France Trip 2027

Feb 24 Wed

Arrive CDG

→ Paris

Feb 25 Thu

Paris 1

Walking day

Feb 26 Fri

Paris 2

Dark side

Feb 27 Sat

Paris 3

Concert night

Feb 28 Sun

Bayeux 1

Train + town

Mar 1 Mon

Bayeux 2

D-Day tour

Mar 2 Tue

Bordeaux 1

Arrive, explore

Mar 3 Wed

Bordeaux 2

St-Émilion + CDG

Mar 4 Thu

Fly Home

CDG 10:30 am

Timeline summary

Continuity check passed after moving the full-day Normandy tour to Mar 1 and treating Mont Saint-Michel as an optional swap, not a scheduled day.

Tue Feb 23

Depart Indianapolis

IND 2:00 pm → ATL → overnight flight to Paris CDG.

Wed Feb 24

Arrive Paris

Land CDG 7:55 am, transfer into Paris, bag drop/check-in, easy Île de la Cité walk, early dinner, sleep in Paris.

Thu Feb 25

Classic Paris walking day

Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, Canal Saint-Martin lunch, Montmartre, Eiffel Tower evening, dinner at Bistrot Paul Bert.

Fri Feb 26

Catacombs and Père-Lachaise

Timed Catacombs entry, Marché d'Aligre lunch, Père-Lachaise, wine bar and dinner in the 11th.

Sat Feb 27

Louvre and concert night

Targeted Louvre visit, lunch near the 2nd/1st, pre-show dinner near La Villette, possible metal show, final night in Paris.

Sun Feb 28

Paris to Bayeux

Morning train from Paris Saint-Lazare to Bayeux, check in, Bayeux Cathedral and Tapestry, dinner in town.

Mon Mar 1

D-Day beaches full-day tour

Context Travel private Normandy tour from Bayeux covering the landing beaches, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, and American Cemetery.

Tue Mar 2

Bayeux to Bordeaux

Train back through Paris, station transfer to Montparnasse, TGV to Bordeaux, Cité du Vin if timing works, dinner in Bordeaux.

Wed Mar 3

Saint-Émilion, then toward CDG

Day trip to Saint-Émilion, return to Bordeaux by 5-6 pm, evening TGV toward Paris/CDG, sleep near CDG.

Thu Mar 4

Fly home

Already near CDG, arrive at terminal by about 8:00 am for 10:30 am departure to IND via ATL.

↗

Useful Links

Booking, maps, transport, and trip references

Rail booking

SNCF Connect

Primary site for Intercités, TER, and TGV tickets.

Budget / direct rail

OUIGO

Check specifically for Bordeaux → CDG Airport direct service on Mar 3.

Paris transit

Île-de-France Mobilités

Metro, RER, airport bus, fares, and route planning around Paris.

Paris museums

Paris Musées

Good starting point for city-run museums and practical visitor info.

Normandy tour

Context D-Day Tour

Book early and confirm pickup timing from Bayeux.

Bordeaux tourism

Bordeaux Tourism

Official visitor info for neighborhoods, restaurants, wine, and events.

Saint-Émilion

Saint-Émilion Tourism

Village, monolithic church, wine tours, and practical day-trip details.

Airport night

CDG Terminal 2 Hotels

Use for the Mar 3 airport overnight before the 10:30 am flight.

✦

Rail Connections

Book on sncf-connect.com · tickets open ~3 months out

🚇 CDG Airport → Paris city center Wed Feb 24 · arrival day

CDG T2

RER B platform

~35 min

Gare du Nord

then taxi / Metro

RER B direct from CDG Terminal 2 to Gare du Nord — €13/person, runs every 10–15 min Alternative: RoissyBus (CDG → Opéra Garnier, 7-min walk to hotel options) — €17/person, less luggage hassle Taxi: ~€55 flat rate to central Paris, worth it jet-lagged with luggage

Arrival day plan: You land at 7:55 am. Clear customs, get to city by ~10:30 am. Check into hotel (bag drop if too early), eat a proper French lunch, walk. Don't fight the jet lag — stay up until 9–10 pm local and you'll reset much faster.

