SWMBO and I are scheduled to go to Paris and Brussels next month. Our plans once we got there have changed and we now find ourselves with a week+ of time in France and nothing to do. We are not opposed to jumping on a train to visit another city / area as that was part of our original plan. It'll be January, the only thing we can't cancel without penalty is our airfare flying into Paris. Neither my wife or I are huge fans of Art and typically prefer food, history, culture experiences over art, sculpture, etc. I am always up for car/automotive/etc. experiences and also like high adrenaline things. We may end up going back in the summer/fall as our original plans are likely delayed but not canceled.
So the question is, if you have airfare booked to Paris in mid January and 8 days to do what ever once you get there, what are you doing?
Where is your hotel located?
I am not the best at these things, but if you like to walk here is one way to spend time:
Day 1:
Start at the Arc de Triomphe (there is a way to cross under the street!!) and walk the Champs-Elysees towards the museums.
You will pass both the Renault (I ate there) and Citroen stores (try the slide!)
All this making your way to the Jardins du Luxemburg, explore them. Later on the day you can make your way to Angelina (right on the edge of the park) and have coffee and a sweet treat.
On the way out, walk towards Notre-Dame and enter if possible. Right besides the church there is the Crypte Arqueologique.
Walk back to your hotel and dine anywhere.
Day 2:
Eiffel tower, might need advance tickets.
Depending on the day, you can make your way to the street market on Av. du President Wilson. It is near the Fontaine de L'Avril, middle of the street. Buy some delicious cold cuts, then make your way to La Patisserie Cyril Lignac a couple of blocks away and buy the best baguette ever and sit across the street in the park and eat a sandwich with the stuff you bought at the market.
Spend the rest of the day walking around.
Day 3:
Try and get a reservation to visit the catacombs
https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en
Day 4:
Moulin Rouge
Basilique du Sacre Coeur
Galeries Lafayette (you can eat here)
Walk near the Seine
Day 5:
Maybe visit Saint-Denis (not one of the nicest/safest areas imo but the church is fine) and check Basilique cathédrale Saint-Denis. Its were most of the royalty was laid to rest.
Running out of ideas, if I think of anything else I will add.
Also, all my spelling might be messed up, but this will get you in the ballpark.
this is awesome thank you. We are there for 8 days, originally we had planned to go to Brussels for a few days and then do the things you mentioned in Paris. but now we can do what ever. I guess if we add a day to go visit Normandy that would still be a pretty complete trip.
our hotel is in the 15th arr
I'll reiterate the catacombs.
You mentioned that you're not big on art and they're basically art using bone rather than traditional mediums but I can't imagine anyone not being amazed.
I found the metro to be super nice even being a product of the suburbs with nearly zero public transport experience.
NY Nick
SuperDork
12/4/24 5:51 p.m.
In reply to Slippery :
These are all excellent.
I know you said you aren't into art but the Louvre is pretty cool.
I'd also go to Notre Dame. I saw it pre fire but it should be amazing now.
If you don't mind a drive I always recommend going to the US Cemetery at Normandy. It is very powerful.
Are you staying 8 days in Paris and Brussels or is Brussels not in the 8 days? I have been to Paris a few times so 8 days seems a lot to me.
Hear me out :) Take the eurostar and go to London. I think London is really cool and it takes less than 3 hrs in the eurostar to get there. Go spend a couple or 3 days in London.
Slippery said:
Are you staying 8 days in Paris and Brussels or is Brussels not in the 8 days? I have been to Paris a few times so 8 days seems a lot to me.
Hear me out :) Take the eurostar and go to London. I think London is really cool and it takes less than 3 hrs in the eurostar to get there. Go spend a couple or 3 days in London.
our current flight has us arriving on Thursday in Paris and departing from Paris on Saturday 9 days later. Our original plan was to take the train upon arrival up to Brussels spend 3 nights in Brussels (2 full days) and then return to Paris for 5 days. However the folks we were going with have to postpone. So the question my wife and I are trying to think through is "do we still go, figure out the trip on our own" or do we go somewhere else in France/Europe/etc. and then join them in the future when they are able to go again. We discussed Iceland but it doesn't appear that Delta flys there.
We did London a few years ago and Italy last year... Eurostar goes to Stuttgart and its only 3 hours from Paris so maybe we can go there for a few days check out Porsche and Mercedes. I do want to check out Normandy but i think I want to wait for our other travel mates to do that.
What's the weather like over there in January? No waiting in lines?
That list was pretty comprehensive, and I will say that, as a fellow foodie, Paris is unrivaled in it's exceptionally high quality of food in pretty much every brasserie we went to.
Highlights for me, with regard to your stance on art-
Catacombs
Arc de triomphe/Champs elysee (hit up the renault and Citroen museums/stores)
Moulin Rouge- I swore up and down that I'd hate this, but turned out to be a highlight of our trip, and we've since been thrice.
Take a couple day trips out to Reims and Normandy respecively. Both are impressively amazing, for very different reasons
TGV to London, overnight, and TGV back. This was also a wonderful experience to zip through countryside at 200mph, be in a totally different country and culture for 24hrs, and then zip back. It's a 2hr trip each way, totally doable.
Hands down the best mea experience we had in Paris was here-
https://www.wineterroirs.com/2013/12/paris_wine_bars_coinstot_vino_caviste_paris.html
We ate at 2 different 1-star Michelin restaurants and would say that the food quality here was better. It was perhaps the best steak I've ever had. I still dream about it. That whole area/alleyway was super cool to explore too.
Thank you it's worth noting that I don't dislike art or anything like that, its more that I don't understand it. we went to Florence and visited the Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze. While we walked around for hours and I appreciated the experience, i walked out thinking eh that was nice...
nlevine
HalfDork
12/5/24 11:18 a.m.
One more thing. Given when you arrive/leave, try and stay the weekend in Paris ... go to that street market, make your sandwich and sit around and watch all the old cool cars that zip through the city as they are only allowed on weekends before a certain year. I saw some very cool machinery on saturday and sunday.
Stuttgart is a very nice option if you already been to London. I have only spent one day in Stuttgart and used it to go to the Mercedes Museum so I cant be of much assistance there.
South of France if possible. Nice area and people. Only needed one day in Paris and wasn't impressed. Wouldn't go back there.
Given the recent collapse of the French government and their fiscal woes--spend lots of money while you're there. They need it. 
Frankly, I'd jump on the train and head South. Very far South.
Northern Europe isn't the greatest place to be in January/February, which is why everyone who can is heading South. The good news is that you're well out of tourist season so you should be able to get a relative bargain on the Mediterranean coast and there's plenty see and do even when a lot of the tourist attractions are closed.
For example:
(Pont du Gard near Nîmes, Roman aqueduct)
Promenade des Anglais in Nice - you should be able to find a pretty affordable place in the Old Town out of season.
This place isn't far, although it's probably going to be rather cold in winter:
(Gorge du Verdon)
Food and wine, yes, they have that down there, too, otherwise they'd have a revolution on their hands 
.
I've been to the South of France a lot and it's probably my favourite place to go in France in winter as the winter climate tends to be pretty mild. Gets fairly hot in Summer.
If you don't go into a McDonald's and order a Royal with cheese, I'll be sorely disappointed.
It's probably all booked up, but I'd try to get on a tour of Notre Dame Cathedral.
