Anna1013

No problem - just be careful not to fall asleep while reading it...I can't believe how much I just gabbed on and on in some areas!

coxbox

Hmm we just got back...

Versailles was our highlight.. BECAUSE we rented bikes.. the best ever.. wouldnt have been the same without that.. right by the Grand Canal..and you can get locks to go see other things.. We got a late start and got there at 11..not a Sat mind you.. but the riding was more fun than anything inside.. BUT it was a great.. day.. i too had an itinerary which the weather blew off. rainy.. yuck..

My friend an artist just last week went to the Piiccasso ..was very disappointed.. apparently most of the works have been shipped away.. .

The R. M market area was very fun.. good place for shopping and lunch..

Sacre Couer was great.. wander the streets.. We stayed up by there..

The Brasserie right by the bridge where you are by Notre Dame.. Ile De St Louis?? had the best steak au poivre at lunch!!

Have a great time..

rhk06

Hi Lilaki,


Re: Wed. I'd consider going to the Invalides as well as it is near Rodin and on the way to the ET. I'd consider picnicing (sp?) under the Eiffel Tower for dinner and consider a stop at L’ Epicurie Fine (8 Rue du Champ de Mars)or anywhere along Rue Cler to put together a great picnic.

I'd also second the vote for a stroll through the Luxembourg gardens and dedicating a whole day to meander through Versailles (esp. if the hubby earmarked it). My wife and I spent the entire day at Versailles and felt it was well-worth it. I'm also biased because the L'Orangerie deserves unrushed time IMHO.

Regardless of my comments, I think you have a pretty good itinerary and wish you a great trip. Reading your itinerary has triggered a flood of great memories...

apersuader65

lilaki: I, like your husband felt Versailles was a must do. I wouldn't have changed anything with it. I personally don't understand the "don't go to Versailles, there's so much to do in Paris" argument. It's a 35 minute train ride, for crying out loud. We did Versailles in the morning, followed by the Louvre that evening. It's not impossible, and given your age, (10 years younger than us when we did it in 06) and your "move at a very fast pace" energy, I wouldn't think twice about it.

There are certainly others who disagree on these boards about this concept, giving it various sarcastic nicknames, but I went to Paris with the intent to "check the he77 out of the boxes", not knowing if, or when I would ever get to go back. I too have a fast paced style of travel, and am easily frustrated at the sit back and watch the people concept of vacationing. I can people watch here at home and not spend the 1K to just get to Paris to do it. In any event, enough of my rant. If you are used to warding off jet lag, I don't see any problem with your itinerary. My sons and I (wife not so much) really enjoyed the Pere LaChaise Cemetery. The gravestones were certainly pieces of art, and the photo opportunities were endless for the oldest son (art student).

Good luck and enjoy Paris!

apersuader65

Sorry for the ommission - - I would seriously research the cost of the 6-day pass vs the cost of buying single tickets. You might save a bunch of money single ticketing the trip. I do understand the convenience of getting the pass and not having to worry about waiting in lines. For example, other than the Rodin on Wednesday, you won't be able to use your pass until Thursday and St. Chappelle. With some minor adjustments to your schedule, you might be able to get by with a four day pass also.

Good luck and enjoy!

tod

Hi lilaki - You mention in your Wednesday itinerary that you plan to have dinner near the Eiffel Tower.
Nearest restaurant ( and not pricey at all) would be the Brasserie at 17 Rue de Montessuy. There are a number of restaurants including an inexpensive Chinese place along here.

Graziella5b

Hi lilaki, thank you a lot for the inf regarding the Galeries Lafayette fashion show.
I do not know if you have done in advance research on the buses you can take from your apartment. The itineraries can be found in the plan du quartier.It also shows you the stops. The metro for Isle St Louis is not the greatest one more reason master the buses.
I have found a good idea to use less and less the metro.

travelbunny

..just another tip while planning given that you are not night people. Most restaurants start the evening meal at 7 or 7:30...this does not apply to those whose almost entire customer base is the tourist trade.

adrienne

Graziella - they're staying on Ile de la Cite, not Ile St-Louis.

For the metro you can walk to St-Michel for connection to several lines. Although much of your sightseeing can be done on foot. You'll probably only need the metro for Montmartre, Versailles, and Arch of Triumph and you can easily make connections, and have a direct route, from the Louvre or Odeon stations, neither are far from Ile de la Cite.