🚆 Paris → Bayeux Sun Feb 28 · morning departure

Paris St-Lazare

Gare Saint-Lazare

~2h 15m direct

Bayeux

Gare de Bayeux

Operator: SNCF Connect Intercités / TER — direct, no changes Frequency: ~10 trains/day, first around 6 am Cost: ~€16–70/person depending on how early you book Recommend: 9–10 am departure — arrives midday, leaves a low-pressure afternoon for Bayeux Cathedral, the Tapestry, and dinner

Getting to St-Lazare: Metro Line 3, 12, 13, or 14 all serve it. From central Paris it's 10–20 min. Arrive 30–40 min before departure. No TGV on this route — standard Intercités train, perfectly comfortable, scenic Normandy countryside.

🚆 Bayeux → Bordeaux Tue Mar 2 · plan for a travel morning

Bayeux

Gare de Bayeux

~2h 15m

Paris St-Lazare

change stations

~30–40 min

Paris Montparnasse

Metro Line 13 or taxi

~2h 05m TGV

Bordeaux St-Jean

city center tram

Total journey: ~5–6 hrs including layover in Paris Paris layover: Allow 90 min minimum between arriving St-Lazare and TGV departure from Montparnasse TGV leg: TGV inOui Paris Montparnasse → Bordeaux St-Jean, direct, book in advance (~€30–90/person) Tram in Bordeaux: Tram C from Gare St-Jean runs directly into the city center (~10 min)

Station switch in Paris: St-Lazare and Montparnasse are different stations, ~3 km apart. Taxi is the easiest option with luggage. Metro Line 13 also works direct from Saint-Lazare to Montparnasse-Bienvenüe — allow extra time for stairs, corridors, and platform changes.

✈ Bordeaux → CDG Airport Wed Mar 3 evening → Thu Mar 4 flight

Bordeaux St-Jean

OUIGO / TGV

~2h 05m + RER

CDG Terminal 2

RER B from Gare du Nord

OUIGO option: Direct TGV from Bordeaux St-Jean → CDG Airport (Roissy-CDG station) — check departure times for evening of Mar 3 Flight departs: 10:30 am Mar 4 — need to be at CDG by 8:00 am latest

⚠ Critical logistics — read this: Your flight departs CDG at 10:30 am on Mar 4. This is a tight end to a long day in Bordeaux. Two solid options:

Option A (recommended): Take a late TGV from Bordeaux on Mar 3 evening (~7–9 pm departure), arrive Paris ~9–11 pm. Sleep near CDG or Gare du Nord. OUIGO has trains from Bordeaux that go directly to CDG Airport station. Pre-book a Pullman or Marriott near CDG for the night.

Option B: Very early Mar 4 morning TGV from Bordeaux (~5–6 am), arrive Paris ~7–8 am, RER B to CDG by 8:30 am. Brutal, but possible. Does not allow for margin if train is delayed.

Option A is the clear call. Cuts Bordeaux Day 2 short by a few hours but you sleep in a real bed and don't gamble the return flight on a morning train.

Paris

Feb 24–27 · 4 nights · Stay: city center (1st–7th arr. recommended)

Day 1 · Wed Feb 24

Arrival Day — Settle in, orient, stay awake

S

Afternoon walk: Île de la Cité + Île Saint-Louis Easy, low-demand wander after a transatlantic night. Notre-Dame exterior is spectacular since the 2024 restoration. Cross to Île Saint-Louis for an ice cream from Berthillon even in February — the original shop is there and worth it.
E

Lunch / early dinner: Le Comptoir du Relais Yves Camdeborde's legendary bistro at Carrefour de l'Odéon, Saint-Germain. Arrive when it opens to avoid the line. Rotating daily menu of pitch-perfect French classics. This is the correct first meal in Paris.
D

Evening: café on a terrace, then early bed Find any brass-rail café with a square view, order a Kir Royale, watch Paris happen. Push through until 9 pm local and you'll wake up properly reset. Don't try to do anything ambitious on arrival day.

