Two completely different countries, one amazing trip.
We walked on average 12 miles a day in Paris, and did lots of driving in Norway. Here is our itinerary. This trip was the most extensive trip I have planned to date and took me 3 months to plan. Hope you find it helpful for your next trip! Enjoy!
8.15.18
We arrived in Paris around 2 PM on a Wednesday which happened to be a holiday (8/15). We were staying in an Airbnb right near the Ritz Paris aka "a well to do" area. We dropped our bags off and started exploring. Here's what we saw that day:
1. Louvre, had late lunch at Cafe Marly
2. Palais Royal
3. Notre Dame
4. Pantheon
5. Luxembourg Palace and Gardens
6. Galeries Lafayette and Terrace
7. Drinks at Perruche (rooftop bar and restaurant on top of Printemps du l'homme)
8. Palais Garnier (line was too long to go inside)
8.16.18
1. Explore Ritz Paris
2. Breakfast at Angelina's
3. Tuileries Gardens
4. Grand Palais
5. Champs d'Elysee (went shopping and got macaroons at Laduree)
6. Arc de Triumphe
7. Hotel de Crillon
8. Lunch at Pink Mammas (amazing pizza, pasta, and artisan drinks)
9. Sacre de Basilica (lots of stairs fyi, there is a trolley you can take up but costs $$$)
We then walked back to the airbnb and got ready for our dinner. We took an Uber to the Eiffel Tower then walked down to the pier on the Seine to catch our dinner cruise. It was quite fancy and we had a window seat. Amazing birthday dinner thanks to my boyfriend. Thanks again babe! =)
8.17.18
Disneyland Paris!!!! We took the train out which took about 45 minutes in total. There are two parks so not that big but was definitely cool to visit. Hyperspace Mountain was a mix between WDW Space Mountain and Rock'n Rollercoaster which they also have in Hollywood Studios. We ate at kiosks for lunch and for dinner we made reservations at Chez Remys. To make the reservations, we went to the Service Desk and they were very helpful. After dinner, instead of staying for the 11 PM fireworks over the castle, we skipped the leaving crowds and took the train back to go get crepes in a cute section of Paris called Le Marais. We got a chocolate crepe to go from Le Drogurie. We then walked back to the airbnb and called it a night.
8.18.18
Versailles Day
Our hotel had a free shuttle that left from near the Arc de Triumphe at 10 AM so we took advantage of that. Versailles was about a 25 minute drive outside of Paris. We were staying at the Waldorf Astoria which was surprisingly inexpensive (about $260 for the night).
I got us tickets to see Versailles which a gate to enter was right next to the hotel and had no line. The skip the line tickets were about 27 euros each which was the same price of the regular tickets somehow. You must get the skip the line or you will wait 4 hours to get into the Chateau. We went for lunch at Le Boeuf a la Mode which was quite nice and was packed by the time we were leaving. We then walked to Versailles to explore the gardens and catch our skip the line tickets which were for 3 PM. The Chateau was quite packed and there was only one way you can go. All I wanted to truly see was the Hall of Mirrors so we breezed through in 30 minutes. That evening we went for dinner at Le Limonsin which was a on a very busy restaurant street right near the Chateau. We then walked back to the hotel just in time to catch a little of the water show from outside the gate and the fireworks show from our room which was incredible. We had no idea there would be fireworks that night.
8.19.18
Giverny and Honfleur
We rented a car with Thrifty (expedia) and drove up to Giverny to see Monet's house and gardens which took about 50 minutes to get to by car. If you can, buy tickets ahead of time for this. The line was quite long.
We then drove for another hour to get to Honfleur. We stayed at another airbnb here. We were blown away by the charm and beauty of this little seaside town. Our place was in the heart of it which made it even more special. We parked our car at the Naturospace which had free parking and was only a 10 minute walk from our airbnb. We explored Honfleur and found a ton of amazing candy stores with homemade caramels and candies. Of course, we each bough some for later. We had dinner at this amazing restaurant that opened at 7:30 PM called Les Bistros Artistes. Be patient here; they only have 2 people working, but the food will not disappoint. Be prepared to google translate the menu too. After dinner, we went back to the airbnb to crash and have our candy that we had bought.
