Any suggestions for the best way to begin 1st visit to Paris (i week)? Is a 1/2 day orientation tour recommended, and if so, any recommendations for tour companies?
Thanks,
Les

Get a reasonable map and go for a walk along the seine and St. germaine area. Decide what sights you would like to see and walk there.

A good start for planning your visit is to utilize the itineraries offered in several guidebooks ie. Rick Steves, Fodors, or Frommers (or use their online 'mini-guide' feature).

Another way is to make a list of all the sights or places you'd like to see, group them by general locations on the map, check to see what days they're closed, and break it up into a daily itinerary.

You could either use the l'Open Tour bus, which is a hop on/hop off deal:
http://www.paris-opentour.com/index_eng.htm

or you could take a voice-over tour like:
http://www.graylineparis.com/
http://www.parisvision.com/fr/index.cfm

A Seine cruise is a fun way to see some of the highlights, too:
http://www.vedettesdeparis.com/index_a.htm

Hi Les,

I suggest that you start with the miniguide to Paris at www.fodors.com.

They have suggested walking tours.

A one-day pass on the Batobus (www.batobus.com) is also a good way to start.

Get a copy of the Michelin Green Guide to Paris, which has a map showing all the major sights and also walking tours that save you from backtracking. The guide is nicely organized by neighborhoods.

I think one of the two-hour bus tours (CityRama or ParisVision) would be a good way to start; that provides a quick overview of the various areas of the city. Along the way you'll no doubt see places you want to spend more time in.

Hi ya! I myself just returned from a 2 day trip to Paris and can only recommend what I found useful

1) I did the L'open Tour Bus. It might seem expensive and not as popular as the ones in London but they are quite alright. They come round quite often and you can just hop on any of the buses and purchase a ticket for 1/2 days. I found it very useful way to get my bearings and just get an overview of the Paris.

2) When you feel confident enough, perhaps you will want to try travelling around by yourself. Grab a carnet of Metro tickets ( they are for one use only and have 10 in a carnet) if you don't think you will be using the Metro too often in a day. I divided them up with my travelling buddies.

3) The Musee card was fantastic value if you want to see all of Paris famous sights in about 2 days. It pays for entrance into every single museum and monument and you get to skip the loooong lines to!!

Have fun and hope that helps!

If you will be there for one week, you can start with the guides - Fodor's suggestion for a 3-day itinerary is helpful - and be sure to read the thread on this board on 100 things to do in Paris. An orientation tour, either by river or bus will give you a sense of Paris. With a good map, this forum and a couple of good guidebooks, you'll be all set for your first day and all that follow. Have fun planning.

The other current thread titled "Perfect Left Bank Day" might give you some ideas. And if you're lucky maybe Degas will start a "Perfect Right Bank Day" thread too.

I'd also recommend "Paris Walks" which you can get at a book store (B&N, Amazon, etc.). It's like a deck of cards, each one has a suggested walk on it. They're fairly short so you can put together the ones you find most interesting. And easy to carry around.

Great advice from everyone else. The only thing that I would like to add is that you will be ok. Paris is very, very easy to navigate....probably easier than in the US.

Get a good map like Streetwise Paris (you can get it from Amazon or Borders for about 7.00) and you will be a pro in no time.

I second the motion about using L'Open Tour bus.....it's a great way to orientate yourself on the first day of your trip. After taking that tour, we felt absolutely comfortable about getting around the city.

Hi
I'm not much of a Rick Steves fan but his website has pretty good walking itineraries for Paris, left and right bank.

Do look at the resources suggested above.

I'm not a fan of the boat tours in terms of actual sightseeing. They are nice at night when the buildings along the way are lit up, but for orientation purposes you are way below street level and I didn't find it a useful way to learn where I was going.

I have a file on Paris; if you'd like to see it, email me at
[email protected]

Take a tour when you get there...for an
overview...then go back to the spots
that were most appealing to you. I
loved Montmare (spelling maybe off)
where the artists gather and the "old"
artists met. Prices are good...and a
local recommended a restaurant close
by which we loved and went back to again...middle of the road in price...
but food was yummy. Used the train...
but would probably opt for taxi if
it were a 4-5 day stay.
And take your map...walking is just the
MOST fun.
Metz France is my favorite place...visit
if you get the chance. And my friends
did the Underground to England...and
thought it was great.
Have fun...you'll return.
[email protected]

Also consider doing a Paris walk:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pariswalking/

I took five of these walks and found them all very interesting.

Thanks to all for your comments. Much appreciated!
Les