Paris

Do you have a Paris guidebook? How much time will you spend in Paris on your tour? What will you be seeing on your tour? I would suggest you focus on things of interest that you won't repeat on the tour. Without knowing what your tour includes it is hard to make suggestions.

Having not been on a RS tour, I don't know what the focus will be, but I would IMAGINE that it will mostly hit sights rather than focusing on lingering in neighborhoods (with the possible exception of the Latin Quarter or other "famous" neighborhoods). I would suggest you explore a neighborhood that interests you in depth. Maybe the area around the Luxembourg Garden or Montmartre. Make sure you "take it easy" so to speak, not because you'll be short on energy, but to make sure you really enjoy it. Take a break in a cafe on an interesting street, duck into all the patisseries you can find, go to the world-famous chocolate shops and buy a few pieces. Eat Berthillon ice cream on Ile St. Louis. Get a sandwich or grec for lunch to go and eat it in a park while you people watch. Soak it in. Also, I haven't done this specifically, but plan to next time in Paris: look into the Fat Tire Bike Tours. They look really good and would be a fun way to see the city, or you could sign up for the Versailles or Giverny one (if you aren't covering those places on the tour). It looks like they arrange the transportation and then give the bike tour at the location. Have fun!

Steven, I have done one RS tour that ended in Paris, we did not do the Eiffel Tower, so that is one thing you may wish to do on your own. We also did not do Versailles, so there again, if that is something that interests you then do it( if you are taking the Paris and France tour they may include it, but not on the 14 day Europe tour) .Its easy to check on your itinerary,, they do list what you will be seeing each day.
I can't recall if they did the Orsay either, I have done it already, so my daughter and I did some stuff seperate from the group one day. They also do not go up the Arc De Triomphe, and its a wonderful view from up there, one of my favorites. I suggest you go through your tour info( you didn't mention which tour you are doing and several start, finish or visit Paris so hard for me to guess what your tour will be seeing). Paris is definately worth the extra days, I did extra days in Paris as well as Rome.

Steven, Check the information page for the tour you'll be taking, as that will specify which sights will be covered during the tour. There's also a "Pre Tour" tab on the page, which provides suggested sights to see on your own. That will allow you to choose sights which fit your preferences. A few suggestions to consider.... > Military Museum > Rodin Museum > Eiffel Tower (if not covered in the tour - you may want to pre-book times on the net) > Montmarte and Sacre Couer > Versailles Which tour are you taking? Do you know yet who your Guide will be? You'll be provided with at least the Paris Guidebook, which has all the information you'll need on the opening hours, costs and other details for various Museums. Happy travels!