Anniversary trip - 12 or 13 days in France, w/ 3 or 4 nights a DLP??? lots and lots of info needed.

[LovesTimone]

Hi, I am American living in WDW backyard( Orlando) so we are annual Pass holder, I'm a wife, mother and grandmother. I am married to my best friend. We have 2 daughters between us and 3 grandsons and another grandson on the way. We honeymooned at WDW and on the DCL, 5 years we treated ourselves to the Poly and annual passes...For our 10 years anniversary we went to DL in California, for our upcoming 15 anniversary next year we want to stick to big Disney Vacation themed anniversary... DLP is at the top of the list. Followed by Shanghai and Tokyo not any order.

Also this will be our first trip abroad.

So as a really rough ...rough draft..

2 travel days - coming and going, one each way.

I have been practicing my French.

We were thinking of spending 5 to 8 nights in Paris - possible going the Airbnb or Homeaway route, seeing the sites, the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Catacombs, and just walking the streets, taking in the city of lights.... with a couple of day trips to see the Palace at Versailles, and possibility to Normandy, I have family that fought that day, and it would be nice to honor them. Then on to DLP for 3 or 4 nights.

I have some friends that suggested that we stay at DLP the whole trip as a home base and use the trains...Using Disney transportation to and from. She said its easier to get around that way. But we are really looking to see Paris and other cities in France.

Another friend, said that they rent a really nice Airbnb/Homeaway, rental car and use the trains and use it as a home base so that we can do whatever we want.

Then a co-worker of my husband suggested that we stay in a hotel for security reason while in Paris 2 or 3 day, renting a car ( at airport) for getting out of the city to explore, as renting a car out of the city is spotty. Then travel around, drop off the car, take the train to DLP then use the disneys bus to get back to the airport.

I need all the help I can get....

 

[zavandor]

I would certainly recommend to not use DLP as a base for the whole vacation.
Getting there is easy by train, it's 45-60 minutes, depending on the exact location in the city you travel to/from. If you were going to go to Paris a day or two, I would have said not to bother moving the luggage, but since you plan to stay most of the time in Paris, it's much better to do a split stay.
Moving around Paris is very easy by public transportation. Their underground network is safe. easy(-ish) to use, cheap(-ish) and you can go anywhere with it. Much better than having to deal with traffic and finding a parking spot with a rental car.
To go beyond Paris, it depends how connections from the city to where you want to go are. For example, to Versailles it's easy by train, to Normandy I don't know. But it's better to rent a car only for the days you plan to use it to reach places are not easy by public transportation.

To set reasonable expectations and understand how much time to plan for DLP, I suggest to read this blog post:
http://www.disneytouristblog.com/should-you-visit-disneyland-paris/
Depending on what you enjoy the most in a theme park, you might want to spend from 1,5 to 3-4 days. Also that blog has a lot of resources that will help you plan your visit.

 

[olafLover]

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[disneyphx]

Congratulations on planning such a trip!

Not sure what your budget is, but I suggest you take a look at Adventures by Disney - they have one London and Paris trip, and one France trip. With the London and Paris trip ( and maybe with the France trip) you can add on time at DLP.
The trips are fantastic - there is a board on DisBoards where you can learn more.

If you don't choose that route, I would suggest:
- don't stay at DLP the whole time - maybe for a couple of nights at the end of your trip. Aside from travel time, the food there is not good - and one of my favorite things about spending time in Paris is exploring great restaurants, cafes and stores.
- for daytrips, don't drive yourself - look at either public transport or a guided tour - Viator and Tours by Locals are great places to start looking

We just did the ABD London and Paris trip, then more travel, then 2 nights at DLP. We got a driver to DLP from the aiport and then the train back. I think 2 days at DLP would be plenty. We loved the rides - we found them more 'thrilling' than the US counterparts

Have fun!

 

[rafiki]

I've driven in France and visited Paris several times; I largely agree with Zavandor. I haven't been to DLP, but we're going in September with a day or two added in Paris, before we travel elsewhere in Europe. Everyone is a bit different in terms of travel, but with that caveat, I would suggest the following:

Fly into CDG and rent a car at the airport and drive to Normandy. If you can, stay there at least two days. The beaches, memorials, cemeteries and museums are well worth it. Standing on Omaha beach was worth the trip, by itself. We drove to Normandy and Brittany (stayed on Mont St. Michel and in Dinan overnight), and beyond, and did not find it difficult to drive around --- once we got out of the metro Paris area and traffic. I think it is nice to learn some of the language basics, but truthfully you don't absolutely need it. Pretty much everyone we met under 60 spoke English, if they wanted to.

