Help me plan a 1st visit to Paris for my mom's 80th

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parisian native here.

This year? The Olympics are driving up prices for July and August, so make sure you avoid those months like the plague.

If it were me, I'd travel before the schools close for summer vacation (ostensibly early July, but some families take out the kids in late June). That's when all the hotels and rentals increase their prices. So play around with the calendars on their websites, but plan to leave by mid-June. Bonus - it won't be so hot!

My 73 year old parents would NOT enjoy a lightning vacation like this, but if your mother is sprightly, you could perhaps do Paris and Normandy in one week. Jet lag is brutal the older you get. Maybe get her some melatonin.

Be sure to plan everything in advance and allow plenty of downtime for rest. Museums rotate closure days. The Musee du Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, for example. The Eiffel Tower is supposedly open all year, but had a recent closure for a dispute about maintenance. Anything can close at the drop of a hat if there's a specific terrorist threat. If there's a Holiday, then things might be closed too.

What does she want to see in Normandy? Please don't do the Jeep tour of the landing beaches, it's very shaky! But you can visit la Pointe du Hoc and other American landing sites, they're very interesting and the coast is lovely.

If I were to make an itinerary for a first time visitor, I would include:

1. Paris - small boutique hotel. Take a day off to recover from the flight and drive around major monuments, by night for illuminations. Then four days to visit Louvre, Tour Eiffel, Catacombes, walk around Notre Dame (you can't go inside yet, but next year maybe), stroll around Ile de la Cite and Ile Saint Louis, eat ice cream at Berthillon on Ile Saint Louis, maybe get a bateau mouche trip on the Seine.

2. Possible day trip to Versailles.

3. Leave for Normandy, stop at Giverny, Monet's house and garden. Maybe overnight there.

4. Stay in Normandy. If you can get a hotel room ON the Mont St Michel, please don't pass that up. It's my favorite place in France, and so worth it. Visit the abbey, take in the views, eat nice food. Much more funto stay on the Mont, but due to very limited space, hotel rooms are often booked a year or months in advance. It's less expensive to book accommodations near the Mont on the mainland.

5. Drive to the landing beaches, without missing Pointe du Hoc, on a cliff, where the American Rangers lost so many, and for nothing, because the batteries that were supposed to be installed at the top to repel the Allies had not been installed yet. D-Day Anniversary is on June 6th, you might run into higher prices around that time, but also find yourself in a commemorative event. That area also has Utah and Omaha beaches and the American cemetery. The Memorial de Caen, in the city of the same name, is a museum about D-Day, WWII and has a very graphic section about the Holocaust. It's very good.

6. Return to Paris.

Thanks so much! This is incredibly helpful and sounds like a lovely itinerary. We aren't planning to go until April/May 2025, which hopefully leaves us time to make some good reservations. She would love to be there for the commemorative events, so I'll ask her if she'd rather go in early June.

[Anonymous]

Involve her in every step of planning. It is not kind to surprise her.

[Anonymous]

On 2 out of my 3 trips to Paris, we’ve eaten at Jules Verne, the fancy restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. It is good for a special occasion like this, and you get to skip the line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rick Steves can be very helpful for budget Europe for older people. Free travel classes and videos on line and candid advice about what to see and skip.

I would focus a lot on the accommodations piece. Make sure there's an elevator, search reviews for keywords like "mattress" since a comfy bed is so important. I might send a few emails asking about grab bars etc. Once there, consider stopping at a drugstore for a cheap non-slip bathmat. Surprisingly missing from many European hotels.

I would agree with the bath mat thing. We stayed in a boutique hotel, which had a bathroom with slippery marble floors and a bath that you needed to be an Olympic hurdler to be able to throw your leg over to get into. You might want to look at international chain hotels that offer accessible rooms and proper elevators. (I took a bathmat from Walmart with me and left it there at the end of the trip - that will be easier than trying to find an expensive one when you get there). Strangely, many French showers do not have curtains or doors and water goes everywhere.

Some small Paris hotels have elevators big enough for only one person and a bag with those strange closing grid doors like the 1920s.

The metro is not very accessible either, so you may have to rely on taxis. It makes you realize how much the Americans with Disabilities act has brought to American cities.

There may be useful information at websites like this
https://wheeltheworld.com

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parisian native here.

