RS Tour or on our own

I have been on 12 RS tours, bus tours and the week long tours and I can say they are wonderful and a great way to be introduced to Europe. I have taken the RS Paris tour twice, once with a friend and once solo. Paris is an amazing city. You could take the tour and then stay on in Paris for a few days after the tour, this way by the end of the week you will know your way around the city and be able to see more of Paris and feel comfortable being on your own. The guide will teach you how to take the metro, where to eat, and any questions about how to get to places in your free time will be answered. It is a fun tour, you have plenty of free time and the tour gets you in museums more quickly, there are walking tours, a guide hired by RS to take you through the Louvre ( you will need to go back on your own to really see the Lourve). You get to meet other people, have a fun time, eat with others, and see many things that you may have missed if you went on your own. You will receive the guide book, the museum pass, the metro tickets , introduced to how to take the metro, and know how to get around the city. When you first look at the price of the tour many may say it is expensive, but when you go on the tour and see all that you do and the extras you will receive, it really is a great price. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me. All the group site seeing is taken care of, breakfast at the hotel every morning and no tipping to the guides. I think the tour is well designed which enables you to really see a lot of the city in the week. Have a wonderful time. Ann

I've been to Paris two times in the past few years - first time with my hubby using my own itinerary, 2nd time with the RS tour as a solo traveler because I really wanted to go back and he wasn't able to travel that time. If you've never been to Europe, I think you would especially enjoy the RS experience because you don't need to do any planning - just enjoy. And their museum tour guides in Paris were excellent.

I would recommend arriving in Paris the day before the tour begins, so you can acclimate from the jet lag. Also, you would probably really enjoy seeing some French villages - not just the big city, for a few days after your tour ends. The last day ends at breakfast, so you could take the morning train on Saturday to go see Normandy, or head east on the fast train for 3 hours to the quaint town of Colmar, for instance.

lorraine,

My thoughts.....

You certainly could take the trip on your own, but especially as this is your first trip to Europe I'd suggest taking the RS Paris tour. IMO you'll learn far more about the history and culture, and it will be a much more interesting and rewarding travel experience. In addition, you'll pick up some skills on "how" to travel in Europe, not only from the guide but also from the other tour members (some of whom may be very well travelled). That will provide you with some skills to take future trips on your own.

(I've been on eight RS tours as well as travelling on my own).

Though the RS tours have excellent guides and see that you see the most popular sites, I recommend visiting Paris on your own with a copy of the latest Rick Steves guidebook to Paris and having seen some of his Paris videos (his YouTube channel shows them for free). I just don't like the places/hotels his tours stay at. I have traveled to over 100 countries as a researcher so I have stayed in a LOT of hotels. You couldn't pay me to stay at most of the places where his tour groups stay. I like luxury and comfort and not to have to drag my luggage on the streets for a long distance, then climbing stairs to lug it up then enter a place with no elevators and have to carry it up step stairs and have to go up and down stairs coming and going. We want an elevator and a bellperson to deal with luggage. We also want a private luxurious bathroom, a large bedroom, plenty of amenities, and a concierge. We love room service and a pool is nice while air conditioning is essential. I don't know how you feel about these things, this is just my family's personal preferences and the RS tours don't offer that. If you don't need any of this, you might choose the tour. I wish RS tours had an option of staying where you want and then just joining them for sightseeing! The tours do require a lot of walking, standing on one's feet and lugging.

The reason I suggest doing it on your own is because Rick's guidebooks tell you what you need to know in great detail. For years I have watched his show, bought his videos and bought every single guide each year as they are updated. He gives the best advice you can get about transportation in and between areas and he takes you by the hand step-by-step through public transportation in each area, how to use it and the various cards and passes for city transport. He does the same for railpasses. His information on these things alone is worth the price of his guidebooks. He covers sightseeing in the same excellent and thorough way. He explains how to get to the sites, tips on making the most of them, how to buy tickets in advance, etc. His transportation and sightseeing information is essential and well done. I always have his guides with me when I travel. Likewise, he covers neighborhoods, areas, restaurants and more with much excellent advice.