Day 2 · Thu Feb 25

Classic Walking Day — Iconic Paris

S

Notre-Dame Cathedral + Sainte-Chapelle Book ahead The restored Notre-Dame is a once-in-a-generation visit right now. Sainte-Chapelle next door has the most extraordinary stained glass in France and is consistently underestimated.
E

Lunch: Du Pain et des Idées boulangerie (10th) 94 Rue Yves Toudic. One of the best bakeries in Paris — pick up a croissant, a pain des amis, and an escargot pastry. Eat on the Canal Saint-Martin. This is worth the metro ride.
S

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur + Montmartre Take the funicular up to Sacré-Cœur for the panoramic view. Wander Montmartre's backstreets — Rue Lepic, Place du Tertre (ignore the portrait hawkers), the vineyard. The neighborhood is dramatically less crowded in late February than summer.
S

Eiffel Tower evening walk If your hotel is in the 7th you walk past it. The hourly light show after dark is genuinely impossible not to photograph.
E

Dinner: Bistrot Paul Bert (11th) 72 Rue Paul Bert. The platonic ideal of a Paris bistro. Roast bone marrow, entrecôte with béarnaise, and the profiteroles are non-negotiable. Book a day or two ahead.

Day 3 · Fri Feb 26

The Dark Side — Catacombs + Père-Lachaise

T

Catacombs of Paris Book weeks ahead — sells out 6 million remains arranged in underground ossuary passages beneath the 14th arrondissement. Buy timed-entry tickets at catacombes.paris.fr — walk-up queue is often 2–3 hours and daily capacity is hard capped. Entrance at Place Denfert-Rochereau (Métro Line 4/6).
E

Lunch: Marché d'Aligre (12th) One of Paris's most local, least touristy food markets. Grab charcuterie, bread, and cheese from the stalls and eat at the covered market café tables. Zero pretension.
S

Père-Lachaise Cemetery The most famous cemetery in the world is also genuinely one of Paris's best parks. Download the map before you go — it's large and easy to navigate wrong. Jim Morrison, Chopin, Édith Piaf, Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde. Budget 2 hrs minimum. Free entry.
D

Apéro: Le Baron Rouge (11th) Rue Théophile Roussel. Old-school wine bar with barrels stacked to the ceiling and wine by the glass at very local prices. Cramped, loud, exactly right. On weekends there's a street vendor outside shucking oysters.
E

Dinner: Aux Deux Amis or Le Servan (11th) Aux Deux Amis is the quintessential no-reservation natural wine and small plates spot on Rue Oberkampf. Le Servan is Philippino-French fusion — serious cooking, beautiful room. Both are in the same neighborhood, pick based on mood.

Day 4 · Sat Feb 27

Louvre + Concert Night

T

Louvre — targeted, not a death march Book online Pick 2 wings and commit. Denon wing: Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo. Richelieu wing: Flemish masters, far less crowded. Saturday hours extended. Do not try to see everything — it cannot be done and the attempt will destroy you.
E

Lunch: Frenchie Bar à Vins (2nd) or Café Marly Frenchie at 5 Rue du Nil is the city's best natural wine bar — come hungry. Café Marly sits directly across from the Louvre pyramid and is the full Paris cinematic experience if you want to pay for the view.
E

Pre-show dinner near La Villette / Canal Saint-Martin Rosa Bonheur sur Seine (floating barge on Canal de l'Ourcq, near the Zénith) or Chez Prune on Canal Saint-Martin. Both are relaxed and atmospheric. La Villette is a ~30-min Métro ride from central Paris (Line 5 → Porte de Pantin).

Concert Night — Zénith de La Villette, 19ème

The Zénith has a strong metal and hard rock track record: Bullet for My Valentine + Trivium, Powerwolf + Hammerfall, In Flames + Arch Enemy, Anthrax + Kreator + Testament, Papa Roach, Heilung, Sepultura, and Babymetal have all played it recently. Your window (Sat Feb 27) is prime for a show. Confirmed nearby: Carpenter Brut (electro-metal, massive live production) is confirmed Sat Mar 13 — just outside your window.

What to do now: Set a bookmark and check back in the fall when the 2027 schedule fills out. Good resources: concerts-metal.com/Paris, Songkick Paris metal, and the Zénith's own site. Also watch Le Trabendo (right next door in La Villette — smaller cap, books heavy/prog acts) and Élysée Montmartre.

Saturday Feb 27 is the ideal concert night — the next morning you're on a train to Bayeux so you don't need to be fresh. Sleep on the train.

Zénith de La Villette · 211 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris · Métro Line 5 → Porte de Pantin

Must eat · Paris

Steak frites

Entrecôte with béarnaise. Bistrot Paul Bert is the benchmark.

Must eat · Paris

Croissant au beurre

Du Pain et des Idées or Blé Sucré (12th). Judge every boulangerie you walk into.