This year? The Olympics are driving up prices for July and August, so make sure you avoid those months like the plague.

If it were me, I'd travel before the schools close for summer vacation (ostensibly early July, but some families take out the kids in late June). That's when all the hotels and rentals increase their prices. So play around with the calendars on their websites, but plan to leave by mid-June. Bonus - it won't be so hot!

My 73 year old parents would NOT enjoy a lightning vacation like this, but if your mother is sprightly, you could perhaps do Paris and Normandy in one week. Jet lag is brutal the older you get. Maybe get her some melatonin.

Be sure to plan everything in advance and allow plenty of downtime for rest. Museums rotate closure days. The Musee du Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, for example. The Eiffel Tower is supposedly open all year, but had a recent closure for a dispute about maintenance. Anything can close at the drop of a hat if there's a specific terrorist threat. If there's a Holiday, then things might be closed too.

What does she want to see in Normandy? Please don't do the Jeep tour of the landing beaches, it's very shaky! But you can visit la Pointe du Hoc and other American landing sites, they're very interesting and the coast is lovely.

If I were to make an itinerary for a first time visitor, I would include:

1. Paris - small boutique hotel. Take a day off to recover from the flight and drive around major monuments, by night for illuminations. Then four days to visit Louvre, Tour Eiffel, Catacombes, walk around Notre Dame (you can't go inside yet, but next year maybe), stroll around Ile de la Cite and Ile Saint Louis, eat ice cream at Berthillon on Ile Saint Louis, maybe get a bateau mouche trip on the Seine.

2. Possible day trip to Versailles.

3. Leave for Normandy, stop at Giverny, Monet's house and garden. Maybe overnight there.

4. Stay in Normandy. If you can get a hotel room ON the Mont St Michel, please don't pass that up. It's my favorite place in France, and so worth it. Visit the abbey, take in the views, eat nice food. Much more funto stay on the Mont, but due to very limited space, hotel rooms are often booked a year or months in advance. It's less expensive to book accommodations near the Mont on the mainland.

5. Drive to the landing beaches, without missing Pointe du Hoc, on a cliff, where the American Rangers lost so many, and for nothing, because the batteries that were supposed to be installed at the top to repel the Allies had not been installed yet. D-Day Anniversary is on June 6th, you might run into higher prices around that time, but also find yourself in a commemorative event. That area also has Utah and Omaha beaches and the American cemetery. The Memorial de Caen, in the city of the same name, is a museum about D-Day, WWII and has a very graphic section about the Holocaust. It's very good.

6. Return to Paris.

Thanks so much! This is incredibly helpful and sounds like a lovely itinerary. We aren't planning to go until April/May 2025, which hopefully leaves us time to make some good reservations. She would love to be there for the commemorative events, so I'll ask her if she'd rather go in early June.

I'd make efforts to avoid crowds and long queues actually, so go on an ordinary day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need more time OP, mom will NOT enjoy this trip based on the time you have laid out. The jet lag is killer and so is packing up and continuously moving with a bad hip etc

This. Your mom will need four days just to recover from the flight.

[Anonymous]

Catacombes is great but soo many narrow stairs. I not aware they have an elevator, so make sure you check before you book.

Otherwise the classic museums are certainly worth the visit. Eat some great food and wine!

[Anonymous]

Bring your own bath mat. The Eiffel Tower took 3 hours with our tickets btw. You must book in advance. Get on a Facebook Paris group and they can tell you how. Tickets sell out in 5-7 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parisian native here.

This year? The Olympics are driving up prices for July and August, so make sure you avoid those months like the plague.

If it were me, I'd travel before the schools close for summer vacation (ostensibly early July, but some families take out the kids in late June). That's when all the hotels and rentals increase their prices. So play around with the calendars on their websites, but plan to leave by mid-June. Bonus - it won't be so hot!

My 73 year old parents would NOT enjoy a lightning vacation like this, but if your mother is sprightly, you could perhaps do Paris and Normandy in one week. Jet lag is brutal the older you get. Maybe get her some melatonin.

Be sure to plan everything in advance and allow plenty of downtime for rest. Museums rotate closure days. The Musee du Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, for example. The Eiffel Tower is supposedly open all year, but had a recent closure for a dispute about maintenance. Anything can close at the drop of a hat if there's a specific terrorist threat. If there's a Holiday, then things might be closed too.

