My family and I are Flying Space A ( husband is active duty military) into Ramstein Germany the last week of July/ first week of Aug. Because these flights are first come-first serve there is the possibilty of getting bumped which makes our travel dates FLEXIBLE to say the least.
We were stationed in Germany in the early 90's for several years and are very comfortable renting a car and touring here w/ out reservations ( no pun intended).
When it comes to France and Paris in particular, we are not as confident. We have only visited Paris twice, both times with tours.
We have planned a three day excurision to Paris, our problem is we cannot make reservations due to our unknown arrival date. Is this just plain crazy and unadvised?
We are very adventerous and will be looking for budget accomodations outside of Paris, or in the city if it is at all possible. We enjoy being immersed locally and not being typical tourists. When we were living in Geramny it was nothing to hop in the car w/ a full tank of gas and drive until we had half a tank, explore where we laned , grab a room and drive back the next day. Bu that was years ago.
We are just trying to get a sense of what to expect these days.
Thank you for any adivice or suggestions!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Note to other posters: This question is currently being answered under a thread in Transportation.
Posted by
Alencon, Normandy, France
66 posts
Well, if you can book accommodation at that time then it's a good period to visit Paris as many workers are on annual leave and the place is less crowded. But if you are driving, you want to avoid being anywhere near Paris on the "Red" days when nose-to-tail traffic jams all around Paris are almost guaranteed.
The "bison futé" site gives warning of areas likely to be affected by Red days.
http://www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr/en/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=16
I would wait until you've got your dates settled, see then if you can find a place to stay in Paris (e.g. http://www.centreparis.com/ lets apartments for just a few days) and if not go somewhere else - if you've been to Paris before, why not try something different?
Posted by
OP
Patuxent River, MD, USA
15 posts
Thank you so much for the links and advice. We want our daughters to see Paris or otherwise we would make alternate plans. Thank you again
Posted by
Paris, France
81 posts
Hi,
it's perfectly feasible BUT the issue is going to be rates. Last minute bookings especially in July/August can become expensive. But if you're flexible on the location, you should make it.