Must eat · Paris

Steak tartare

Raw beef, capers, egg yolk, dijon. Order it everywhere. Build opinions.

Must drink

Kir Royale

Champagne + blackcurrant liqueur. Default aperitif. Order it in a brass-rail café.

Normandy — Bayeux

Feb 28 – Mar 1 · 2 nights

Day 5 · Sun Feb 28

Train morning → Bayeux orientation

T

Morning train Paris Saint-Lazare → Bayeux Target a 9–10 am departure so you arrive around midday with enough buffer for luggage, lunch, and check-in. This keeps the full-day Normandy tour safely on the next day instead of trying to compress it into arrival afternoon.
S

Bayeux Cathedral + Tapestry Walk past the Cathedral — lit at night, genuinely impressive Norman-Romanesque architecture. The Bayeux Tapestry museum (depicting the 1066 Norman conquest) is a 10-min walk from anywhere in the center and worth the entry.
E

Dinner: Le Pommier Classic Norman cuisine in the old town. Sole meunière, moules à la crème normande, Calvados-flamed dishes. Cozy stone-walled room, very walkable from anywhere in Bayeux center.
D

Drink: Calvados Normandy is apple country. Calvados (apple brandy) and cidre bouché (sparkling cider) are better here than anywhere on earth. Buy a bottle from a local cave to take home.

Day 6 · Mon Mar 1

Context Travel D-Day Beaches Tour

T

Context Travel private Normandy D-Day tour Book early — fills months out Full-day scholar-led guided experience from Bayeux covering the D-Day beaches, Pointe du Hoc, the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, and Omaha Beach memorial. Book at contexttravel.com and confirm pickup time before locking rail tickets.
S

Bayeux War Cemetery or Memorial Museum if tour ends early Keep this as optional overflow only. The guided D-Day day should carry the schedule; do not add a second major excursion after it.
E

Lunch: built into tour logistics Ask Context whether lunch is reserved, guided, or free time. Normandy sights are spread out, so food planning should follow the guide's route.
E

Dinner back in Bayeux: L'Assiette Normande Teurgoule (slow-baked spiced rice pudding), andouille de Vire sausage, duck, more Calvados. Pack tonight — you're on the train to Bordeaux tomorrow.

Mont Saint-Michel continuity note: It does not fit cleanly alongside a full D-Day tour without adding another Normandy night. Treat it as an alternate for Mar 1 only if you decide to skip the D-Day beaches, or add a night in Bayeux and push Bordeaux one day later.

Bordeaux

Mar 2 · 1 night in Bordeaux · evening Mar 3: train back toward CDG

Day 7 · Tue Mar 2

Arrive afternoon — Historic Center + Cité du Vin

T

Cité du Vin wine museum Reserve ahead Bordeaux's flagship wine experience in a striking architectural building. 2–3 hours of immersive exhibits on global winemaking history. Entry includes a tasting glass on the belvedere with panoramic views over the Garonne. Arrive late afternoon if the train gets in around 3–4 pm.
S

Place de la Bourse + Miroir d'Eau + Garonne riverfront The water mirror reflects the 18th-century Exchange building. Walk the quays at dusk — golden limestone in low February light is exactly as good as you've seen in photos.
D

Evening: Chartrons wine bars The Chartrons district was built around the wine trade. Rue Notre-Dame has excellent cave à manger wine bars. Bar à Vin du CIVB near Place des Quinconces is also strong — very well-priced pours, knowledgeable staff.
E

Dinner: La Brasserie Bordelaise Reserve in advance 50 Rue Saint-Rémi. A Bordeaux institution. Entrecôte à la bordelaise (steak with red wine and bone marrow sauce), duck confit, excellent wine list. One of the best dinners of the trip.

