Week in Paris

I believe if you check out Rick's 7 day suggested itinerary for Paris...he has some wonderful places on there. If I may ask, what site(s) are you planning to use to assist in finding an apartment? I am currently in the process of trying to rent an apartment in Paris for 3 nights & one in Strasbourg for 2 nights....

I have used vrbo.com to rent 3 different apartments in Paris, as well as in other locations. Their sister site is homeaway.com and is also a good one. In addition to those sites I am using airbnb.com for the trip I'm planning this year. I suggest getting an apartment in a central location, giving you the ability to easily take a mid-day break if necessary. I like the 4th, 5th & 6th arrondissements, as close to the river as possible to be central. Take note of what floor an apartment is on and if they have a lift. Many of the old buildings don't.

A Paris guidebook is the best way to see the options for site seeing and for easy day trips. A 7-10 day trip to Paris would be an excellent way to see things at a more leisurely pace and not have to try to cram it all in to a short period of time. Even 7-10 days will pass quickly.

Use one day of your itinerary to visit Versailles (take the train).

Days trips:
Chartres - cathedral and charming village
Giverny - Monet's gardens and house, including the water lily ponds
Basilica of St. Denis - not really out of the city, but longish metro ride
Reims - town, cathedral and tours/tastings in the champagne houses

In Paris:
Carnavalet Museum (Marais Quarter) - it's the museum of Paris, lots of interesting stuff about the city's history
Take a Seine cruise at sunset
Take a cruise on the St Martin Canal
Some of the churches have organ music during Sunday services and there's usually a free organ recital at Notre Dame on Sundays around 4.00 (maybe 4.30)
Go to an evening concert at Sainte Chapelle
Visit the Louvre on Wednesday or Friday, when it's open until 9.45 p.m. and there's hardly anyone there after 6 or so.
Go to Angelina's on the rue de Rivoli opposite the Tuileries for chocolat a l'Africain - absolutely decadent hot chocolate - and their pastries are simply "to die for."
Nissim de Camondo Museum - he bequeathed his home (see how the wealthy lived back in the day) and his collections as a national museum

And so much more . . . as others will soon tell you

Jim, with regards to seeing things again that you saw the first time-I am with you, and I cannot wait to see The Louvre, The Orsay, and Luxembourg Gardens etc etc for the second time. You have plenty of time, indulge a little, and take your time doing it.

rent an apartment from a reliable agency e.g. Vacation in Paris or Perfectly Paris, Paris Best Lodge or other well reviewed hands on agencies that actually manage their apartments. VRBO is like going to Craigs List so you have to do your due diligence for each apartment listed.

There are literally dozens of great day trips from Paris within an hour by train. You don't need to go away from the city overnight to have incredibly diverse experiences. Some chateaux nearby that make great daytrips: Vaux Le Vicomte, Fontainebleau, Rambouillet (the President's country retreat), Ecouen (now the national Renaissance museum). Some old standards: Versailles, Chartres. Giverny and Monet's gardens Some places with a village feel: Crecy la Chapelle, Senlis, Moret sur Loing, Auvers sur Oise. And so many more. You can see a few of these in my photo journal here: http://janettravels.wordpress.com/category/day-trips-from-paris/
but these just scratch the surface. There are so many great trips easily managed. And of course just doing walking tours of neighborhoods in Paris offers endless opportunities for change. We have been to Paris maybe a dozen times for as long as two months at at a time and have never run out of interesting things to do and see.

I have to disagree with Janet. Using VRBO is nothing like going to Craig's List. Like any other site, it is important to read the reviews. Some places are listed on more than one site. Yesterday I rented a place in Amboise on Homeaway. The same apartment was also listed on Airbnb. I was able to read reviews on both sites and compare the price on each. In this case it was less expensive on Homeaway.

Thank you all for your ideas and comments which have given me some great ideas. You have added some excitement to planning the trip that had been lacking for some time. To the first poster, I had planned to use AirBNB until I saw the other options. I agree with doing my due diligence as on trips I the past, mostly staying in B&Bs. I appreciate the input from all and will hopefully get a few more. After this trip my wife and her mother will fly home and I will head out for my long awaited 2-3 week solo trip to places we went in the past, Rome, Florence, the CT, and to Venice which I have not seen. Any comments about making that easily happen will also be appreciated. Most of it will be to see and do things I could not do with three travelers. Would also like to include Germany and Austria if it can be done. Never been there.

Jim-we reserved an apartment in Paris for a week's stay in early July through the Vacation In Paris company. I have been very impressed with the customer service so far, which has been very positive. This company offers lots of apartment options, at very reasonable prices and the website has reviews of each apartment-good and bad!

http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/aSearch.html

Jim, I rented a Paris apartment through VRBO.com for my upcoming vacation on advice from my sister who stayed in the same apartment each summer for the last 2 years. The location of where you will stay is very important. I like staying in the 6eme arrondisement (on the Left Bank) which is wonderful for restaurants, outdoor cafes, shopping, people watching and public gardens. Everything will be just outside my door!

My favorite Paris activities are:
*Strolling around the Marais district to window shop. Eat at a restaurant within the Place de Vosges
*Enjoying some relaxation time and people watching in the Luxembourg Gardens. Bring a picnic.
*Having drinks at a cafe in the shadow of Notre Dame Cathedral at night
*Visiting the Musee Jacquemart Andre with stunning interiors and art
*Browse along the Ile Ste-Louis and eat ice cream at Berthillon (glace et sorbet)

Best thing to do in Paris is to just be outside to soak up the atmosphere.

On a previous trip (many years ago), I stayed in Tours which I believe is on the TGV line. Anyhow, I signed up for a chateaux mini-van excursion and the tour van met up with some folks who arrived from Paris just to do the excursion. Seeing the variety of chateaux in the Loire Valley: some of them lived in homes, some of them with beautiful gardens, some of them immense vacant properties, you realize you're in France! Only 1.5 hours or so from Paris. And as a plus, this is wine country...the land of Vouvray and other wines.

Once your wife and mother-in-law leave and you have your solo time, you can go to town! I have visited all the places you mentioned in Italy. Love Rome! Love CT! My advice: less is more. Take the time to relax and notice the little things around you and keep la dolce vita in mind. Enjoy Italy and don't rush. Check out the Italy forum for information (but I found there are cheap flights from Paris to Turin, Italy).