Paris 1st Timer...HELP!

Versailles or Giverny would work ok as day trips, but for the others, you’d really want to stay overnight (or more nights).

You don’t say how much time you have but more important…..you are not going to be able to see and do everything unless your time is endless. Maybe take a look at some of RS’s France tours to get a feel for the itineraries and how he’s grouped places. For instance, his 7 day Paris city tour (realistically 5 1/2 days) has one half day trip to Versailles.

How long is your trip? We did a 10 day trip with 6 nights in Paris and 2 nights in Normandy using a train and tours which was great. But we can help more if you tell us how long you have. Also Rocks book has great suggested iternaries

How much time are you thinking of taking?

My feeling is one week = just Paris + Versailles. After that, you could do Paris and add on one more "hub" or rent a car and do a mini-loop adding other places of interest. We've been to France many times - with and without a car, and solely to Paris and skipping Paris altogether. It really comes down to time and interests.

I'm in the "visit Paris often" camp, but some of my fondest memories in France are from spots all around the country. So, I think a first-timer can't miss with a full week in Paris adventure, but you also can't miss if you have true interest in the highlights found across the country. We've always enjoyed being down on the Mediterranean and up in the Alps, but places like Colmar, Strasbourg, the Loire chateaus, and other special spots are equally worthy of your time and energy exploring.

Trying to think back on our first trip to France in the 90s, and I think we roamed a bunch in a rented car before wrapping up with a few days in Paris. That set the hook for our desire to return many times since, and I don't think you can really mess up with either approach - "only" Paris or Paris plus. You'll simply have a great reason to return either way.

Sorry - I should have mentioned we're aiming for 10 days.

Thank you Margie and Dianejay - looking at itineraries is a great jumping off point! And I trust RS.

Tom R: I am trying to get into more of a "Visit Paris Often" mindset so I don't overload us. I think that's a great motto! Originally I was hoping to do Paris and a few days in the South of France (Arles), but then thought with trying to get back to Paris to fly out it might be something to save for a separate trip. A week in Provence perhaps!

I really appreciate the help!

PeanutLaroux,
Just fyi, September is very expensive to be in Paris because it is fashion month and there are many conventions in town. That makes for a more difficult time finding lodging and with much higher prices. Don't be shocked by hotel prices that month. If you think it is possible, opt for early October, at least for the Paris part, and visit other areas first.

As the others have asked, how long do you have? Are you open to renting a car for the not-in-Paris part? And I concur...Mont St Michel, Normandy, Colmar, even the champagne region are not really day trips. They are just too far, especially the first two, and you would spend most of the day in transit for them. If you have two weeks, you could spend one week in Paris and one week in perhaps two places outside Paris (e.g. Loire Valley, 3 nights and Colmar/Strasbourg 3 or 4 nights). Reims (for champagne) could be a full day day trip from Paris. Versailles, yes a full day. Giverny a half or 3/4 day from Paris. Chartres, half day also. I will add however, that Chartres could be an overnighter, and Reims as well. There are lots of options depending on your wishes and wants and dreams of France, and the duration of your trip.

You didn't mention the Loire Valley, but for a first time visit I would include that. Iconic castles, beautiful rivers, wine tasting and some down time as well to absorb being in France. I also include Alsace (Colmar area) because it has the German influence and will be a nice contrast to your Paris experience. Plus, the food there is great!

What fun you will have! France is a wonderful place to spend as much time as you can. Have fun planning!

Our posts crossed. I see you have ten days. Are you including arrival and departure days in that 10, or is it 10 full days (11 nights on the ground) with arrival being day 1 and departure day being day 12? If the latter, you do have ten days to see France, if the former, you have eight days. I would count nights to facilitate planning
Day 1 arrive Go directly to Alsace (Colmar) Sleep Colmar (or Loire Valley area)
Days2-4 Explore and enjoy Alsace area Sleep Colmar (or Loire Valley area) Day 5 is moving to Paris in the morning and having the afternoon in Paris
Days5-11 Paris with 2 full day trips (to Versailles and Reims) and 2 half day trips (Chartres and Giverny) Sleep Paris...this gives you 3 half days in Paris (arrival day, Chartres day, Giverny day), and 3 full days in Paris
Day 12 Return home.
As you can see, I have only allocated one trip outside Paris (either Loire Valley or Alsace) but that is because I would want to maximize my time in Paris. That's just me because I love Paris. You may feel differently (and plenty of people do) and everyone has their own priorities, all of which are good.

If your 10 days is total trip time, you would have to pare down plans.

Judy this is making so much more sense to me now. I noticed that there seemed to be a lack of accommodations, although to be fair I've mainly been focused on St. Germain/Latin Quarter. And yes! They were much more expensive that I had anticipated! Fashion Week...yikes. We are stuck with that vacation week since my husband is locked in a year a head of time for vacation time.

