paris is a great city for indoor activities if weather is bad and glorious outdoors when it is bright. If folks are into music -- the Opera is wonderful -- we just saw Rusulka last night at the Bastille house which is our favorite house. The Philharmonie building is itself a destination and you can catch a variety of types of concerts in their main hall. Last time we did that it was Beethoven's 9th.

If you arrange you week in Paris to run mostly Mon-Sun everyone can get Navigo Decouverte weekly passes and zip around the ile de France for that one 30 or so Euro pass. I'd do Normandy first and rent a car and finish in Paris so you are there for the trip home and don't waste your last day getting back to Paris for the flight. Re Chateaux. There is Vincennes in Paris -- an old fashioned castle with keep and rampart. An easy train ride with your weekly pass is Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte while a bit more complicated to reach -- probably train and cab, is fabulous. (there are also Rambouillet, Sceaux, Ecouen and Malmaison nearby and in Paris the gorgeous old Hotel de la Marine.

Thanks for all the helpful information. Anybody have suggestions on apartment rentals in Paris?

Can't help with apartment rental but I would suggest giving yourself two days to explore Versaille. One for inside and another for the gardens and Trianon. It will take that long. There are many hotels in the versaille area which are much cheaper than central Paris and 5-10 min away from the palace. A lot of people do a day trip from Paris but it involves a lot of early morning logistics and long train rides back and forth, busses, etc. So my suggestion is to make a stop there for a couple of days.

Certainly Versailles is worth two days but perhaps not with only a week or less for Paris. It doesn't involve complicated transport with trains and buses. The RER C takes you right there -- a short stroll to the palace. And back. If it is a season when fountains are running time your trip to a fountain day. I would not bother with the Trianon on a short trip -- the gardens if fountains are going and the palace are enough -- if time certainly the Hameau and Trianon are interesting additions. You could also boat on the canal. plenty of dining options just outside the base of the gardens.

When are you going? How many in your party?
I have stayed in this 3BR/3BA house and LOVED it:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3192775?adults=6&children=0&infants=0&pets=0&wishlist_item_id=11005215571393&source_impression_id=p3_1778773799_P3zSHDk2vJR89mY0&previous_page_section_name=1000
It has fairly limited availability because it's the hosts' actual home. When we were there (over Xmas), they stayed a couple of nights at their nearby business before heading out to the countryside for the holiday. If you don't see your dates on the availability calendar, I would send them a request to book, as they might be able to accommodate you.

A trip to Mont St. Michel is one that you and your family will always remember. We made the trek last summer from Paris all via train and bus via Rennes so it's very doable. We stayed overnight but I understand some folks have done it as a long day trip. Either way it will be well worth the time and effort.

In 1988, my boyfriend's parents rented an apartment in London for a week and an apartment in Paris for a week, and took their 3 young adult sons; 1 wife, and invited one girlfriend (lucky me! they must have seen a bright future!) By the time we actually went, I was a fiancee! One of the generous things about the trip was them extending plenty of free time to us. We weren't all joined at the hip each and everyday all day; but always met up at the end of the day for a meal. So we had plenty that we saw and did together, but I've always appreciated that every single minute we weren't expected to do the same thing. Sometimes we'd break up into a smaller group based on interest; sometimes all of us; sometimes just my fiancee and I.

Nearly 40 years later my husband and I apply that same philosophy with our young adult children and their significant others and it's always a marvelous time!

Enjoy your memory making trip! It will be fantastic!

Thanks for the wonderful responses - these were very helpful. Now just trying to figure out the insane airfares and travel insurance. Sigh.