My suggestion is to buy the current Rick Steves' Paris guidebook, watch his Paris videos, and then pick an excellent centrally located comfortable hotel and make plans according to what the book teaches you. The Rick Steves' guidebooks are the most useful of any guidebook available. You will find info on local tours in Paris that are good to use if you would like to have a tour guide provide you with some basics. Pay special attention to his eating guides- he will tell you how to get together a picnic which is something we love to do. He does mention a place or two on Rue Cler that are okay in case you want to stay in that area but don't expect luxury. With his Paris guidebook in hand, it is like having Rick Steves with you.

We have lived in Paris in the past (as well as other cities in Western and Eastern Europe and in Beijing, China) so I can tell you that you are in for a real treat.

Organized tours cost more. The price for the 7-day Paris tour is $4,600, more or less, for 6 nights. You could do it on your own for about half that or for about twice as long. So the first question is whether you are on a tight budget or not.

For many people, the cost is well worth it. You don't have to do much planning. Your time is used to maximum efficiency. You can learn a great deal and have enriched experiences with good guides. You travel with a relatively small group and get to know other people and share experiences with them. Some people form lasting friendships among their tour-mates.

For many people, tours are non-starters. They prefer to do their own research, make their own reservations, go at their own pace and tailor their sightseeing to their personal interests.

Paris is one of the easiest places to visit on your own. Locals do speak English and are generally friendly. The metro is easy to navigate. It's a highly walkable city - hard to get lost, lots to enjoy. The museum exhibits are labeled in English and the major museums have audio guides in English. You can get self-guided walking tours, join guided tours (walking, bike, segway even).

I've tried to give you both sides so you can make a choice based on your personal means and preferences. If you choose the tour, take into account that it is highly recommended to arrive at least 1 day before the tour (2 is better) to get over the jetlag and start the tour fresh and rested.

We did the RS Loire tour and thought it was great. But I would recommend doing Paris on your own, a single city is a totally different animal than a multi-city tour. IMHO the advantage a packaged tour provides is in sightseeing and transportation logistics for 1-2 day visits to many places; you experience far more in the same time than you could on your own, which justifies the higher price. On a multi-city tour wasted time is minimized; you don't have a train at 10am with little to do after breakfast than wait for the train to depart, wasting the morning. They drop you off near the hotel with their bus, so you don't have to navigate from the train station or drive thru an unfamiliar city to find it. Many smaller towns have infrequent guided tours so its unlikely one will start shortly after your arrival, but on a RS tour the local guide moves their schedule to suit the group (or your RS guide shows you around). As you move town to town a tour saves time & stress because your guide leads the group to the sights instead of having to figure out where they are on your own; same principle with visiting nearby sights with their bus taking you right there.

These pluses disappear when you stay in a single city. The RS videos and book cover Paris well, as do other guides and videos (Rudy Max, etc). The parts of Paris tourists focus on isn't that big, and you just have 1 set of maps to get familiar with. Paris Walks and other companies have daily tours, and since you'll be in town several nights you can take the tours you want. You aren't saving transportation time between towns since you're staying in one town. Arm yourself with a museum pass and carnet of Metro tickets and you're good to go!

Note, too, that like all tour companies RS uses "tour math". The 7 day tour really means meet in the late afternoon of the 1st day, and adios after breakfast on the 7th. Some people are less sensitive to cost, but if you are then you could do the equivalent of the RS tour on your own for significantly less, even using some of the savings to hire a private guide for a few hours if there are some sights you are particularly interested in.

if you're worried about doing it on your own, I think a Paris tour could be a good idea. While I'm not a particular fan of group tours, they do take care of all the logistics, allowing you to concentrate on enjoying, exploring, and learning.

