Itinerary help for split time in Paris/ Brugge/the Netherlands/Paris trip.

Have you been to Paris before?

This is your trip so your choices would be different from mine!

What is attracting you to Utrecht? Where to you plan to explore from there?

Personally I would spend at least 2 nights at the end in Paris which just gives you one full day. This also will give you some flex in your schedule in case of travel delays or strikes. I’d probably vote for all your nights at the beginning to be in Paris although I have NOT been to Disney Paris so don’t know if there is a huge advantage to being there overnight.

Not sure what the attraction of Paris Disney is or how it compares in expense to the City of Paris. There is so much to see in Paris itself. But at minimum I would take one day away from Utrecht - stay 3 nights in Paris - which is 2 full days. I know people love or hate the Louvre but we always go. The Orangerie Museum or the Rodin are also amazing but smaller.

I think it's good that you are budgeting so much time for the Netherlands. The Netherlands outside Amsterdam usually gets short shrift and there is a lot to see. If you really want to understand the country, look beyond Amsterdam. Two nights in Bruges is just fine although leaves no time for any of the other cities in Belgium, but of course that is a lovely excuse to come back.

Your one night in Paris at the end could be at the airport. We once stayed at the Novotel at CDG and caught the RER in to see the last things on the last day, then returned to the hotel ready for the next morning, which was also a morning start. It worked very well, and the Novotel was quite nice and not overly expensive. Unless of course you have your heart set on a night in the city at the end, in which case I will let someone else advise you.

Lavandula

Many years ago I started a trip this way- and it was great! Using Disney as jet lag burn off time worked wonderfully and we had a ball adjusting. Just be ready for some (famously) embarrassingly bad food there.

As for the end, I’d either add a second night or just relax at a hotel near or at cdg the night before you’re headed home. We did this after a lengthy trip and fast paced touring the few days prior to heading home. I think either way will work depending on your interests and stamina for touring.

On the assumption that Disney and 8 nts in Utretcht are musts, consider:

• 2 nts Disney
• 2 nts Bruges
• 8 nts Utretcht
• 4/5 nts Paris

There are trains from Disneyland to Brussels. Why break up your Paris stay?

Have you been to Bruges before? Consider taking 1 nt from Utretcht and adding to Bruges. This would allow you to do a day trip to Ghent.

With a 1 pm departure, I would not spend the last night at the airport.

I like Jean M’s suggestions above.

My husband and I have done several trips, one just this past May, where we started and ended in Paris. The flow of starting at Disney and saving the rest of your days in Paris proper for the end as one block of time/one hotel stay should maximize your time in the city.

We like Utrecht as a base in the Netherlands. It’s interesting in its own right and has great train connections. We used it as a base Spring ‘25 to visit Amsterdam, Zwolle and Bosch. We’re using it again in December for 5 nights to visit Amsterdam, Otterlo, Delft and Nijmegen.

Thank you everyone for your replies, they have given us some additional things to think of. Although I like the idea of doing all of our Paris days at the end I am not sure it would work. The reason we are splitting our stay is we want to be in the Netherlands once Keukenhof Gardens open on March 18 . From what I have read, opening day and weekends are very busy at the gardens so hopefully we can avoid those days. If we leave Paris to the end of our trip we would only have March 19 to visit Keukenhhof as we fly home on March 25. I don't want to rely on only having one day to visit in case one of us is ill that day, trains aren't runing etc.
We chose to base ourselves in Utrecht as we want to visit several areas in the country. Amsterdam two days, Nijmegen, The Canadian War cementery in Groesbeek, Arnhem, the gardens, Leiden, Het National Park... We found a lovely vacation rental with no stairs at a great price. We will cut our time in the Netherlands by one day and spend two nights in Paris before we return home.
The current plan
day 1 and 2- Disneyland ( stay near the park)- thanks Mary57 for confirming that is a good choice
days 3, 4, 5 - Paris- not my first visit but my husband's first visit
day 6- depart for Brugge in the afternoon
day 7- Brugge
day 8- Ghent then to Utrecht
days 9 to 14 - Utrecht with day trips- thanks JenS. we also think it will be a good base for exploring the Netherlands
days 15 and 16- Paris
day 17- home

Denise, ah OK, with the Keukenhof timing priority your proposed itinerary makes sense.

