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

Élysée Montmartre

Feb 28 Sun

Bayeux 1

Train + town

Mar 1 Mon

Bayeux 2

D-Day tour

Mar 2 Tue

Mt St-Michel

Day trip → Paris

Mar 3 Wed

CDG

Airport hotel

Mar 4 Thu

Fly Home

CDG 10:30 am

Timeline summary

Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion are dropped. Tue Mar 2 is a full Mont Saint-Michel day from Bayeux (after checkout), then an evening train to Paris for a fifth city night. Wed Mar 3 you transfer to a CDG-area hotel before the morning flight home.

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 toward Montmartre / Pigalle, The Halo Effect + Lacuna Coil + Omnium Gatherum at Élysée Montmartre, fourth Paris night (fifth Paris night comes late on Mar 2 after Mont Saint-Michel).

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

Mont Saint-Michel — evening train to Paris

Checkout Bayeux after two nights. Full day at the mount (guided coach from Bayeux or train + shuttle — book ahead). After the tour returns, take a late Bayeux → Paris Saint-Lazare train and check in for your fifth Paris night (expect a late arrival; pack day bags so main luggage stays manageable).

Wed Mar 3

Paris to CDG — airport hotel

Late afternoon or early evening RER B / taxi to CDG; check in near Terminal 2. Quiet dinner at the hotel or landside — no sprint tomorrow.

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 TGV

OUIGO

Worth a look for other French legs if you extend the trip later; this itinerary uses standard SNCF for Paris ↔ Normandy.

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.

Mont Saint-Michel

Abbey & mount

Official site: tickets, hours, and access. Pair with a Bayeux-based full-day coach tour or plan train + navette from Pontorson.

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 → Paris Tue Mar 2 · evening departure (after MSM day)

Bayeux

Gare de Bayeux

~2h 15m direct

Paris St-Lazare

same as outbound

Operator: SNCF Connect Intercités / TER — same route as Feb 28, but book a train that fits after your Mont Saint-Michel return (often 7:30–9:00 pm range; confirm when the tour drops you) Critical: Do not buy a morning train — you need the full day at the mount Luggage: Leave bags at your Bayeux hotel (many allow pickup after tour) or use station lockers; you'll be tired — taxi from St-Lazare to the Paris hotel is worth it

Hotel strategy: Pre-arrange late check-in or key pickup for Mar 2. Keep the same Paris hotel as the first stretch if they’ll hold your reservation, so you can stash a subset of luggage in Paris before Normandy if that simplifies the MSM day.

✈ Paris city center → CDG Airport Wed Mar 3 · allow ~90 min door-to-terminal

Central Paris

RER B / taxi / RoissyBus

~35–90 min

CDG Terminal 2

DL check-in

RER B: Same playbook as arrival — fast and cheap; watch for peak crowding with bags Taxi / G7: Flat rate ~€55 from right bank to CDG — painless with heavy luggage Flight departs: 10:30 am Mar 4 — be at the terminal by ~8:00 am; sleeping onsite Mar 3 removes morning panic

Mar 3 afternoon: Check out of Paris, transfer to a CDG-area hotel (Pullman, Sheraton, Marriott cluster near T2). Low-key evening — you're on US-bound Delta the next morning.

Paris

Feb 24–27 & Mar 2 (late) · 5 Paris 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 + The Halo Effect / Lacuna Coil (Élysée Montmartre)

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 — Pigalle / SoPi / lower Montmartre The venue sits on boulevard de Rochechouart — aim to eat within a 10–15 min walk or a short Métro hop (Lines 2 or 4). SoPi and Rue des Martyrs have plenty of casual bistros and wine bars; avoid trekking back to the Louvre side and then racing uphill.

Concert Night — Élysée Montmartre · 18ème

Saturday Feb 27, 2027 — billed as The Halo Effect (headliner) with Lacuna Coil and Omnium Gatherum. Listings often show an early start (~6:00 pm); confirm doors and stage times on your tickets.

