In early October, my husband and I took our kids on a two-week trip through Spain and France. The trip itself was amazing, but my favorite part was the time we spent in the Loire Valley and Paris.
First off, we paid for our flights earlier this year during one of those crazy fare deals to Europe. We booked four Delta flights into Madrid and home from Paris for $393 each.
After spending more than a week in Spain, we were ready to move on for the second half of our trip. Instead of taking a train, however, we flew from Barcelona into Paris.
Amazingly, I booked our one-way flights on Air France through Chase Ultimate Rewards for less than 3,400 points each. While I don’t like to fly mid-trip, this saved us a lot of time versus taking a 10+ hour train.
Our flight landed in Paris at 8:10 a.m., and we immediately picked up our rental car. We booked a regular automatic transmission vehicle through Expedia for around $21 per day, yet we were happy to find we had been upgraded to a new Mercedes with all the bells and whistles.
We headed straight to Versailles and found a little place to eat some late-morning pizza and French fries. Don’t judge; it was slim pickings since most restaurants in the area didn’t open for lunch until later.
At 12:30 p.m., we met our group for a tour of Versailles with an audio guide. I booked our skip-the-line Versailles tour through Chase Ultimate Rewards and it set us back 8,652 points for the four of us. I appreciated skipping the line and having the audio guide, but I wasn’t huge on Versailles. I wish we had time to visit the Queen’s Hamlet and the full gardens, but we were anxious to move on to the next part of our trip. Maybe next time we’ll do the full tour.
From there, we drove our rental car to our Airbnb in Amboise, France. I paid less than $400 cash for our three nights there, and I’m so glad I did. Our Airbnb (you can look at it here) was a lot nicer than the pictures portrayed. It was spacious and had a nice, big shower. The bedrooms were large, the beds were comfy, and the place was super clean. It also had free parking next door and was in an ideal spot for walking into and around Amboise. I WILL book this Airbnb again in my lifetime. Believe it.
From Amboise, we went to two castles – Chenonceau and Chambord. I loved them both but have a special affinity for Chambord. Something about that place and its grounds really does it for me. I told my husband he must bring me back on a romantic, adults-only trip next time!
Amboise is the perfect home base for visiting all the castles in the area, but there is plenty to do in the village itself. We went to the Chateau in Amboise and found its history and location above the city fascinating. I loved seeing the spot where Leonardo da Vinci is buried, and my kids thought that was special too since they have studied him in school. We also visited Clos Luce, Leonardo de Vinci’s final home. It was so beautiful there, and the gorgeous fall weather made it all the better.
In Amboise, we did some shopping and sightseeing. We also had some pretty spectacular meals and a lot of wine. My kids did pretty good with their food options, and so did I even though I don’t eat meat and try to avoid animal products. My husband decided that escargo isn’t meat (he’s a vegetarian) and tried it several times. He also got the cheese course each time he could and I think he was in heaven.
After four days in Amboise, we regretfully moved onto our final stop in Paris. Fortunately, we were able to check into our condo there early. We booked a place through ParisPerfect.com that had the most spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower (you can see the condo listing here).
Not only was the view spectacular, but we were in a great location near the Eiffel Tower and plenty of restaurants and shops. I would book this condo again a million times. My kids had a little bedroom with two twin beds, but it had a giant walk-in shower. The view speaks for itself and I loved everything about being there. My only regret is the fact we didn’t spend much time in the condo itself.
In Paris, we mostly ate and drank our way around. We took the kids to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, went inside the Paris Opera (which was spectacular), and finally went into Notre Dame. I have to say, I liked Paris a lot more this second time around. The last time, I thought the people were crabby and unhappy we were there. This time, Paris seemed almost magical. It’s probably because I had my kids with me and they loved Paris so much.
Now that we’re home, I can definitely say this was a perfect trip. And now I’m trying to figure out when my husband and I can go back to the Loire Valley and perhaps Burgundy for more sightseeing, food, and wine.
Have you ever been to France? What is your favorite part? How did you pay with rewards?
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