8.20.18
American Cemetery, Omaha and Utah Beach, Point du Hoc
The cemetery is something neither of us will ever forget. You see the white crosses, and you start crying. It's not the same feeling as the 9/11 Memorial where you just get this heavy feeling, but it's just a moment where you realize the amount of sacrifice made for us to have our freedom.
We walked on Omaha Beach and visited Utah Beach which is where my grandfather was off the coast on the SS Texas, and Point du Hoc where the ranger climbed jagged cliffs to take out the enemy.
We stopped at a few Museums one being where you went onto a plane and it was like you were heading into D Day.
On our way back, we stopped in Deauville for dinner which is another town where Monet painted.
8.21.18
Mont Saint Michel (only costs money to go in the Abbey which is at the top of it, prepare to walk up a lot of stairs)
Longues sur mer and Arromarche to see the guns and the bunkers.
8.22.18
Flew to Oslo (return of rental and check in/flight was seamless, no customs in Oslo)
Took the regular train into the city then a bus to Mathallen.
Had dinner and drinks in Mathallen
8.23.18
Rented a car with Europcar (expedia). Make sure you have a good car that is good with lots of inclines/declines. Our drive from Oslo to Laerdal took 4 hours but it was a beautiful ride. We stopped to see the Burgundy Stave Church on the way up which was only 15 minutes from our airbnb. Our airbnb was in Laerdal which is close to Flam. Our trip up to the fjords was last minute so if you can get a place right on the fjord it's worth the view. I liked this area because it was very quiet and almost like having a private view of the fjords. We dropped our things off and explored Laerdal and Flam and drove up to the Stegastein Viewpoint which had an amazing view. We also stopped at a market on the way up so we had food in the fridge for us. I was surprised at how many little towns there were on the way up.
8.24.18
Drove 4 hours north to see Geirangerfjord which is the largest fjord. We parked at the Westaras Farm, and then hiked for about a 45 minute one way all incline to get the this waterfall. The Storsæterfossen waterfall is cool because you have a great view of the fjords from up there and you can go behind the waterfall. After that great workout, we had lunch at the Westeras restaurant which was incredible. Everything was delicious and I had brown cheese ice cream for dessert which was amazing. We went down to the basin and took pictures of this beautiful fjord then headed home and made dinner at our place. (Tried to get him to watch Frozen that night....he wasn't having it).
8.25.18
Went back to Flam and did the Heritage Fjord Safari. Amazing views of the fjords. Highly recommend it. I then had to buy brown cheese which came from the town next door where we saw from the boat. The brown cheese is very different, and wasn't my cup of tea. I think I'll stick to it in ice cream form. We then drove back down to Oslo and stopped at The Well for a relaxing afternoon. We did the four hour pass here. You need to buy their bathing suits but they are not expensive. My bf was not too happy about the dress code or lack of. You have to be naked or just wear a towel in the saunas, and some people just walked around the pool area naked. I loved how many rooms there were to choose from. From a movie theater sauna room, to a two story log cabin sauna, to a waterfall rainforest room, and more. I thought it was better than the Blue Lagoon in Iceland personally, and did I mention cheaper? We had dinner in their restaurant and stayed at my friend's apartment in Oslo for our final night.
Tips
-Be prepared to spend a lot of money on gas and tolls. (A tank in France was about $50 and in Norway about $80)
-I used Disney Adventures to plan a lot of our trip (I looked at their itineraries in the countries)
-Breakfast in France includes a lot of pastries (which I was ok with just not ideal for walking 15 miles a day)
-Plan a trip to the Lofoten islands while there and have enough time to experience its beauty
-If you understand the French culture, they won't seem rude to you. I didn't
-Disneyland Paris fast pass is confusing, do your research before going, reservations have to be made over the phone aka do it when you get to the park if you don't have international calling
-Download maps.me and have your country map downloaded before you leave
-Make sure you have your license if you are renting a car and know that most cars are standards