Loire Valley was on my list! So is Charleville-Mezieres as I'm a longtime fan of Arthur Rimbaud. Again...too much to do. I'm not against renting a car, but would prefer train travel since my husband's stress levels seem to shoot through the roof when driving in unfamiliar places.

Thank you - I can't believe I didn't piece together the timing of Fashion Week.

Yes, 10 days total. So 8 days to explore and 2 days traveling.

Do this; pick your top 3 things you have to see/do. Then plan around those. Versailles is a day trip from Paris. Nothing else you mentioned is. Normandy, assuming you mean further west than Rouen, is hours away. Colmar is also, and in the opposite direction. Normandy is a whole region, about the size of of Vermont. You're not going to see that in a week, let alone a day. Colmar is smaller than Flint, MI; and it's best at Christmas. Mont St Michel is a day trip from Bayeux, and a long day too. The Champagne trail can be driven in half a day, but not if you plan to stop, and in SEP you're going to be behind dozens of tractors as the bring in the harvest. It can be a slow drive.

Which brings me to another thing; have you looked at what goes on in SEP? Normandy will be harvesting apples, and crushing them. The wine regions along the Champagne and Mosel routes, and all the others too, will be in their crush. It's a great time for the harvest fests, and you should seriously consider those. It may not be the best time to be in Paris, but it's really a good time to be in a lot of other places in France.

Obviously, you should start with Rick's book to see what he thinks you should see, since he's been going there since the Battle of Hastings. His book and other guidebooks have suggested itineraries of various numbers of days.

Also watch Youtube videos to actually see these destinations.

Look at some tour sites to see their itineraries (Globus, etc.) and also look at Rick's tours. They well know what people want to see, how long to spend there, etc.

If you're still overwhelmed, find a travel agent. No crime in hiring someone to help you plan a vacation.

My husband drove to Loire Valley-it was not stressful at all. The stressful part was finding the garage to return the car in Paris. but it might be easier if you return the car at the airport. For context, he tries to avoid driving in the UK. I preferred Chenenceux to Versailles. We went in late afternoon and it was very peaceful.

Daughter (25) and I (57) just returned from 8 full days (+ 2 travel days) in Paris. It was very last minute - having to change dates due to daughter's work schedule, but we made it work and had a wonderful time.

It was my first trip to Paris and our 3rd trip to Europe since 2022. Before our first trip to Europe, I somewhat thought it was decadent to go to Europe with the thought that I would return; however, I have easily adopted that mindset and it has made our travels more enjoyable. If we miss something, we just write it down for the next trip.

So, my suggestions based on limited experience…You and your husband should make a reasonable list of places. Then look at the schedules for said places—unexpected things like the aforementioned fashion week, holidays, reduced hours, etc. may alter the list.

We love European trains and have been very comfortable using them since our first trip, which was in Italy. IF, you and your husband think you would be comfortable with them check out the Man in Seat 61 website for some great info on using trains. We live on the northern gulf coast and public transport/trains are NOT part of our typical transit plans, but again we found European trains and the public transportation system in Europe easy and comfortable to use. See if the trains and then taxis/ public transportation are options for some of the things you want to do. I will say that Paris to Versailles via public transportation was super easy! Although the train back to Paris near Versailles closing time was VERY crowded.

We stayed in Rue Cler at the Hotel Cler and were quite happy. The room was not spacious but very comfortable - the bed was great! Daughter stayed at Hotel Muguet last year and was quite happy—she should have been, they gave her an upgrade to an Eiffel Tower view😃. I would also suggest looking at booking.com, even if you do not reserve via their platform, as their reviews are by confirmed customers so you can get some good information.

Good luck and have fun planning and a safe and enjoyable trip.

PL

There is so much to consider seeing and experiencing in Paris. Big museums, little museums, particular houses, walking tours, the big tourist sights, wandering through neighborhoods, cooking classes, churches, music, bakeries, dining experiences, walking or boating along the Seine, parks, flea markets, galleries and street vendors. And more … antique shops, haute couture, book shops, cemeteries (yes, that’s a thing for many) and still more.

Look at guide books and not just Rick Steves’. The Michelin Guides for Paris and for France will serve you well. Others include DK Eyewitness (great for photos and neighborhood walks), Moon and Lonely Planet. If you speak French, Guide Routard. The RS website will lead you to many podcasts and TV shows. https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france

Figure out what sings to you. But I suggest you spend some real time in Paris, being there and not day tripping. And you can also spend other time in one or two other places. (LATE NOTE 9 nights; 8 full days. Two places other than Paris is pushing it, unless one or both of the two is/are just done a day trip; travel days to/from Europe really don’t count and travel days within France cost two to six hours of “being there.”)

