Do you have AAA they offer travel planning service a service as part of your membership as well they have travel book for the area you are going to... This is what I did when we went to Paris in May of this year... You do not have to use them to book your trip, I used them more for a jumping off point. I booked our trip, and save a lot of cash.... Then I asked questions lots and lots of questions on the
Disneyland Paris Board, on transportation ( hop on hop off bus) , using the metro, sightseeing ( museum passes, day and half day tours), dinner cruise's and money conversion, and credit cards ..... such...
Rick Steves books are a great investment - I got alot of good solid advice from them, I read it twice before we went, then we used it in the hotel at night...
Paris is a walking city - You need to pick which Arrondissements (section of Paris) you would like to stay in...You can google the map...
Spend some time on You tube, checking out Wolter's World and other videos that help you understand traveling to your destinations, and they offer tons of tips...
Write a list of what you want to see, do and experience while touring... prioritizes them... don't plan every moment... walk the streets, sit in a Cafe`, take in the City of lights,
Transportation - this is one tip that is very important to figure out... we used a private car service to our hotel, and DLP, which was really nice, and worth every euro that we spent... which was really not much more than what we would have spent on Uber or Lyft getting around.
Use the Concierge's in the hotel to your advantage, we booked through the hotel, they have more local tour companies and suggestion at their finger tips... Also they let us know what areas to stay out of... there was a demonstration going on, and they made sure we knew not to go into this area... Listen to what they tell you...
When buying bus passes, museum passes, know what you are buying... all the tickets run consecutive day... So when you buy a 3 day ticket... if you use it on Monday - then its good Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday... not 3 days of your choosing... So if you plan on a day trip to Versailles or to the Chateau region... take that into consideration when planning...
Spend time before you go researching what everything has to offer and buy what you need....
Metro, and trains are another area that you will need to understand exactly what is provided...
Dealing with Taxi driver ask how much before you get in... Take picture of your hotel with address so that you can show it to the driver...
Learn some basic French, and learn about french customs and manners... Such as you must ask for the bill when done eating... " l'addition s'il vous plait" - the bill please... When entering a shop greet the person Bonjour Madame, or Monsieur - Thank you - Merci, - Pardon me do you speak English - Pardonnez-moi vous parlez anglais... Check out you tube, google translate, and babble for some basic phrases to help you get around...
Your Safety be prepared, we invested in smaller backpack for DH and a crossbody bag for me - they are slash proof, have locking zippers, and RFID protection... as well we did buy some credit card RFID sleeve for added protection, there are lots of options... these worked for us... another tip is how you dress... stay away from touring in work out clothing, leave your yoga pants, spandex, and running clothing at home...american big sneakers, like Nike or another major brands - pick pockets and scam artist look for this - as well keep jewelry to a minimum. Check out youtube for do's and don'ts.. I say this not to scare you or worry you, to help you be prepared so that you can protect yourself, and have a wonderful time...
I spent hours and hours on-line, reading, researching and it did pay off...
You can do it.... Take a breath and jump in....
Have a wonderful time...
