Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've never actually used a travel agent for anything before. These days you have easy access to any information online and can generally just as easily book tickets online as well. Once you are at your destination, hotel concierges can also help you book dinner reservations, or day trips, or theatre tickets, etc.
Paris is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, you don't need anyone else organizing your trip even if it's your first trip overseas. All you need is:
1. Make sure you have passports valid six months past trip
2. Book flight to Paris online, lots of different sites I prefer momondo
3. Book hotel, try Booking.com if you look at their map of Paris it'll be obvious areas where most tourists stay
4. Read up on logistics like how taxis work, the metro, cell phone, tipping, ATMs, etc.
5. Find some lists online of top things to do in Paris
6. Find more lists of "off the beaten path" stuff to do in Paris
Someone will probably come rolling into this thread wailing about how Paris isn't really traveling in France and you should spend all your time in teeny villages savoring artisan cheeses, walking past bucolic pastures filled with black & white cows that moo with a French accent, and peeking into old church basements but screw them, if you haven't been to France and want something easy for a honeymoon Paris is a great choice. It has lots of iconic stuff, lots of free stuff, and feels "different' enough from the US for you to feel like you went overseas on vacation.
Paris is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, you don't need anyone else organizing your trip even if it's your first trip overseas. All you need is:
1. Make sure you have passports valid six months past trip
2. Book flight to Paris online, lots of different sites I prefer momondo
3. Book hotel, try Booking.com if you look at their map of Paris it'll be obvious areas where most tourists stay
4. Read up on logistics like how taxis work, the metro, cell phone, tipping, ATMs, etc.
5. Find some lists online of top things to do in Paris
6. Find more lists of "off the beaten path" stuff to do in Paris
Someone will probably come rolling into this thread wailing about how Paris isn't really traveling in France and you should spend all your time in teeny villages savoring artisan cheeses, walking past bucolic pastures filled with black & white cows that moo with a French accent, and peeking into old church basements but screw them, if you haven't been to France and want something easy for a honeymoon Paris is a great choice. It has lots of iconic stuff, lots of free stuff, and feels "different' enough from the US for you to feel like you went overseas on vacation.
Have fun, and congrats on the marriage.
I appreciate the awesome advice. Kind of a compromise with the wifey if no TA ensure I can book tours and so forth.
Kind have a tentative plan in mind...
Day 1: Arrive in the morning...Seine River Dinner Cruise in the Evening.
Day 2: The*Louvre. Candlelight Romantic Dinner.
Day 3: Versailles and Giverny tour for a day.
Day 4: Tour of the*Basilica du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre*and a food tour in the*Latin Quarter.
Day 5: Visit Notre' Dame and*Musee d'Orsay. Cabaret show and dinner at Lido.
Day 6: Visit the Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triomphe. Cheese and Wine Tasting at The Louvre.
Day 7: Open Day.
Day 8: Return Home
Sooo much in France itself to see. Have to make another trip after this one some day!
I appreciate the awesome advice. Kind of a compromise with the wifey if no TA ensure I can book tours and so forth.
Kind have a tentative plan in mind...
Day 1: Arrive in the morning...Seine River Dinner Cruise in the Evening.
Day 2: The*Louvre. Candlelight Romantic Dinner.
Day 3: Versailles and Giverny tour for a day.
Day 4: Tour of the*Basilica du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre*and a food tour in the*Latin Quarter.
Day 5: Visit Notre' Dame and*Musee d'Orsay. Cabaret show and dinner at Lido.
Day 6: Visit the Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triomphe. Cheese and Wine Tasting at The Louvre.
Day 7: Open Day.
Day 8: Return Home
Sooo much in France itself to see. Have to make another trip after this one some day!
That's two airline tickets purchased directly from the airline web site; and an AirBnB apartment. Why would you need a travel agent for any of that? You can rent an apartment walkable to the Latin Quarter, Notre Dame, Seine River cruise, etc. Or a trivial Metro ride.
Sometimes a day tour can be useful for stuff outside the 'top ten' like for the 'food tour' or a bike tour. If/when I make it back to Paris, I'd probably do a day bike tour with these monsieurs et madames:
I appreciate the awesome advice. Kind of a compromise with the wifey if no TA ensure I can book tours and so forth.
Kind have a tentative plan in mind...
Day 1: Arrive in the morning...Seine River Dinner Cruise in the Evening.
Day 2: The*Louvre. Candlelight Romantic Dinner.
Day 3: Versailles and Giverny tour for a day.
Day 4: Tour of the*Basilica du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre*and a food tour in the*Latin Quarter.
Day 5: Visit Notre' Dame and*Musee d'Orsay. Cabaret show and dinner at Lido.
Day 6: Visit the Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triomphe. Cheese and Wine Tasting at The Louvre.
Day 7: Open Day.
Day 8: Return Home
Sooo much in France itself to see. Have to make another trip after this one some day!
Sounds really wonderful. I've been once and did basically what you're planning minus the romantic dinners...we were so tired at day's end we just ate street food in the Latin Quarter (delicious) and at a Lebanese place near our hotel (also tasty). Save some time to rest up a bit.
Check Museum hours. I think the Louvre is closed Tuesdays, Versailles and d’Orsay are closed Mondays. Wasn’t sure what day Day 1 is, so just wanted to warn you.
Get the Eiffel Tower tickets in advance, then you don’t have to stand in line. For that matter, you can get a museum ticket in advance also, that gives you admittance to lots of stuff, and then you also get to skip the line.
Depending on how good you are at jet lag, you may want to schedule a more flexible dinner on your first night, so if you are tired you can pack it in early, and save the River cruise for another night.
I appreciate the awesome advice. Kind of a compromise with the wifey if no TA ensure I can book tours and so forth.
Kind have a tentative plan in mind...
Well, there you go. What added benefit is the travel agent going to provide?
Just be sure the various attractions and activities are actually open on the day you have scheduled to see each (many museums, for example, are closed on Mondays) and if necessary do some reshuffling of your schedule so you don't miss out on anything you really want to do, and buy as many admission tickets as you can in advance so you don't waste time standing in line to get it (many places have one very long line for people who need to buy an admission ticket, and a much shorter line for those who already have their tickets in hand).
Do-it-yourself travel is not hard!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
