Please sign in to post.

Best of Paris over Thanksgiving

Folks who have taken the Best of Paris tour Thanksgiving week: just wondering if the group - or some of you - got together for a meal? Any special activities? It looks to be the day to visit Versailles on the tour. What was that like in November?

Thanks, Debbie

Posted by
1200 posts

I have been on 15 tours including Best of Paris tour twice along with other week long tours of cities. As you can see when your read the itinerary, half the meals are included, so people are getting together for dinner. If you are thinking about on the days there are no group meals, then the answer is yes, people do get together and go to a resturant to have dinner or lunch together. If you are traveling solo, ( like I have done on most of the tours), then you can ask others if you could join them in having dinner or lunch together.

I loved Versailles and they take you there, you take a group tour of the palace and then you have the rest of the day to either continue visiting the grounds which are beautiful and extensive or go back to Paris. It is easy to take the RER to get back to Paris on your own.

As for special activities, it may be best to call the RS office to ask that question, but what itinerary does really give you a good overview of what you will be doing as a group.

If you have any questions regarding your free time and what to see and do in Paris you can PM. Paris is a beautiful city.

As for the weather, I never went in November, but a warm coat and layers would be advised.

Have a great time.

Posted by
1216 posts

Thanks, Ann.

I should have given some background info. I have taken 11 RS tours, including one over Thanksgiving in Venice. During that tour, some of us got together to have a sort of feast on Thursday evening even though it was not a group dinner day for the tour. I was just wondering what had been the experience of folks taking the Best of Paris tour over Thanksgiving, since it runs most years at this time.

Another tour, not sure if it was exactly on Thanksgiving day, but we had a roasted turkey (or 2 or 3) for the group at a Florence restaurant - but that WAS a group dinner day.

I am not wed to group dinners or turkey. I celebrated Thanksgiving in Venice with Calves Liver. Loved it.

Thanks, again.

Posted by
1200 posts

Your welcome! I am so jealous, I would have loved to go on the week long Venice tour! I started going on RS tours the year that tour was the last time they did Venice. I would have gone the following year but my then it was gone. I did save the interary if I ever get to stay in Venice for a period of time. I love the week long tours ( been on several bus tours too) and went on the Florence, Rome, Prauge, Istanbul, Paris and London tours and some more than once.

Posted by
1216 posts

Ann, I missed the Florence tour. I was so lucky to take the Venice one, I know. Let's advocate for some of those to come back. RS does bring back some golden oldies from time to time. There should be enough of a pent-up demand for tours that have not run for over 10 years!

Of course, Venice in summer might be hellish now, but November was delightful. The year after Venice, I did the VFR so I could return in autumn again.

Now Florence, that I would like in spring - Enchanted April (I know that is Portofino), Room with a View. Bring on that tour and I am signed up.

Posted by
1200 posts

I agree, I would love to see them bring back the Venice week long tour. I did enjoy the Florence tour and did it twice. I love the week long tours and hope they find create news ones including Venice. I think they should take a market survey among the repeat customers and they may find people would sign up. Things are constantly changing on where people want to go. I agree Venice may be back to being popular again as they have not had that tour since 2005! I would sign up in a NY minute!

Have a great time in Paris.

Posted by
467 posts

Hi I have taken this tour with my family but it was about 6 years ago. Wow time flies. We loved being there over Thanksgiving week. We found many of the holiday decos were out.

As for the actual Thanksgiving we did not do a group event. We had a lovely evening going up the Eiffel Tower in a fog. No you could not see anything but we had a blast. We then went to a very small place for dinner that we had gone for our first group dinner. The Chef made a “turkey” dinner nothing like at home but it was great! Heck this is France. It is one of my favorite Thanksgiving memories. We also went on the London trip during Thanksgiving a few years after that. Neither did anything for the day. I thought groups would get together but they did not.
Enjoy!

Posted by
1216 posts

Thanks, LA. I love the image of visiting the Eiffel Tower in the fog - so mysterious. Of course, it is probably foggy lots of time, but the image evokes something almost to be hoped for!