I%26#39;m a 33-year old single female travelling to France in October, and I%26#39;m having a tough time pulling together an itinerary. I will be arriving in Paris on a Day 1 (a Saturday), then departing on Day 11 from Orly.
I would like to spend Days 1-3 in Paris, then move on from there which leaves me with about 7 days. I would like to make it to Aix-En-Provence as it seems central enough for me to take day trips, but also charming enough to kick around in cafes etc. on other days. I would like to do a wine tour, olive mill tour, maybe take a cooking class, take in the %26quot;must-sees%26quot;.
I%26#39;ve considered tours as I wouldn%26#39;t have to worry about transportation, accomodation etc. and it can be cost effective, however I fear being tied down to a schedule, and possibly travelling with those not in my age group or single.
The other option is finding reasonably priced accomodations (incl. kitchenette) and planning my days as they happen.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...want to make the most of my trip! Help!
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I think once you are in Paris, you might find that just a few days may not be enough. One could easily spend 10 days there, taking day trips to Versailles, Chantilly, Provins, Fontainebleau, Chartres, or a host of other nearby locations not to mention the numerous activities in the city.
If you did want to go to Provence, either Aix or Avignon would be good central locations. I might give a slight edge for Avignon simply because it%26#39;s a bit larger and has an excellent bus network to visit locations such as Pont du Gard, Les Baux de Provence, Arles, Nimes, St. Remy, and various other notable destinations.
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I think it is a big mistake to spend 1-3 days in Paris when you have about 10 days total. Ten days doesn%26#39;t even tip the scale in terms of seeing things in Paris. I agree with the previous poster that my recommendation is to stay in Paris the entire time and do a few day trips to outlying areas of Paris--Versaille, Giverny, Chantilly, Vaux-sur-Seine, Fontainbleau, perhaps Normandy.
Racing around like a chicken with your head cut off is not a good way to do a do a trip. I don%26#39;t mean you shouldn%26#39;t fill up your day. I don%26#39;t mean that you shouldn%26#39;t have a detailed itinerary. I don%26#39;t mean that you shouldn%26#39;t put in lots of great tours and classes. What I mean is that when you go to one area and don%26#39;t have time to see it, and then run off to another area--and keep doing that--you ultimately can%26#39;t remember what you saw where. That expression It%26#39;s Tuesday, it must be Paris, is just for such a situation.
Most of the people on this site are on this site because they love Paris or they are going to Paris and are excited about planning their trip. These posts are actually upsetting to me because they minimize Paris and don%26#39;t give it credit for what it offers. I don%26#39;t think you just run in and run out of Paris. If you are there on business and you get a day or two and you have no choice about increasing your time, then enjoy the time you have. But if you get to choose 1-3 days or up to 10 days, I say spend the whole time in Paris (and outlying areas). Take another trip at another time to Southern France which is very beautiful and is a different type of trip.
P.S. I don%26#39;t see you as %26quot;Bad%26quot; for asking this question--just so you don%26#39;t get me wrong. I see you as not knowing because you haven%26#39;t been to Paris before. I have been to Paris 4 times and next Sept. I am going again for the 5th time. That will total about 100 days in Paris and there are still dozens of museums I haven%26#39;t seen, exhibits, fetes (holidays) I haven%26#39;t experienced, hundreds of great restaurants, etc. I haven%26#39;t gone too, and on and on. And I am not suggesting you need to go for 100 days or forget it. I am just suggesting that 1-3 days isn%26#39;t enough when you have 10 days available to you.
Slow down so you get to really experience Paris. Otherwise, I say go to Southern France this trip and save Paris for another time when you can do it justice--if you are interested in going there at all.
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Thanks for both of your replies - my intention for writing this post was not to upset anyone or minimize Paris. I have actually heard that Paris will amaze one and this short time will not do it justice. I do however have a few more days in Paris at the back end of my trip prior to heading back home and plan to make future visits. This is also another reason why I don%26#39;t want to tie myself down to a %26quot;tour%26quot; so that if I decided to spend all my time in Paris I can.
