CChanginParis

Hi everyone,

My girlfriend and are taking a 9 day trip to Paris (with 2 nights in Loire) at the end of the month. After what feels like weeks of endless research, I've come up with the following itinerary and would love input on how to improve it. It's both of our first time's to Paris, so we don't know exactly what to expect. So if the itinerary is missing anything or too ambitious, please let us know.

Thanks!

May 23 (Mon)
- Morning: Arrive at CDG, check in at VRBO sublet in 9th arrondissement
- Afternoon: Explore neighborhood, grab lunch and food for picnic at Rue de Martyrs. Walk around Montmartre, see Dali museum, Sacre Couer, and Picasso House
- Early evening: Rest / recover from flight or go to Galeries Lafayette
- Night: Take train to Eiffel Tower and walk around Trocadero. Dinner reservations at Les Ombres with view of Tower at sunset

May 24 (Tues)
- Morning: Segway Tour around Paris for 2 hours. Bring packed lunch and walk down to eat at the Left Bank. Grab ice cream at Berthillon
- Afternoon: d'Orsay museum and Jardin des Tuileres
- Early evening: Walk down Champs Elysses, shop and have a casual dinner
- Night: Arrive at Arc de Triomphe, climb for twilight view of Paris

May 25 (Weds)
- Morning: Luxembourg Gardens then walk to St. Chappelles Cathedral. Then walk to Notre Dame and explore. Climb up Notre Dame tower.
- Afternoon: Take the batobus water taxi to Eiffel Tower station. Walk to Rue Cler to buy food for the week. Then go home and rest for a few hours
- Early evening: Take train back out to the Louvre, spend the evening here until it closes at 9:45.

May 26 (Thurs)
- All Day: Take train to Versailles, rent bikes outside and spend the day exploring. Bring packed lunch for lunch along the banks of the Grand Canal.
- Evening: Dinner, then home and rest

May 27 (Friday)
- Morning to Afternoon: Arrive at French Open around 10am for 11am matches. Watch 2 rounds of tennis then home to relax for a few hours.
- Early evening: Take the 6pm Fat Tire Night Tour around Paris

May 28 (Saturday)
- Morning: Go to l'Orangerie and the Paris Catacombs
- Early afternoon: Take TGV to Tours and pick up rental car. Drive to Chateau Amboise for a quick look (I hear the outside is better than the inside). Then drive to Chateau Chenonceau until closing at 7pm.
- Early evening: Drive to chateau where we're staying near Amboise. Have dinner here and relax.

May 29 (Sunday)
- Morning: Visit Domain des Roy, a farm East of Amboise and tour their winery and farmlands.
- Afternoon: Drive to Chateau Cheverny then tour Chateau Chambord.
- Early evening: Drive through Bloise and grab dinner here. Then take a slow drive back to Amboise along the Loire River.

May 30 (Mond)
- Morning: Head out early to the western part of Loire Valley. Drive by Chateau d'Usse (which I also hear is nicer on the outside than on the inside). Then drive to Chateau Azay la Rideau.
- Afternoon: Visit the gardens at Villandry. Drive back toward Tours and have lunch at Caves des Producteuers winery. Take English language tour at 2:30. Drive back to TGV train station.
- Early evening: Take 5:20 TGV back to Paris. Arrive at 6:30. Take taxi to hotel in 9th arrondissement.
- Night: Take train down to Eiffel tower and use 8pm tickets up to the 2nd floor. Walk around Champs de Mars and Trocadero again.

May 31 (Tues)
- Morning: Visit the Van Gough and Rodin museums
- Afternoon: Walk around the Left Bank and/or Marais neighborhoods.
- Evening: ??????

June 1 (Wed)
- Catch 11am flight back to Chicago.

You're a very patient person if you made it all the way down to the end here. In particular if you have any ideas for what to do Tuesday night (maybe a cooking class?), we're open to just about anything. At that point I think we've covered a good number of the bigger tourist attractions, so maybe something more of a "hidden" gem in Paris would be great.

