wishing

Our last evening of 21/2 weeks in Europe will be spent in Paris. We are staying just outside of Paris for 3 nights (friends of friends arrangement) We plan to arrive in Paris around noon on Sun. July 9 and spend the rest of the day there. Monday we thought to spend at Versailles in the morning and Chartres in the afternoon/evening (have not really looked into the feasability of adding Chartres so we may go into Paris for afternoon). Tuesday, back to Paris. Wednesday to Paris - drop our bags at hotel. Thursday fly home. I have booked a view room at the Relais Bosquet in the 7th. Our plan is to spend the day seeing the things on our list we haven't seen and just walking and sitting in cafes. We also plan on a Seine cruise in the evening just as the eiffel tower is lit up.(got this idea from another post in fodors!) I chose hotel in 7th so that it would be easy (and safe to walk back to our hotel after the cruise. My question (yes I'm finally getting to it) is would it be better to change our reservation to a hotel in the 6th if we want to mainly wander about? I had looked at the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. We want to see the Louvre, Orsay, Rodin, Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, Eiffel tower, Luxembourg gardens among other sights. Any advice on the hotel location and/or our itinerary - when to do what is greatly appreciated. (I have already printed off Degas' walk).Thanks again!

Michel_Paris

Hi wishing,
Have you been to Paris before? That would influence my decision on how I would spend my time. If it were me, after 2 1/2 weeks I would want to settle a little at the end of my trip and slow down...going to Versailles and Chartres in the same day would be way too much..how would you ge getting to these locations...train,car, bus tour???
I like the idea of spending as much time as possible in Paris, and maybe, just maybe, doing one of those other locations. Your hotel location is fine, if you walk west on La Motte Piquet Ave. to La Motte Picquet Metro station, you will be on the main line that gets you to St Germain/Latin Quarter (about 6 stops), and it is not an impossibly long walk if you had to.

wishing

Thanks Michel P.
Yes, this is our first time to Paris (first time to Europe for our 25th anniversary). We are going to Italy first, then a 3 night stop in Lausanne and then finishing off in Paris area. I have researched what I (we!) want to see but not when and in what order and the best way to go about it. I am thinking of the hop on hop off bus tour when we arrive Sunday afternoon and then the Eiffel tower. And as I mentioned before, finish off our stay with a Seine cruise at night. Any advice or suggestions as how to best fit in everything else on Tuesday and Wednesday would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

nessundorma

Check to see which museums are open in the evenings, and plan to visit those at night. That leaves your days free to visit the gardens and the interiors of churches, which need sunlight to show off the stained glass.

It is impossible to do Versailles and Chartres in one day, especially if you are depending on public transportation. Instead of either, I would recommend that you visit the Basilica of St. Denis, which is on the Metro line in the north end of Paris. On your way back, visit Sacre Couer.

Since you have such a brief time in Paris, don't be afraid to take taxis. You won't be in any danger walking back from your Seine cruise.

Also, do a google search for the Batobus, and see if that would be just as good (and less pricey) than a Seine cruise.

I think the 6th offers you more of what you are looking for, and is chockablock with good restaurants.

One more time saving tip: If you are determined to ride up the Eiffel Tower, the view from the first landing is actually better than the view from the top. And you won't have to wait in a second long line to reach the top.

ira

Hi W,

You can find your hotels at www.mappy.com.

It will show you the nearby metro stops and walking routes to the sites of interest.

Also www.ratp.fr will tell you how to get from your hotels to where you want to go by bus or metro.

I don't think that you can see both Versailles and Chartres in one day.

Have a nice visit.

wishing

Thanks for all your help and suggestions. Now I just need to sit down and plan out the time for the major sights. I can hardly wait!

grantop

As mentioned above, the Batobus is an excellent alternative to the traditional cruise. You can ride during the day or at night and hop on and off as you like. You can also ride is peace as there are no loud speakers shouting out the sights to you. Check here for more info: http://www.batobus.com/english/boat-...ris-seine.html

orval

Not knowing your reason for visiting Lausanne, I do not know if it is a definite for you, but perhaps you should eliminate this stop, and head straight for the Paris environs. I have stayed in Vevy, up the mountain, and disdained going into Montreux, Lausanne or Geneva. I ventured to the Nestlé chocolate town, and beyond to Gstaad. It was nice, and Switzerland is extremely lovely. However, this was after many trips to France and Paris.

You have listed some of the places in Paris or near Paris that dwell upon the soul of visitors. I know the feeling well...one does not know if they will be back that way, so one wants to take in the basics at least, to feel that they have visited the places of the heart...however, you have also touched on the wonderful art of sitting and eating/drinking and watching people at sidewalk cafés. This and taking long walks for whatever reason is probably the most pleasurable thing to do in Paris.