Amanda_MeganAlberts

My husband and I decided to book a week long trip starting in paris and ending in amsterdam. We are arriving on christmas day in paris, and leaving amsterdam new years day. We have only been to paris on a quick overnight 13 hour layover, where we walked around and took a picture by the eiffel tower. We are thinking of staying 4 nights in paris and then stopping somewhere for a day, and possibly a night, and then the last 2 nights in amsterdam, any suggestions? Where should we stop? Should we stop at all? Best thing to do in the winter? I'm all ears, thanks for your help!

ParisAmsterdam

With just a week I'd really consider Paris only even though as you may guess from my username I
love both cities. ;^)

If you feel you really want to see both drop the idea of somewhere in between and look into open jaw tickets where you fly into one and out of the other. You can take the Thalys train between the 2 in a bit over 3 hours.

Amanda_MeganAlberts

thank you, we have already booked our flight and we are flying into Paris and out of Amsterdam, so definitely going to both of those cities. I was planning on only those 2 but was told by a friend we should also do Brussels on the way to Amsterdam.

Michel_Paris

Skip Brussels, not enough time. I found that 2-3 days allowed me to see a nice overview of Amsterdam.The time you have for Paris will not allow for this there, so it will be a matter of narrowing down. The problem, of course, is that you will have days where things will be closed, so on those days it's a walking tour.

Amanda_MeganAlberts

thank you, do either of you have suggestions as to definite not to miss items?

Michel_Paris

What are your interests?
Have a look at the Fodor's guides at this site. Out of that, make the list of the sites that interest you.

Make a calendar, On it mark off the "admin" time. Landing, getting to hotel, getting to ariport, train travel,etc..Then see how much "time on the ground" you have. Account for jet lag on day 1.

Have a look at bus overview tours.In Paris Cityrama and Parisvision are two larger ones. Seine night cruise could be Vedettes du Pont Neuf.

In Paris, I might break days into areas. Louvre, Marais, the Islands, Left Bank, Eiffel for example.

You are going at a tough time of year. Check all opening times.

Michel_Paris

Have you booked hotels?

hetismij

Museums etc will be open in Amsterdam. It will be dark early, but that's not really a problem.
New Year's Eve in Amsterdam means fireworks, and lots of them. Not organised displays - just everyone setting them off on the streets. There are often public parties you can attend too.
You need to book your meals for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Eve though.
As well as hotels!

Amanda_MeganAlberts

thank you, we haven't booked hotels, only have booked our flight...we were thinking we want to see museums, eat good food, and explore the culture.

ParisAmsterdam

My 'don't miss' could well be your 'what a waste of time' so have a look through some books and online to see what interests you.

As for hotels... drop by the Netherlands forum at
http://tripadvisor.com Look for threads called 'bidding on a 4 star in the center' and the same for 5 star... you'll find tips and advice on getting a great Priceline Name Your Own Price deal in Amsterdam... you should get a great hotel for under 100 USD a night. Sadly, it doesn't work quite so well for Paris! ;^(
See also http://biddingfortravel.com to learn more about NYOP.

Rob

iowamom

We just did the opposite trip - flew into Amsterdam and out of Paris. We stayed in Amsterdam for 3 nights, Brugge for 2 nights (with a short stop in Brussels to see the Grand Place) and then Paris for 4 nights... but we had been to all three locations before, Paris multiple times. I would strongly suggest just dividing your time between Amsterdam and Paris.

Michel_Paris

There are two major Monet events in Paris while you are there. If you do a search, I created a thread.

There are a lot of museums in Paris. Here is a list of a few that may interest you

Louvre (huge, impossible to see it all, should be well planned)

Orsay

Rodin

Musee du Moyen Age (aka Cluny) medieaval/middle ages, small, bult over roman ruins

Carnavalet (history of Paris, in old mansions)

Jaquemart-Andre (mix, industrialist's collection housed in his mansion)

Cognaq-Jay

suze

Just popping in to also vote only for Paris and Amsterdam Adding Brussels would make things rushed, unless you have a real desire to see it?
4 days Paris & 3 days Amsterdam (maybe fly between the two?). I was in both cities only in the summertime so my personal suggestions are outdoor things (the parks and gardens) that probably don't work for winter!

