One Day in Paris

Check out the hotels at La Defense. Many of them have parking available. You can get to central Paris easily by bus or metro. Bus NO. 73 runs all the way from La Defense to the Musee d'Orsay!

I'd recommend the HO/HO bus over Viator tour. You'll see the main sights, but also get to decide how much time you want to spend at each. If you have to drive into Paris, there are many parking garages with "reasonable" (Paris standards) rates, but you have to make a reservation. There's also usually plenty of available parking at the train stations.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I did do some checking on hotels in La Defense area. This may be really stupid but what about staying in a hotel near the airport such as the Golden tulip or Suite Novotel? Is that a lot more trouble to get into Paris? We would have to take the shuttle to the terminal and then train from there?? Thanks again!

Do you have a full day, or a couple of half-days, to visit Paris? That is, would you be spending a night (or two) somewhere outside Paris where you could leave the car and take a train into the city? If so, you need lodging as well as parking and a good rail connection. La Defense and CDG airport would both be good options, since both are on RER lines, the excellent regional rail system that links with the Metro. But both expensive places to park and sleep. Anyplace near an RER station north of the city should work, keeping you in line with your Bayeux-Brussels route. I'd suggest looking at the website parisbytrain.com, which tells you all you want to know about regional rail connections, and at Google Earth, which shows you where the stations are in relation to highways, hotels, etc. You can probably count on a parking lot or garage close to any suburban RER station, if you're not staying in a hotel with its own parking. Also, this board has numerous past threads about parking in the suburbs, see http://www.ricksteves.com/search/?query=parking+paris+suburbs. One other thought: Be very careful about the safety of your car and belongings. Look for a secure garage or parking area, and put all your stuff in the trunk. Thieves target rental cars and yours will be out there for a good while. Anyone would agree that a day isn't enough to "see" Paris, but if that's what you have, go for it! And, as RS always advises, "assume you will return." Good luck and have a great visit!