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Six Days in Paris Area?

I realize itinerary gets discussed here a lot, but I have been struggling with this question:

We are traveling to France and The Netherlands (into Paris and out of Amsterdam) in September. Right now we have 6 days planned in Paris. It is our first trip to France and to The Netherlands. We are looking at a day at Versailles and a day in Giverny, so really 4 days in Paris. Figuring Day One (Thursday) will be a bearings day -- doing the Hop on Hop off tour, and doing some hop off stuff, does the 4 days seem like too much? We have talked about doing another side trip, maybe down to the Loire Valley and actually staying the night down there, before heading up to Amsterdam. Or does other routing make sense? We had discussed possibly a stop in Belgium, but I'm not certain that I'm all that interested.

We'd also like to do that all by train, though we have talked about renting a car.

I look forward to thoughts on this topic.

Posted by
1443 posts

Four days for Paris is probably good for a first-time visitor. I would not dilute it any further with a trip to the Loire valley.

Posted by
4761 posts

If you haven't been there before, I think 4 days in the city itself is fine. You will be able to fill each day with sights and still just scratch the surface. We will be doing our 5th trip to Paris, staying a week, and I know we won't have time to do everything on our list.

We're also going to the Loire, but will be staying there for 3 nights. You'd only have time for one or 2 Chateaux if you did it as a day trip. Unless you can extend your vacation, I'd save this for your next trip.

Posted by
82 posts

We are also traveling to Paris and the Netherlands (with 2 nights in Belgium in between).
We have 7 days in Paris (including day 1 since we land at 8am). We have 1 day trip planned to the Loire Valley, and I'm thinking 6 days in Paris isn't enough LOL. Mainly because of the food...I have more dinner restaurants picked out than we have nights!

Posted by
187 posts

I'd agree that four days in Paris is definitely not too much. I'm headed there next week for four days plus Versailles and Giverny and I won't scratch the surface. But I will also say that Belgium is amazing. I've been all over Europe but didn't make it to Ghent and Bruges (and Limoges) until 2014 and I will be back! Have you seen the movie In Bruges? If not, watch it and see if it sparks interest.

In my experience, people tend to be split on which city they prefer. I think it's Rick who says, "Ghent has a little less charm but fewer tourists" or something like that. September should be fewer tourists though. IMO, Bruge is the quintessential charming European experience Americans think of: beautiful architecture, artisan chocolate shops every block, canals with swans, mussels and frites in a quaint restaurant on a tiny ally. I had an amazing day there. Don't underestimate Belgium.

Posted by
7175 posts

Four days in central Paris is really a minimum for a first time visit.

Six Days in Paris
**With a 4 Day Paris Museum Pass

Day 1
•Eiffel Tower (Opens 9:30am)
•Sacré-Coeur & Montmartre
•Evening Seine Cruise

Day 2**
•Arc de Triomphe (Opens 10am)
•Palais Garnier Opera
•Tuileries Gardens (Orangerie)
•Louvre Museum
(Closes late Wed,Fri at 9.45pm)

Day 3**
•Sainte-Chapelle (Opens 9am)
•Cluny Museum or Panthéon
•Luxembourg Gardens
•Musee d'Orsay
(Closes late Thu at 9.45pm)

Day 4**
•Notre-Dame de Paris (Towers open 10am)
•Picasso Museum
•Place des Vosges
•Centre Pompidou
(Closes late at 10pm - ex Tue)

Day 5**
•Versailles

Day 6
•Giverny

Posted by
272 posts

Go by train - you don't need a car. 6 days planned for Paris, Versailles and Giverny is perfect. Don't throw in Loire as there is a lot you'll see and do in Paris. We love Paris Walks Tours to provide us with the history of the area.

Posted by
38 posts

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. This was incredibly helpfu.