Our first trip to Paris (2010) was for a week. 6 full days, 7 nights. We never made it outside of Paris; no day trips to Versailles or Giverney, though both were on our minds. There is much to see and do and experience in Paris. (Our first trip to France skipped Paris altogether; we spent a week in Provence)

Our second trip (2023) was intended to be four nights in Paris and three days with a day trip to Giverney. We spent two nights in Chartres and one night in Versailles on our way in to Paris, so we had slower visits to those sights and cities and not as day trips from Paris. We ended up with an extra afternoon and night in Paris courtesy of British Airlines (BA). In Paris, we mostly saw different stuff. The only intended repeat was the Luxembourg Gardens. The one unintended repeat, due to BA cancelling our flight, was a repeat visit to Musée de l’Orangerie.

We are now planning a third mini-stay in Paris at the end of a larger 30-day trip and I have asked others on this forum to chime in with suggestions. See https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/paris-suggestions-s-il-vous-plait

Follow your heart and Bon voyage.

IF YOU are going to be in Paris for more than 3 days you might consider renting an apartment. This gives you more space than a hotel room, may be less expensive, and affords you the option of having some meals, like breakfast, in the apartment. There are many options for looking for a short term apartment rental, such as VRBO, AirBnb, etc. Peter

Normandy and MSM are not day trips, even though some people do it. I would not do either on a "1st timer" 10 day trip to Paris. I would spend the entire time in Paris, maybe carve out one "true" day trip from the long list. But you will not run out of new things to see and do if you spend the entire trip in Paris.

Peanutlaroux do you have your flights, yet? You need to prioritize certain "most important things" before you prioritize the sights you want to see. Next, you need to secure lodging. Then, look at the sights. If you want to be in the St. Germain, Latin section, get your lodging there. Then, take a look at RS (or do a search of others who have plenty of suggestions such as TripAdvisor) top things to do in Paris in seven days and use Google maps to map out the distances. Once you have your flights and lodgings, the forum can help you map out Point A to Point Z. The forum can also help with hotels in the areas you want, but you'll need to give a price range.

Ten days would be perfect for Paris and some day trips from Paris like Giverny, Versailles, and Reims for Champagne houses.

You absolutely don't have time to add Normandy beaches, Mont St. Michel, Alsace etc. If one of those is your top priority then put it on the front end. E.g. Go directly to Bayeux after land at CDG and spend the night and take a tour to the beaches the next day, there are van tours from there to Mont St. Michel --- then head back to Paris for your final week. You don't want to waste your penultimate day which is prime vacation rushing back to Paris for your flight -- so finish in Paris.

I'd save Normandy and Alsace for another trip and focus on Paris and day trips near Paris.

It’s good to look at guide books and at tours to see what others suggest, but I do not recommend following for example a Rick Steves guided tour and try to replicate it because they know what they’re doing and can move much faster. An exception could be a single city tour like the one Rick has. With only 8 days I personally would stay in Paris for the entire time. You could spend a day at Versailles or Giverny because they are both easy and fast to reach from Paris. I have been to Paris 8 times. When I went the first time I assumed it would be my only trip there. I could not have anticipated that it would draw me back time and time again. I’ve spent a cumulative 58 nights in Paris so far and we will be there for a month from mid-September through mid-October. People either get it or they don’t. Some ask me what I could possibly still want to do there and I can tell you there are things I still haven’t done, plus some day trips I want to make. I love France as a whole and have been to most of the regions, but with such a limited time you can maximize it by staying in Paris as opposed to spending a large part of a couple of days relocating. I agree with the person who recommended an apartment. It is usually less expensive per night than a hotel and can save on some food costs like breakfast. You can look at booking dot com and filter for what you’re looking for.

Thank you all so much for all of these amazing suggestions and tips! You're really all so generous and helpful. Ok. I think I have a good idea of where to start: start w/flights, then hotel or airbnb, THEN move on to sights and experiences. In the meantime I've already started paring down my list and really trying to think of what would be quintessential to making this my dream trip (which would cut most of the things I had listed outside of Paris). I have a lot of research to do but now I don't feel as overwhelmed and have a good idea of where to look for answers.

I'm late to the party. But, I do have a comment regarding hotels vs Airbnb/VRBO rentals.

Since this is your first time in France, think about your comfort level before booking an apartment. Have you traveled to Europe before? Have you used Airbnb or similar before?

With the right hotel, you will have someone there 24/7 who can answer your questions, suggest restaurants, point you in the direction of the correct bus stop, help you find that 1 indespendible item you forgot to pack.

If you want more room, consider an apart-hotel. There are several companies in Paris including Citidines and Adagio apartment hotels. There are others. These types of accommodations include more hotel like amenities such as a reception desk and housekeeping.

Enjoy your planning.

Paris with a day trip to Versaille can be done in 7 nights well. You can do a 2 night day trip somewhere else.

The easiest way to do this is list the spots you want to hit in Paris and determine how long you need. Versaille is a full day and you can probably do 2 major spots in Paris a day max. You should budget some time for walking around and actually enjoying Paris. So I would say you can do 10-12 things in 6 nights. You can then increase or reduce your time as you see fit.

Personally, I would spend the entire time in Paris with a day trip to Versaille.