Recommendations for Paris, Alsace visit in September

Go ahead and buy your Louvre ticket at the official Louvre website. There may be some closures on Sept 25/26 for the Pope's visit but you should be OK in your time frame.

https://ticket.louvre.fr/en

You may wind up on a weekend which I have decided for myself is OK because all the rooms seem to be open. During the week they shut down certain galleries on certain days.

https://www.louvre.fr/en/visit/list-of-available-galleries

Notre Dame is free to visit but you need to pay for a timed entry if you want to climb the towers. There are free guided tours offered by volunteers associated with the cathedral. Here is a link to the calendar of visits for the free guided tours.

https://www.acck.fr/GuidesCasa-calendrierCasa/

Many enjoy the Seine cruise but don't feel obligated to do it. Personally I'm not one for cruises - rivers, canals, lakes, whatever....I'm bored after about 45 minutes but you might not be. Don't buy ahead as you can generally walk up. I've not done it in so many years that I have no recommendations on which boat. The all run the same route.

I'e enjoyed Au Petit Suisse cafe and Le Rostand which are both just across from the Luxembourg Gardens entrance. I'm not a foodie, though!

BTW, I loved Colmar and wound up spending 3 nights there just in Colmar. I loved walking around this cool little town! I'm not sure you can do Colmar and the nearby towns in one day. I enjoyed the museum, a DIY walking tour, the cathedral. The DIY walking tour map came from the TI office. Each site had a QR code for more information. I did not have a data plan for my phone then and realized that was now a necessity.

Slow down. You move too fast. Try to make the moments last.

I’d suggest scratching a foray across the Rhine into Germany. And the trip to Disneyland.

That leaves you with 3 days to explore Strasbourg and Alsace. Perhaps one day trip to Colmar, one day in Strasbourg and a one day e-bike ride from Strasbourg to Molsheim and back. And two full days in Paris.

In Strasbourg, we had an amazing lunch at La Cloche a Fromage - so good and we left incredibly full. You definitely would want a reservation. We also enjoyed Binchstub Broglie, Cucci, and L'Oignon (will want a reservation here as well).

I agree with Fred. You're really moving fast. But you know you, so do what makes you happy.

The wine villages of Alsace are nothing like Colmar or Strasbourg, If Riquewihr or Ribeauville are too far for you, consider visiting Turckheim, a walled village with medieval architecture reached by frequent train or bus from Colmar in 20 minutes or so. Fairytale like Eguisheim is about a 20 minute bike ride or an even shorter taxi ride.

The best Tarte Flambée in Colmar is at tiny La Soï, reservations required.

For comparison sake, below you’ll find our two Trip Reports from last September that cover (1) our six nights in Alsace (Strasbourg 2, Obernai, Ribeauville and Colmar 2 nights) with all transportation within Alsace via e-bike and (2) the TR that covers pretty much what you have for Paris - 3 nights, which means just two full days and a few extra hours around the edges.

There is a shop where you can rent e-bikes in Strasbourg. Alsa Cycle Tours, near the train station in Strasbourg. They also have a shop in Colmar.

Given your references to e-biking, wine and villages, I think you’re better off spending four nights in Colmar, rather than in Strasbourg and taking a day trip to Strasbourg. You can bike two days out of Colmar - one day to Turckheim and Eguisheim, another day to Riquewihr, Kaysersberg and Ammerschwihr. And you’ll still have some time during one of those days in Colmar and - perhaps better - multiple eves in Colmar.

Check out https://www.levelovoyageur.com/en/trip/2-day-bike-tour-around-colmar/. (We’ve used Velo Voyageur a few times in 2023 and last year for self guided tours where they book accommodations and arrange luggage transfers). You may be better off just finding accommodations on your own and renting from the bike shop since you’re not moving around daily for multiple days.

Be sure to make a reservation for wine tasting. See Alsace Wine Route and https://www.wineroute.alsace/

Our TRs from last September are at

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sw-germany-e-france-alsace-burgundy-pt-3-of-4

And

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sw-germany-e-france-lyon-paris-part-4-of-4

FINALLY, since the odds are that you will have rain for at least part of one out every five days, take light weight rain parkas and rain pants.

LATE EDIT - my mistake about the Paris/Disneyland time. I now see you have 2 full days in Paris plus 2 full days Paris/Disneyland. To me, I’d still scratch the theme park by adding one day to Alsace and a third full day to Paris, but we’re all different.

Thank you to everyone! Yes, we need to slow down and enjoy Alsace.

I appreciate all your information and advice! am re-thinking staying in Strasbourg vs. Colmar. I booked an Airbnb in Strasbourg because it was closer by train from CDG to use as a base we would be jet lagged after an overnight flight. However, staying in Colmar would provide easier access to the medieval villages and sounds like a great experience and is only 30 minutes more.

I also appreciate the Paris info. I will definitely get tickets online. I thought the Seine cruise -1 hour- might be something different for us to do but I am thinking we would rather walk and explore, stop off at a cafe.

You guys are the best and your advice and experiences have helped me so much in past trips!
Thanks!

You have gotten some good information. I’ve stayed in Colmar and Strasbourg (different trips) and they are both good bases.

Let’s talk Disneyland. Last year on my 9th trip to Paris we were there for a month and we went to Disneyland one day. I grew up in Southern California and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to Disneyland there, but I’ve been there a lot. I have never been to Disney World in Orlando, but my daughter has been twice and she said all of the Disney stuff is spread out and huge. Disneyland Paris is smaller than the one in Anaheim with less rides. Some rides weren’t as good and some were comparable. There are two sections, Disneyland Park and Disney Adventure World. We spent one day there, arriving around opening, and we’re back in Paris by evening. That was plenty of time to see the entire space and go on a number of rides. Three nights at a hotel there would give you two days at Disneyland. I’m not sure there’s enough to do there for two days. I personally wouldn’t sacrifice my short time in Paris, spending the majority of the time at Disneyland. You could still do a day trip to Disneyland and have more time in Paris. Obviously we all choose how to spend our time, so this is just my opinion. We were in Paris last year at the same time and the weather was perfect.

Hey Andrea,
I really appreciate this information! Now I realize we can spend more time in Paris, which will be nice!

We just went on a trip to Disneyland in Anaheim with my son, daughter in law and two granddaughters. She grew up there and when they visit, they go to Disneyland. We had such a great time we thought it would be fun to visit Disney Paris. Thank you for your advice!

You’re welcome. You can take the train to Disneyland and it drops you off at the entrance. It was very easy and not nearly as crowded as Disneyland Anaheim. We were there in early October. Know what times the train departs back to Paris so you don’t get stranded. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

My usual comment for Alsace - if anyone in your party is into cars or trains then Mulhouse, down at the extreme southern end of Alsace towards Switzerland, has the national French museums for both. Both are absolutely world class.

My wife and I stayed in Colmar and rented bikes to visit the nearby villages.

One day we biked Colmar-Eguisheim-Gueberschwihr.
The next day we took an uber to Kayserberg, then rented bikes and visited Riquewihr, Hunawhit, and Ribeauville.

They were beautiful rides through the vineyards, and lovely picturesque towns, and I am very glad that we did it.

However, it wasn't always easy biking, primarily due to the hilly countryside and riding on a variety of surfaces. We rented basic bikes and were told they would be fine, but we wish we had rented something better for the rides.