I like a busy itinerary but most people do not. If you've got the energy for this i would say go for it! I understand you're working with only 3 days but if you cut some stuff out it will give you more time to stop and smell the roses. (i just did a trip report here with 4 days to work with) My own personal advice/suggestions:

- Are you into Classical paintings and Greek statues? What about archaeology? If not consider taking a pass on the Louvre. She's HUGE and pushes tourists into wearing themselves out trying to get a return on investment.

- Skip the Conciergerie to save time and do St Chapelle instead. There's simply not much to see there on limited time

- There's no charge to visit Notre Dame but the towers that overlook Paris have long lines at a price. Factor that into your planning

- I would substitute l'Eglise de la Madeleine for the Pantheon instead. Madeleine is a very beautiful church but it will easily be a distant third to the Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur.

- The Latin Quarter is an excellent place to stroll. The fountain of St Michael and Pantheon can be your "city limits". navigating the winding narrow streets that surround them is quite charming

- You are planning on scaling both the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe in the same day? Please don't underestimate how much time will be spent simply waiting in a line. If it's a view of Paris you want, you'll have it on the steps of the Sacre Coeur. Montparnasse is on your agenda as well and offers an amazing view over everything (56 floor observatory)

- Your first day (actually half day) sounds very ambitious. It can definitely be done but it's a bit much. How about starting at Concorde and walking up the Champs-Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe? If you still have plenty of energy in the tank you can take the metro from Charles de Gaulle to Trocadero for a twilight view of the Eiffel Tower.

I think you are trying to do too much the first afternoon. You might just want to visit the Eiffel Tower, Champs-du-Mars, Rue Cler area that first afternoon, then pick up one of the Bateaux in the area between the Trocadero and Tour Eiffel for a relaxing ride on the Seine. I wouldn't bother with dinner on the boat.

Day 2, you could walk to Invalides and see the amazing Tomb of Napoleon. From there, the walk across the Seine on the Pont Alexandre III bridge (the most beautiful in Paris, IMHO) toward the Grand Palais and Petit Palais is very nice. I was there three weeks ago with my hubby!

I'm suprised you ask whether to go inside the Louvre - that is a must see if you have never been to Paris. Definitely go inside. The Musee D'Orsay is also wonderful (as much for the building as the paintings - but would not do them both on the same day myself).

With only 3 days, yes go to the Arc' d Triomphe and walk the Champs Elysee, but I would skip Montparnasse and the Pantheon (it's a cold mausoleum - not like the Pantheon in Rome). Definitely visit Notre Dame and Sainte Chappelle is lovely.

We went by the Elisyee Palace (on the day after the presidential election and found ourselves viewing paparazzi and security policy but you can't really get a view of the residence itself, so I'd not bother). The Opera Garnier and the Blvd des Cappucines (visit Cafe de la Paix) are very nice for strolling. I was not impressed the the Rue St. Honore (I can't afford anything in those stores).

Re: the Marais - we went on Sunday as and it was very lively and also visited the Place des Vosges. This is the Jewish quarter. The Rue Des Rosiers was fun (pedestrian only) but I imagine it might be very quiet on a Saturday since that is the Jewish Sabbath.

Yes, go to Sacre Coeur and the Basilica but not after dark. You'll need to take the Metro for that.

I personally love to take a hop-on hop-off tour when I'm first in a big city and don't have alot of time (Enjoyed these in London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Dublin, etc). These are double decker and you get a great orientation and views. There are many operating and picking up all over, but here is a link to one so you can view it. You'll probably have nice weather in August--- http://www.parislopentour.com/paris-accueil.php

Bon Voyage....

I think your first day is insane. But it's your vacation, you should know whether that is typical for you or not, this probably isn't the first trip you've ever taken. IN any case, it is literally impossible. You estimate you aren't going to be ready to do your sightseeing until around 3:30. Then you plan to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, take a Seine cruise, do a lot of walking between all these, plus visit gardens (at night when it is dark, after the twilight cruise?) AND then tour the Musee d'Orsay! That museum closes at 5:30 pm. It is open late one night, but that night isn't Wednesday.

Hi en,

You are planning this out as if you were a tour director with a group of people who think that they will never return to Paris.

Slow down and enjoy the city.

For example: Wednesday August 15...... www.maps.google.com says that it will take over 2 hours just to walk this route. How much time does that give you to actually visit the stops along the way?

May I suggest that you make a list of the 5 things that you absolutely must see and arrange for one of them on each morning and afternoon, respectively?

