ExcitedGirl

Greeting everyone.. i have been reading the forums for a few days now and i am getting a lot of useful information for my upcoming trip.. Thanks a ton.

I am on a tour with my family to Europe and i will be in Paris for 3 days (fri,sat,sun) in mid of june.

I need a little help with my itinerary and your suggestions are very welcome.

Here's what i have planned.

Day 1 (Friday)- Reach Paris in the morning around 11 am. Freshen up and Go to Eiffel Tower and walk around Champs-Elysées and go to Garden of Tuileries
Then go to Arc de Triomphe and Sainte Chapelle.

Day 2 (Saturday)- Do a Day trip to Versailles. Visit the Palace and Gardens of Versailles.
Heard about some night fountain show? - any ideas/info about it?
Return and go to the river cruise on Seine.
* is it worth going to versailles on a 3 day trip?

Day 3 (Sunday) - Visit musee d'orsay or louvre? (wont spend too much time here as museaums dont interest us too much)
Go to montmarte and the sacre coeur
In the afternoon go to Notre Dame and explore the Latin Quarter.

Wanted to visit Porte de Clignancourt.. When do u suggest i do it?

Have we any time left for shopping? Need that for sure.


Your comments and suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks a ton,
Excited Me..

Gretchen

For 3 days Versailles is a no no.
What do you want to at "Porte Clignancourt"
Take a bus down the Champs from the Arc de Triomphe.

PalenQ

Get a Paris Museum Card

http://en.parismuseumpass.com/

good at Versailles too for priority entrance like at other museums - no lines and it will save you money - buy it at any participating museum.

Versailles is just a short RER C ride away - to me it is part of Paris - the woirld's most famous palace IMO as good as anything in Paris proper.

hpeabody

Time permitting, take an illuminations Seine cruise at night (dusk), I like Vedettes du Pont Neuf. I usually walk from metro St Michel. At the time of year you will be there, the Eiffel Tower will be twinkling late into the night (On the hour) Take the metro to Trocadero, go out of the station turn left, go around the building and the ET will be in all her glory in front of you.

tuscanlifeedit

Gretchen, it would seem obvious that the OP wants to visit the flea market at Clingnacourt. If so, there is good information on this site and many others for doing so.

A little research goes a long way, as some have found the trip to the flea market daunting. With some instruction and an idea in mind, it's easy.

Just putting the word "Clingnacourt" in a google search gave dozens of pages.

Gretchen

I do know about the marche. In a 3 day trip it is silly to even think about it. I wonder what they collect--or know about the market. And there is nothing easy about St. Ouen!!

StCirq

I wouldn't go to either Versailles or Clingancourt in a 3-day trip. hat's basically throwing away 2/3 of the time that could be spent right in the city (where there are both palaces and brocante shops). I wouldn't go to Montmartre, either, but at least that's right there IN the city, though not central. If all those are important to the OP, that's fine, but he/she did come here asking!

danon

What StCirq said.

mamcalice

One more vote for skipping Versailles, Montmartre and Clingancourt on a trip that is less than 3 days.

Get a good map of Paris so you can group sights. Your day 1 is all over the place with a lot of backtracking.

PalenQ

I wouldn't go to either Versailles or Clingancourt in a 3-day trip. hat's basically throwing away 2/3 of the time that could be spent right in the city (where there are both palaces and brocante shops).>

come on what palace in Paris itself rivals world-famous Versailles.

To me Versailles is on of the very top sights in Paris - uyes in Paris practically - just a short RER ride - Cligancourt is also a top site for me - not that I buy anything but for the whole atmosphere - but some think spending time in stuffy museums is the way your time should be spent - to me people watching is more interesting but as an archaic French expression used y elderly French says "A chacun ses gouts!

ExcitedGirl

Thank u everyone for the suggestions

i was hoping to cover Versailles that in 4-5 hrs in the morning from like 9-2 and be back in the city by lunch. But maybe it doesnt sound doable??
but i aint sure if the palace and the gardens can be covered in that time??

Clingancourt - i wanted to visit for the flea market, i read many reviews on those and found it a little interesting. Can i cover the market in say 3-4 hrs plus the travelling time?

Yes, ill look into the Paris Museum Card. Thanks.

YEs, i will definitely go on the river seine cruise @ night.


I basically need a little more help in deciding which al places to cover in day one.

I am would shift many places (eg- eiffel tower) from day 1 to day 2 incase i skip versailles.

Maybe then i can add a few more places? Any suggestions on more places in the city itself?

annhig

Hi exceited girl, welcome to fodors!

as you can see, there is not universal agreement on how you should spend your 3 day s in Paris, and of course we don't know too much about your tastes either.

that said, in any trip a good way to maximise your sightseeing is to try to group things together and to make sure that you use public transport efficiently.

for example, suppose that you decide that you do really want to go to Versailles on the Saturday and see the evening music and water show, you wouldn't want to go there first thing in the morning, but you might want to see the Musee D'orsay, which is very convenient for then getting the RER C toVersailles.

