Pal,you old kidder...

I would hop on the #69 bus and do a tour of the city, just to familiarize yourself with some of the main attractions. Alternatively, take the RER out for a quick viewing of Versailles. Whatever you do, don't stick around the airport area; it's not particularly appealing

why are you going all the way to Paris to catch a train to A-dam instead of taking the train to Brussels and changing there?

Dukey - I got a great discount on the Chunnel train to Paris I could not pass up! 189 pounds, all told!

You could check to see if Michael Osman is available for a private tour.

What if the train is late arriving into Paris?

What if it's early - you could double your layover time and see four times as much stuff!

Don't waste your time eating at a restaurant, get it to go while you have your whirlwind tour of Paris!

You have be sensible about these things. The Louvre is not particularly close to the train station and in any event requires at least 30 minutes to see everything, so you might want to leave it for another time.

On the other hand, since you are at the train station anyway you should have enough time to see Versailles, or possibly head out to Monet's house in Giverny, both of which are much more practical for your time-frame.

As for restaurants, I generally try to discourage people from eating anything in Paris. Seriously, what kind of dining experience can you expect to have in a place that thinks snails, horse and the liver of force-fed ducks are ideal food choices. What you should do is have extra large meals for the three or four days before, like a bear storing up fat for hibernation.

Hope this helps.

why are you going all the way to Paris to catch a train to A-dam instead of taking the train to Brussels and changing there?>

Dukey - can you read - I said I have never been to Paree so I wanted to see it at least once in my life - you never know when you can cross the pond again. I heard that I could see Montmartre from the train on the way in - is this true? Can-can I see Montmartre - what side of the train should I be sitting on to see Mont Martyr?

Nothing to see in Paris
Posted by: kerouac on Mar 20, 12 at 6:07pm
Posted in: Europe

Oops I think I may have made a major blunder - now I read that there is "Nothing to See in Paris" - oh the heart ache! Nothing - zed - zilch - nada - rien - est-ce que possible?

to do? Breathe deeply

Hey PQ,

>any good restaurants in the Gare du Nord area?

Le Train Bleu is right in the train station.
..........................................................
Hi glen,

>The Louvre is not particularly close to the train station and in any event requires at least 30 minutes to see everything,....<

I have done it in under 15 min.

The record is 6 min.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19630612&id=HOIuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=61YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4754,1511480

The Train Blue is right in the Paris central station - thanks Ira - should I tip or not> do they have raw horse meat - I've heard then French guys eat raw horse meat to increase their vitality and virility - if they have raw horse meat could I then find a putain or some putains in the vicinity of the central train station?

And thansk to ALL above who thoughtfully took time to help me - a clueless novice dweeb plan the trip of a lifetime to Paris, which I've always dreamt of visiting my whole life and thanks to y'all it is all now becoming perfectly clear on what to do, where to go and what and where to eat?

One more question - can I wear athletic shoes in Paris or will that label me a clueless foreign tourist?

Should I buy the Navigo Card or just do a carnet?

Oh so many questions so little time!

Adieu mes amis!

Charmen de Fer is greatful!

You don't have enough time to see much. As an alternative, I would suggest taking FMT out to lunch.

Too funny.

How about picking up a postcard book. Take it and flip through it real fast, like those old flip books. You could see all of Paris in less than 5 mins .

I would get pickpocketed and then talk about it here for years to come.

Actually in 15 minutes you could get pickpocketed 10 times. It's that bad. So bring 10 wallets.

Why not try a Segway Tour? Ask for a turbo-charged model. That way you won't have to fuss with those troublesome bridges. You can just fly from bank to bank across the Siene.

If you wear tennis shorts that are tight enough (the kind that Rod Laver wore) it's impossible for a thief to get their hand into your pocket. They're safe, stylish and they move the way you move.

You might have time to go to the bathroom. Don't forget to say bon jour.

You could go to the information desk and ask them where to find the Montgolfier's balloon ride, since you want to see the eiffel tower and dont have much time.

what a hoot! And I thought I asked provactive questions!

I thought about the Blue Train but then there is that place across the square where the waiters all wear white aprons, well they did 25 years ago and it was on the corner and I looked in once and they were having a good time so maybe you could cross the road and look in the window....

Another option might be a quick hop on the metro to visit the basement at BHV for their free paint-tasting session.

Consult Art Buchwald's 6 minute Louvre
"It is common knowledge that there are only three things worth seeing in the Louvre. They are the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory and the Mona Lisa. The rest of the stuff is all junk. ..."

Then you have another 9 minutes minus a little for travel time.

Go to the men's room!!???

My parents went to the Louvre the other day. They saw The Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory and The Mona Lisa. Then they left.

Oh yeah, after they "did the Louvre" then they went to rue Cler.

We could only find the small Mona Lisa at the Louvre. I assume the regular size version was on a tour.

I'd recommend a pair of motorised roller-skates for your transport needs. Saves waiting around for buses or metros.

I think you may be a little tight on your timing, because if you have anything to eat or drink, you will likely have to wait longer than 15 minutes for your check....

so you will be forced to do the bear thing referenced above, and start eating more and bigger meals in the three days prior to your departure. Bon Voyage quand meme

No, you can eat on the go. Eat your falafel from rue des Rosiers on your way to Berthillon and then grab a taxi to Angelina's while you eat your ice cream.

