3 days Paris -Trying to fit everything in
 

My sister-in-law (W), her daughter (K- 24 yrs old) and I will be in Paris the end of June. I have been before but this is W and K's first trip and I'm tailoring it to their likes. They will be there 4 nights with a day trip to Versailles on the last day. I will be there 5 nights. W and K are not interested in museums, unlike me. But we all love to walk taking in the beauty of the city, the gorgeous architecture, pretty parks and gardens, enjoying a relaxing hour or so at an outdoor cafe, strolling through winding streets, stopping in a small shop (not a shopping trip by any means). Visiting churches, sitting at cafes and having a bottle of rosé.

I'm having difficulty with the itinerary. We would like to go to a flea market and thought Puces de Vanves would be better since it is smaller. Afterwards we would like to go to Place des Vosges for lunch and there is nothing direct (looks like 3 train changes) to get there. Would I be able to find a cab instead?
Here is what I have so far:
Saturday
• Arrive in Paris @ 8:30am Walking Day
• Pont Neuf Bridge to Louvre
• Tuileries Garden
• Place de Concorde
• Champs D’Elysees to Arc De Triomphe
• Eiffel Tower
• Park Champ De Mars
• Rodin Museum Garden
(Besides Rodin Museum Garden, if we are up to it, we won't be going in sites)

Sunday
• Flea Market either Clignacourt or Puces de Vanves
• Place des Vosges
• Marais District (I heard Sunday was the best day)
• Place de Bastile
• Pantheon
Catacombs
• Luxembourg Garden
• St. Sulpice

Monday
• Montmartre
• Sacre-Coeur
• Place Du Tertre
• Sainte-Chapelle
• Notre Dame
• Love Locks Bridge
• Isle St .Louis

I never had any desire to go to Paris in summer but there are some advantages such as longer days and, I would assume, it would be more lively at night. So maybe the Marais area or Isle St. Louis can be explored in the evening after dinner. Are shops open?
Any suggestions about how to arrange my days would be appreciated.
Thanks so much.

You are zig zagging all over the place.

Sunday has you going from the 14th (Puces de Vanves) to the 4th to the 11th to the 5th back to the 14th back to the 5th to the 6th . . . . Makes me tired just thinking about it.

Then Monday has you crossing all of Paris from Sacre-Coeur to Ile de la Cité (which you crossed the day before) to Ile St Louis

IMO you need to group things that make more sense geographically.

If they are flying in long haul -- Saturday will likely kill them off so the Sunday/Monday problems will be solved >)

Do the Vanves market on Saturday--pretty picked over on Sunday. But that first day is SO packed anyway you may have to give up on a flea market. I don't think you have time for Clignancourt either, but a couple of hours on Sunday maybe.
I think they should scrap Versailles.
If you wanted to have a fun day of touring and seeing eclectic things, anecdotes, etc. you couldn't go wrong by hiring Micahel Osman for athe day but I am sure it is too late now.
Are they sure they don't want to stick their noses in the Louvre or Orsay museums? REALLY!! The Orsay has beautiful furniture--and a lovely restaurant, as does the Louvre (resto).
And personally, I could leave out Montmartre and most assuredly the Catacombs!
Visit a street market--there aren't any on Mondays. Visit a market street like rue Cler.
Get a sandwich and bottle of wine and have a picnic on the Champs des Mars and look up at the Eiffel Tower.
Rather than the flea markets, look on a schedule and see if there is a brocante in some square if antiquing is their thing.
Where are you staying?

I also think they should scrap Versailles . . . just not enough time IMO

LOL I'm still laughing at Janisj's first response! Too funny!!

Ouch!

We are staying in St. Germain.
Yes, Sunday is crazy - looked on a map again and it needs to be changed. Maybe scrap the Flea Market and try a street market - thanks Gretchen. Not really interested in Catacombs but my niece is. Again, this trip is for them...I have 2 days to go to museums since I won't be going to Versailles and I'm staying in Paris an extra night.

We arrive early Saturday AM and I usually walk to help the jet lag. It's a long walk but we also have 5 or 6 hours before our room is ready. A stop for breakfast and a stop for lunch also helps. Any ideas about how you deal with jet leg would be great.

Thanks again

yes, you can do more at night when it is light later, that's one reason why I like going in summer.

YOu do have a lot going on Sunday, but it makes sense as an itinerary (Marais to Left Bank), sort of. YOu mioght want to put in the Pantheon when you do Notre Dame instead or something, and go direct from Marais to Catacombes.

FWIW I don't personally think Sunday is any better in the Marais than any other day, I think what you've heard is some Jewish businesses may be open Sunday there and some other business in other parts of the city may be closed Sunday, or something like that. Or that some of those may be closed Saturday (personally, not sure what kind of business you are concerned with there, maybe something you are buying to eat?). But that's just a small part of the Marais, anyway.

It is a little convoluted to get from Vanves to place des Vosges, although I have one option (not good in a hurry, though).