Buses are nice for viewing the city but are much slower than the metro.

bratsandbeer

We enjoyed the Musée Marmottan Monet Paris. We went by city bus to this museum. Also, Chartres Cathedral is one hour from Paris and Fontainebleau is amazing - probably better than Versailles.
Church of St-Sulpice was an interesting church to visit - Sainte Chapelle was closed due to security reasons when we were last in Paris.
Paris' Carnavalet Museum
The Museum of the History of Paris
We had passed on this museum until our last trip to Paris and it would have been great to see it our first time in Paris. Admission is free some days or very inexpensive. I would recommend this as a first visit.
With seeing so many art museums, after a couple days of this your brain doesn't register what you are seeing anymore - but you are balancing the museums with other activities.
Have a great time - Paris is wonderful for just walking.

lilaki

WOW - again!!! thanks for all the info!

okay - i have revised the itinerary ... and i will only buy a four-day museum pass (thank you for pointing this out!!!)

i have no idea how to 'bold' any of the text so i have just put *** next to things i added.

i removed the musee picasso in favour of the marais walking tour on monday.

please let me know if this itinerary makes more sense...

here we go again:

Tuesday
- Arrive CDG at 9:30 am - get to apartment, get acquainted with the neighbourhood, go grocery shopping, pick up Museum Pass/Navigo Decouverte/buy tickets for Sainte Chapelle concert, etc.
- Rue de Buci market (4 – 7 pm)***
- Dinner on Ile St. Louis or Latin Quarter

Wednesday
- Pick up L’Open Tour near Notre Dame
- Invalides***
- Musee Rodin (really interested in gardens only)
- Eiffel Tower – Backstage tour @ 5:30 pm (requires pre-booking – only avail Wed and Sat – possible to move this to 10 am)
- Dinner near Eiffel Tower

Thursday
- Sainte Chapelle (get there early to avoid lines – opens at 9:30 am)
- Conciergerie
- Notre Dame (back to the apartment for lunch?)
- Louvre
- Dinner in Marais

Friday
- Musee de L’Orangerie (opens at 9 am)
- Arc de Triomphe
- Champs Elysees
- Le Printemps/Lafayette (we have tickets reserved for the 3 pm fashion show at Lafayette)
- Sainte Chapelle Concert (7 pm) + Vedettes boat ride (9 pm)***

Saturday
- Versailles – get there first thing – return mid-afternoon (?)

Sunday
- Rue Mouffetard Market
- Luxembourg Gardens (visit Poilane)***
- Bon Marche (food dept)***
- Musee D'Orsay (open until 6 pm)
- Dinner in St. Germain

Monday
- Marais walking tour (10:30 am)
- Sacre Cœur
- E. Dehillerin and other kitchen shops in 1st Arr.***

Tuesday
- Depart first thing for Gare du Lyon (TGV to Avignon)

adrienne

I don't mean to put a damper on your revised itin but...

If you're looking at Paris Walks the Marais tours are Tuesday 10:30, Thursday, 2:30, Saturday 10:30, Sunday 2:30.

The Buci market isn't much of anything. Very few vendors. There are shops, cafes, and restaurants. Also it's a very short street, 2 blocks I believe. Also most markets are mornings and close up in the later afternoon.

For a flavor of the area I would visit a couple of churches like St-Germain-des-Pres or St-Sulpice, both on rue Bonaparte very near rue de Buci. You could combine this with some stops at Laduree or Pierre Herve both bakeries are on rue Bonaparte as well. Heavenly!

Orangerie - book your ticket on line to avoid the crowded lines waiting to buy tickets.

Don't know but is the Bon Marche open on Sunday?

Do you like sculpture or are you going to the Rodin because he's famous. If you like sculpture I recommend a visit to the Maillol museum (very near the Rodin). These 2 artists have quite diverse styles and it's fun to contrast them. The Rodin garden is lovely. There's a cafe where you can stop and sit for a bit, have a drink and savor the garden. Get a photo of the "Thinker" with the gold dome of the Invalides behind it.

