Help with planning indecisiveness

Normandy is really nice - but what time of year? It could be pretty miserable weather if you go in the late fall or winter - not sure. I was there in a September that was pretty nice. The D-Day stuff is very worth seeing, though, and it's easy to drive there, I thought.

If you want to visit Amsterdam, I'd take the train - don't drive. It will be a lot easier. You won't want a car in Amsterdam unless you plan to explore countryside outside of the city, but the train system is fantastic, and it's easy to get from Amsterdam to various towns by train.

Either option - Normandy or Amsterdam - is worthwhile. In fact, I saw both on one trip. I'd perhaps want to be in Amsterdam if you are talking about poor weather and short winter days (not sure when you are going), because at least there is something to do in the city in the evenings. If it gets dark by 6PM in Normandy, it might not be as much fun.

How many full days in total will you have to yourself? I'm guessing 5-6? I would not try to do two major cities in such a short time frame. If you've never been to Paris, then why not spend all your time there? You'll have the option of taking short day trips via train using Paris as your base. I would ditch the whole car idea altogether.

Thanks for the reply. Yes, it will be nearly 2 full days before meetings and then 3 full days after. Appreciate the input!

How about moving to a hotel inside Paris, and explore that city? You won't be disappointed. The weather can be blustery but a great advantage will be the lack of tourist throngs at that time. That's what I would do.

With only two full days before meetings and 3 full days after, and with the meeting place being only an hour from Paris, my inclination would be to spend all of the extra time in Paris. If you go very far afield you'll wind up spending too much time just getting from place to place.

You may be trying to do too much when there is already a lot to see and do in Paris so stay there;
and believe that you can go to Europe again without it being a business trip.
Renting car and driving unfamiliar is too much.

I vote : Stay in Paris.

At the end of November this website shows the days are short and the sun sets at 4:30.

You haven't seen Paris and it has so much to offer.

I wonder if you mean you arrive on Friday or leave on Friday? Generally flights from the US arrive the next day. That would give you part of Saturday while jet-lagged and then Sunday when you most likely need to move to the conference hotel. Then on the other end, Sunday is lost with getting to the airport.

That's less than one day before the meeting and three days after. Barely enough time for Paris.

On the other hand, I love Amsterdam and you could catch a fast train and be there late Wednesday or by noon Thursday.

Enjoy the planning and the trip!

As Beth suggests, you could give yourself more time in Paris at the end but still give yourself a taste of Amsterdam maybe for just one night. Amsterdam is much easier to handle for a short visit vs. Paris, I think. You could wander around the canals and get a feel for it in half a day, maybe take in a museum and still not be overwhelmed, whereas it would be hard to do that in Paris. If you like Amsterdam, visit again someday to see more.

Personally I would stay in Paris. If you really want to go somewhere else, then I would vote for flying into Amsterdam first, train to Paris and home from Paris. You just don't have that much time. Beside I think it would be nice to de-tune from your meeting with three relaxing days in Paris.

You have never been to Paris, and you have 3 full days there. Do not plan on any trips away. There are 6-8 full days of things to do in Paris.

Eiffel Tower and environs, Louvre, other museums, restaurants (my favorite, Le Piet au Cochon), Les Invalides, churches (Notre Dame de Paris, Cathedral Sainte-Chapelle, Sacre Coer). Grave of Jim Morrison. Tulleries, palaces.

Day trip to Versailles
Day trip to Cathedral Notre Dame du Chartres

Find a way to get a business lunch at Le Tour d'Argent

Depending on your age (my guess is that you are youngish), you will be back. Don't do much traveling. It's a waste of time to change bases. Go to Paris, and spend your time there. Even better if you have a sig other who can join you!!

I would also stay in Paris. We were there last late November. Days are very short. In Normandy your day will be done about 5 with not much to do after dark. Days are short in Paris too, but its great after dark too. Also if the weather isn't great you have many more choices in Paris indoors. My 2nd would be fly to Amsterdam for the 1st couple days then train to Paris for business and stay in Paris after.

If it's November, my guess is that you're interested in the Normandy beaches for the D-Day landing sights, and not for hanging out on the sand or playing in the waves. A couple of thoughts:

The wonderful Mont Saint Michel, which can be choked with tourists in the summer, will be a lot less crowded in November, and would probably be very evocative in the fall. It's a bit farther west along the coast than the D-Day landing places.

We had 2 days and a rental car to explore the D-Day sights in July 2008. We based ourselves in Bayeux, home of the famous tapestry.

If you scrapped Normandy altogether but wanted a break from Paris, how about Chateaux country and the Loire valley to the southeast, or Champagne country and wineries to the east?

You can't miss spending that time in Paris. You'll save much time traveling and spend the little time you have seeing one of the worlds great cities. We've been numerous times and always try to find a way to spend more time there when we travel to Europe. It never gets old. Get Ricks' book and start planning. Save the other parts of France for when you will have more time.

Thank you all for the input/advice! So many great suggestions and I'm completely blown away as a first time poster to this forum.
Booked my flights and decided to stay in France the whole time at least. Still thinking through if I want to do anything outside of Paris (aside from work!).
Excellent food for thought with all the replies to help me decide.

Where exactly is the meeting? That will color the advice. If it's in or near a place that's interesting in itself, you may want to stay there for 1-2 days before going to Paris. If it's in an industrial office park, you'll want to head right into Paris after the meeting is over.

5 days is a pretty good stay in Paris. If you have a big interest in D-day beaches, you could substitute two days going toward Caen and Bayeux. I don't think you have enough time to do more than that. Personally, I'd take the two day period and spend it going to Normandy, then keep the three day period for Paris. One thing that would help is deciding what you want to see. I normally look at websites (such as the Paris Museum Pass site and individual museum sites, Tripadvisor, etc. ) to decide what sights I most want to visit. After that I try to fit them into a workable schedule.

In general, one good sight in the morning and another in the afternoon, with lunch between is a pretty workable day. I find I can do a little more in Paris because many sights are a short walk from each other (and there are things to do in the evening). As an example, with a museum pass, it's not too much to spend 2 hours at a sight in the morning and 2 hours at one in the afternoon, add a couple small museums that are covered by the pass - and still have time for lunch. In the evening, you can visit Arc de Triomphe and take a Seine cruise or visit a museum that has late hours that day.

Lunch time is pretty normal and getting a sandwich on the go from a bakery, charcuterie, or small grocery store and taking it to a nearby park is a pretty standard lunch for Parisiens (though a sit down lunch at a cafe might be nicer). You will see people eating, drinking (or smoking) while walking, it's better form (more polite/correct?) to find a place to sit to eat your lunch. Dinner is about 7 to 9 pm all over France; places that serve earlier are catering to tourists.