If you do it on your own, you can arrange either short walking or bus tours within the city. Context Paris does really good 3 to 4 hour walking tours, and also does longer excursions from Paris. The RS guide book has information on other local guides who are good.

While the RS guidebooks do an amazing job with logistics, the information about specific sites can be somewhat superficial. If you have a particular interest in art, architecture, or history, the Blue Guide is an amazing resource.

Paris is very easy to do on your own if you are willing to read through a guidebook (like Rick Steves' Paris) to formulate a rough outline of an itinerary that is meaningful to you and your spouse. You don't need to know how to speak fluent French to have a successful 1st time visit to Paris. If you are willing to take a few days to learn some very basic pleasantries and ask politely (in French) if the person you are addressing can speak any English (many do - especially those under 50 and pretty much everyone that works in hotels or at tourist sites) so you can ask for assistance with directions or ordering food in a restaurant, that puts you ahead of the game and you really don't need to pay for a 24/7 tour. You should also ask yourself if you are willing to do a little research and get the name of some decent guides that can give you a highlights tour for a day at the very start of your visit. You can hire a private guide for a day or a half day, or join up with a small group, like Paris Walks, over the course of several days and focus on a few central neighborhoods. Ask yourself if you are comfortable with reading a map and taking various forms of public transit on your own when you visit American cities.

But you might not have the time or energy to do any of this pre-planning or learning before you go as you hope to leave in April which is just a few months away. If that is the case, then you may find that spending the money for a RS Paris city tour is well worth it so you have someone available to spoon feed you all of the highlights, lead you around from place to place, and take care of all arrangements for you (purchasing tickets, booking hotels, ordering in restaurants).

I'm not a particularly big fan of the hotels that RS recommends either, but I don't exactly require the kind of luxury hotels the other poster references either. You should note that Paris has a lot of hotels in all budget ranges - and if you are willing to do some research online, you can find centrally-located Paris hotels that offer amenities like air conditioning (frankly, you don't need this in April), elevators and bellhops without the luxury hotel price tags.

Well, I enjoyed my RS Paris tour a lot and felt it was worth every penny! I added it on to my 21 day BOE tour as I knew I wanted to spend more time in Paris. The guide was awesome and I felt so comfortable in Paris after spending time there with her. We used the listening systems any time we were with her which enabled her to walk and talk. She could also give us quiet instructions on how to do things, such as lining up for the Metro. We were at one of the stations that has glass walls on the edge of the platform so there are certain points where you know the doors will be. She would quietly point out others and say "See the lady in the blue jacket? She is doing this wrong, she is standing where she should not be. I want you to stand here to enter the car." She would also prompt us on proper responses in French. The very nice desk clerk just smiled indulgently as we all greeted him in awful French. Our guide, Rolinka, also was extremely entertaining and told great stories as we walked thru the streets, including stories on using the automated toilets. So funny. In no way did I feel spoon-fed, but in a huge way did I feel the tour increased my enjoyment of the city. There is no way in the world I would ever be mistaken for anyone other than an older American tourist, but I felt so confident in Paris!

By the way, on the Paris tour Rick does use a lot of different hotels. The hotel I stayed in did have an elevator and a huge bathroom. Since you are in one hotel all the time you don't really have to deal with your luggage much as you can take a taxi to and from the airport. However, that does not bother me at all. I don't spend much time in the hotel as I am out and about most of the day. I want it to be clean, in an area where I feel safe, be close to transportation and have helpful staff. Every RS hotel I have ever stayed in met that criteria.

If you feel hesitation at all about traveling on your own I would go for the RS tour. The guides spend a lot of time teaching you how to be independent travelers and I love that aspect of their mission. In fact on the BOE tour I must have had a blank look on my face when our guide finished doing the Metro orientation because he looked at me and said "Pam, are you getting this?" "OK, Pam is going to lead us because I want to know she can get around on the Metro." And yes, I can do the Metro!