Use the rest of your visit to enjoy Paris.

PS,

Have you checked the open hours for the Musee d'Orsay on Wed, Aug 15?

You don't expect to arrive at your hotel until 3:30 and then you have a busy full day planned for the remainder of the day. Is this "The Amazing Race"? You are covering vast distances and not leaving yourself time to enjoy your destinations. Your itinerary sounds like something from a packaged tour - and they see most of this stuff from a bus window.

Slow down, choose your "must sees", group them geographically and plan a visit that allows you to see what you have planned but at a more leisurely pace so that you can enjoy the delights of Paris. And DON'T have dinner on the Bateux Mouches. Take the cruise and then have a delicious dinner at a nice bistro. You'll have time to look at the sights and have a much better meal at a more reasonable price.

Have a great trip.

i also would advice you to ditch the dinner cruise. They are expensive and Paris is peppered with excellent restaurants and bistros.

yes, I'm exhausted just reading it, especially your first day - which is really less than 1/2 a day.

for a start, you talk about this:

<<Head first to the Eiffel Tower. Trocadéro scene and a twilight ride up the Eiffel Tower.>>

firstly, it won't BE twilight until quite late in August - certainly after 8pm some time. so this certainly doesn't fit in with the rest of your plan for that day.

secondly, the musee d'orsay doesn't open late on Wednesdays, but it does on thursdays :

http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/visit/opening-hours/opening-hours.html.

i suggest that that's when you do it.

thirdly, if you are going to do a boat trip, the day you arrive would be ideal. you can get a boat down to Notre Dame from the Eiffel Tower and walk back up the Tuilleries, or alternatively walk the other way and get the boat back.

a much better plan, given the short time you've got in Paris, is to try to group the sights that you want to see together. For example -

Eiffel Tower, Champs de Mars, Les Invalides;

Musee d'orsay, the left Bank, the Pantheon;

Notre Dame, Iles de la Cite, St. Chappelle, the conciege.

The old green guide to Paris [michelin[ has some good ideas for walking tours to get you started].

Thank you soooooooo very much to all of you, I will review my visit plans according to your tips and remarks.

Day 1 is totally impossible.

With only 3 days, I'd skip the Champs Elysées unless it's a means of getting from A to B - it's just a busy, sterile road.

What underground tunnel?

It won't be dark until about 10 pm or later in August, so adjust your "twilight" plans accordingly.

Don't do a dinner cruise. Take the ride on the Vedettes de Paris and then go have a decent meal.

You do realize, I hope, that once there you are likely to abandon this expedition you've planned, and that's a good thing.

I am back , getting closer to departure for this trip. Here is after review a new itinerary, is it better or worse? Thanks for your comments and help in planning.

Wednesday August 15 = Day 1 After checking to the hotel [ Airport arrival scheduled at 12:30 p.m. so probably not before 3:30 p.m. we’ll go out visit]
Head first to the Arc de Triomphe: top great view. Walk from the Arc de Triomphe down the grand avenue des Champs-Elysées across Place de la Concorde and to Tuileries Garden and The Louvre. Next stop: the Vedettes du Pont Neuf for an evening boat tour of the Seine river.

Thursday August 16 = Day 2: the destination is Notre Dame Cathedral for 8 a.m. Cross the delightful Pont Neuf to the Ile de la Cité .Include a visit to Sainte Chapelle. 9:30 am and the Conciergerie 9.30 am to 6 pm – then to the Orsay Museum 9h30 to 9:45 p.m. on Thursday. Head to the Latin Quarter. For a meal, may be Rue Mouffetard for lively atmosphere and plenty of choice.
then walk to the Eiffel Tower. Enjoy the Trocadéro scene and a ride up the Eiffel Tower.
Walk to the Montparnasse tower for a twilight view and diner at Chez Bebert restaurant . Back to the hotel then….

Friday August 17 = Day 3: Montmartre - Walk up Rue Steinkerque until you see Sacre Coeur. Place des Tertres - Le Moulin de la Galette- Le Bateau Lavoir

Saturday August 18 = Day 4 Walk through the Marais (the medieval section of town)

DID I FORGET ANYTHING?
THANK YOU.

This trip is in August. You are going to face HUGE tourist crowds at the Eiffel Tower during the day. You might want to switch Thursday's plan to do that first (I think it opens at 9:00--be in line by 8:00).

Friday you can do more than what you have planned.

Have a great trip!

