Map: Amsterdam
Map: Paris sites
Air
Depart DFW AA Flt 48 Terminal D Depart Friday 3:05pm Arrive CDG Saturday 7:35am return two weeks later Depart CDG AA Flt 49 Terminal 2A Depart Saturday 11:20am Arrive DFW Saturday 3:20pm
Saturday - train to Amsterdam from Paris airport
3 nights (Sat, Sun, Mon) museum district Amsterdam Hilton
Tuesday - return to Paris
Rick Steves' Paris and the Heart of France Tour
Eleven day tour starts 5pm Tuesday and ends Friday of following week.Map: Route through France
Day 1: Welcome to Paris
We'll meet at around 5 p.m. at our hotel (23 Avenue Duquesne) to walk the neighborhood and then dinner.
Day 2: Historic Paris and the Orsay
A walking tour of the city including medieval Gothic churches: the Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Sainte-Chapelle. Then stroll the bohemian Latin Quarter. After lunch, the Orsay Museum.
Day 3: Masterpieces of the Louvre
The Louvre.
Day 4: Medieval Guédelon and Bourges
Leave Paris for the Château de Guédelon, a medieval castle being built today using 13th-century materials and techniques. Then we'll drive past farms, forests and vineyards to the overlooked town of Bourges. Sleep in Bourges.
Day 5: The Loire and Chambord
The Loire Valley châteaux Chambord. Sleep in the Loire Valley.
Day 6: Chenonceau and Amboise
16th-century Château de Chenonceau. Lunch in Amboise and visit Leonardo da Vinci's home, Clos Lucé, or tour Amboise's cliff-hanging castle.
Day 7: Brittany and Mont St-Michel
Depart the Loire Valley for Brittany. Visit a quintessential Breton town then travel to the picture perfect island of Mont St-Michel. Sleep on the Mont itself.
Day 8: Treasure of Bayeux
Walking tour of Mont St-Michel's town and abbey. Then we'll drive into the heart of Normandy to study the 1,000 year old Bayeux Tapestry that depicts William the Conqueror's victory over the Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Sleep in Normandy.
Day 9: Normandy's D-Day Beaches
Normandy beaches. Return Normandy for dinner.
Day 10: Monet's Gardens at Giverny
Visit Monet's beautifully preserved, masterpiece inspiring gardens in the town of Giverny. After free time for lunch, we return to Paris and a farewell feast. Sleep in Paris.
Day 11: Tour over after breakfast
In France, there is essentially no info in English but France is accessible, friendly and wonderful. You won't need any knowledge of French.
I don't think you will find yourself any place in Paris where you aren't safe. I did see pick pockets at the train station. They carry clipboards and try to engage you by asking you to sign their petition. Just walk/run away. Having less luggage to manage will make you less of a target to pickpockets.
Have you used google maps to plan your route on the Paris metro? Do.
In April, I arrived at Gare du Nord from Amsterdam and I took a taxi to my hotel which was 4 blocks from the Eiffel Tower. Fare was 20 euro. It was a 20 minute drive. On the train, the hostess provided a form which is used to have a taxi driver meet you inside the terminal and escort you to the taxi. That service cost 10 euro. I used this because I have terrible sense of direction. In hindsight it seems unnecessary but the 40-ish Frenchman who sat across from me on the train got it so maybe it was a good decision.
It seems that every Friday, the park police at the Eiffel Tower go on strike for one hour at noon and you can't access it. They are protesting the pick pockets.
Here's some good info on the Eiffel http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/parisandaround/10938039/Eiffel-Tower-tickets-and-queuing-advice.html
I went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and I thought that was great too.
Many Seine River Cruises are round trip but this one will allow you to travel from the Eiffel Tower to the Notre Dame - http://www.city-discovery.com/paris/tour.php?id=7510
I went to Paris thinking I would see some signs of the recession and economic crisis but everything in the areas I saw was far nicer than those expectations. Paris is experiencing a small boom. The metro is clean. Any street that isn't a historical site or businesses is a nice residential area. Every street I saw looked like it would have been safe any time day or night and I walked ten miles some days.
I also thought I would see some reaction to the Charlie Hebo shooting but everything seemed normal. A military band plays at the Arc de Triomphe every (most?) evenings at 6pm and there are groups of six or so armed soldiers walking around the vicinity. They were doing their job but were pretty much at ease.
About a mile from the Eiffel Tower I saw a thousand or more communications workers marching to publicize their strike. Most were carrying a flag of some sort and many were carrying socialist flags. That's just how their political system works. I think their intent was to enjoy the nice afternoon.
Because I didn't have data access I missed having google maps available on my phone. I did not have a web connection except when in my hotel. My solution at the time was to search for locations in google maps when I did have web access and take screen shots of those maps which I could refer back to as needed.
I have since found google maps can be used in off-line mode but probably a better solution is to use an offline GPS app. Besides all the important landmarks, I used my screen shots to keep track of the Carrefour convenience stores and the Marks and Spencer convenience food shops. Carrefour is pretty good and Marks and Spencer is fantastic. Both help a traveller stay hydrated and energized conveniently and quickly.
Take note! Rick Steve's Best and Worst of Europe.
Podcasts of Rick Steve's radio show that pertain to France https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rick-steves-france-beyond/id364271934?mt=2
Click here to see the photos of my 2015 trip.