We never take tours unless it's to a place where we feel uncomfortable going on our own for the first time. The only tour I've ever taken was to China because it seemed like somewhere that would be difficult to do on our own, although I wouldn't hesitate to go back on our own now that I have the overview!
That's what you have to think about...if you go on your own, will your level of stress about the unknown cause you to not have a good time planning and then being there? To me, planning is one of the best parts of travel! It really builds excitement for me and makes me look forward to the trip more. Tours are great if you just want to pay someone and be done with the planning! On the other hand, you will pay A LOT more to take a tour - but you are also getting a guide and everything taken care of for you. That said, most of the initial logistics of a trip to Paris is easily taken care of in just a few hours of your time, or less. First you buy your plane tickets, then you research and book a hotel/apartment. After that you can take your time planning what things you want to see and put them in a logical order - it really isn't that difficult once you get started. Once you are there you just have the logistics of getting to your hotel (when all else fails, take a taxi - easy!) and learning your way around the metro. After the first day you'll be a pro! It's very well laid out and easy to use.
Just take everything one step at a time and it'll come together beautifully. Otherwise, book at tour and forget it! It's really up to your level of comfort and what kind of time you have at your disposal to plan.

You shouldn't just compare the tangible costs. Clearly, a well-prepared person can do it for less. But, I have traveled independently and on a RS tour to a couple of places, and hands down, I experienced and learned more with a guide than on my own. For somewhere you've never been there is value in not having the stress of dealing with transportation and logistics. So don't look at tour as just providing hotels, and half your meals. They enable you to focus on the experience.

I'm enjoying this thread!

I am a frugal (read: cheap) solo traveler who wants to hold the reins myself but is not so self-absorbed to think that I can really get to know/experience a place from guidebooks alone. The only group/package tour I've ever taken was to China, and even on that trip I left the group on 3 separate days without asking permission/notifying the leadership (got lost every time but made it back).
Therefore, I would opine that doing it yourself wins in terms of money and autonomy and spontaneity, and you can avoid the problem of not knowing what you're looking at by arranging local tours through guidebook recommendations or the local TI or the hotelier's network/syndicate/cabal. RS guidebooks usually have great pointers to local guides, and if you correspond with local TI offices you can also usually - with advance arrangement - get a tour in a language you follow.

But, here's what struck me from an earlier poster on this thread: it is true that the TI tours will be on a schedule that you have to adapt to, and the local transit system will also need to be dealt with. Local guides that come at your beck-and-call will be pricey. The RS tour will outdo, most likely, whatever you can come up with in terms of efficiency. It will also have friend-making camaraderie built right in. If you're not the type to talk to strangers in a restaurant/cafe/park then going on your own will mean that the only people you talk with are service people.

On the other other hand, I cringe when I think of the day tours by bus that I've been compelled to participate in with visiting friends and relatives here in the San Francisco Bay Area -- the typical bus tour is staffed by photogenic sociable young people who know less about Napa or Lake Tahoe or Yosemite than I do myself, and are only doing the job as a way to pay for their own rambles. They mean well, but they are not really helping you get past the first few pages of the Napa or Yosemite story. And any winery that can accommodate more than one bus a day is not a winery that you want to linger at, just as any parking lot that the bus can get to in Yosemite is not near a trail that will get you far enough away from the fumes and the noise of civilization. Are you on the trip to meet other vacationers?

I think I agree with an earlier poster who said that the advantages of the RS tour only matter if there's multiple cities involved and lots of arranging to do. One thing I've done when in Paris to try and balance cost and quality and excitement is to change arrondissements every few nights -- a few nights in the Marais is a pleasure, but offset the expense by moving out to the 16th for the rest of the time, or even better get out to a satellite town.

Just to clarify one point......

"the typical bus tour is staffed by photogenic sociable young people who know less about Napa or Lake Tahoe or Yosemite than I do myself, and are only doing the job as a way to pay for their own rambles. They mean well, but they are not really helping you"

I can assure you, this is not true of RS staff, either lead guides or local guides. Many of them have university degrees in history or other related topics, and many speak several languages.

