Paris highlights before or after the 3 week France trip

I like the idea of doing Paris first, then being able to "relax" the rest of the trip. Plus kids can be dragged through a museum or two and a church or two when they are "fresh" then rest of the trip will be more casual fun sightseeing. Maybe I am wrong but thats rather how I do it and have done it with my kids.

I tend to agree with you both. If you are flying into Paris, I'd do Paris first, as it is the more tiring part of the trip; and then relax and enjoy Normandy (which is awesome from a historic perspective, but absolutely idyllic to boot!) before you go home. While Paris is exciting, I fell in love with Normandy (and Mont St. Michel). My kids loved the area as well (they were 7 and 9 years old) went we visited in 2009. Have a wonderful trip!

We did a 30-day trip in 2009 as a family of five and we left Paris immediately after landing, headed to Colmar on the TGV and went clockwise around France, ending with a week in an apartment in Paris (which climaxed with the fireworks on Bastille day just before leaving for home. I thought it was absolutely perfect. I like the idea of having Paris to look forward to at the end. Paris needn't be "tiring". It is whatever you decide to make it. If you wish, keep things simple and see just one big site each day, then spend some time in a park or by the river. If you feel comfortable leaving the children in the apartment, then go for an adults-only walk in the evening. I fear that if you do Paris at the beginning (with all it's big-name sites), everything else rural will seem pale/dull by comparison (not to me or you, of course, but through the eyes of children). It can be done well either way, but I really liked the way our trip felt. It remains my favorite trip of five to Europe.

I agree with Pat and Kerry, I think Paris first is the way to go.

Having done a three week tour of France, I would definitely do Paris last. The tiring part is not seeing Paris, it is all the travel for the first two weeks. I am not clear whether the "not having a car" applies to just Paris or the entire trip. If you are driving, it is a lot of driving. However, driving in France is little different from here and I would expect that taking trains on that circuit and then trying to find public transport within the areas would be far more tiring than driving. In Paris you will have an apartment in which to rest. No question: Paris last!!!

Have done this both ways. Both have advantages but i vote for Paris at the end. Paris at the beginning is exciting and can actually set up the rest of the trip. However, coming from the west coast I find that 9 hours of jet lag and a missed night of sleep can make the first couple of days be less than optimal for plunging right into an energetic Paris. The rest of France is different and will not be more or less interesting after Paris. Even though the Paris mueseums are eventually necessary for understanding the art and the history they can be pretty challenging in a few jet lagged days. If the kids are into history then the rest of France might be even more interesting than some of the Paris sites and the museums at the end will help put everything into focus. I just think you can "get into France" easier outside of Paris and then really appreciate Paris for the city it is at the end.
In either case the trip will be fantastic and fun. Weleave in October for three weeks with Paris at the end.

Having also done it both ways, I strongly agree that Paris at the beginning is best. Again on our last trip this past Spring, after almost 4 weeks in rural France I didn't like the last 2 days in Paris. One other time we were due to end a long trip through rural France in Toulouse, but we couldn't bear the thought of ending the trip in a city, so we stayed in the countryside and returned the car to the Toulouse airport the morning of our flight. I love Paris, but not after the beauty of rural France. Our best times there have been when we started our trip there. But I guess it depends on how you feel about cities.

Paris in the beginning it is more exciting , the ohhhhs and ahhhhs factor. Also English is widely spoken and you can get used to speaking a bit of French in Paris. Some of the regions we visited in Provence and the coast it was hard to find people who spoke English. Less of a culture shock visiting Paris first.