Itinerary advice for first time France Trip

I would visit Versailles as a day trip from Paris. That is what we did and it worked out fine. Saves time so you aren't packing/unpacking and checking in and out of hotels.

What else are you planning on doing in Versailles? I see you have 3 nights there which seems too many to me. I would take those 3 nights and add it to Paris for a total of 7 nights. We spent 7 nights in Paris and still did not see everything. But we saw a lot at a leisurely pace, and had time for wandering through neighborhoods and sitting at cafes. There are tons of wonderful museums in Paris. The D'Orsay is my favorite, but we also enjoyed the Louvre, the Rodin, the L'Orangerie, and the Cluny. Had a guided tour of the Paris Opera house, visited the jardins du Luxembourg and the jardins du Tuileries. We didn't buy tickets for the Eiffel Tower but we had a picnic supper on the lawn and watched the lights come on. Had an evening boat tour on the Seine. Visited Notre Dame which of course you can't do now.

But my point is that you can easily spend 7 nights (or more) in Paris!

I have the same question- what is it you intend to do in Versailles area? It’s an easy day trip from Paris, in fact many places are.

Otherwise, this looks like a lovely itinerary! Well paced, not too quick.

Thank you both for your replies! I like your questions. As far as Versailles, and all of our trip actually, we like to take our time. Plan ~ 1 main thing per day, and then let the day unfold, with what ever catches our eye, or our hearts. We like the unplanned small moments and surprises that comes with travels!

I agree you’re short-changing Paris and take the RER train from Paris to Versailles for the day. You want to do more than see the sights in Paris i.e., experience being there. You want to drink coffee at cafés where Hemmingway and his contemporaries sat, watch the elders play boules in the park, pickup food at markets and find a park bench to enjoy a simple meal and people watch. Treat yourselves! If you spend a week in Paris there’s no need to go back.

On a first time trip to France, over what appears to be 17 nights, 4 nights in Paris is not nearly enough. You need at least a week there, just for Paris, and you really do not need to overnight much less spend multiple nights in Versailles or Chartres - make those day trips from Paris.

I agree, Versailles and Chartres should each be a day trip from Paris so you're not changing hotels more than necessary. A full day trip will give you time to see the best of each place. You say you want to take a leisurely pace and "let the day unfold, with what ever catches our eye, or our hearts." That's a great approach, and there are a lot more things to unfold, catch your eye, and catch your hearts in Paris than anywhere else. Focus your attention there.

Your Normandy plan seems fine. I don't know Brittany well but that also looks good. Return the car to Caen or somewhere else convenient, and spend the night before your homeward flight in Paris, or, if it's in the morning, right at CDG. Have fun planning and taking this trip, your first but hopefully not your last to France.

hey hey maryanddon
you got lots of options from the posters here.
don't know where you are traveling from, USA or Canada but if you are renting a car make sure you obtain an IDP. look at AAA/CAA for info about it. if you don't have it many car rentals will decline you from renting. (international driving permit)
aloha

Dick said it perfectly. Paris is the perfect place to let things unfold and see what catches your eye. Your plan of seeing one place/museum/site a day and then letting the rest of the day unfold is a wonderful way to travel, and Paris is the perfect place to do this.

Thank you all so much. Your replies are really helpful! We are adjusting our plans, just as many suggested.

Hi Mary & Don,

I would do your itinerary in reverse. Fly to CDG and immediately take the train to Chartres. It’s a nice relaxing atmosphere to get over jet lag, and you can enjoy the beautiful light show at night on the outside of the cathedral and other buildings lit up around the center of the town.

Since you’re in the general area, if you could leave off your car in Rouen (take a train back to Paris afterwards), you could see some of the Joan of Arc and have lunch there. There’s also a very interesting Metalwork Museum, Musée Le Secq des Tournelles.

If you save Paris for the end of your trip, you will be handy to catch your flight and still enjoy your last evening.

I haven’t stayed overnight at Versailles. I just did it as a day trip, and it’s an easy RER train ride from Paris.

The closest I have stayed to Brittany is Caen, Le Mans & Angers, so I can’t help you with suggestions there.

I've been to Paris 3 times (2003, 2014, 2015), the first and third time solo. Planning a week driving trip from a timeshare near Disneyland at the end of March (Chartes, Reims, Rouen, chateaux, a day or two in Paris). Day trips from Paris are easy. If you don't want to hassle with train schedules, book a mini-van or bus trip, with admission tickets included; some smaller group trips will pick you up and return to your hotel. I walked everywhere, using the Paris Museum Pass to jam in museums over 2 or more days. Booked a few Paris Walks tours. Need time to just soak up the atmosphere, gorge on pastries, crepes, etc. Check out evening concerts at some churches (St. Germain des Pres, for example), enjoy the on the hour light show at the Tour d'Eiffel and street scene.

The thing about Paris is that it can be expensive - so a week there could add up. There are some areas like the 10th and 18th which are somewhat inexpensive.

I don't agree with just hanging out there. There are some major tourist sites which you "must" see. But there are many other more subtle attractions - and to see those you need a plan and some research.

Versailles is definitely just a half day side trip. If you like that kind of thing, you can drive to Loire valley for other major league chateaus. There might be some tour bus too.

If you want a more serious day trip, you can be in Strasbourg, Lyon, Dijon, or Avignon in 2 - 2.5 hours too. Thats less time than it took to drive from Paris to the D-day beaches.

D-day beaches are not all that exciting. The big US cemetery is up on a hill and you're a bit far from the beach. There are various sites which kinda require a car to get to them. We had some French friends driving us around, and spent a day hitting about 4 places in a day and back to Paris the same evening. I think the most interesting was wandering around some destroyed German gun emplacements and seeing Pont du Hoc.

If you have a car go over to Mont St Michelle or the lovely towns of Rennes or Cannes.