Paris Trip

[whichway2]

Hi Everyone,
My husband and I are planning a trip to Paris and were told that the "best" months to visit would be either June or September. Being a Disney lover, I am insisting that since we are flying all the way over from California, we shouldn't miss the opportunity to visit DLP.
If we were to go in June of 2006, we wouldn't be able to go until the third week. That being the case, would you recommend June or September- taking into account crowds and weather. I'm a warm blooded California girl and can't imagine not wearing shorts and a tee-shirt when visiting amusement parks.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Joanne UK]

We went late June last year and it was really hot and humid all week. This year we went middle of July and alot of the time it was overcast with bursts of rain. Just a couple of warm sunny days. Have never been in September so can't comment on likely temperatures.

 

[eileds]

Think it's impossible to recommend any month were you will be guaranteed sunshine in Paris. The weather there is a lot like England and there are definitely no guarantees here.

I have been to DLP 3 times and each time I have worn shorts and sun tops.

We have been at the very beginning of September - the weather was lovely but occasionally fleeces were required followed by raincoats - then as quickly as the rain appeared it disappeared and we were back to just shorts and tops.

We have also been at the end of May when suncream was most definitely required - extremely hot ( however friends went exactly the same time the following year and it poured it down for most of the time).

We have just returned from a short trip 31st July - 4th August. Day one we went into Paris and again the weather was quite pleasant but it did rain quite heavily for about an hour in the afternoon - we were having a late lunch then so didn't actually get wet!

The remainder of the break was very hot and sunny!

I think you have to go at the time that suits you best and HOPE!!

Hope you have a fantastic time whatever you decide.

 

[MinnieYC]

I've been to DLP in August twice. The first time, Paris was in the middle of a huge heatwave, and it was unusuall hot. Even wearing just a tee-shirt, it was very, very hot all day long. But the next year in August, I needed a light sweatshirt in the mornings and evenings, but a tee-shirt was fine in the middle of the day. So, basically, it's somewhat unpredictable. In terms of Paris itself, things will be less crowded with fewer tourists in September, so it might be worth it to consider going then. June 15th is the official start date of the summer tourist season in Europe, so it might also cost more to visit during this time.

 

[nicola]

June could be quite hot but September will be much less crowded. We always go in May and it is lovely weather and no crowds AT ALL!!!!

 

[whichway2]

Thanks for the information!
Looks like the best thing to do is to plan the trip to what works for our schedules.
Now, here's another question regarding our Paris/ DLP trip. I'm thinking about a 8 or 9 day trip would suffice (taking into account that 2 of those days would count as travel days, so that only leaves us 6 or 7 full "tourist" days). My husband really wants to go on a day trip to Normandie and I was thinking that we would tag the DLP trip at the end.
How many days would you recommend for DLP...2? We just came back from Disneyland and easily could have done the Magic Kingdom and California Adventure in a day and a half. Our trips to WDW usually are about 8 days long.
Any thoughts or opinions?

Thanks in advance!

 

[nicola]

I would spend a full two days in the DLP and skip the studios you should be able to cover the whole park in two days.

 

[MinnieYC]

We just came back from Disneyland and easily could have done the Magic Kingdom and California Adventure in a day and a half. Our trips to WDW usually are about 8 days long.

If you only would need 1.5 days for the MK and California Adventure, and if you only have 7 days for your trip, I'd say spend one full day in DLP and skip the Studios, and you'll have a great time. From what I've heard, DLP's main park is not bigger than the MK in California. Plus, if you have 7 days for your trip, and two are for Normandy and DLP, that only leaves 5 days for the city. I would recommend at least 5 days for Paris, no less. 5 days will be a bit of a crunch, so I don't think it would be good to have 4 days. It's really easy to go to DLP for a day from Paris; there have been some discussions on how to do this on these forums, so you can do a search.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

With so many of you recommending skipping the Studios, you've brought a question to mind. Do they not offer a park hopper at DLRP? We were planning to spend 2 nights/3 days there in Jan. '07. Can we not get a pass that will allow us to go to the Studios & see what we want, then finish the day at DLP? I definitely don't want to be on property & not at least check it out. FYI, we'll probably book a package. Thanks

 

[eileds]

Yes you can.

If you just wanted a one day pass you can choose to go either into DLP for the day or go into the studios until it closes and then go into DLP.

However, if you are staying for longer and buy the other passes available you can hop from park to park.

 

[MinnieYC]

There is a one-day park hopper. It costs about 10 euro more than a regular one day ticket. But as mentioned above, with a regular one day ticket, if you start off at the Studios, you can go to Disneyland Park when the Studios close (usually at 6PM).

That having been said, though, I think that if you are in DLP for one day, spend it all at Disneyland Park. If you are there for two days, consider the park hopper for one of them. If you are willing to go quickly between attractions without stopping much, you can easily see all of the Studios in one morning if you get there at the time of park opening. We were once there in August (not the most quiet month in terms of crowds), and we arrived at 9AM, and make it back to Disneyland Park by 12:45 for our lunch reservation. We saw every show, went on every ride, I did a lot of shopping, we stopped midway for a refreshment break, and we leisurely walked between parks and to the Blue Lagoon (the place where we had lunch reservations). What the Studios has is great, but it's still a small park (a lot like MGM in WDW circa 1990, if you were there back then).

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Thanks for the info. I'm hoping that with 3 days/ 2 nights we'll have plenty of time to see both parks.

 

[whichway2]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for all the great information!
I think it would be a shame to not venture into both parks especially since this would most likely be our only time to DLP...at least for a long while.
Tentatively, we're talking about a 10 day trip now...maybe a Tuesday thru Thursday trip. We'd probably arrive Wednesday morning...stay in Paris for about 6 days with hopefully a day trip to Normandie and maybe leave for DLP that following Monday afternoon, which would actually give us about 2 1/2 days there.
Not planning to rent a car and taking into account that we'll have luggage befitting American tourists who love to shop, what would be your recommendations as to getting to DLP from Paris and how long would this usually take?
And how about getting to the airport from DLP?
Thanks in advance!

 

[eileds]

You can get the train straight from Paris to DLP - it takes 30/40 mins - very easy to do.

VEA shuttle (Disney buses) would be the easiest way to transfer from DLP to airport.

 

[MinnieYC]

If you think you have too many bags to take on the train to DLP from Paris (normally the cheapest, easiest, fastest way to get there), you may have to take a taxi. The taxi is convenient, but will cost at least 70 euro. But it is basically the only way to get door to door from your hotel in Paris to your hotel in DLP.

A 10 day trip sounds like a better bet.