Paris Weekend Break

Paris Weekend Break check list

If you are taking a weekend break to any city, your check list is not so much one of things that you need to take with you on your trip, but more one of ideas, thoughts and plans that you need to finalize before you depart.

Maximize your time

A "weekend" is a very short period of time to spend in any location and if you do not plan your break adequately in advance, you may waste valuable time deciding what to do once you arrive. Time that should be spent seeing the sights.

You need to think about the kinds of sights and attractions that interest you and how you will get to them, pay for them and the amount of time that each of them will take up.

Give yourself an idea of the Metro lines and stations that you will need to use in order to get to each of the areas you intend to visit and think about buying your tickets in advance. This will also save queuing when you arrive.

Plan in advance and always allow for traveling time and "bad weather" alternatives to your "A" list of things that you want to see and do. (You cannot rely on the sun when in Paris.)

The best times to visit

Are you a family wanting to show your children the historic sights like the Eiffel Tower and educational attractions like the Louvre, or are you a couple spending a weekend away to celebrate a birthday or Anniversary.

Different people visit Paris at different times of the year and for different reasons and it is a good idea to decide "why" and for "what reason" you want to spend time in the city.

If it is the culture, galleries, cuisine and nightlife that you seek, there is no advantage in visiting during the peak summer months. Delay your trip to Autumn, Winter or Spring. Good weather is not essential and the city will be quieter outside the May to September period. You will also avoid families and children (if this is your aim) and save money on fares.

If you have a family and you want to combine Disney World and the city of Paris, then the weather is more important and it may be a good idea to visit during the summer. Believe me, Disney World (or Land) is miserable in Florida, California or Paris when it rains and that is coming from a die hard Disney fan.

Spend a few minutes putting together a loose agenda

The reason for you break will probably determine what you want to see and do and help set an agenda.

If you are open to ideas, then one good way to make your plan is to start by splitting each day into daylight and nigh time hours.

The evenings are fairly easy to plan because firstly, you need to eat and secondly, most of the more famous out door attractions will be closed at this time.

Eating in a restaurant and visiting a gallery or show (of which there are many to choose from) should adequately fill your evening, but there are also bars, nightclubs and a whole range of Paris nightlife options to consider. One obvious way of determining which alternative to select is by choosing something close to your hotel. That way you will not have to look for sign and directions at night.

What to do during the day offers a near limitless selection of options. One of the best ways to plan, particularly if you like the idea of sampling a bit of everything, is to divide your day into sections and spends each of those sections in a different district or attraction hub. Each of these areas will have a number of tourist highlights that you can get to on foot before using the Metro to move on to another.