Thanks again!

bbraswell71

Great itinerary! You will love the Amboise area, it was our favorite. We took a private tour of the chateaus and a winery with lunch which was fantastic. You might also check out www.paris-walks.com. They have a chocolate walk as well as some other very unique walks. Great way to see unusual parts of the city and very fun. Think about going to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Best to go late at night. Have fun!

gh21

IMO both Mondays seem very hectic, especially your day of arrival. Perhaps save Tuesday PM for things you've missed on earlier days if you were not able to fit them in.

kat12

I dream about visiting the Marmottan Museum again! It houses an amazing display of Monet's great work. It's a small museum in a great neighborhood worth exploring before or after the visit to the museum. It's an intimate setting for Monet's great art, and you will love it. Check it out on the web.

I haven't done this, but will when I return to Paris: An evening concert in Saint Chapelle is supposed to be lovely. You can "google" to find the schedule.

Enjoy!

Elizabeth_S

It's seems full to me, particularly your day of arrival - but the main thing is you know what you want to do and so you'll be comfortable making changes on the fly.

I think you might want to flip the Segway Tour to the afternoon and go to the museums in the morning as they will be less crowded. I second kat12's reco re an evening concert - here's the link for tix

http://www.classictic.com/en

Here's a link to a restaurant list I posted after our stay in Paris earlier this year - many are convenient to the areas you will be in.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nt-roundup.cfm

Gretchen

Your first day may be 'way 'way too much. I would definitely not make set plans for dinner at a nice restaurant. you just may not be able to handle it.
I guess you are planning on making your lunches at your apartment.
You have a lot of time outside of Paris. I might suggest thinking about leaving Versailles out. I know it isn't the same but you will see a LOT of chateaux in the Loire.
The Champs Elysees walk and shop? I don't think there is much shopping of note, and the Champs is a pretty "sterile" area for me. There IS a bus that goes down from the Arc that is a nice "sightseeing" ride.
The Ste. Chapelle concerts are really beautiful--not very long, beautiful setting, nice music.
You have certainly done a super amount of research. You'll have a great trip.

mamcalice

You have a wonderful itinerary planned and I agree with all of the advice provided above. A couple of observations: the Sainte Chapelle concerts are simply lovely but if you go, also plan to visit during the day as the windows are best seen on a sunny day in the morning. I'm drawing a blank but I'm not sure what you mean by the Van Gogh museum. Others you might visit if you have time are the Cluny and the Orangerie (Monet's waterlily murals).

Have a wonderful time - it sounds splendid!

YankyGal

I was wondering about the Van Gogh, too, unless they're squeezing in a trip to Amsterdam. ;-)

I agree with the others that the first day is too much; otherwise looks good. I, too, would skip Versailles this time around, especially since you're already getting out of the city for a couple days - save it for the next trip. And there will be a next trip to Paris, you know.

Have a great trip!

Christina

I think your first day is way too much for most people. Maybe it depends where you are coming from, but the idea of doing all that stuff on your day of arrival seems impossible to me. If you are coming off a translatlantic flight, it's really impossible, at least in terms of energy. I spend more time at things than that, also, but I guess you could if you want to see everythign up there in 3 hours. Then shopping which is very tiring in GL for a couple hours before dinner?I'm not sure where you intend to have that picnic, in-between buying the food at the store and visiting Montmartre. Now of course you can do this if you don't spend much time at each thing and you have a lot more energy than I, I just wouldn't count on this happening.

Since your Tuesday night is before departure, I myself would take it easy (I always do as I may need to spend some time packing for an early flight, etc.) and just have a really nice last dinner somewhere. I also leave my last day more open just in case I want to use it to catch up on some things I missed, like some shopping or something.


I think it's kinda nuts to go to rue Cler to buy groceries when your apt is in the 9th arr. What reason would you do that and lug groceries across town when you have a market street right nearby which is excellent, or many others much closer? Rue Cler is one of the most expensive places in Paris to buy food, anyway.

FYI SAINTE Chapelle is not a cathedral. It isn't a saint, either, so it is not abbreviated "St. ...". That is an adjective that means holy in French, so that means "holy chapel" and must agree in gender with the word chapelle.