Day 8 · Wed Mar 3

Saint-Émilion Day Trip → Evening train toward CDG

T

Saint-Émilion village + vineyards 45 min direct train from Bordeaux Saint-Jean station. UNESCO-listed medieval village on a limestone plateau with underground cellars and cave churches. Walk the ramparts, visit the monolithic underground church, and explore Rue Guadet for wine shops.
D

Château wine tasting Book ahead Château Fonplégade is very accessible from the village center and does excellent guided tastings. Château Ausone and Pavie are the famous premier grand crus if you want the full experience — book months ahead. Go for the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru AOC wines over the basic AOC.
E

Lunch: L'Envers du Décor Rue du Clocher. Outstanding wine-bar lunch with local produce and a beautiful list of Saint-Émilion pours by the glass. One of the best spots in the village. Reserve or arrive early.
E

Back in Bordeaux: early dinner before train Bacalan market (casual, near Cité du Vin) or grab canelés and charcuterie to eat on the train. Return to Bordeaux St-Jean by 5–6 pm to make the evening TGV toward Paris/CDG.

Canelés: Buy a box at Maison Baillardran in Bordeaux before boarding your train. These are Bordeaux's iconic caramelized rum pastries and the correct way to end the Bordeaux leg. They travel well for about 24 hours.

⚠ Departure tonight (recommended): Take the ~7–9 pm TGV from Bordeaux St-Jean toward Paris, connecting to CDG. OUIGO operates a direct Bordeaux → CDG Airport train. Pre-book a hotel near CDG (Pullman, Sheraton, Marriott all onsite or 5-min shuttle). Breakfast at CDG, flight at 10:30 am. Sleep well.

Must eat · Bordeaux

Entrecôte à la bordelaise

Steak with rich red wine and bone marrow sauce. The definitive Bordeaux dish.

Must eat · Bordeaux

Canelé

Caramelized pastry with rum-vanilla custard interior. Bordeaux's signature sweet — eat fresh.

Must eat · Bordeaux

Arcachon oysters

Best at Capucins market or any Chartrons wine bar. Rye bread and lemon.

Must drink

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Merlot-dominant right-bank Bordeaux. More accessible young than the Médoc Cabernets.

Trip budget · estimate

All figures below are for Gunnar & Michaela only (not the other couple’s flights or meal spend). Prices were checked against supplier sites in early 2026; 2027 travel may move slightly—re-quote when you book.

Lodging: Another couple travels with you and splits hotel cost 50/50 — your line is effectively your room(s) for 8 hotel nights (same ballpark as one couple with two rooms split).
Context Travel: Michaela’s 50% member discount on the private D-Day from Bayeux (list US$2,462; discounted party total ~$1,231). You split that net 50/50 with the other couple → ~$616 in this budget. Mont Saint-Michel is now an optional swap/add-on, not included in the continuity-safe base plan.

Category	You two (USD)
International flights IND ⇄ CDG · Main Classic · changeable / nonrefundable (booked)	$2,129
Hotels · your half of group stays Paris, Bayeux, Bordeaux, CDG night — 8 hotel nights total, with two couples splitting combined lodging; budget ≈ one mid-range double room line for the trip. Adjust when you pick properties.	$1,350–2,000
French rail, RER, Métro & trams Two tickets where needed (SNCF / OUIGO ranges from the rail section). Book ~3 months out.	$350–550
Context Travel — D-Day (your half after discount + split) Private tour list US$2,462 → after member discount ~$1,231 for the group → your 50% share with the other couple ≈ $616 (Context, early 2026 list).	~$616
Museums & fixed admissions (2 pax) Grounded in published € rates (non-EEA where relevant): Louvre €32 · Catacombs €31 · Sainte-Chapelle ~€15 · Cité du Vin €22 · Bayeux Tapestry ~€12 each — converted + rounded (~$240–330 total).	~$240–330
Saint-Émilion / wine tastings & misc booked extras Château visits vary widely; leave slack beyond museum line.	~$80–250
Meals, wine & day-to-day ~$120–180/day × ~8 days on the ground for the two of you.	$1,100–1,600
Sum of category lows vs. highs (Context your share ~$616)	$5,865–7,475
Estimated total · Gunnar & Michaela	~$5,900–7,500

FX: Museum prices are in euros on venue sites; USD ranges assume roughly €1 ≈ $1.05–1.10. Context: confirm member discount at booking — rescale ~$616 if the fare or split differs. Flights: $2,129 rounded from $2,129.06.

Order

Paris → Normandy → Bordeaux

Ground days

8 days · 8 hotel nights

Train legs

4 journeys

Flights

$2,129

Book first

Catacombs · Context Travel · Louvre · CDG hotel Mar 3

La Belle France

Timeline summary

Concert Night — Zénith de La Villette, 19ème

Trip budget · estimate