Hello,
Can anyone offer some advise. My husband and I are first timers to Paris and have allocated two weeks for the journey. We would like a leisurely holiday (children not travelling) with some touring of the country side around Paris. Is it possible to travel to Italy or another nearby country in the two weeks, or can we easily fill our time in Paris?
Thanks in advance.
Mitch.
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I spent about a week and a half in Paris and found this was about the optimum amount of time -- perhaps with two weeks you%26#39;ll be able to fit in a sidetrip or two, but I wouldn%26#39;t try to get to Italy this trip. Relaxing in Paris is very adicting!
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IF you look around the forum, you will find plenty of info on %26#39;Day Trips%26#39; from Paris, or short side trips. (Popular day trips are: Versailles, Chantilly, Fontainebleu. Giverny for Monet%26#39;s Gardens. Reims/Epernay. Arras/Amiens. Chartres.)
You might find a week in the big P is enough. I%26#39;d suggest that after that you head out from the city, THEN hire a car and go for an %26#39;explore%26#39;. Pick ONE or maximum TWO of these areas, which are close enough to Paris so that travelling is not to stressful:
Normandy (Train to Caen, hire car there, visit WW2 sites, Calvados region, see the Bayeux tapestry %26amp; Le Mont St Michel)
Champagne (Train to Reims or Epernay, Drive the Champagne road, drink lots of fizz, have a great time! hire car there)
Loire (Train to Blois or Tours, Visit Chateaux, drive along the river, drink lots of wine, have a great time!! hire car there, you are starting to get the picture!)
Pas de Calais (Train to Arras - do the WW1 sites)
Brittany (Train to Rennes, visit the Monoliths at Carnac, the Parish Closes, the Cotes Emeraud %26amp; Granit Rose)
If you want to do two areas, these make good companions:
Pas de Calais %26amp; Champagne
Champagne %26amp; Loire
Loire %26amp; Normandy
Normandy %26amp; Brittany
Normandy %26amp; Pas de Calais
Finally, you could consider staying in Paris for 3-4 days, heading out for a week, then returning to Paris for your final 3-4 days, so that you have time to relax and %26#39;take stock%26#39; at the end of your trip, and you are not faffing about with car etc at the airport.
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We spent 3 weeks in Paris on our first trip and did just 3 day trips: to Versailles, Mont St Michel and the Champagne region.
We could easily have spent another 3 weeks there. In fact, I%26#39;d live there if I could speak French and afford a grand apartment with a view of the Seine.
Having said that, I was also smitten with Venice, Florence and Rome and with airlines like Vueling offering cheap flights, maybe you could give one week to Paris and one to a destination in Italy...
Whatever you choose, have a great trip.
By the way, given you%26#39;re going to spend a reasonable amount of time in one spot, consider renting apartments rather than staying in hotels. You generally get better value for your money and it%26#39;s fun to shop at places like the Rialto Markets and cook the occasional meal, rather than eating out every night.
I can highly recommend parisaddress and luxrest (Venice). We used Leisure in Rome on our first trip to Rome, and they were good – though tend to be pricier for the same accommodation than other agencies. We%26#39;re trying Sleep in Italy for our upcoming trip.......
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Thank you all for the comments.
I have been looking at apartments in Paris and most seem to be in Montematre. Is this to far out from the heart of Paris? I am looking at St Germain which from my map appears to be more central. Is this correct?
Mitch.
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Montmartre is in central Paris – the 18th of 20 arrondissements – but it is a bit out of the way. Very Parisienne – it’s where the film Amelie, with Audrey Tatou, was largely set – but you’d need to rely on public transport to get around.
We prefer to stay in the 4th (Ile de la Cite, Ile St Louis, the Marais), the 5th (Latin Quarter) or the 6th (Saint-Germain-des-Pres), because you can walk almost everywhere.
Last visit, we rented a very posh apartment on the Ile de la Cite which looked out across the gardens of Notre Dame towards the Pantheon. It was fantastic.
Next trip (late March next year) is starting as a Mum and daughter thing, and we are going for a budget option in the Latin Quarter.
When you%26#39;re looking at accommodation options, have googlemaps open so you can see how far it is from the major sights. The new %26quot;walking%26quot; option for directions is really helpful.
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If you want a romantic location in Paris, look at the hotels on the Ile St. Louis. It%26#39;s a quiet, traditional Paris neighbourhood with all the charm in the world. There are also some apartments for rent on the island.
I%26#39;ve been going to Paris for years, once or twice a year, and I%26#39;m no where near exhausting what the city has to offer.
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Have just done the 2 weeks in Paris bit - loved it. Did a day trip to Bayeux by train - worth doing ( Wednesday there is a street market). We had lunch in a great restaurant/cafe - Le Drakkar - I had one of the best steaks! And reasonably priced. Don%26#39;t forget to take the little train ride around Bayeux, too. Catch the train from St Lazarre to Bayeux.
Versailles is another day.
You can easily fill in 2 weeks in Paris.
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You are so lucky to be going to Paris for two weeks! My husband and I were there for the first time in June for one week and totally loved it. We had planned several day trips but found so much to do in the city that we never made found time to do any. I keep saying %26quot;Next trip we%26#39;ll go to Versaille, Giverny, maybe Brussels for a day, etc.%26quot; I think two weeks would be the optimum time to explore the city and also venture on trips away from the city center. Enjoy!
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Thank you all so much.
Mitch.
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