Paris for 6 (Mom/Dad & 4 Young Adults ) What to do?

[Brian]

Ok so I may be Crazy, but my Wife & I are going to spend a week in Paris (7-9 nights) in late August (we might have to push it back to August 2006) and we are (here is the Crazy part) bringing our 20yo Son & his friend plus our 17yo Daughter & her friend. Now we have found several Villa's/Apartments that will be fine for our 6-9 night stay. The QUESTIONS we have are ; Where would be the best part of Paris to stay in (section/district)and Why? What are the Must See sights? What are the "Unknown" Treasures to see? Day Trips to see the D-Day beaches.. ..Any Suggestions on who to hire/use?Any other Day Trip Suggestions? Anyone ever rent Vespa's/is it dangerous to drive them/any theft problems or parking hassles?
Please keep in mind that Day Trips and Sightseeing will Involve 4 Youths in the 17-20 age group. My wife & I plan on 1 or 2 Day trips and 1 good "Paris City" tour that will have all 6 of us going and then the other days the Kids (Young Adults) will be breaking away to explore on thier own (is it fairly safe for them?) My Son is a US Marine and can take care of himself, but my daughter and her friend are while very capable of defending themselves in a dangerous situation none the less they are still Ladies whom I worry about being on their Own for hours at a time in a foreign country (Paris France) Any Suggestions as how to Keep them as Safe as Possible? Thanks for any help or suggestions or recommendations!

[Nicky]

Hi, Its been a long day so all I can say is please read some of the other posts of people who have asked similar questions about what to do and see in France. One thing I will say is do your best to take at least a day trip up to Normandy - yes to see the D-day beaches, but also be sure to pay a visit to Mont St. Michel. It is a massive and magical monastery which will blow you away. You can spend a few hours walking around inside and outside and also have lunch there. Its only a short train trip from Bayeux (catch the train to Ponterson and then a regular bus will drop you off there). . I strongly recommend you do this - it was my highlight of France.

In general, France is pretty safe so I wouldnt worry about a few of you venturing out on your own every now and then. In terms of seeing Paris, when you get there keep a look out for the open-air green buses ("L'Open Tour"). . This is a hop-on-hop-off bus that you get a one or a 2 day pass for and it goes all around Paris. From memory I think you get tickets from the bus driver. Really worthwhile.

In terms of where to stay, it doesnt really matter as there is something to see in every corner of Paris. However, to be close to the main things, any place near the Opera House & Champs Elysees will be handy.

Be sure to catch the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower (preferably at night) for an unbelievable view and of course spend a day at the Louvre. The Musee D'Orsay on the opposite side of the river to the Louvre is also fantastic (has the best artworks in the world). . One of my favourite landmarks was L'Hotel d'Invalides which is where Napoleans Tomb is. Its an incredible building (it stands out quite well - it has a massive domed roof and is not too far from the Tower). .

Ended up writing more than I thought I would!!! - thats what happens when I think about travelling.. .. .. .. .. .

Have fun.

[Brian]

Thank You for a post full of great Info. Question- When you took the daytrip to Normandy did you take a "Tour" or did you do it on your own? The rent a car and drive it on our own is possible, but it seems we would be to busy trying to figure out where we were instead of enjoying the sights (or I could be mistaken Lol) - which is better (Money does matter as we have 6 of us) also I have found Tour Companys that will take you on a Full day tour for about $300 for the 6 of us (and that sounds pretty reasonable) I just worry about someone elses Driving as we would hate a WILD Tour with a crazed driver (Ok so I worry a lot). . The Bus Pass sounds great as we could do our own tour at our pace, does it run into the Evening? Thanks Again, Any more Info, Suggestions or Ideas are much Appreciated! Oh yeah 1 more quetion.. ..was taking the Train to Bayeux easy to do, are the Transportations Systems as easy to use as they say? In otherwords is getting aroud to specific places made easy or is it hard to decifer the routes and one ends up getting lost (of course being lost can be an Adventure-lol). . Thanks

[Nicky]

Hi again. We stayed in Bayeux for a couple of days so when we arrived there we asked the hotel desk for tours to the D-day beaches. she gave us the number of an old French woman who just swung past the hotel when convenient for us and took just the 2 of us in a little bus to wherever we wanted to go. It was great. We had her all to ourselves so we could ask lots of questons and pick were we wanted to go. I'm sorry I cant remember the name of her company or anything. However, you could just ask at the Bayeux train station or a taxi driver in Bayeux or anyone really as I think everyone there knows about these tours as thats why tourists go up there. Even if you popped into a hotel and asked at reception. We stayed at the Luxembourg in the town who were helpful. You should really do a tour as you wont know where to go if you do it by yourself.

The Paris bus tour starts really early int he morning and as far as I can remember runs late into the night. Its great. Be sure to sit on the top level which has no roof.

Paris to Bayeux was no problem. I think we may have had to change trains once, cant quite remember. The trains in Europe are fantastic and are so reliable and efficient. Train travel is the best way to see the counrtyside. To avoid panic and chaos we used to check out where we wanted to go next once we arrived at a place. For example, if you know you want to go to Bayeux in 3 days time, have a look tthe yellow departure boards and work it all out before leaving the station, that way, you'll know when to be there for your next journey.

Let me know if you have any more questions.
Nicky