If you have a mp3 player, download Rick Steve's free Historic Paris Walk and do that on the first day to get acquainted. Takes a few hours with pauses for standing in the queue at Notre Dame and taking pics. I didn't complete the whole tour, but it was good and informative. http://www.ricksteves.com/news/travelnews/0602/france_downloads.htm

Tip: In my Ipod, it was one big file and when I just wanted to skip back to something to relisten, it was a pain. It would have been better to download and split the file by chapters.

I also bought some Pocketvox mp3 tours but did not have the time to use them all. I did the ones for Montmartre, Marais and Invalides/Napoleon's tomb and they were an easy way to do self-guided tours. The Invalides one was so-so but the other two were good. Not expensive as $3 each, and of course re-usable on future trips.

The Louvre is huge, it's hard to see everything even in an entire day.
About things to visit in Paris, Quai Branly museum (http://www.quaibranly.fr/) is pretty interesting.
Also to know about french culture without visiting monuments try some public art exhibitions or la touche française (http://www.latouchefrancaise.com/) since they propose to visit private Haussmanian apartments with their owners.

Thank you.
Don't have a mp3 player though...
The Louvre , we might skip the inside visit , I'll have to talk to the couple coming with us , since we will do Orsay Museum on day 2.
MelJ, when you suggest to switch our Thursday plan, do you mean starting by Eiffel tower? finishing by the tower I thought will be a twilight view, is not it? HUGE tourist crowd I think will be everywhere I am aware of that, since it is August and just the week after the Olympics, but we did not have choices setting up dates to Paris unfortunately.....so is it better to go Eiffel tower first or Notre Dame Ste Chapelle and Orsay ?
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR RESPONSES.

Thursday August 16 = Day 2: the destination is Notre Dame Cathedral for 8 a.m. Cross the delightful Pont Neuf to the Ile de la Cité .Include a visit to Sainte Chapelle. 9:30 am and the Conciergerie 9.30 am to 6 pm – then to the Orsay Museum 9h30 to 9:45 p.m. on Thursday. Head to the Latin Quarter. For a meal, may be Rue Mouffetard for lively atmosphere and plenty of choice.
then walk to the Eiffel Tower. Enjoy the Trocadéro scene and a ride up the Eiffel Tower.
Walk to the Montparnasse tower for a twilight view and diner at Chez Bebert restaurant . Back to the hotel then….>>

this is a day which seems to me to be the wrong way round - you have virtually nothing during the say, then an impossible itinerary in the evening. BTW, are you copying this itinerary from somewhere? - "the delightful Pont Neuf" ???

you can't possibly take from 9.30 am to 6pm to see St. chappelle and the concierge, and how on earth could you do supper in the rue Mouffetard, the Eiffel Tower, the Trocadero, the Montparnasse Tower and supper again?

clearly this all needs rethinking - what are you going to do between about 11 am and 6pm? where are you going to have supper? do you want to spend hours in line at the eiffel Tower? [Montparnasse is a much better idea, IMHO] and do you really want to see the Musee d'orsay? because if you do, thursday night would be a really good time, but you won't be able to do much else. [though montparnasse would work well as you could get there easily on the RER B from St. Michel.]

and another BTW - you won't be at the Montparnasse Tower at twilight on this itinerary. it looks to me like it's two nights rolled into one.

I believe the times listed are opening hours for the attractions, not the times the OP is planning to visit those places. The meal around rue Mouffetard would be lunch.

What I don't understand is going to the Orsay Museum then to the Latin Quarter and then to the Eiffel Tower. The Musee d'Orsay and the Tour Eiffel are both on one side of town and the Latin Quarter on the other side of town, near Notre Dame, so this is a lot of back and forth.

I would go to Notre Dame and the other sights planned on Ile de la Cite, then cross the Pont Neuf to the Latin Quarter, have lunch there if you want near the rue Mouffetard.

In the afternoon, you could go to Trocadero, see the Eiffel Tower and the Orsay. If you go up the tower you might not also want to go up the Montparnasse tower. The Montparnasse tower at least won't require the long wait you are likely to encounter at the Eiffel Tower.

Nikki - i take your point but this looks as if it has been lifted from one or more probably two different itineraries, which is what is causing our confusion. certainly it's confused me!