ParisAmsterdam

Don't fly.

By the time you get to the airport, arriving 2 hours ahead of time, then land in Amsterdam and get into the city you've used more time than going city center to city center on the Thalys from Gare du Nord to Amsterdam Centraal.

You need only get to the station 20 minutes ahead of time and it only takes 3 1/2 hours for the trip.

Tickets will be available now at Thalys.com... don't wait as prices will only go up.

Rob

Amanda_MeganAlberts

Thanks everyone for all the input , definitely taking the train and looks like we will just do paris and amsterdam!

Amanda_MeganAlberts

thanks I'm looking at those hotels and museums, you guys are AWESOME!! WE are soo soo excited....even after reading these comments, my husband seems to want to go to brussels, so we'll see... thank you!

uhoh_busted

We did this trip just this past May. Of course, it was our fifth time to Paris, so we knew where we wanted to stay, and kept our itinerary there to fill in some gaps left by previous trips. On our first trip to Paris, we'd stayed in the 11th Arr and found it delightful. Our return this past trip was fabulous. We "upped" the hotel we stayed in to a 3 star Hotel Saint-Louis Bastille http://www.saintlouisbastille.com/?langue_id=2 and it was comfortable, with a terrific breakfast room and helpful front desk staff. The coolest thing about the location, is that there is a wonderful market on the Boulevard Richard Lenoir, that runs for several blocks in front of the hotel on Thursday and Sunday. Lots of excellent restaurants in the area, and you are close to metro and bus stops. We stayed there for 4 nights, then took the Thalys to Amsterdam. It is a wonderful train experience.

When we arrived in Amsterdam, we went straight out to the tourist office and bought a 3 day pass for the trams (and buses) as well as a nice little map. The hotel we stayed in wasn't on a canal -- which I sort of regretted -- but then it was in a wonderfully quiet location, just half a block across the street from the Concertgebouw and not far from the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum. Taking public transport is FANTASTIC in this city, and within minutes, you can get to any of the wonderful places downtown. It's the Conscious Hotel Museum Square, and it was quite comfy, again with a lovely breakfast included.

I'd repeat the exact same trip again in a flash. We had a wonderful time.

ninasdream

If you haven't booked your trains, be sure to do it at least 14 days in adviance to get the 50% off fare. And don't forget that France is 6 hours ahead of EST! I got so lost explorig Brussels on foot. I loved Brugge - I would suggest you leave those 2 cities for another trip. Enjoy & please post atrip report on Amsterdam - I haven't visited yet!

spaarne

Ditto most of the above. Skip Brussels. Paris and Amsterdam are all you have time for, though actually not enough time for either.

In Paris stay on the Left Bank in the 5th/6th, 14th/15th. I prefer the area around Montparnasse. In Amsterdam book at the Hotel Ambassade if it is in your budget. It is an excellent place on the Herengracht and in a great central neighborhood.

For what to do in Amsterdam use the *search the forums* box above and type in *hours in Amsterdam*. You will have an afternoon of reading. For both cities a Fodor's guide book will serve you very well.

menachem

I second the 11th or the 10th as a base in Paris. Canal St Martin is a very good area to be in. I can't see why anyone would want to be on the left bank these days, if all the action is on the other side of the Seine. Don't forget to check out the display windows of the big department stores. Something to behold.
Also be aware that in the Netherlands on New Year's day, everything is closed, and trains run on a limited schedule, as if on a sunday. This means a fairly late start of trains, so if you need to be at Schiphol really early, be aware of this. Also, on new year's eve, public transport stops operating at about 8PM.