First time going to Europe. Booked 7 days starting in Paris. Since our first time going wanted to combine with another city. Was wanting to go to Germany but noticed Munich would take awhile by train and we have round trip from Paris. Other ideas for other cities? or just stay in Paris and do day trips in France?
It is my husband and I and we mostly will be walking the city, taking in the culture, good food, potential wineries? Not interested in museums.
Thanks!
Posted by
Panguitch, Utah
2707 posts
Exactly how much time do you have? When do you arrive and when do you depart? 7 days can be as few as 5 nights (5 full days) which is not sufficient time to visit two difference cities particularly as you are arriving and departing from the same airport.
If you want to visit wineries, take the TGV to Dijon and hire a guide to show you around Burgundy. Check with the Office de Tourisme for prices and options:
Posted by
Green Bay
21160 posts
There's more to Germany than Munich. Cologne is 3 1/2 hours from Paris on the Thalys. Trier is also about 3 1/2 hours. Or, for France with a German feel, Colmar is 2 1/2 hours by direct TGV.
Posted by
OP
VA
41 posts
Overnight flight from DC so will be arriving Wed am and leaving the following Tuesday afternoon.
Thanks for ur responses so far, so overwhelming all the info out there!
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16553 posts
Overnight flight from DC so will be arriving Wed am and leaving the
following Tuesday afternoon.
(Editing prior post due to missing the piece about no interest in the Paris museums)
So you only have 5 FULL days for sightseeing. If you're flying both in and out of CDG, you'll want to be in Paris the night prior to your departure so if you do add another location, I'd travel there on arrival day. Amsterdam by Thalys (train) might be an option. Spend Wed (which will pretty much be a day lost to travel/jetlag), Thursday + Friday nights there and go back to Paris Saturday morning. It's not much for wineries, though, so if those are top of list then just stay in Paris and take a couple day trips from there.
Posted by
OP
VA
41 posts
September 2019
Posted by
Rockville, MD, USA
653 posts
Congrats on planning your first trip!
"Overnight flight from DC so will be arriving Wed am and leaving the following Tuesday afternoon.
Thanks for ur responses so far, so overwhelming all the info out there!"
You might find you don't sleep well on the plane so Wednesday will be a "zombie day" where you can't manage much more than wandering around. That gives you five full days (Tuesday you will be packing and heading to the airport). I think your idea of day trips makes for a more relaxing experience.
Giverny is a lovely day trip if you like gardens and Monet more than you hate crowds (quoting Rick Steves).
For other suggestions https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/day-trips-from-paris-a1ca64d4-845d-4ab8-97b3-082d12b76f42 and https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/paris-itinerary
Posted by
Green Bay
21160 posts
Yes, stay in Paris. For a day trip to visit wineries, Dijon is only 1 1/2 hours by TGV. Plenty of wine tours in small van groups as Tocard suggested. It will be the start of harvest season in Burgundy.
Speaking about seasons, at some point in September it will be Paris Fashion Week and buyers from all over the world will be flocking there, so nail down lodging as soon as you can.
Posted by
Elmwood, IL, USA
368 posts
Amsterdam is super easy on Thalys train. It’s a great city, very different than Paris. walkable from central station. So easy of a city people with long layovers head into Amsterdam. If you wanted you could make it a long day trip yourself.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12314 posts
I think the low countries are a natural for your trip. Your time is limited so you don't want to waste much time traveling. Trains to Belgium or Netherlands are convenient. Pick a city in one of those two countries and spend a little time there.
I'm not an Amsterdam fan. It's worth a visit for the architecture and canals. The drug and sex trade bring in a different kind of traveler than you would find in, say, Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, the Hague or Utrecht. I think there are better places to visit in the area - but that's my personal taste.
Posted by
89 posts
We had 7 full days in Paris and I found that wasn’t enough time. And I’m not too big on museums either though we did go to a few. We actually had 8 days there but we took the train to Lyon for the day to visit a friend. Anyway, the 7 full days we had were enough to make me fall in love with the city and want to return. In addition to the sights, it’s nice to visit the bakeries and parks and eat crepes! And if you want some awesome photos, contact Localers Paris and hopefully you can get a short photo shoot with Olaf. He was awesome and I love the photos he took of us with the river, bridges, buildings etc. Have fun!