We are a family of five and we have five nights in Paris in late June 2008 and we want to include the above. We want to spend the above time in Paris as there is enough in that city to occupy us for five years let alone five days. We are then going to the Auverne to visit relatives and then plan to come back to Paris to get a flight to Greece. We thought we could, on this return trip do the above and wanted some advice on the number of days needed, and the best way with limited time to see Versailles and Monet%26#39;s garden and have one day at Euro disney. Please advise of a strategy. The kids are 14, 9 and 7.
Thanks
John
Sydney
Australia
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If you go to Monet%26#39;s gardens, make sure you get there early before the armada of tourists arrive. It gets so crowded at the water lilly pond that I think they are going to need to install a traffic light on the Japanese bridge.
So if I were you, I would be first on line, then rush to the %26quot;back%26quot; so you can have 15-20 minutes of peace and quiet and get some decent photos of the water lillies and Japanese bridge.
Oh, I think it is closed on Mondays. Have a great time!
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pixfield is absolutely spot-on. Get there early enough to be first in line and then race for the underpass and up into the garden. Enjoy it without the throngs. I%26#39;m not positive but I think it opens at 9:30 so get there by 9 at the latest. The tour buses start arriving at 10 so by then it%26#39;s too late.
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Here%26#39;s another possible strategy to add to the above good advice (we did this accidentally). If you encounter rain on your trip, go very early the next morning (even if -- or perhaps especially if -- it%26#39;s still raining a bit). We went early the morning after a thunderstorm in June, and there were few people there when we arrived (although it started to fill up once people realized that it was going to be a nice day). We were quite fortunate, because the sun came out just as we arrived so we had a chance to see the garden in sunlight but without quite the crowds there otherwise would have been.
For the other trips, just be aware that you really need to allow a full day for each. With Versailles, I would suggest an early arrival as well because it%26#39;s also very popular and can be very crowded in summer (if you see the interior first, then you can wander in the gardens where it%26#39;s not so crowded).
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With all of the talk about rain at Giverny I want to be sure and say that even if it is raining, Do Not Miss Giverny. If you like Monet, Giverney is amazing in rain or sun. In fact, if it rains, that just might mean fewer people there but it doesn%26#39;t mean Giverny won%26#39;t be enjoyable. My son and I went in the rain. We still loved it. It is really a highlight of a trip! The pink house, the Japanese bridge, the water lillies, the garden. Magnifique!
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I would cut one of those destinations out. Paris alone will take your breath away, but escaping for a day or two is permitted :-) I won%26#39;t be so bold as to tell you which one should be eliminated, though...it%26#39;s really up to you and your family%26#39;s interests.
Giverny and Versailles - great for people into art/architecture
Giverny and Euro Disney - this would work well with your young kids...I don%26#39;t want to imagine a 7 year old in the Hall of Mirrors ;)
Versailles and Euro Disney - these are right outside of Paris, saving you traveling time
Whatever you decide, two things are certain: 1) it will be crowded!; 2) your family will enjoy it.
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The way I like to describe Giverney to people is that I tell them %26quot;It%26#39;s like being IN one of Monet%26#39;s paintings%26quot;
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Hi onion63
We (family of 5 ) have been to EuroDisney twice, once when our kids were similar in age to your kids and again when they were 18, 15, and 12. I would not have gone again if the 2 younger kids had not been %26#39;too short%26#39; for some of the rides the first time. The second time, they were only really interested in the scary rides, probably one in each land, so four rides in total. You might prepare your 7 yo that they might not be tall enough for some of the rides.
If you have been to the theme parks in QLD maybe you shouldn%26#39;t even bother, bot we hadn%26#39;t been and I have to admit even though I am not a theme park person, it was pretty exciting walking up to the gates and seeing the castle.
However, all that aside, it is very easy to get the train to EuroDisney. We bought our tickets from a travel agent before we left home, and they include the train fare to EuroDisney.
As for Giverny and Versailles, they are both to die for. We did a coach trip to the two. NOT long enough but better than nothing. Giverny is absolutely magical, I had to force my husband back on the bus, he could have stayed all day, and took hundreds of photos, which he has put on his digital photoframe, so that he sits all day at work, dreaming of next time...... Monet%26#39;s studio, now a shop, was a good place to spend some time (and money). Both places are good for the kids to have a little space too, as they spend a fair amount of time in museums, art galleries etc in Europe. Both places are busy in the height of summer but certainly at Giverny, you hardly notice other people, as the gardens are so enthralling.
Versailles was amazing, and to see it properly, including the gardens, you would need at least a full day, but we made do with the half a day. I think it is something you really should see on a trip to Paris, and unless your kids are totally hyper, they will be just fine.
BTW, the Luxembourg gardens are a must. On both of our trips the kids had a ball with the little boats that they hired (even my 18 rushed around the pond with his stick, to push his little boat).
Paris is just the most exciting place on earth. Hope that you have an fantastic time.
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Hi Onion63, we have just had a week in Paris last month with children aged 12 and 15. We arrived at the end of October so unfortunately, Monet%26#39;s garden closed almost the day we arrived, so that is on our %26#39;next time%26#39; list. Versailles is sensational - crowded but sensational in the buildings, but the grounds are enormous, and for children, you can hire bikes to go riding and hire boats to row on the lake. My two actually co-operated and spent a lovely hour rowing their mum and dad around the lake. we didn%26#39;t have enough time to hire bikes too, but we should have. My children loved it, but it is a full day. We spent another day at Disney, although I had scheduled two days - one to pick up a car, drive there, settle in, maybe visit for an evening and then go back the next day. We ended up getting there about midday, and so went to the park straight away. Like one of the other posts said, when your children are older they only want the scary rides (they went on Space mission 2 about 4 times) although by the evening had regressed age wise and we went through Fantasyland and had a lovely time. However, they felt that they had done everything and did not want to go back the next day. So 1 day was definitely enough. If your children are not super committed to going to %26#39;disneyland%26#39; for that experience, the Gold coast is certainly better for thrill seeker rides etc. I am sure your 7yo would love disney though, and we did have a fun day. Hope this helps.
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