I'll reply again, what I thought was posted yesterday disapeared!
Yes the time listed is the opening closing hours-
Yes I took some notes here & there doing some researches in order to establish an itinerary with what we wanted to see -
I must have looked at the map the wrong way, I really thought Orsay Museum was close to Notre Dame , so it would be best to do Orsay after quartier Latin & Lunch [rue Mouffetard area] and then Eiffel tower Trocadero to finsih with Montparmnasse tower [is the view as good as from the Eiffel tower? if it's is too crowded so we can consider this other option?]
MelJ "Friday you can do more" what do you suggest I add? Thank you to all !

Am curious. What hotel are you staying in on the Blvd de Grenelle ? I used to live near there (in the 7th) and would like to stay in that neighborhood in Nov. Thanks !

Bedar, Paris Eiffel Cambronne. Since you have lived near there, any recommendations on my itinerary?

envoyage - i truly question your ability [or desire] to do the Eiffel and Montparnasse towers in the same day. august will be very busy and the Eiffell tower and the area around it will be heaving.

a better idea [IMHO] would be after your lunch, to go to the Eiffel Tower getting the RER C from Notre dame RER stop - and see what the queues are like. if not too bad, do the tower. if they are as bad as we all fear, go to les Invalides, then work your way to the musee d'orsay.

after that, take the RER C one stop to Notre dame/St. Michel and take the RER B south to Montparnasse.

if you do manage to get up the Eiffel Tower, just do the above, but scrub the visit to Montparnasse.

I have not been to the Montparnasse tower, but the advantage of that view is that you can see the Eiffel Tower (and that you can not see the Montparnasse tower).

Thank you for your comments and suggestion annhig. We would not do the Montparnasse & the Eiffel tower, it would be one or the other....I have talked today to the couple going with us, they want to see inside The Louvre, so I guess we'll skip the Orsay Museum.
Again thank you

I have talked today to the couple going with us, they want to see inside The Louvre, so I guess we'll skip the Orsay Museum.>>

mmm - if you only want to look inside the Louvre, you could just spend a few minutes going in through the pyramid and out again, without actually paying. if you actually want to go and look at something in there it's a very good idea to know what it is you want to see as it is VAST! they have routes showing you to the major works - Mona Lisa, Winged victory, etc, but really a lot of it is not terribly exciting. there are rooms and rooms of ancient egypt, Rome and Greece, where you can get quite lost, [we did] and spend hours which if truth be told you'd probably prefer to spend elsewhere.

Whereas the Musee d'orsay has lots of lovely Impressionist pictures to look at many of which you will recognise. or as an alternative, why not go to the Orangerie, [which isn't that far from the Louvre] - which has some of Monet's large water lily canvases in it?

mmm, not simple I see according to your say annhig, and each of us have different tastes I guess, can you explain more in details what you mean by "going in through the pyramid and out again without paying", is it that we can walk through without being allowed to stop by the art work? and then if we decide to see a certain area we would pay and tour that one only, is it how it's possible? THANKS

If you want to see the art you have to pay admission. The pyramid has the lobby, the book store, and visitor services.

You can check the Louvre website ahead of time to choose areas to concentrate on. Not all the galleries are open every day, so to be sure you see what you want, you should check the schedule of room closures here:

http://www.louvre.fr/en/schedule-room-closures

sorry envoyage, i realise that I was not very clear.

if your friends only want to see the building, then you can look at the outside, and to get an idea of the interior just go into the pyramide and out again.

however, if you want to see any of the thousands of works of art on display, even if you only want to see, say, the mona lisa, you will have to pay to get in.

What i was trying to convey is that if your friends don't have any particular ideas about what they want to see in the louvre, it is not a particularly rewarding place to go, IMO, because there is so much of it, and a great deal that just won't interest you at all. but if you would like to see some typically french paintings ie the impressionists, many of whose works will be familiar to you and to which you can relate, then the musee d'orsay is the place to go.

if you decide to go to the Louvre, Nikki has the info for you.

what is it that your friends want to see there?

Thank you annhig & nikki, I guess I'll have to check with my friends and review again the itinerary .

Listen to annhig and Nikki!

Do consider L'Orangerie for the Monet's.

If you are only going to ND to see the cathedral and not climb the towers, consider Ste Chapelle first. Go early for shorter security lines...the longer you wait to go the longer the line will be. I would also skip the Conciergerie...not a great payoff, IMO. But, Ste Chapelle shouldn't be missed.

Do take time to enjoy some wine and people watching in a Paris cafe. It just may be the best part.

Your hotel looks good. We may book there instead of the one we were going to just down the street. The price is certainly right !
Paris is compact, but try to schedule your sightseeing so you're not running all over the place, as others have mentioned. Also, relax and have fun !

