First Time Paris Traveler

Lynn, first,, Viatour is not a tour company,, they are a middle man agency that sells other peoples tours,, usually with a mark up( but on occaison due to block buy they can offer a good rate) definately check directly with tour companies before you use Viatour. With 10 days you could easily fit at least 2-3 daytrips Lets start with an obvious one. Versailles, possibly the easiest one to do on your own, with a huge savings of money, but more importantly with the ability to really spend a decent amount of time there,, it deserves most of a day to really see all the out buildings, palace, and grounds. Most tours make it a 4 hour tour, you only get a chance to get through the palace and rush around the grounds nearest the palace before you leave. A train ticket to Versailles is about 6 euros. A ticket to Versailles is about 20. So , for less then 30 euros you have a whole day. If interested in pricing out some tours you can look at Cityrama, Parisvisions, and Paris Tourisme , they are all big reputable companies, with easy to use and understand websites. The prices of Paris Tourisme are a bit better then the other two, (and I have used both) so I am considering using them for a daytrip to Mont St Michel myself this summer on the recomendation of a friend who used them and found them the same as the other two companies. MSM actually is a bad choice for a daytrip, it deserves an overnight, but its just not in my timeline this trip, and i have been already but my friend hasn't and wants to see it. I also strongly suggest you look at Fat Tire Bike Tours, they are fun and easy and the tour to Monet Gardens was a highlight for me, and I don't even care particularily for Monet! I am firmly middle aged and hadn't even been on a bike for about 3 decades before I was talked into taking one of their tours. It was a hoot, and I have since taken all of them( over 5-6 yrs)

Lynn, I would highly recommend picking up a copy of either the Paris or France Guidebooks, as there's an enormous amount of information there to plan touring. These are now available as E-books as well, although the 2012 versions may not be quite ready yet. If you have an iPod or other MP3 Player, you could also download some of Rick's Audioguides for touring the Louvre, etc. One or two day trips might be good, but taking five would detract from your time in Paris, so not something I'd do. Happy travels!

the rough guide to Paris is quite useful as it has lots of suggestions and meets different budgets as well

As others have suggested, probably the single best thing you could do is to study up like mad for the trip. Not just guidebooks, though you should read plenty of those, but also books of travel essays and even literature. Once you do that you will probably discover that you yourself have a pretty good idea of how best to spend your time.

Lynn: Two good websites for first time visits to Paris are www.tomsguidetoparis and www.parisbytrain. All the basic information, well illustrated, will help you immeasurably.

Lynn...check out this site. Like you I am making a first trip to Paris this year..found this in my internet browsings. http://www.parisiendunjour.fr/

I second the www.fattirebiketours.com/paris, we did the night one and it was so much fun. Also, did a Champagne Tour through www.francejourneys.com that was very nice with tasting and fantastic lunch recommendation. May would be the perfect time to see Giverny too. You should easily in 10 be able to do 5 day trips outside of Paris.

Thanks for all of the advice :)

Yes, prepare like mad! And this is what your in store for. I so miss it. http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh529/georose1/IMG_1811.jpg

My question is - what tours sounded good? That would help me give better advice! Also, please go to the General Europe section of the Helpline (that's 'here' LOL!) and look for the thread "Sacramento Group Meeting - March 17". We'd love to speak with you in person and there are a few 'Paris freaks' well-seasoned travelers who love Paris and have been many times - I'm sure we'd have some great suggestions for you!

When Eileen refers to Paris Freaks, I believe she is talking about moi! Yes, please join us on the 17th. There are few subjects I like to discuss more than Paris!

We have always used Gray Line 1/2 day and full day tours in France. They sub out some of the tours, but they are great. You can go to Versailles, around Paris, to Giverney, Normandy and the beaches, etc.

As Pat noted, Cityrama is the contractor for Gray Line tours in Paris. They do a wonderful job. We used them to go to Giverny, Versailles, Normandy, all around Paris, Loire Valley, etc. We would totally recommend them for 1/2 day or full day tours.