You can do Paris on your own. We have, and we too have a few years on us. On the other hand, we have taken many RS tours plus done a good bit of independent travel. Considering your situation, I would suggest the RS tour for the companionship of the group and the really good introduction and information you will gain. Then spend an extra few days or a week on your own. Ken is absolutely right about the RS and local guides. No air heads! They are well educated, articulate, knowledgeable individuals. TC

DO BOTH!! Really..

Take the seven day tour.. in which you will have a blast..then stay a week on your own.. it will be so easy after the tour because they teach you how to do so many things on tour.. how to take public transport etc.. plus load you with tips and suggestions for things to see and do in free time.

You will get your feet wet,, and become totally addicted to travel.. beware.. soon it will be " do we really want to redo the bathroom.. or take a month in the south of Italy.. hmmmm"

I have a hideous green bathroom.. nuf said.. lol

Really, laughing at/with Pat's post. Yes, that is exactly what you should do! I actually added on a week with a friend after my Paris city tour week and had a marvelous time. I was so comfortable navigating thru Metro stations by that time and was quite independent. Altho my friend has traveled to Paris many, many times I wanted to be able to function on my own so she didn't have the burden of being a guide as well as enjoying her favorite city!

You've got mixed recommendations on your thread. Many of the posts recommending the tour are from people who have actually participated in the tour and are familiar with how Rick's tours function, the level of added value you get as well as the itinerary. It's all a matter of personal opinion, however, and whatever way you decide to go will be the right decision for you.

Thank you all so much for your wonderful advice! We have a lot to consider. We have had a hotel booked for an eight day stay since we were planning on doing this ourselves but then time just crept up on us. I needed surgery and the recoup was longer than I thought. Then the terrorist situation got us...well me nervous about going it alone. So that is when we started to consider the river cruises and the various tours. The RS tours seem to give you the blend of some guidance with time on your own. Since we have a hotel booked we could easily extend our stay by staying at this hotel for a few days before the tour. I wish it could be after the tour but the dates don't work. Oh well...everything can't be perfect.

Again I would like to thank you all!
Lorraine

Lorraine,
Here are our experiences in Europe. First in Italy with 6 couples that were friends. Hired a Rick Steves Guide for two half days of visiting sites in Rome. Saw many people reading guides books wondering what they were looking at. So happy that we hired our guide. The couples went on to rent a villa in Tuscany and rented cars for independent travel. We also hired a guide in Florence for one half day.
Traveled to France with a couple independently, did not hire a guide in Paris and wished we had. Took train to Normandy and had guided tours of battlefields.

Took our first Rick Steves tour to Eastern Europe, we are hooked. So much history to learn, explained by an amazing guide, so much free time on our own.
This year we are going on the Basque tour, followed by the Spain tour.
We are also in your age group and don't know how much longer we will be able to travel and want to experience as much as possible. You meet wonderful travelers on his tours. So much time can be wasted if not planned out well.

Happy travels to you!

I have been to Paris twice (6 days, then 10 days) and am going back this year for three weeks. I have always been alone on these trips. I spent 35 years (i am also 60+) planning long vacations for the family in the US and Canada. I had never been outside of North America before 2011 when I went to Paris for the first time (on my way back from India where I had been for 2 weeks helping my kids move there).

I studied RS tour books and a great internet site called tomsguidetoparis and was ready to go. I am so used to planning travel myself, I am not sure I would be happy not being totally in charge. That said, I think it would be fun in a group to get to make new friends and have eating companions, etc. I have thought also about taking a RS tour across several countries for one period and extending the trip to do independent travel. However, I have trouble riding on a bus without getting car sick and much of the trip I was considering was by bus.

If you have traveled a lot and are pretty confident in reading ahead of time and are traveling together, go for it. However, if you would rather not have to bother with the details, I'm sure you would enjoy rs tours. I don't think you would be going wrong either way .