Ah the postcard trip! thanks for that tip - I can go to the Relais shop in the station and look at postcards and then say I was in Paris and I saw the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Louvre, Arch of Triumph; Concorde Square; la Seine and much more - thanks for that tip - I would also love to take FMT out to lunch but IMO he/she is already out to lunch... ah dommage!

Life is too short! But I will be glad to have seen all the sights of Paris even if just on postcards in Paris itself!

A toute a l'heure!
A bientot!
Bon alors!
Dis donc!
Oh River!

sassy_cat: to do? Breathe deeply

Agreed. Except you misspelled "drink".

Pal...you and I know that you couldn't even see all of "downtown" Roscommon in 15 minutes!
stu

What to do: Pray very hard that you don't miss your connection! Platform numbers change at the last minute, be ready to sprint, and remember....there are restrooms on the train!

Half way through reading the posts, I just knew those white shorts would turn up in someone's suggestion. And, yes indeed they did. Thank you, FMT, for not disappointing... And to Cold, for starting that thread.

In order to make the most of your 15 minutes in Paris, PalenQ, you should pretend you are the Roadrunner being chased by the Coyote. The attached clip will give you some hints on how to imitate the typical tourist:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJJW7EF5aVk

I have discovered PalenQ's report on his last 15 minutes in Paris.

http://www.grapheine.com/classiktv/index.php?module=see&lang=fr&code=6113db17a50fed72d51e3cff7508d497

This is very funny.

It's amazing, though, how many deliberately book a "long" "stopover" at CDG believing that they can dash to the Eiffel Tower and back in a couple of hours.

I would recommend, if you haven't done it yet, a tour of the Bastille. The walls aren't as thick as they used to be, but if you stroll where the ramparts once were, you can imagine where the guards looked down onto the great unwashed. The dungeon has been supplanted by run-of-the-mill sewers, but are still an eyeful if you you can get one of the city manhole covers open. Once back up on ground level, you can stand in the spot where the cafeteria was where Marie Antoinette let them eat cake.

"...I got a great discount on the Chunnel train to Paris I could not pass up! 189 pounds, all told!"

Is it 'all told' or 'all tolled'? I've always wondered.

Have a helicopter waiting to take you on a quick circle in the air. You could "spot see" everything important. Roof tops are pretty spectacular and you could actually say, "I saw Paris."

Really, this is an ideal 15 minute plan.

PQ: Don't listen to the naysayers. It CAN be done.

I've worked out a detailed itinerary for you:

Minute #1: Eiffel Tower - be sure to include lunch/dinner at Le Jules Verne restaurant - be sure to make reservations at this restaurant at least five minutes before arrival

Minute #2 - Les Invalides and Napoleon's Tomb

Minute #3 - Walk down the Champs Elysees and climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe

Minute #4 - Run over to the Place de la Concorde and have your photo taken in front of the obelisk

Minute #5 - run around the Tuileries

Minute #6 - Visit the Musee d'Orsay, just muscle your way in and tell them you don't have time to buy a ticket. The French are very accommodating.

Minute #7 - Visit the Louvre. Ditto for how to get into the Louvre quickly.

Minute #8 - Hop over to Notre Dame Cathedral and climb all those 400 stairs, pace yourself and allow yourself a half minute to get to the top.

Minute #9 - skateboard down the BoulMich for a quick look at the Sorbonne and the Latin Quarter

Minute #10 Luxembourg Gardens. This is your rest stop. Just park yourself on a bench for 3/4 of a minute and tell yourself how lucky you are not to be like the other tourists all rushing about.

Minute #11 - Time to move over to the Centre George Pompidou

Minute #12 - Take a boat ride on the Seine River

Minute #13 - Absolutely go and tour the Bastille

Minute #14 - This is the saddest part of your tour, the Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Minute #15 - and this is the happiest part of your tour, Montmartre

Unfortunately, no time for rue Cler.

Have a great trip! And as they say in France: Gute Reise!

No time for the Rue Cler? Then why go to Paris at all - I hear it is the numero uno site/sight in gay Paree?

I did make a silly report once called "40 minutes to see Compiègne" but at least I actually saw a few things in those 40 minutes: http://tinyurl.com/6ndvzzt

Just take the metro to Chatelet...no need to leave the underground at all, in fact your fifteen minutes will fly past and you wander this fascinating and very busy station. As a matter of fact, you may never make it back to catch your train to Amsterdam...

<<<<<<<No time for the Rue Cler? Then why go to Paris at all - I hear it is the numero uno site/sight in gay Paree?

I hear you can have those tattoos of the entire Rick Steves guidebook removed from your body with an acid bath.

Oops - just read on another post from flanner.uk that trains close their doors 10 minutes before departure! That means I have at most 5 minutes to see Paris! I may not even have enough time to be pickpocketed?

Just make a beeline for the woman holding a wrapped up baby on a blanket and you'll be fine.

Oh dear, so sorry PalenQ. All that planning, and your stop over has to be cut. Maybe someone can pickpocket you on the train, so you can have at least that expeience.

If you don't have time to get your pockets picked, you could always jump dump your wallet on the platform before boarding the train. It's not as authentic an experience, but it gets you the same results.

Just wear a moneybelt, with all your valuables underneath your clothing. Then, when the woman with the baby starts sobbing, you can hand it to her all of it at once.