Bedar:I'll try to give you a report in September about the hotel , I have never been there and hope also it is a good choice found on the net.
Hopefully this week-end I'll be able to spend time on my itinerary review, I really need to finalize it depart is getting closer....
Thank you all, and I am still taking comments and tips.

ANOTHER REVIEWED AND CONDENSED ITINERARY:
Wednesday August 15 = Day 1
• Airport arrival scheduled at 12:30 p.m
• After checking to the hotel hopefully 2 p.m. [I have no idea how we will get to it, any suggestions? Taxi for the 4 of us?]
• 3:30 p.m. we’ll go out visit possibly
• Head first to the Arc de Triomphe for a top great view.
• Walk from the Arc de Triomphe down the grand avenue des Champs-Elysées across Place de la Concorde and to Tuileries Garden and to the Vedettes du Pont Neuf for an evening boat tour of the Seine river.
• Back to the hotel then….
Thursday August 16 = Day 2
• destination is Notre Dame Cathedral [it opens at 8 a.m.]
• Cross Pont Neuf to the Ile de la Cité , visit Sainte Chapelle.[it opens at 9:30 am ] .
• Head to the Latin Quarter. For a meal, may be Rue Mouffetard for lively atmosphere and plenty of choice.
• Walk to Trocadéro [I am not sure what route would be the best though?]
• Then to the Eiffel Tower for a ride up if possible [depends of the waiting line-if too long we might do the Tour Montparnasse instead]
• Walk to Boulevard Montparnasse for diner [Chez Bebert]
• If we did not go up Eiffel tower or if we feel like doing both, Tour Montparnasse closes at 23h45 for the view
• Back to the hotel then….
Friday August 17 = Day 3
• Montmartre - Sacre Coeur- Place du Tertre - Le Moulin de la Galette- Le Bateau Lavoir [how would you go from Blvd de Grenelle ? metro? RER?Taxi? walk?]
• The louvre [closes at 9:45 p.m.]
• Diner somewhere undecided
• Back to the hotel then….
Saturday August 18 = Day 4
• Check out of the hotel Blvd de Grenelle [we will need to carry our carry on luggages today!]
• Walk through the Marais (the medieval section of town)
• WHAT COULD WE ADD TO IT THAT WOULD NOT MAKE IT TOO LATE FOR US TO GET TO ANOTHER HOTEL BY THE AIRPORT ??

I don't see a lot of culinary suggestions in your schedule or from the other posters, so I'll recommend you try out 'Aux Artistes', near metro Vaugirard...I think this is in the 15th arrondissement. It's about a 20 minute walk from the champ de mars / Eiffel tower area. It is one of the favorite places I tried in Paris, because it was a) VERY inexpensive, and b) had a very relaxed, friendly atmosphere. But serves traditional, good food.

It's easy to fall into a restaurant which costs 20€ per plate and 20€ per bottle of wine, Aux Artistes was about half that, and the waiters just seem like 'guys next door' instead of like they're rushing around.

You can book a time for the ET...you will still have a line to wait in but if you really want to go up, then Pre-book an entry time!

If you plan to walk to the Trocadero, then I would just follow the Seine. It will take awhile.
I would take the Metro to Montmartre.

your timetable on thursday morning is very empty - you could go to the musee D'orsay or the cluny after St. Chappelle, or walk over to the Marais - which you don't want to be doing with your luggage on Saturday am. BTW - why will you have to carry it round with you? i'm sure that the hotel would let you leave it with them.

as for transport, the easiest/cheapest option is to get a "carnet" of 10 metro tickets. good for any journey on the RATP and the RER within the central district. [not versailles or CDG]. if you use them all up, just get another. [you can buy them at any metro station as and when you need them].

however, given that there are 4 of you, the easiest way to get to and from your hotel to the airport will IMO just be a taxi.

poireaux: I have found 2 Artistes , 1 in the 15th and the other in the 14th, here are the links, which one were you recommanding?
http://www.paris-bistro.com/choisir/paris15/artistes.html
http://www.cafelesartistes.com/

REVIEWED ITINERARY June 30:
Wednesday August 15 = Day 1

• Airport arrival scheduled at 12:30 p.m
• After checking to the hotel hopefully 2 p.m. [I have no idea how we will get to it, any suggestions? Taxi for the 4 of us?]
• 3:30 p.m. we’ll go out visit possibly
• Head first to the Arc de Triomphe for a top great view.
• Walk from the Arc de Triomphe down the grand avenue des Champs-Elysées across Place de la Concorde and to Tuileries Garden and to the Vedettes du Pont Neuf for an evening boat tour of the Seine river.
• Diner : either at a Paris Bistro Chez Andre 12, Rue Marbeuf or at La Casa Alcalde Blvd de Grenelle Spanish cuisine.
• Back to the hotel then….

