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Paris and the heart of France in 11 days question

My wife and I are in our mid seventies both fit and active. We are considering this tour for 2025. We would like to know if other similar couples have taken and enjoyed the tour. Was the pace and distance appropriate for you? Also, we noticed that the tour seems to start either on a Tuesday or Friday. Would you recommend one over the other and why? We would appreciate any suggestions you can give us. Thank you in advance.
Michael

Posted by
265 posts

I'm just a couple years younger than you and took this tour in April 2023. I loved the tour and found it easy to keep up. The many stairs on Mont St. Michel were the toughest part of the trip, in my opinion, but manageable. The daily pace and distance was not a big deal as long as you're comfortable with a few steps and getting on/off a bus. In terms of which day to start the tour, it may depend on when you get better rates for airfare and if you are planning to get to Paris a couple of days early to adjust to the time zone difference or stay on afterwards. I loved this tour and found it fascinating, informative and very enjoyable.

Posted by
94 posts

We took this trip last September (started on a Friday, arrived a couple days before). Checked my journal:

Day 1 steps: 14,209 (we were out and about all day before meet and greet)

Day 2 steps: 10, 454

Day 3 steps: 15,896

Day 4 steps: 11,387

Day 5 steps: 12,515

Day 6 steps: 16,908

Day 7 steps: 11,658

Day 8 steps: 14,588 [walked to top of Mt. St. MIchel, guide made stops along the way]

Day 9 steps: 14,787

Day 10 steps: 8,624

Day 11 steps: tour over after breakfast, we flew home

As with any Rick Steves tour, getting in shape by lots of walking is greatly advised. We had a wonderful 9th RS tour!

Posted by
8457 posts

It was the physically easiest of the 4 tours we've taken. Mid-seventies was probably the mean of our group. My only thought about start days (Tuesday for us) is that the first weekend in Paris might be more crowded if you start on Friday.

Posted by
37 posts

Thank you all for your help. I was wondering about how crowded Paris is on the weekends versus during the week.
Michael