I can appreciate your suggestion %26quot;In Love With Paris%26quot;, however you%26#39;ve effectively made me feel like an idiot for even posting such a %26quot;silly%26quot; forum. Lighten up on your responses. I%26#39;m just another human being looking for some good advice. Thank you for your recommendation regardless.
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Lolalola28. It is interesting to me that you felt like %26quot;an idiot%26quot; when I said in my comments that I figured you didn%26#39;t know because you hadn%26#39;t been there before--no judgment on you about being bad or stupid.
Now you say you have additional days available to you after the 10 days you refer to above in which you could return to Paris. Don%26#39;t you think that would have been important information to those of us from whom you expect a response. I think it is your attempt to make us look dumb, not the other way around.
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Lola,
I think your idea is really good. You could certainly spend your entire vacation in Paris without beginning to see everything there, but I fully understand your impulse to get a taste of another part of France. If you take the TGV down to Provence from Paris, you won%26#39;t waste too much time just being in transit, a mistake made by many travelers who want to %26quot;see everything.%26quot; By zipping down there then settling in one place for a few days, you would have enough time in the south to begin to get to know the area. I also prefer not to spend every minute of a vacation in cities; I think it really adds to your appreciation of a country to spend a little time in smaller towns and villages.
I understand your fear of tours and think you%26#39;re wise not to do the entire trip on a tour. However, you might find classes and day tours that suit you in Provence, so you won%26#39;t be left entirely to your own devices.
Bon voyage!!
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Hey Lola!
No need to feel bad! Sarastro and %26quot;inlove%26quot; are actually pretty good sources for information. At least you didn%26#39;t get the usual response asking you to type %26quot;itinerary%26quot; in the search box!
Like them, I%26#39;m addicted to Paris and cannot think of going to Europe without at least a few days in Paris.
I did not see whether this was your first time in Paris or not. It does make a difference, if it is your first time, I%26#39;d recommend at least 5 days for just the city - no day trips, that%26#39;s just me though! I also am not a fan of tours, most of us here favor independent travel - as you noted, you%26#39;re not tied to anyone%26#39;s schedule and it allows you time to just %26quot;hang out%26quot;.
I%26#39;d recommend you spend the first 5 days in Paris, take the TGV to Avignon (it%26#39;s only 2 hr 40 min trip), spend a few days in Avignon and return to Paris for a day or two before your return home.
Kepp coming here! It really is a great site for information and feedback on plans!
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Thank you all for your advice...I think I%26#39;ll avoid doing an extended tour so I can keep my options open. This is my first time travelling solo in Europe, and I want to make the most of it without overdoing it. For young singles, I hear Latin Quarter is a good area to be in? Hotel or apartment recommendations are welcome..I%26#39;ll keep browsing the forums...I%26#39;ve actually been addicted to this site for the past 24 hours - keep the referrals coming! Merci
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Lola,
If you are only staying in Paris for a few days I would suggest a hotel rather than an apartment. Also, what are you interested in seeing? The Louvre, the Orsay? We really loved the Rodin museum and the l%26#39;Orangerie the alst time we were in Paris. Paris is wonderful and my guess is you will enjoy it very much. Also, don%26#39;t misss the Eiffel Tower when it sparkles at night. It does not seem like a big deal but when it lights up you just stand there and go %26quot;ah%26quot;.
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I%26#39;m definitely planning on visiting the Louvre,the Eiffel Tower and interested in taking a Seine River cruise, taking a walk on Champs Elysee. I%26#39;m also considering touring The Catacombs. Given what I%26#39;d like to see I suppose it%26#39;s best for me to stay in the 7th Arrondissement vs. the Latin Quarter. I agree to a hotel in Paris. An apartment seems more appropriate in Aix depending on how long I stay there..
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We stayed at the Hotel du Champ de Mars in the 7th. It was nice and quiet. Rooms are small, but price is low so could not be beat. We ended every night walking to the Eiffel Tower watching it light up. It was wonderful.
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