StCirq

Day One just ain't gonna happen...but that's OK, you'll figure that out on the ground. I sure wouldn't plan for a fancy dinner that night, though. A croque monsieur in the café closest to your apartment is probably more realistic.

I was also going to say that crossing town to get provisions on rue Cler makes no sense at all to me. Buy what you need at whatever market's near your apartment; that's sort of the point of renting an apartment - to get to know your neighborhood.

Otherwise it looks like you've done excellent research and have a grand trip ahead of you. Enjoy!

CChanginParis

Hey everyone!

First of all, thanks for the awesome replies.

1) I took a look at www.paris-walks.com and it looks great. I'll definitely be adding one of their tours to the itinerary.

2) Definitely going to scale back on Day 1. I hear you guys loud and clear Originally I didn't want to "waste" one of our travel days, but now see it's a little too ambitious to put so much stuff after a trans-Atlantic / overnight flight (we're coming from Chicago).

3) Also definitely adding a concert at Sainte-Chapelle (did I get it right this time? haha). We both love classical music so this sounds amazing. Does anyone have experience getting tickets for this on through FNAC in Paris? Is it cheaper than booking online at www.classictic.com?

4) I also hear you guys about Rue Cler. I was sort of stuck on going there because Rick Steve recommends it so much in his guide book. But it sounds like it isn't really worth a special trip out there just to get groceries. We'll be sticking around our neighborhood in the 9th arrondissement.

5) Champs Elysses - I'm a little confused here about the shopping. Is it sterile because it's mostly high-end stores that you can visit in other countries? My girlfriend likes to shop (go figure, haha), but if it's nothing special we won't bother. It sounds like it might be kind of like 5th Ave in New York. Can anyone shed a little more light on this?

6) Versailles - Also, I'd love to hear any opinions on whether we should skip Versailles if we're going to spend 2 days in the Loire anyway. People I talk to say it's a "must" do, but maybe it's because they're not taking into account our time in Loire. Anybody have additional thoughts here? Are the chateaux all very similar? Does Versailles have a different feel?

7) Van Gough - HAHA! My mistake here. I meant the PICASSO museum in Paris. I've actually been to the Van Gough museum in Amsterdam - it was wonderful. Either way, thanks for helping clarify that.

8) Hidden Paris??? As a final question, could anyone suggest anything around Paris that might be a little more off the beaten path? I hear the catacombs are really something different, so maybe something like that? Maybe a tour of the sewers? If anyone has any secret or little hidden gems in Paris they'd love to share that'd be great.

Again, thanks so much everyone! We're both verrrry excited about our first time in Paris and your advice is definitely helping us plan a smoother trip.

Merci merci merci!

cheryllj

I must be patient, I read the whole thing! But I'm arriving in Paris exactly one week after you, and doing some of the same things.

Your first day is crazy sauce. I'd be passed out long before I could make that dinner reservation. But that's me - I don't sleep well on planes and the first day is always hard for me to stay up late. You might be different -- have you traveled to Europe before? Some people can't stay awake until 6pm on their first day, some people have no problems.

Rue Cler is nothing special. I don't know what Rick Steves is smoking on that one. It's fine and all, but nothing special, not worth a big detour. There are other markets all over.

I don't think it's really "hidden" but as far as offbeat things to do, imho the Catacombes are more interesting than the sewer tour, and I've done both. Pere Lachaise cemetery is also very interesting, seeing the graves of Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, etc.

cheryllj

PS - I'm not a big shopper, and I don't know what kind of stores are on 5th Ave. But if your gf is looking for Prada, Chanel and Dior and those kind of high end stores, check out Avenue Montaigne, which is off Champs-Elysees.

www.avenuemontaigneguide.com

StCirq

5th Avenue is infinitely more interesting than the Champs Elysées, which is essentially just a wide avenue with a lot of huge chain stores that you could go to in Wichita. Boooorrriiinggg, IMO. If your girlfriend wants to shop, Paris is loaded with interesting places to do that.

