I am surprising my 18-yr old daughter with a trip to Europe for her high school graduation. We plan on travelling in Sept, 2005, and this will be our first trip to Europe. I am thinking about Paris (right choice?) and have about 7-9 days to visit. Do you have any advice on where to go, any adjacent countries/cities to visit for this trip? I want to make this memorable for her, yet keep it fun. Please give me some ideas for where to go and also discount airfares from California!! Thank you in advance!
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If you have only 7-9 days in total for the trip, don%26#39;t try to fit too much in. You should have at least 4 full days in Paris and perhaps spend the rest of the time in the Loire Valley seeing the most famous of the Chateaux (Ghambord, Cehonceau, Blois, Amboise) and consider continuing your trip from the Loire up to Mont St Michel and back to Paris for a day before flying out.
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Sorry about the typos - Chambord, Chenonceau. Note that Clos Luce where Leonardo da Vinci lived in his last years is also in Amboise.
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First off I have to say that you are a great Mom to be giving your daughter such a wonderful graduation gift!
Paris is absolutely the right choice. (You thought maybe I was going to say something different?)
As far as I am concerned there is more than enough to keep you very busy and thoroughjly entertained in Paris itself, but there are a number of places nearby that are worth taking the time to see - Chartres, Chantilly and Vaux-le-Vicomte among them. And of course Versailles. I wouldn%26#39;t try to do much more in a first visit than Paris and one or two day-trips...
Most peoples%26#39; %26quot;must sees %26quot; include Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. I think the Sainte Chapelle is the most beautiful building in France, and should absolutely not be missed.
Some of the less well-known places are wonderful - at least as worth your time as the %26quot;big four.%26quot; Museums - the Musee d%26#39;Orsay for the Impressionists, Marmottan for Monet, and Rodin.
Then there are the parks and gardens, and of course the cafes and restaurants.
And mostly there is just wandering and soaking up Paris - one of the best ways to spend time ever thought of...
If you use the forum search function at the top of this page you can find a lot of info on these places and on your other questions.
Don%26#39;t wait too long before you start looking at hotels. Paris is very busy in September with trade shows and the like, so hotels fill up quickly. Give us some idea of your budget and you%26#39;ll get a lot of suggestions from people who have %26quot;been there, done that.%26quot; And a few of us bought the T-shirt too...
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With a seven(7) day itinerary, I%26#39;d pretty much stick to a Paris-only plan, with a possible day-trip out of the city to break it up. With a noine(9) day itinerary, it might be possible to add a second European city to your itinerary--London, Amsterdam, Madris, etc.--and still be able to provide the absolute minimum of time for each. To further %26#39;extend%26#39; the time available, you could book an %26#39;..open-jawed..%26#39; flight itinerary--arriving in London (as an example) spending a couple of days there and then taking a high-speed Eurostar inter-city train to Paris for several days there and then fly home directly from Paris. This would avoid %26#39;backtracking with conventional pont-to-point round-trip itineraries. It will probably also added a bit of expense to the airfare.
The thing that you really want to avoid--at all costs--is the %26#39;..If it%26#39;s Tuesday This Must Be Belgium..%26#39; syndrome of rushing from place to place to check-off as many sights and attractions, in as many places, in as little time as possible. You could easily spend every waking moment of 7-to-9 days, without going beyond the city limits of Paris and only just feel that you%26#39;d begun to %26#39;scratched the surface%26#39; of ALL of what Paris has to offer--with 18-20 hours days...every day.
As for where to go and what to do, you need to pick up a good Paris guidebook and begin to read, Where to go and what to do will become readily apparent from this and your own personal interests, priorities, preferences and budget. As for airfares, the name of the game is %26#39;..airfare roulette..%26#39; and you%26#39;ve just got to play to hope to have any chance of winning. If anyone had the secret of finding the lowest airfares from anywhere to anywhere else, they%26#39;d put it between hard covers, charge $29.95 and get filthy rich. So, start checking with the major internet travel sites and the major US/International airlines and begin hunting.
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Irishrovr and KDKSAIL have given you all the salient
points to which I agree.
Should you and your daughter plan to be in Paris on
Sunday, September 18 and would like to join a
gathering of english speaking posters from the states,
Vancouver, Singapore and 3 Parisians, we would love
to have you. Just send me a post and I%26#39;ll send you the
details when they are all worked out.
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I would go for a day trip to Amasterdam. If you avoid the usual touristy neighborhoods, this is a great city full of history, great art and music. You can stroll for hours enjoy a late night jazz session and visit the some great museums. The Anne Frank House and the Troppenmuseum are two that you won%26#39;t find anywhere else. It is an easy 3 1/2 hour train ride on the Thalys and you could even stay on a house boat.
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R_S_P, Would the meet-up on the 18th of September be open to an expat from Paris?
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Metromole,
In the words of Maurice Chevalier,
%26quot;but of course%26quot;.
I will post you when the details are
worked out.
See you in September.
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Hi California Mom,
Email me and I%26#39;ll send you my Paris notes. There may be some useful info that will be helpful to you. My email address is vickisfloyd@hotmail.com
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Thanks to all for your great advice! I am looking at airfare now, and if you have good ideas for internet sites to check, let me know.
If I do stay in Paris, Faux and Irish Rovr, will the places you mentioned be a day trip away? I also like the idea of visiting Amsterdam or London.
I checked hotwire.com (good idea?) and found 3-star hotels for about $100 per night. Any suggestions for hotels in Paris? We don%26#39;t need to stay at a luxury hotel, but somewhere that is safe and convenient would be nice.
Does anyone has any good ideas for airfare or hotel sites?
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