My husband and I want to take a big trip this year to celebrate my turning 30. We are going by ourselves (kids staying with grandparents) to both Paris and Amsterdam in September this year. Our dates are flexible, but we've narrowed it down to that month. We want to go for 10 days and take the train from Paris to Amsterdam. We're considering stopping in Brussels, but I'm not sure if I want to spend a night there, or if we should focus on the other cities. Does anyone have any tips on where to stay and things to do? I've been to both cities before, but it was when I was a broke college student, so this will be a different experience.
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That sounds like a wonderful trip! We have been to both cities recently.
Paris - I loved our hotel in Paris, Hotel de L'Abbaye (http://hotelabbayeparis.com/) - perfect location and lovely rooms, with a fantastic breakfast. I will definitely stay there again the next time we're in Paris.
For restaurants, this is such a great guide: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/paris/ Some of our favorites from our trip last summer are Le 6 Paul Bert, Verjus, Pirouette, and Chez Janou.
Amsterdam - We stayed at the Hotel V Nesplein, which was really nice, and also a good location near the red light district, where lots of cool restaurants and bars are.
Favorite restaurants - Be sure to go to Restaurant Anna, one of our very favorites. The apple cake at Winkel Cafe is incredible. Wilde Zwijnen is fantastic too, as is Lion Noir. Upstairs Pancake House is amazing for Dutch pancakes.
So, I guess what we like to do on vacation is eat... of course, there are amazing museums in both cities. The Artis Zoo in Amsterdam is fantastic too. We mostly just wandered around and enjoyed the different neighborhoods. Have a great trip!
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I second @beehive with the De L'Abbaye hotel suggestion! If you like steak, you should go to Le Severo.
I would not reco staying overnight in Brussels, but I am biased as Paris and Amsterdam are 2 of my favorites. Have the best time!
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That sounds like a really fun trip! We did London, Paris, and Bruges in 2013 -- Bruges is great for a day/night and isn't too far out of your way. Last summer, we did London and Amsterdam.
In Paris, we stayed at Le Citizen which is on the Canal St Martin in the 10th: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187147-d1929409-Reviews-Le_Citizen_Hotel-Paris_Ile_de_France.html. It's a super hip neighborhood with some great restaurants, a little off the beaten path but close to several convenient metro stops and still walkable to lots of stuff (e.g., the Marais). When we stayed there, they had a free breakfast and free drinks/snacks in your room daily. Our room overlooked the canal and it was gorgeous. The concierge there was so helpful in making restaurant recommendations/reservations. In that same neighborhood, we absolutely loved Chez Marie Louise - great French food, neighborhood feel, filled with locals.
In Amsterdam we stayed at Banks Mansion: https://www.carlton.nl/en/banks-mansion-hotel-amsterdam. It had great amenities (awesome free breakfast, free drinks/snacks in the lobby and in the room) and is centrally located. The staff there was super helpful with suggestions, directions, and the like.
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I actually really liked Brussels, but if you want a little break from the big cities I suggest Ghent. We visited Bruges and Ghent from Brussels and Ghent was by far my favorite! You can enjoy all the great Belgian food and drink and they even have a castle to explore.
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Paris is my favorite! DH and I went for our honeymoon. We rented an apartment from parisflatrent.com. We stayed for a week, but I think they also do shorter stays. We stayed in the Louvre studio and loved it.
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Get the museum pass in Paris. And, we enjoyed doing a bunch of Rick Steves' walking tours- he has a crapload of material on Paris.
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@Beehive: second for the appeltaart at Winkel! the one in the Joordan.
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We actually did the same trip, but with Amsterdam first and Paris second. I'd say spend more time in Paris vs Amsterdam. Get the museum pass. Eat crepes.
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Paris is my favorite. In addition to all the guide book must sees, I thought of a few suggestions. (The number indicates the district). Also, if you are going in September, try not to go during fashion week. The hotels are all way more expensive and obviously they get booked fast. Or if you do, book asap. Let me know if there is anything specific you are interested in and I'll can see if I have any ideas.
Food
Udon bistro Kunitoraya - 1st - fabulous Japanese noodle bar. Get their right before it opens or go for a late lunch or later dinner. They don't take reservations and it's tiny so you have to wait outside. But totally worth it.Du Pain et des Idees - 10th - pastries so good you will get fat just looking at the display.
La Grande Épicerie - 7th - the most beautiful, upscale food shop in town.
Mariage Frères - several. My favorite tea shop.
Places
Fondation Louis Vuitton - 16th - if you like architecture, this is an amazing museum to explore, especially if the weather is nice.Grand Palais - 1st - check to see if any exhibits are going on, definitely worth checking out the building.
Rue des Martyrs - 9th - very cute street with many food shops and small boutiques.
Merci - 3rd - huge, really cool shop with something for everyone.
Go to a show at either Palais Garnier or Opera Bastille.