However, this is where forward planning helps, because the Versailles website tells me that the musical nights don't start til mid-July with a few nights in June.

here are the dates:


<<Every Saturday from 20 July to 14 September 2013 as well as on some additional dates (Fridays 14 June and 12 July, Saturdays 22 and 29 June 2013).

Water features from 9:05 to 10:55 pm. The fireworks display starts at around 11:00 pm.>>

so unless you're going to be there on those dates, you'll be wasting your time!

Here's the link to the website that gives you all the information:

http://en.chateauversailles.fr/prepa...ndes-eaux-1-en

so, leaving Versailles out of it for now, your Day 1 is a bit all over the place:

<,Day 1 (Friday)- Reach Paris in the morning around 11 am. Freshen up and Go to Eiffel Tower and walk around Champs-Elysées and go to Garden of Tuileries
Then go to Arc de Triomphe and Sainte Chapelle>>

instead, i would suggest that from the Eiffel Tower [book tickets on line to climb it if you can, the sooner the better] you get the batobus - a boat that goes up and down the Seine - down to Notre Dame. Then tour the Cathedral and Saint Chappelle, possibly the Conciege, then cross over onto the right bank, walk west past the louvre to the Tuilleries, up the Champs elysee and then to the Arc de Triomphe - by which time the sun may be behind you and you can get a lovely view back down where you've come from!

from there you can get the metro back to your hotel for a well-earned rest.

Day 2 - Versailles - or not - you might decide to see Montmartre if PalenQ hasn't sold it too you.

Day 3 - a good day for the Marais, i think - or for exploring the left bank, perhaps les invalides and the the Musee rodin [which has a lovely garden]. . why not look at a guide book like the Michelin green guide which has ideas for things to do in 3 days in Paris?

ExcitedGirl

hi annhig. thank u soo soo much for hat information

i checked the site and yes i;' be there on 14th june weekend.. so possibily i can do that on day 1
i'l look more further into it.

Thanks

annhig

yes, excited, it would have to be on your first night, but that would be an "exciting" way to start your trip, wouldn't it?

changing your plan round a bit, you could do Notre dame etc first, then get the batobus down to the eiffel Tower, then get the RER C to Versailles - there is a RER C stop at the Champs de Mars right by the tower.

If you are planning to do this, i think that I would buy tickets on line in advance.

bendigo

If you are wanting to squeeze in a quick visit to the Louvre please note that it is open late (until 10pm I think) on Friday nights. After 6pm it is free for those under 25 (or 26??)so this may help save some money as well (I have no idea of your age, but assuming that you are a younger member of the family?)

Gretchen

Clignancourt is called a "flea market". And at one time in its history it was. It is now a huge area of streets with many small (and very high end) shops and "malls" with multiple booths. Most of the shops are "branches" of antique shops within Paris that open for the weekend.
If you want a "flea market" to browse quickly go to the Porte Vanves market that is set up along several blocks just up from the Porte Vanves Metro.
BUT in 3 days (and even without going in dusty old museums as Pal suggests we are saying) there is much more to experience and enjoy. And you do mention time for shopping.

Nikki

The itinerary described above has Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame, and the Seine cruise on three different days. But these three sites are located in the same area on Ile de la Cite and can be easlly combined without traveling across the city.

ExcitedGirl

thank u everyone.

Thanks nikki.. that was a lot of help in planning.

PalenQ

i was hoping to cover Versailles that in 4-5 hrs in the morning from like 9-2 and be back in the city by lunch. But maybe it doesnt sound doable??
but i aint sure if the palace and the gardens can be covered in that time??>

Yes it is very doable and will be the highlight your trip - go for it - get a Paris Museum Pass to avoid long lines at the palace and yes an hour or so in the formal gardens and park - easy to be back in Paris in five hours to see another museum or church there that some thing is better than 'wasting time' to go out to Versailles.

TPAYT

We were as excited as you are to see Paris. So excited that we returned every Sept for the last 9 yrs. We did squeeze in Versailles on our 1st trip and it's fabulous. Actually all of Paris is fabulous, but there were a few things that disappointed.

The Champs E.--extremely wide, long, commercial, not at all what we expected.
Invaldies--huge, gray, and boring.
The Louvre--stunning on the outside, but oh so overwhelming on the inside, too much of everything(and we are museum people)

Of course, other people have different opinions on these sites. I just mention it because you'll be there such a short time and for us these were real "time wasters." If museums aren't your thing, skip them for this trip, the lines to get in will be very long in June.

River Cruise
Eiffel Tower
Arch de Triumph
Notre Dame
Louvre Courtyard
Sacre Coeur
Luxembourg Gardens(better than the Tulleries)
Versailles
Walking along the Seine and exploring the Left Bank, St. Germain area

If you can fit some or all of that in, you will remember Paris with a smile and want to return for more.

I'll be watching for your trip report. Have a great trip!