Paris add on options?

You are of course free to go wherever you wish on your own before and after the tour. I’d recommend it, actually. You can look up the trains on sncf.com.

Thanks! I'm sorry if my question wasn't detailed enough - we're wondering if there are any Rick Steves'-specific tour options to add on to the Best of Paris tour rather than planning the add-ons ourselves? I didn't see any options listed on the website but read a review from someone who had this as an option in the past.

RS doesn't offer tour add-ons, but the places you've mentioned are accessible by rail, and many of our posters have been to them. It's easy to do independently.

For Normandy, most of us recommend staying in Bayeux if you're interested in the D-Day sites. (There are many other points of interest in Normandy, but 1-2 days really doesn't allow time to see them.) Bayeux is an attractive town that was not damaged during the war, so you have a very nice historic district to enjoy. The cathedral is lovely, the Bayeux tapestry is displayed not far away, the tourist office offers a nice walking tour (or did as of 2017), and the invasion museum on the edge of town is very good. For visiting some of the invasion sites there are multiple companies offering small-group tours (many not much more than 100 euros per person); most of those tours originate in Bayeux. You can get to Bayeux from Paris by train. Check schedules and fares on the SNCF Connect website. Fares can be very reasonable if you are able to commit to your travel dates and buy the tickets well in advance, but check cancellation/refund policies carefully. The trains depart from Paris's St-Lazare station.

Nice is much farther away; the train will take about 6 to 7 hours; again, buy early for the best price. You could also fly, of course, but then you'd have the hassle of dealing with airports; you'd probably save a bit of time but not a great deal. If you decide to head this way, I'd caution you to get hold of a guidebook (Rick has one for that part of France) to see what places are of most interest to you. Nice is the transportation hub of the Riviera, but there's a train running along the coast (including to Monaco) that makes getting around simple enough. You'd want to choose a base that's reasonably convenient to the various places you want to go. The buses to the hill towns often originate in Nice.

What about Provence? If you want to see part of that area (Avignon, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, etc.), that takes additional time. I think sometimes folks assume they can see Provence on day trips while staying on the Riviers, but that doesn't really work. The rail links are not super-fast. There are some trains from Paris's Gare de Lyon to the Avignon TGV station (outside town, with shuttle trains going into the city) that take as little as 2-3/4 hours. Early purchase will save money.

I haven't been to Amsterdam recently, so others will need to help you there. I think that would be the Thalys train.

Thanks so much for all of the information!

Looking forward to hearing others' thoughts on the Amsterdam option!

It depends on how much time you have available after the Best of Paris. Many of us do 2 Rick Steves tours back to back. You could easily pair the Best of Paris with the Paris and Heart of France tour which includes 2 nights in Normandie along with chateaux, wine and medieval fortress building, lol. You could also look at doing the Belgium and Holland tour after the Best of Paris. Ghent is the starting point and very easy to get to from Paris. It requires a change of train in Brussels but that is very easy for even a novice European train traveler. Belgium and Holland tour ends in Amsterdam for 3 nights.

Amsterdam is very easy to get to from Paris and generally has nice connections back to the US. In fact next April I'm going to fly from Seattle (well, Spokane really) to Amsterdam for a few days to see a special exhibition on Vermeer then take a train to Paris for 10 nights.

The train company with which to book is Thalys which has now also merged with Eurostar (the fast train under the channel to London). You'd book that Thalys ticket 4 months out for the best fares. There are many hotels in Amsterdam in the city core and folks here on the forum can give you their favorites. There is a lot to see including the Rijksmuseum (Rembrants, other Dutch Masters and more, more, more, lol), the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank Huis, the Dutch Resistance Museum, canal boat rides, a nice marine museum and those are just without thinking too hard! Amsterdam has a tram system that is pretty easy to use - you can buy a one-ride ticket or a day pass on the tram and touch it into the box on a pole next to the door. Most people who deal with tourists speak enough English to help you out.

IF you are going to add on Amsterdam on your own, I'd recommend at least 3 nights to give you 2 full days. I'd also recommend you plan to arrive in Paris 1-2 nights before your Best of Paris tour starts.

It sounds like you will have a wonderful trip no matter what you do!

A few questions: do you have your air travel locked in, where are you flying from, what are your easiest routes to get to Europe, are you willing to drive at all, and how much time can you devote to this trip?
We did an Amsterdam-Normandy-Paris trip on our own in September a few years ago, very easy! Normandy is very moving and one of favorite places we have visited.

Only you know what is more appealing, Nice or Amsterdam.
We enjoyed both

Nice and area: visually stunning, charming, relaxing, and fantastic food.
It is more of a time commitment to get there, doable without a car, better with a car

Amsterdam: quirky, unique, energetic, beautiful canal vistas, and we felt like we were experiencing history there. It is
very easy to get to by train, you do not need or want a car there

Given your two choices of Amsterdam or Nice I'd say select the one that gives you the best return home flights so you don't have to double back to Paris. I love both those cities and have added them to other trips as often as it is convenient. Both have excellent airports and in neither do you need to rent a car as public transport is great. They are very different cities however, so it really depends on what it is you are looking for as the add on experience. Nice is very eclectic Old Town Nice is a must with great food tours there. Monaco not so much and in my opinion not worth more than a couple hours unless you are planning to hit the casinos. Amsterdam is a very cool city to experience. I could spend weeks in either place. They are two of my favorite places in the world.

Amsterdam is easy from Paris and ideally you would add 3 nights to your trip to do; book the Thalys train asap as the cost close to the time of travel is 4 or 5 times as high as early tickets. It take a little over 3 hours. Amsterdam is a great 3 night town. We used to end our trips there because we liked flying out of Schiphol and hated CDG, but lately Schiphol has had lots of problems so you might want to research that. Generally you are better off flying open jaw if you want to add a distant visit like this e.g. in to Schiphol and out of CDG or vice versa. We usually stayed on a houseboat for those 3 nights and really enjoyed that. Haven't done that in a while so don't know how available houseboat apartment rentals are these days.

for Normandy. Train from St. Lazare to Bayeux and book a day long tour with Overlord.

In 2017 I was able to fly from Washington-Dulles to Nice with just one connection. It was in Europe but not in Paris or London, so I guess it was Amsterdam. Of course, there are non-stop flights to Amsterdam from quite a few US airports.

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all of the helpful information you have provided!

Does anyone have an idea of when the 2024 tours will be announced/posted? Thanks again!