While on Ile de la Cite on Thursday stop to see the Deportation Memorial behind Notre Dame. It's directly across the street from the garden behind the church. It will take about 10 minutes and is free but a very moving memorial to those deported to the camps during WWII.

Do you like period houses? If so the Jacquemart-Andre house is wonderful and filled with Italian Renaissance art collected by the owners. It's a short distance from the Arch of Triumph. They have a free audio with admission and I think you'll have time to fit it in if you're interested. Just looked at your itin again and perhaps you won't have time since you have the fashion show at 3. Oh well...next trip.

lilaki

yikes! good catch, adrienne!!!

i will probably do a self-guided walking tour of the marais then.

and the bon marche (la grande epicerie) is NOT open on sunday ... however open until 9 pm every day. so we'll tack that onto an evening then...

THANKS!!!

ira

Hi L,

>Versailles is the one thing that DH is insisting on! so we gotta do it.

Then don't try to rush through it. Leave the afternoon open.

Check the Versailles website for the days when the fountains will be on and for the discount tickets [loisier (sp)]

lilaki

Hi Ira,

Thank you for the feedback ... I've left Saturday completely open for Versailles ... and it's one of two days when the fountains will be on (other day is Sunday). So if it's rainy on Saturday, then we may flip around the days and go on Sunday instead.

I'm planning to get a Museum Pass which covers Versailles (taking the RER to Versailles). But I'm a bit curious about the discount tickets you've mentioned ... can you tell me more??


Thanks!

Michel_Paris

I believe it is the Forfait Loisir that Ira is referring to. A package deal for Versailles.

More info...

http://www.transilien.com/web/site/a...ailles/lang/en

MissKelsey

We went to Paris in April. I had been before but it was a first to Galeries Lafayette. If you have time be sure to go to the rooftop terrace. It has a great view of the city. The cafeteria isn't bad either, it looks out onto Paris.

We didn't anticipate a full day at the Louvre but ended up doing that. So much to see. My favorite thing to do in Paris is just strolling along and spending time sitting in the park. Enjoy

Bindery

Do go to Versailles. We went in May and it was fantastic.
Also see the Eiffel Tower at night. It flickers for 10 minutes on the hour. That was something to see. Also in the park by the Eiffel people gather at night and picnic, drink wine, and just hang out. It is very safe and it was nice to see people can gather and just have fun.

dolciani

We went to Versailles on a Saturday this past May just because the fountains were supposed to be on. After waiting in line over 2 hours to enter Versailles and then doing the tour of the interior, by the time we came out the fountains were off and weren't turned on again until about 4:00. Although we had a museum pass, we still had to wait in line (not what we had expected to do). So I would recommend that you go directly to the gardens first and get pictures of the fountains while they're on - visit the interior later when it's hot outside. Also, take a picnic lunch - the restaurants on the grounds were crowded and ate up a lot of time waiting for service.
Also - we discovered a secret about standing in line for St. Chappelle. The line (right next to the entrance of St. Chapelle) for the Palace of Justice files into the exact security enrance for St. Chapelle. After you go thru the security, everybody ends up in the same alcove and you can then take an immediate right to an outdoor courtyard which leads you to St. Chapelle. We waited in line over 1.5 hours and kicked ourselves for not going thru the other line. Just don't tell the guard that you're going to St. Chapelle.
I would also recommend that you go first to Notre Dame and get in line to go up the tower before you do anything else in that general area. They only allow so many at once and it's worth it to climb the tower and be eye to eye w/ the gargoyles and see the view of Paris from atop. Afterwards, go inside the cathedral.
We went to Paris for 9 days and did many of the things you're planning plus a day trip to Gverney. Click on my name and read my trip report - it may give you some ideas. Enjoy your trip

a1139a

Just returned from Paris last week...a couple of thoughts...
Museum pass--walked right past lines at St. Chapelle (after security), Musee d'Orsay, Louvre and Rodin--definitely worth the $$
Markets--have only been to the Richard Lenoir on Sundays (twice) and it is well worth the trip. Please buy a charentais melon!
Picnic--sounds corny, but take your market wares and a blanket to the Eifle Tower. It's spectacular, and not nearly as many people as you would think. There are grassy areas on either side of the main lawn where picnicing is allowed. Don't forget your corkscrew! Read more about my trip at www.hereinfranklin.wordpress.com