After Normandy, return your rental car back to CDG and take the train into central Paris. Do not drive in central Paris. There is no need for that stress and cost. Plus, parking is impossible to find at any reasonable price. Since you are staying more than a night or two, I would stay in an AirBnB, apartment rental, or something similar for your stay in Paris. We've done both hotels and apartments and prefer an apartment style stay for a longer visit. They are cheaper, safe, generally more room, and somehow seem to put you into a neighborhood in a different and more immersive way than a hotel does. There's absolutely no reason for the cost and travel aggravation of staying at DLP for the entire time and I think you should be in Paris at night. Most hosts for AirBnB will also provide lots of friendly advice and answer your questions. We found a 5 night apartment rental very near the Eiffel Tower that was a fraction of the cost of a hotel. Personally, I don't think you'd want to stay in central Paris more than about 5-6 nights, including a day trip to Versailles, but your tastes, budget and the limit on your total trip time will determine that. I think that's enough time to see the major, and some minor, sights. Plus, I just tend to get tired of any big city, U.S. or foreign, after about that many days. Use the Metro and your feet for Paris sights. You can easily take the train from central Paris to Versailles for a day trip (we did); the Versailles station is a short walk from the palace.

Once you've done the sights you want in central Paris, or have run out of days, take the train ("RER") to Disneyland Paris. Since you are Disney fans, I think it would be good to end your trip with DLP. Among other things, I think it will probably feel a little less "foreign" to you than the rest of your trip and will help you at the end of your trip deal with the general background stress and homesickness that most people eventually feel during their first foreign trip. I'd stay at an on-site Disney hotel (chosen based on your budget or taste for their themes) for the number of days you think you are going to be in the theme parks. The on-site hotels are all within a 15 minute walk, at most, from the theme parks. If you want to save some money, you can stay at the partner hotels, but then you have to take a short train ride to the parks. I think that 2-3 days is probably sufficient to see everything in the parks, especially if you plan your stay for mid-week instead of a weekend. After your visit to DLP, take the train back to Paris and use public transport to get to CDG for your flight home. Try to find a flight that leaves after noon to give you time for the travel into Paris and to the airport, etc. If that's not possible, you might want to leave DLP the night before and stay in a hotel in central Paris, or even near the airport, for an early morning flight home.

Hope this helps.

 

[olafLover]

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[aprincessatlast]

We just got back from an amazing trip traveling with 4 kids. We had an amazing memorable trip. Things we did that made it great...

We rented an apartment/flat from parisautrement.com and had a fabulous experience. Loved the neighborhood in the Le Marais and is perfect for what you mentioned of soaking in the sites.

Got the Navigo Decouverte metro pass for our stay. It is a local card but anyone can get it and covers you from Sunday 12am to the following Sunday at 12 am. Bring a small photo the size of passport picture and they will cut it and give you the pass. Best $27 spent as it covers a vast area including Disneyland, Versaille, CDG Airport and Fountainbleu.

Got the Museum pass for 6 days ($74) at and it covered part of Versaille (the gardens are not covered on saturdays due to fountain shows).
Fountainbleu was the highlight of palaces we visited but the gardens at versaille are amazing if you can hit a Saturday they have the fireworks show. (summer only) Obviously covers Lourve, Orsay etc. You can buy it at CDG Airport

Got the Orange Holiday Card ($40) at the Orange store near our apartment so we always had data and could make calls. Last 2 weeks and you can top up if needed. Just bring ID like passport of Drivers License. It gives you a sim card with a local phone number and was much cheaper than our Verizon international plan at $10 a day with limited data.

We spent 2.5 days at Disneyland. (3 night package with free half board-"free dining"). Felt like it was enough, however I did feel like we could have spent more time visiting Chataues and the French Countryside like Provens etc on our Metro pass. We stayed on property but would have preferred our neighborhood in Le Marais. From what I gathered it was about 30-45 minutes but we stayed at Davy Crockett and it was a 15 minute drive than another 15 from parking. Adorable resort but recommend only if you are a large family. WDW we stay on property but did not really feel the need in Paris. I would say 3 days is plenty. I did not feel like we missed too much at DL in 2.5 days besides one ride due to time (crush coaster) but that was just poor time management on my part.

Eat at Remy's as it is a one of a kind experience!

Used Uber a few times for those times you are just exhausted and don't feel like changing metros etc. We saved so much with Navigo we were ok splurging a bit.

Things I wish we did... Visit Etritat and eat more Crepes.... Next time!

 

[LovesTimone]

I think your plans sound like the best! Let me go over each one
1) If you book with Disney, you'll always get hotel and tickets to the parks, so using that as a home base will make it pretty expensive, plus it's around 16 euro's to travel to the city with public transport, each day. It takes around an hour one way. I used to have a annual pass and went from Disney to the city twice, one time by car (spent our first day in Disney and then a weekend in Paris) and one time to visit Roland Garros, we went to the extra magic hours, took the train to the city center, spent to day watching a friend win her first grand slam, and were back just in time for the fireworks. We were really tired after that day! I really wouldn't do that 5 to 8 times!
2) You really, really don't want to drive in Paris, I've been silly enough to do it 3 times now, because it really was the best option for us, but I wouldn't recommend it and certainly wouldn't hire a car to do so! Parisian cars are recognized by their dents, so I'm sure you'll have some damage when you return the car.
3) I'm not sure what the suggestion is, get accommodation somewhere else? Normandy is quite a drive from Paris, so this might be a good idea, but you can't do Versailles and Normandy in one day, if that is the suggestion.

