If you were spending two weeks in France, driving around to different areas, would you prefer to have Paris be your first 4 nights or last 4 nights before heading home, and why?
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You might need to give a few more details, like where else you plan to go, and are you flying in and out of Paris? Personally, I would prefer to start out in Paris when you have more mental and physical energy to see and explore, and then travel to other areas, after you get the %26quot;main attraction%26quot; done. But then I haven%26#39;t been to other areas of France, either.
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Both!!
Slightly different location I recently went to Bali via Bangkok had 3 nights in Bangkok on way there and 2 on way back - was really looking forward to getting back to Bangkok because I knew there were still things I wanted to do and see.
If that isn%26#39;t an option I might prefer to do Paris last as a break from all the driving - if lots is planned. Also great place to end a holiday I think - go out on a high and blow the last of your EUROS!!
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Do Paris last. If you like cities at all--Paris is the best so save the best for last.
I have read this advice on this forum previously. People say it is really disappointing to do the best first and then go ahead and do things which aren%26#39;t as good.
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Usually, we spend a couple days in Paris at the beginning and end of each trip, with a 5-7 day trip outside of the city, and we%26#39;ve enjoyed doing it that way- it breaks up some of the walking a bit, and it%26#39;s nice to mix up different types of sightseeing.
Otherwise, either has its advantages. Where else are you going? That may help you decide.
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Depending on the %26quot;other parts of France%26quot; you have in mind, I don%26#39;t think you will find Paris is necessarily %26quot;the best%26quot; but it will be a totally different experience. I would suggest doing Paris last, just because you will be quite jetlagged the first couple of days and this would let you recover and be at full speed while in Paris (rather than spending the first half day, at least, just trying to wake up). Also, you will have gotten past the basics (like getting funds from ATMs, etc.) before getting to Paris, so will be able to hit the ground running (probably pretty much literally).
You are allowing only a short amount of time in Paris (four days is only enough to scratch the surface) so my recommendation is to arrive there all rested up and ready to walk your legs off seeing just the top half of your to-do list (which, I guarantee, will be much longer than anything you reasonably could expect to do in four days, short of a forced march and a maximum of 15 minutes per site!)
Someone else mentioned a split - a couple of days at the beginning and at the end of the trip. If this were not your first trip, that might work well but since this is (I assume?) your first time in France, it will be more satisfactory to have a more concentrated time in Paris (plus, you won%26#39;t waste the extra half-day on each end spent checking into and out of hotels, getting to/from trains, etc.).
Have fun!
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Berkeley travelers just reminded me of this- you may want to limit the amount of driving you plan to do on the first day. After a transatlantic flight, you%26#39;ll probably be tired, and you may not be up for driving a couple hours on unfamiliar roads. Depending on your flights and your itinerary, you may want to consider that. (And wherever you decide to start, you may not want to do much heavy sightseeing on the first day, as you will be tired).
We actually did split up our time in Paris even on our first trip-- ironically, it actually worked out better for us that way, as we were able to visit the Musee d%26#39;Orsay and Versailles, both of which had been on strike early in the trip.
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Unless it%26#39;s logistically impossible, we begin our trips in the big cities (Rome, Athens, Paris, etc) for several reasons. As someone mentioned, we also aren%26#39;t keen on getting off the plane in a foreign country and into a car after a 10 or 12 hour flight. Starting in the city makes sense for us because we can re-acquaint ourselves with the language and how the French do things before venturing out into the countryside where English is less common.
Another reason we tend to frontload our trips is because we are fresh, have more energy (hopefully we are still in the middle of our lives and not heading toward that downside--but we%26#39;re not %26quot;chronologically%26quot; young!) and our enthusiasm is at its height. We always walk/hike a lot, but never more than in the cities. Oh, and let%26#39;s face it, we have more money at the beginning of our trip too! LOL
Our first day is never a waste of time: we take the on-off bus to get an overview of the city, a boat ride on the Seine, stroll along the river, have a picnic in a park before we pack it in for the day and get a good night%26#39;s sleep. We have even been known to go to the theater on our first night.
When it%26#39;s time to leave the city, we feel acclimated and ready to face the highways and byways, and the rest of the vacation passes at a more leisurely pace. Paris is a magnificent city, but it can be sensory overload, and I find (for us) if we leave the city for last, I spend a lot of my time anticipating it and maybe short-changing other regions just a bit. And perhaps I might not have quite the energy at the end of 3 weeks that I have at the beginning.
I can see if you are flying in and out of CDG that splitting the time might work too, give you a chance to see some of what you missed the first time around (and you will miss plenty). We%26#39;re considering this idea for our next trip next year. Depends on airfares. And gas prices. And job situaitons.
Having said all this, there is no right or wrong way to see France/Paris, only the way that works for you.
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