What does she want to see in Normandy? Please don't do the Jeep tour of the landing beaches, it's very shaky! But you can visit la Pointe du Hoc and other American landing sites, they're very interesting and the coast is lovely.

If I were to make an itinerary for a first time visitor, I would include:

1. Paris - small boutique hotel. Take a day off to recover from the flight and drive around major monuments, by night for illuminations. Then four days to visit Louvre, Tour Eiffel, Catacombes, walk around Notre Dame (you can't go inside yet, but next year maybe), stroll around Ile de la Cite and Ile Saint Louis, eat ice cream at Berthillon on Ile Saint Louis, maybe get a bateau mouche trip on the Seine.

2. Possible day trip to Versailles.

3. Leave for Normandy, stop at Giverny, Monet's house and garden. Maybe overnight there.

4. Stay in Normandy. If you can get a hotel room ON the Mont St Michel, please don't pass that up. It's my favorite place in France, and so worth it. Visit the abbey, take in the views, eat nice food. Much more funto stay on the Mont, but due to very limited space, hotel rooms are often booked a year or months in advance. It's less expensive to book accommodations near the Mont on the mainland.

5. Drive to the landing beaches, without missing Pointe du Hoc, on a cliff, where the American Rangers lost so many, and for nothing, because the batteries that were supposed to be installed at the top to repel the Allies had not been installed yet. D-Day Anniversary is on June 6th, you might run into higher prices around that time, but also find yourself in a commemorative event. That area also has Utah and Omaha beaches and the American cemetery. The Memorial de Caen, in the city of the same name, is a museum about D-Day, WWII and has a very graphic section about the Holocaust. It's very good.

6. Return to Paris.

Thanks so much! This is incredibly helpful and sounds like a lovely itinerary. We aren't planning to go until April/May 2025, which hopefully leaves us time to make some good reservations. She would love to be there for the commemorative events, so I'll ask her if she'd rather go in early June.

The commemorative events will involve high ranking VIPs, security lines and special tickets. There are no tickets left according to this link. Avoid! https://www.abmc.gov/d-day80

[Anonymous]

Minimum 7 full days on the ground. Allow another day for jetlag recovery.

No Versailles, no Louvre. Too crowded, too much waiting. I have no idea how your mom will stand in long lines at the ET for security.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rick Steves can be very helpful for budget Europe for older people. Free travel classes and videos on line and candid advice about what to see and skip.

I would focus a lot on the accommodations piece. Make sure there's an elevator, search reviews for keywords like "mattress" since a comfy bed is so important. I might send a few emails asking about grab bars etc. Once there, consider stopping at a drugstore for a cheap non-slip bathmat. Surprisingly missing from many European hotels.

I would agree with the bath mat thing. We stayed in a boutique hotel, which had a bathroom with slippery marble floors and a bath that you needed to be an Olympic hurdler to be able to throw your leg over to get into. You might want to look at international chain hotels that offer accessible rooms and proper elevators. (I took a bathmat from Walmart with me and left it there at the end of the trip - that will be easier than trying to find an expensive one when you get there). Strangely, many French showers do not have curtains or doors and water goes everywhere.

Some small Paris hotels have elevators big enough for only one person and a bag with those strange closing grid doors like the 1920s.

The metro is not very accessible either, so you may have to rely on taxis. It makes you realize how much the Americans with Disabilities act has brought to American cities.

There may be useful information at websites like this
https://wheeltheworld.com

The Paris Metro is great for point to point commuting. It is lousy for sightseeing. Taxis let you take a ground level tour in comfort.

[Anonymous]

Paris is April and May is spectacular weather-wise. Be mindful of the national/public holidays in May, like Labor Day, WW2 Victory Day, Ascension and I can't remember what else but there are a lot.

[Anonymous]

You can rent a golf cart at Versailles and drive your mom around.

[Anonymous]

I did a 4 week Euro trip with my grandmother in 2005 when she was 75. She was pretty spry and nearly 20 years, and many fabulous trips later, I still remember that trip as one of my very best, because of the time spent with her. I was worried that she would get tired all the time, but she surprised me with her energy, which I think was fueled by her excitement. Good luck in your planning OP. It will be a trip you will cherish forever.

[Anonymous]

I would splurge on a business class flight ticket for the 80-year-old. The flight discomfort is brutal on your body.