I think you should stick with your original plan, maybe add one or two nights in Normandy if you want to visit that. If you have any other questions about planning your trip, feel free to ask!

We are not planning to visit Versailles and Normandy on the same day, the rough plan would be to visit Versailles going by train for the day. From what I understand is that Versailles is a upscale neighborhood, I am assuming that there are restaurants and shops, so that we can have dinner, then take the train back in the early evening? As for Normandy there is quite a bit to do around there, so possibly renting a car and going for a 1 or 3 nights as suggested to really see the beach and monuments, Mont St. Michel, which we would cut nights in Paris. My friends both suggested, going back to CDG to rent a car, this way we can drop it back off and take the train to DLP? Are the rental car vendor at the airport or are they off site, like they are at a lot of US airports, where you have to catch a bus to the car rental site.?

 

[LovesTimone]

Op here Thanks so much for all your suggestions.

Which of course leads to more questions...

What would be the best area to rent a flat for our time in Paris? We want to see the major spots. Safety, walkability, easy access to the trains.

 

[olafLover]

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[tiffjoy]

Op here Thanks so much for all your suggestions.

Which of course leads to more questions...

What would be the best area to rent a flat for our time in Paris? We want to see the major spots. Safety, walkability, easy access to the trains.

We stayed in an apartment in St Germain, about a five minute walk to d"Orsay Museum. It was the perfect location for us, and I would actually highly recommend the exact apartment we stayed in. Message me if you would like me to share the link. I was set on staying in that district because it was close to the main things we wanted to do, and with two young kids, I wanted to be close to a park, and Tuileries was right there. I considered staying closer to the Eiffel Tower so we would have a pretty view (and we were visiting the Tower three times during our week stay), but ultimately decided it was 1) too far from the other things we wanted to do and 2) not as cute a neighborhood as St Germain. The train was just a block from our apartment, so very easy to get around.

 

[lowe@massed.net]

Congratulations on planning such a trip!

Not sure what your budget is, but I suggest you take a look at Adventures by Disney - they have one London and Paris trip, and one France trip. With the London and Paris trip ( and maybe with the France trip) you can add on time at DLP.
The trips are fantastic - there is a board on DisBoards where you can learn more.

This is what my husband and I are doing in September. No worries about accommodations, transportation, planning - and ABD is even providing transfers to DLP and then to the airport after our add-on days!

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

Op here Thanks so much for all your suggestions.

Which of course leads to more questions...

What would be the best area to rent a flat for our time in Paris? We want to see the major spots. Safety, walkability, easy access to the trains.

We just did something similar in April for our 10th anniversary. We spent 6 days in Paris and 6 days traveling across Italy. While in Paris we rented a house boat on Air B&B. The boat was right under the Eiffel Tower. We would sit on the deck and watch the Tower sparkle every night while drinking wine and eating cheese. It was a one of a kind experience. I will say that after 4 nights I was ready for a hotel and a real bathroom (the boats bathroom was very small and the shower was awkward). Our house boat was right next to 2 different trains, very easily walk-able area of the city. There was a grocery store (franprix) 1 block away where we got most of our food, and also a laundromat so we could wash our clothes before heading to Italy. While there we booked a vow renewal ceremony that was AMAZING. We had a great photographer who took pictures of us all around the Eiffel Tower and the different park areas that surround it. For the price (about $300 USD) I couldn't have asked for more. We also booked our day trip to Versailles with Fat Tire Tours. It was a guided walking tour that lasted about 4 hours in the gardens around the Palace and ended with skip the line passes to go into the Palace at your own leisure. The tour also included round trip train passes from Paris. I would highly recommend that tour. We never made it to Normandy, and our DLP trip was just a day visit (I mostly just wanted to see it. We had a 1 day hopper and rode about 5 rides, but enjoyed just seeing everything).

I will add BE MINDFUL OF PICK POCKETS. I am not a novice traveler. I lived in India for 3 months, and West Africa for 2 months. I have traveled to countless European cities. And I was pick pocketed on the train from Paris to CDG. Thankfully the thief "only" got my wallet (which had $50 and my drivers license) and not our passports, which were at the very bottom of my bag. I had a cross body, deep, Vera Bradley bag, and the thief managed to push the top zipper open and reach in to grab my wallet all without me knowing or my husband, who was standing next to me, noticing. We were on a crowded train and had 2 big suitcases, so I'm sure we were prime targets.

Paris was littered with panhandlers and people aggressively selling their "wares" (souvenirs). We did enjoy our time there, however the theft left me with a bad taste for the city and no desire to return soon.