My husband just called me and said that his sister said that 7 days in Paris would be too long. She suggested that we might want to purchase a Eurorail pass and go somewhere else for part of our trip. She went a couple of years back and did four countries in 10 days. I would like your opinion.
My husband is taking me for my 30th birthday and I am not looking for a backpacking experience. I thought that there would be pletny to do for a week in Paris and it would allow a more leisurely pace. Your suggestions and comments are appreciated. Also, where would the best place to go if we did chose to leave Paris for 2-3 days?
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She%26#39;s wrong
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Having been to Paris several times for periods of between 4 days to a full week each time, I can say with authority that you will easily fill 7 days with places to see and things to do. After all these visits, there are still many places I have yet to see.
If you do want to have a day trip out of the city, then I suggest taking the RER C train service to Versailles.
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Believe me in 7 days you will barely scratch the surface. There is just so much to see and do, and you have the right idea by building in a leisurely pace. Four countries in 10 days? I wonder how much your sister in law can remember about the places she visited?
There is a great temptation, when visiting a new destination, to rush round and try to %26quot;see%26quot; everything - which you may well do - but in doing so you would not have time to really %26quot;look%26quot; at anything,. Does that make sense?
I haven%26#39;t got fed up yet - and that%26#39;s after 25 years of visiting.
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Oh I%26#39;m laughing out loud. Your sister in law may have %26quot;done%26quot; 4 countries in 10 days, but she certainly didn%26#39;t get a whole lot out of the experience.
You could spend weeks in paris and not see or do it all. I%26#39;d love to see your SIL%26#39;s itinerary for a visit to Paris in 2 days! What a waste.
Trust me, you can very easily fill your week in Paris, and still have things you%26#39;d like to do on your next trip: museums (the Louvre itself takes 1/2 day easily), monuments, neighborhoods, parks, gardens, cafes, restaurants, the list goes on and on....
Les
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I%26#39;ve lived here for many years and have yet to run out of things on my to do list. In fact, it just keeps getting longer!!!
If you do feel the need to flee, there are tons of day trips out there : Versailles and Brussels come to mind at the moment, but really, I have never been bored here, ever.
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You can never have too many days in Paris. My sister and I spent 9 days there in September. This was our second trip and the first one was 8 days. And we still have alot of things to see yet! I say spend your whole 7 days in Paris. As other suggest you can always take a day trip outside of Paris if you want.
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Thank you all so much for your input. I feel the same way, but I simply wanted some other opinions to back up mine. I am so excited for this trip and I simply do not want to spend my time %26quot;rushing%26quot; around and have the trip be a blur... not to mention that it is only my 30th birthday so hopefully there will be many years to return and visit again (lol).
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Now I can think of many places that even one day is too much but Paris is not one of them.
A week, a month, the rest of my life!! Please!
Although I have my favorite attractions, I could spend days just wandering the streets.
Do things at your leisure and depending on your budget a 4 day museum pass comes out to less per day than a 2 day. i.e. (not exact) 2-$30. 4-$56. and you can go in and out of the museums in those 4 days as many times as you want. Could/would I go in the Orangerie every day, Yes!
I cannot tell you how jealous I was of co-workers that were able to expat to London and Paris offices.
Many guidebooks have suggested side/day trips out of Paris.
Frommers Paris 2006 lists 6 (one is Disneyland, LOL)
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I%26#39;ve been to Paris many times over many years. It%26#39;s never enough. A lifetime wouldn%26#39;t be enough for me.
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Years ago 2 different times I spent about 3 weeks in Paris and each time I loved it! Two other times I%26#39;ve been there just for 3 nights and felt like my group would have enjoyed it Paris more if they%26#39;d have had more free time.
Of course it%26#39;s great to go on trips just out of the city also. I would reccommend for sure a visit to Versailles Palace outside of the city. There are bus trips but you can also go out there on the subway and the railroad with not much trouble if someone explains to you how to do it.
I LOVE Paris and think its a beautiful city with such a long and amazing history and so many beautiful places to see.
You can also take bus trips out of the city to the Loire Valley chateaux (amazing castles) and /or can go to the Cathedral of Chartres and see its lovely blue stained glass windows and you could go North of Paris to the gardens of Giverny where Claude Monet painted. If you go on a trip out of Paris to the Northwest
you can visit Mont Saint Michel which I really loved, also and the Normandy beaches, etc. Take time to stop in some lovely little cafe or bakery and to sit in some of the lovely places as well.
Years ago my husband and I bougt some picnic items at a charcuterie (Deli) and went to Versailles and set and ate on the grounds and had a nice time. The Garnier Opera house is a wonderful place and you should tour the inside-- I did it for the 1st time this summer %26amp; loved it. Right near it is the lovely department
store with stained glass looking dome called Galeries LaFayette and you can ask to be perfumed at the perfume counter.
My student group and I also enjoyed the Catacombes %26amp; I hear the Sewer System tour is really interesting, too. And for sure don%26#39;t miss Sacre Coeur and the area called Montmartre right near it-- walk around and see the square at Montmartre. Take the Metro up to the station called Abesses!
And whatever you do --don%26#39;t expect %26quot;Disneyland%26quot;. It%26#39;s a REAL city with traffic and sometimes annoying vendors and buildings that are hundreds of years old. I think that those who complain about Paris go there with completely unrealistic ideas. I%26#39;ve been to many other cities but Paris is still my favorite and I think it%26#39;s because of the times when I was there for longer periods of time and really got to love it!
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