Thursday August 16 = Day 2
• Montmartre - Sacre Coeur- Place du Tertre - Le Moulin de la Galette- Le Bateau Lavoir [how would you go from Blvd de Grenelle ? metro? RER?Taxi? walk?]
• The louvre [closes at 9:45 p.m.] and those of us who don’t want to spend time too much time with Art may be could go to Galleries Lafayette it closes at 9 p.m on Thursdays & I think it is a short distance from The Louvre or another option to enjoy Jardin des tuileries….
• Diner at L’Ecluse 64, rue François 1er
• Back to the hotel then….


Friday August 17 = Day 3
• destination is Notre Dame Cathedral [it opens at 8 a.m.]
• Cross Pont Neuf to the Ile de la Cité , visit Sainte Chapelle.[it opens at 9:30 am ] .
• Head to the Latin Quarter. For a meal, may be Rue Mouffetard for lively atmosphere and plenty of choice.
Before or after quartier Latin , one could add Orsay museum if we want to see more art – or at The louvre we were not able to cover enough on day 2….and if not interested for more, some of us might just enjoy the Tuileries gardens .
• Walk to Trocadéro [I am not sure what route would be the best though?]
• Then to the Eiffel Tower for a ride up if possible [depends of the waiting line-if too long we might do the Tour Montparnasse instead]
• Walk to Boulevard Montparnasse for diner [Chez Bebert]
• If we did not go up Eiffel tower or if we feel like doing both, Tour Montparnasse closes at 23h45 for the view
• Back to the hotel then….
Saturday August 18 = Day 4
• Check out from the hotel Blvd de Grenelle [good idea annig we could ask the hotel to store our luggage ]
• Walk through the Marais (the medieval section of town)
• WHAT COULD WE ADD TO IT THAT WOULD NOT MAKE IT TOO LATE FOR US TO GET TO ANOTHER HOTEL BY THE AIRPORT ??, since it is a Saturday traffic will be heavy probably ! and if the hoel de Grenelle accept to store our luggage, we will need to pick them up….

hi again, envoyage,

i can't see anywhere where you have told us what time your flight leaves CDG - so it's a bit difficult to tell how long you'll need. also check-in time varies depending on whether it's a european flight or transatlantic.

another thing i can't see is any time to explore the left bank - boulevard st. Germain, jardins du Luxembourg - which will be an easier option for you on your last day if you are pressed for time, than the Marais which is the other side of town. personally the Marais seems to me to be a better fit for thursday or friday; I can't imagine that you are going to spend all afternoon and evening at the Louvre! [I am not suggesting that you are not cultured people who don't understand or appreciate art, but unless you are art history experts, it is likely that a couple of hours or so at a time will be enough - it certainly is for me!]

if you are worried about traffic on the saturday, you might think about getting the RER to the airport - you can pick up the RER C at the Champs de Mars stop then change onto the RER B at notre dame -st michel. it shouldn't take longer than an hour, and though for 4 people it might cost as much as a taxi, you know that you'll get there!

however, on arrival i would just get a taxi to the hotel - for 4 of you, by far the easiest option.

Hi again,
annhig: our plane leaves on the 19th at 9 a.m. from different gates for 3 of us are going one way and 1 another way. That is why we have decided to stay at a different hotel closer to the airport on the last night.
I will have to call the hotel Saturday to find out how late we can check in, that way may be we won't have to rush, we still could have diner in Paris and then take a taxi to the hotel....
I will look into the map to add Blvd St Germain & Jardins du luxembourg on Thursday or Friday, thanks for the tip.

ok, envoyage, it begins to make sense now!

where are you staying near the airport?

IBIS CDG airport

My experience has been that Saturday traffic is lighter than during the week. You can probably get to the hotel late Saturday night as long as you call them first.

Nikki: I was told that this particular Saturday is going to be very busy , because some tourists coming from the olympics are going home after a stop in Paris, also French from Paris "au 15 Aout" are leaving for vacation away from Paris....yes we will call the hotel with hope you can check in late. THANK YOU.