Hotels
Not sure of your budget but we stayed at Hotel Thérèse from this list when we were in Paris in January. It was lovely, amazing location in the 1st and they gave us a free upgrade when we checked in.
http://www.cntraveller.com/recommended/hotels/best-boutique-hotels-in-paris/viewall -
You are going to have an awesome time! My husband and I took a Europe trip in summer 2015 - 4 cities total, but the last two were Paris (5 nights) and Amsterdam (4 nights). We spent about 8 hours in Brussels while riding the train from Paris to Amsterdam. We left our luggage in large lockers at the Brussels Midi train station and went on foot to explore, which included sampling waffles and chocolate, seeing the Grand Place (main square) and Mannekin Pis, and walking through the Royal Palace (only open certain days during the summer). It was nice to squeeze in another city.
We loved Paris, as others said the Museum Pass is definitely worthwhile. We stayed at Hotel Beaugency, the room was a little sparse but the location was perfect (a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower and right in the middle of a market/cafe area). For lunch everyday we would pick up a freshly baked baguette and some cheese and meat from a local market, and have a picnic. Great way to save some money and not get too stuffed (we usually had a leisurely sit-down dinner each night.) And I totally second the Rick Steve's recommendation - both the tour books and the podcasts you can download. We listened to his guided tour of the Louvre on our iPhones while walking around, it was perfect for art novices like us.
In Amsterdam, I recommend taking a canal tour, seeing the Anne Frank House, and touring one of the diamond polishing places (obviously they want you to BUY diamonds too, but it's not a hard sell if you don't want too.) And stop at one of the fry stands! They call them vlaamse frites (Flemish fries) there.
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@PawPrints: yes, this pass was so useful! We ended up buying ours at our first museum stop, the musee Rodin. Which ended up being one of my favorites! Especially on a nice day, you can walk outside and look at the sculptures.
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Thanks for all your tips! DH and I have been doing lots of research, however we feel like we are on the fence about going to Europe this year. After hearing about the recent terror attack in London and other attacks in Europe, we're wondering if it's a safe time to go. Any thoughts?
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@aprild: honestly the odds of being hurt/killed in a terror attack are so minimal that I would not let it impact my travel. What I fear is a car accident- since DH drives a lot for work that's our biggest risk. There was a thread awhile back about someone being worried about the Boston Marathon I think. Regardless of if you go or not, if you have not already I highly recommend getting your guardianship paperwork and will done. We just went to Mexico without T. Although I had no fear for our safety I feel like I can rest easy knowing that our wishes are in writing when we are traveling without our girl.
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@aprild: if you want a lot of responses I'd start a new thread with your concern.
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@youboots: France is currently under a high terror threat along with much of Europe, so the government is telling tourists to be extra careful. I'm sure the chances of getting hurt are low, but it still makes me a little uncomfortable, especially now that I have two kids depending on me.
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@youboots: Good idea
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Agree with @youboots: The only place in Europe I probably would avoid is Turkey (we actually went last summer and left a week before the airport attack). DH and I are traveling to Europe a week from now, transiting through CDG. I'm not worried at all.
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@aprild: we went to PV shortly after there was a shooting/kidnapping at a nightclub there. Mexico in general had been higher profile as being dangerous but as long as we are not driving over the border in an RV I'm not too worried. I know it's not the exact same thing but just living in a bigger city is dangerous. All activities have associated risk.
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@aprild: we live in Europe and travel to France probably 3 times a year. We are going again next month. I still think Europe is incredibly safe, statistically speaking, and I feel perfectly safe in the day to day. Now, I admit I do get jittery from time to time when we travel, but I think it's also because I'm so immersed in the news. I also get jittery when we travel outside of Europe too, but that's my own personal anxiety.
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We just got back from Amsterdam and it was so magical. If I went again I'd rent a bike and explore all the neighborhoods with their outdoor cafes and bars and eat all the waffles. Oh and the museums. So much to do and take in (and eat)!
ETA: I understand the travel anxiety because I had it right before I left, but honestly once I arrived it all melted away. Everyone just seemed to be in a great mood and enjoying themselves!
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@aprild: those two places are magical and so much fun!! I've been to both with and without DH, and am convinced you can't go wrong!
Definitely hire bicycles in Amsterdam to get around and cHeck out the big markets in the jordaan.
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I don't think it's any safer in the US than it is in Europe - which is to say it's totally safe, your odds are probably higher of being in a plane or car crash than hurt in a terror attack.
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My husband and I spent a month in Paris in 2014. The city is magic. My biggest advice is take things slow. The museums are great but picnics in the park and reading in coffee shops is what Paris is made for. I'm not sure if you're from a city that has a bike share, but I also highly recommend using them in Paris. Basically you rent a pass and can pike up a bike st any dock throughout the city and drop them off in the same way. It's one flat fee as long as you keep it for less than 30 minutes before docking. For our whole month we spent 30 eruos each and saw so much more of the city. https://aboen-paris.cyclocity.fr I'm super jealous and would go back in a heartbeat.
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@YogiRunner: Any specific Amsterdam recs? We will be there in 2 weeks!
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@lamariniere: awesome! We were only there a few days, but we loved Max Restaurant for excellent Indonesian food. Other than that, no real specific recs, but it would be lovely to rent a bike to explore the different neighborhoods and check out the crazy leaning buildings, outdoor markets, parks and canal-side cafes. So much good people (and boat!) watching! And the Van Gogh museum is great and easy to see the whole thing in less than 2 hours. Enjoy!
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