Back to your original question about where to stay on your return to Paris. I like the idea of switching over to the Right Bank for a change of pace and scenery. Some would recommend staying near an RER B line station for an easy return trip to the airport. Or choose a neighborhood for the vibe. I look at neighborhoods rather than arrondisements and always double check for a close metro (or bus) stop and at least one good bakery within a block of my hotel. Do you want to just soak in some more atmosphere for your last days, hit a flea market, shop or get to a site you missed at the start?
You mentioned no stairs at your rental in Utrecht - do you have mobility concerns?

Jen S. Thanks for the reply. If you have any hotel recommendations on the Right Bank, please send them my way. Good idea about looking for a hotel close to an RER B line. We will probably wander the last two days, go to any places we missed the first days. I will need to do a bit more research on places in the Right Bank. I have been to the Louvre, my husband is not interested in going. We are not shoppers so we will not be shopping although we will bring some small things back for our children and grandchildren. We do not have mobility concerns but many of the vacation rentals have narrow, windy stairs with a bedroom , no washroom, located on the upper floor. I don't want to fall down the stairs using the washroom in the middle of the night.

you been to the Opera Garnier? Well worth a look!

My sentiments exactly about stairs in the middle of the night.

In Paris, do you want bustling people watching or quiet residential?

We liked the Hotel Jeanne d’Arc, on rue de Jarente in the Marais, not far from Place de Vosges. It’s on a quiet-ish street, behind Place Sainte-Catherine, a little cobblestone park-like pocket. Close to, but not in the middle of the action. Good transit connections at St Paul Metro Station (1) or a few blocks further, the Bastille Metro station (1,5 & 8). No stairs to the washroom. ; ) Close by, I really like wandering the quieter streets of the Quartier (Village) St Paul neighborhood which is still part of the 4th arrondissement between rue St Antoine and the river.

There are lots of Marais fans here who can give additional hotel recommendations. If you can share your nightly budget in Euros you’ll get your best suggestions?

JenS. thank your for the hotel suggestion. Our nightly budget is around 200 to 250 euros per night which sadly converts to between $325 and $400 per night Canadian. i have been looking for online recommendations and reviews and for our dates and a two night stay Hotel Jeanne D' Arc is 548 euros, Hotel Adele and Jules is 597 euros and Hotel Filigrame is 634 euros for a balcony room and breakfast. I certainly welcome further Right Bank hotel suggestions.

denise, take a look at Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais . I have not stayed there, but it is about a 10 minute walk to Chatelet if you're planning to take the RER B to the airport and 5 minutes to the Saint Paul Metro Station. Rooms can be small, so pay attention to sizes if booking. Several posters on the forum have stayed there.

Hotel de Neuve by Happy Culture, on rue Neuve Saint-Pierre, might be in your range. I’d recommend it with one small caveat: the breakfast was … awkward.

Breakfast is served in the small lobby, on coffee tables, with wobbly poof cushions and low slung settees for seating. Some would call it intimate and quirky. But, the seating arrangement just wasn’t comfortable for me. Here’s the extra caveat - there was one guest room right off the lobby and I felt so sorry for anyone trying to sleep in that room with the clatter and chatter from breakfast.

Otherwise, for the price, in that area it was a good value. The location is great, on a super-quiet side street one block off rue Saint Antoine on the Quartier Saint Paul side of the 4th arrondisement. The Parisian shabby chic room was clean and small, but comfortable enough. Our room faced SE and we had lovely sunrises.

If you booked there I would just make sure to ask for a room above the ground floor and maybe skip the “breakfast included” offer if the lobby set up doesn’t sound like your cup of tea. There are several cafes and bakeries for breakfast out on rue Saint Antoine.

Please let me know if you have more questions about this hotel.