Versailles and the châteaux of the Loire are very, very different. Versailles is a huge, gilded monument to superfluousness and opulence and power; the Loire châteaux are of the fairy tale variety - country residences of the royalty. I probably would make the trek out to Versailles if it interests you. But there are lots of other fascinating daytrips close to Paris as well.

As for "hidden things," that's a hard call. You might take a boat ride down the Canal St-Martin, or visit some of the famous Paris "passages," or take the walk up in the old village of Montmartre that takes you by all the old artists' ateliers, or have brunch at the Jacquemart-André on a Sunday, or go out to the Ile des Impressionistes and have lunch at La Maison Fournaise, or go to the Parc St-Cloud, or visit the Mosquée de Paris. Try looking at some of kerouac's posts here with photo essays of parts of Paris most people never get to, or at least don't get to until they've made many trips.

mamcalice

The Picasso Museum - has it reopened? If so, I recommend it - it's a lot of fun. But it has been closed a few years for renovation and I hadn't heard that it was reopened.

nwtraveler

I agree with others about rue Cler. I normally stay in the 7th and am familiar with the street but there is no way I would cross town just for groceries. However since you do have the Eiffel Tower listed for the afternoon, there are a few restaurants near the ET that I can recommend for lunch: Cafe Constant, Les Cocettes and Pasco. There is also an Amorino ice cream shop on rue Cler that is really good.

ParisAmsterdam

Re your plan for the Segway tour and taking a lunch... assuming it's the Fat Tire tour... it's not 2 hours. More like 4. And you stop for lunch at a cafe in the Tuileries.

You could pack a lunch and go sit elsewhere on your own but on 3 tours we've always enjoyed the company of fellow Segwayers over lunch.

On your day for Ste Chapelle, Notre Dame and the Luxembourg gardens... do not go to the gardens first. It is a large park you can walk into any time. The other 2 will have lines... get to Ste Chapelle first thing... opening time is usually the least busy. Then go to Notre Dame for the tower or vice versa.
Hit the park whenever...

Michel_Paris

MOnday..ditto the above

I'd also skip the Champs. The best sight is looking up the Champs from Place de la Concorde and seeing the Arc. Take that picture and save the walk I might make Eiffel the one place to get a view over the city.

Sainte Chapelle..you've got good info here. You might consider buying the tickets beforehand (like when you go to see the windows). There are many classical concerts held in small churches around central Paris. If you get the weekly events magazine Pariscope it will list them. I've been to many. Usually very good quality, and some nice acoustics.

There are many 'Rue Clers' in Paris. Find out when the nearest farmer's market is held in your area. Then, when out touring, check out Rue de Buci, main street of Ile St Louis, Rue Mouffetard,etc..

With the amount of time available, in Paris, I might skip Versailles. Very different from Loire, as others have stated. Chenonceau is a gem.

Gretchen

I might say there are more interesting things than the Catacombs--even Pere Lachaise--or just sitting in a cafe and people watching. I don't see too much of that in your itinerary. It's a lot of fun.
As someone said, look for the market day nearest your apartment--they are all over the city. I might suggest you DO go to the Richard Lenoir market on one of its days. Fun and fun shopping, not just for food. I like the market streets like Rue Cler, Mouffetard, etc. but find the set up street markets much more "fun".
Don't forget about the

Michel_Paris

The Passages might be interesting, near your area. Also, the Jacquemart-Andre museum is a neat place to spend a couple of hours. Mansion of a rich collector, donated along with art to the city (?).

Nearby, something a bit more esoteric, is the Chapelle Expiatoire. When Louis XV1 and Marie Antoinette were guillotined at the now Place de la Concorde, they took their bodies and heads and threw then into a ditch. A Royalist noted the spot, tended it, planted a tree there, until such time as the Royals were no longer hated. They then exhumed the bodies (one witness fainted in recognizing M.A.'s skull/face) and moved them to St Denis. Built over this spot was a chapel to mark the location, with statues, inscriptions, and a memorial to the Swiss Guards that gave their lives defending the royal family. The lower level was closed when I visited.

The Arene de Lutece is a small roman arena located on the Left Bank. Neat place to visit, have lunch. check out some of the carved stones.