ByronFreak

We have a trip to Paris and Brittany booked for a March 11 departure. We could reschedule for an April 1st departure with a minimal increase in the cost of airfare but then would have to wait until September for a price similar to what we have already booked.

1) Would you go in March or push the trip off for a few weeks in hopes that things would improve a little more?
2) Or would you re-book for September? Or cancel altogether (fully refundable airfare)?
3) Is there an app or website that you recommend that monitors the current covid rates in France an important updates?

MmePerdu

Covid is a mystery. But I'd also consider the weather which would most likely be warmer in September than both the other options. And the covid situation might also be better by then. Or not.

Sassafrass

I would opt for September and warmer weather, as MmePerdu suggests. Also, likely to be rainy.

kerouac

If you are fully vaccinated with 3 shots, you already have all of the protection you should need for the near future. Who knows what will happen by September?

Traviata

We will be going in March and cannot wait to be there...........Carpe Diem...!

Sassafrass

Meant to say, likely to be “more rainy” in March and April.

bilboburgler

Gosh, I'd rather go in September than March normally.

kerouac

Rain would stop some of you from going to Paris? Maybe you should think about Casablanca instead.

twk

I could see warmer weather being an attraction, but it's hard to predict the covid situation six months out. 6 weeks out, on the other hand, you at least have something to go on, and with the current wave subsiding, March looks as good a time any. I'm going to Normandy in May and feel pretty good about it.

YankyGal

March because I would rather be counting down to a March trip than a September trip!

hetismij2

OP is also going to Brittany, which can be cold and wet at almost any time of year, but will probably have better weather in September than March. It will also be busier in September than in March. We can hope they will have a delightful, early, spring.
If OP is happy with Brittany in March and is only worried about Covid I would say stick to March.

Sassafrass

If it was the only time I could go, rain would not stop me from Paris, but for other areas, I would also have a back up plan. We were once met with such miserable cold rain in Belgium, after a couple of days, we changed direction and went South. One April, with plans for the CT, we walked around through torrential rains in Lucca, hoping it would clear. Nope. So our trip became Florence. If I had a choice of going in better weather, as the OP does, I would choose the better weather.

The OP is going in March, not May. Cold and wet in March, chilly and wet in April, warm and Sunny in May. No comparison.

jannad

Definitely go in March!

kerouac

Regarding the weather at this time of year, it should be pointed out that this week it has been sunnier and warmer in northern France than in the south. It's a bit unhabitual, but it happens oftener than you think during the winter months.

november_moon

The NY Times has a good COVID tracker, and I think it is outside the paywall:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...vid-cases.html

If you scroll down just past the world map, you can find country-specific case rate information. France currently has the 2nd highest number of new cases per day of any country and is in the top 10 for new cases per capita. If you click on France, you can get a little more information. The omicron variant hit the country pretty hard, but looks like they are past the peak. The surge started toward the end of December and peaked toward the end of January. It's possible that the omicron surge could be done by the end of February - or not...

Regarding the protection from vaccines - yes, they do provide protection against omicron, but there are many more break-through cases with omicron than with previous variants. In my family and among my friends and colleagues, we have had quite a few fully vaccinated and boosted people contract the omicron variant. Most of us have had fairly mild symptoms that lasted about a week with some lingering fatigue. I think anyone traveling now should be prepared for the possibility of having to quarantine before coming home.

eurohop

This is a good site for monitoring COVID cases in France.

Reuters France Covid

ByronFreak

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and links to information. We are not bothered by colder weather and chose that time of year so we could have open access to the monuments at Carnac without a guide (does this change on April 1 or later in April? I could not find that information online).

All three of us are triple vaxed and had covid in December of 2020 before there were vaccines and I also had the antibody treatment at that time so we are as prepared as we can be on that front.

With the information that came out today about relaxing some restrictions and that they think it has reached the peak in France, I feel more comfortable than I did when I started this thread.

If we are staying in Paris at the start of the trip so we should not have trouble finding a pharmacy where we can get the vaccine pass, correct? We are staying in the 5th Arr. We will be staying in the 8th Arr. when we get back from Bretagne. So we get the PCR test in Paris or at the airport before we fly home?

Thanks again for all of your help. We have not traveled internationally since 2019 because of the pandemic and are really itching to go but also realistic about the world these days. I appreciate your help! Trina

Traviata

We stay in the 5th and have for years. We had no trouble getting tests, passes, etc. when we came and went last September to December. The pharmacies are plentiful and they were most helpful. We walked in the day before we left to come back to the states for the 24 hour pre-test and it was done in 5 minutes.

november_moon

We have a trip coming up in May, flying in and out of Paris, and our plan is to get the Pass Sanitare at a pharmacy at the airport when we arrive. It seems like the quickest and easiest option.