Venue: Historic hall on the Pigalle / Anvers side of the butte — not the Zénith in the 19th. After the show, Line 2 from Anvers or Pigalle connects quickly back toward central Paris.

Other Paris metal rooms if plans change: Zénith de La Villette, Le Trabendo, concerts-metal.com/Paris.

Saturday Feb 27 stays the right concert night — Sunday morning you’re on the train to Bayeux, so a late finish is fine. Sleep on the train.

Élysée Montmartre · 72 Boulevard de Rochechouart, 75018 Paris · Métro Line 2 → Anvers (plus walk) or Pigalle (Lines 2 & 4)

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 Bayeux · Mar 2 Mont Saint-Michel (checkout) → Paris evening

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. Keep it restorative — tomorrow is another full walking day at Mont Saint-Michel.

Pacing: D-Day Mar 1 and Mont Saint-Michel Mar 2 are back-to-back long days. Hydrate, sleep early Mar 1 if you can, and avoid stacking optional museums after the Context tour.

Day 7 · Tue Mar 2

Mont Saint-Michel — evening train to Paris

T

Mont Saint-Michel full day Book abbey + tour transport ahead Typical pattern: coach day trip from Bayeux (~8:30 am pickup, return early evening) covering the causeway, ramparts, and abbey interior — easy with luggage handled at the hotel. Alternative: TER toward Pontorson + shuttle bus to the mount (more DIY, tighter timing for an evening train). Reserve abbey entry slots on the official site.
E

Lunch on the mount Expect tourist pricing — omelets and crêpes are the classic refuel. A sit-down with a view is fine for a once-in-a-trip lunch; don't fuss over Michelin here.
T

Evening: Bayeux → Paris Saint-Lazare After the coach drops you in Bayeux, collect luggage and board a late direct train — see the rail card for timing. Fifth Paris night: shower and sleep; room service or a corner bistro if you're still upright.

✦

Paris again · CDG

Mar 2 (late arrival) & Mar 3 · fifth Paris night, then airport hotel

Day 8 · Wed Mar 3

Check out · transfer to CDG · sleep at the airport

T

Paris → CDG Late-morning bag storage or lazy checkout, then RER B or taxi to Terminal 2. Match the timing to your CDG hotel check-in window.
E

Evening: low stakes Hotel restaurant, landside brasserie, or room service — the goal is rest before the 10:30 am departure on Mar 4.

Mar 4 morning: Aim at the terminal by ~8:00 am for US check-in and security. Waking up already at CDG beats a last-minute RER sprint from central Paris.

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 Mar 2 is a separate booked day (coach + abbey); budget line below.

Category	You two (USD)
International flights IND ⇄ CDG · Main Classic · changeable / nonrefundable (booked)	$2,129
Hotels · your half of group stays Paris (5 nights), Bayeux (2), CDG (1) — 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
Mont Saint-Michel — day trip + abbey (2 pax) Bayeux round-trip coach + abbey tickets (official site € rates); operator quotes vary — re-quote when you book Mar 2.	~$120–280
Museums & fixed admissions (2 pax) Grounded in published € rates (non-EEA where relevant): Louvre €32 · Catacombs €31 · Sainte-Chapelle ~€15 · Bayeux Tapestry ~€12 each — converted + rounded (~$200–280 total).	~$200–280
Élysée Montmartre (Halo Effect / Lacuna Coil) & misc booked extras Two tickets when pricing is announced; leave slack for any other timed entries.	~$80–200
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)	$5,945–7,655
Estimated total · Gunnar & Michaela	~$6,000–7,700

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 → Mt St-Michel → Paris → CDG

Ground days

8 days · 8 hotel nights

Train legs

4 journeys

Flights

$2,129

Book first

Catacombs · Context Travel · Louvre · Feb 27 Élysée · Mont St-Michel Mar 2 · Bayeux→Paris train · CDG hotel Mar 3

La Belle France

Timeline summary

Concert Night — Élysée Montmartre · 18ème

Trip budget · estimate