Take the metro from Vanves to Montparnasse. There, get bus 91 which goes to place de la Bastille. Walk from there to place des Vosges OR take bus 96 from gare Montparnasse right to place des Vosges stop. That bus can take a long time due to traffic, of course, but at least it is relaxing. here is the schedule, and it does run on Sundays

http://www.ratp.fr/informer/picts/pl...s_paris/96.pdf

I suggest you get a copy of DK Eyewitness Guide to Paris. The one thing it is good for is showing areas and their sites in a good graphic form so you wouldn't be doing what you describe in your initial post.
Don't forget the Seine boat ride--it is fun and scenic.

There are some bus rides that are really good sightseeing rides--I think 42 is one of them.
Sometimes tough love in the sightseeing department is good for people who don't know Paris. MAKE them go to a museum for 2 hours (and by the way, if they don't like museums, what's with Versailles!!). I suggest the Orsay for the building and at least "something" of the collection. BUT to each his own.
and the idea of walking and stopping for a glass of wine is GREAT of course.

Thanks Christina. I read that the best day to go to the Marais is Sunday. The article mentioned all stores being opened (unlike other areas in Paris) and it is very lively. That is why I have place des Vosges and Bastille on Sunday as well since they are in the same area. But if Sunday is not the best day, I can make changes.

With regard to the flea market, if W and K agree, I might just scrap that - but I appreciate the bus information. I never thought of taking the bus - slower than the train but you certainly see more.

Good point Gretchen about Versailles and not liking museums.

The Marais is very crowded on Sundays because the stores are open. There is a special ordinance or something that allows them to be open in that area on Sundays while in most of Paris most stores are closed. It is lively in the Marais on other days also.

I really love the DK Eyewitness Top Ten Travel guides.

My Paris one has been used so much, Its falling apart! They are compact enough to fit into a cross body, the information is distilled into areas, so you're not retracing your steps, are easy to read and follow.

I've found them the single best guide for every major city we've been to.

Please encourage them to build in some time in a cafe and watch the world go by.

What a great time you'll have!

We've done a lot in Paris in 3 days, but it takes "grouping" of sites, and liberal use of public transportation.

FWIW, we have visited Montemartre (etc.) in the early evening. Lots of activity and a good use of non-business hours time. But it is a bit of metro ride. Also, if you stay too late (and not really that late) the closest stop closes (or did when we were there a couple times).

Remind me what is at the Place de Bastille. I vaguely remember Steves suggesting it was underwhelming (in that the Bastille is no longer there).

The louvre's map includes pictures and locations of a number of high impact/well known exhibits (Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, etc.). You aren't going to see everything anyway, so pop in and see some famous things and also a lot of neat stuff on the way to other exhibits.

Not sure the Bastille is worth a visit unless you go on Sunday when there is a very large market.

There is just a monument or column in the place de la Bastille, that's all. Now the surrounding area is young and has some good cafes and wine bars (and there is a FNAC store there) (and shops, depending what you want), but I wouldn't consider that "place" a destination point in and of itself, just as a point with a good metro hub.

But if you had some special interest in that history of that event, you'd probably want to see it just to be there, and it's not that out of the way.

I wouldn't go out of my way to go there, unless it was for the market, which perhaps it was being on Sunday. In fact, I think you might scrap the entire flea market idea just to go to one of those weekly markets, anyway, would sure save time on that day. The Pantheon and Catacombes are on the same RER line, so if the OP wants to end up in the gardens/St Sulpice, that itinerary makes a lot of sense to me (take RER from Pantheon to Denfert, then back, Luxembourg stop). They don't want to end up at the catacombes at the end of the day, after all.

<Any ideas about how you deal with jet leg would be great.>

I deal with it by having a couple glasses of wine & taking a short nap. There is absolutely no way I could do your proposed first day itinerary (and I'm a big walker but that sounds like a nightmare after coming off an overseas flight).

And I agree with the other suggestions... you really need to get a street map of Paris in front of you and plot out all your stops on it. I'm no expert but you aren't doing things in a logical (geographic) order.

Your suggestions are very much appreciated and are so helpful.

I was going to remove Bastille from my list until the market was mentioned. There were good reviews about it online and I think it would be a perfect compromise. And I like the idea of visiting Montmartre in the evening. Sacre Coeur is open until 10:30 - I'll google to see if the train is still running. I loved that area when I was there (many years ago) and to me, it's a highlight. Will also strongly suggest D'Orsay for two hours and maybe lunch inside.
Let me put together a new itinerary.

But I don't think I will change the first day although how far we go depends on how we feel. But that is true of any itinerary. I've never been able to check into my room until 2 or 3. Yes, the route is long but we can always stop in a cafe to rest or if too tired, walk back in the direction of the hotel. But my point is.... if you can't check into your hotel, what do you do? Sleep on the sofa in your hotel's lobby? The only downside is it might be a warm day and then everything changes.
thanks again....so helpful!

Oh my god, DO NOT try to fit everything in.

>>The only downside is it might be a warm day and then everything changes. <<

Or it might be a wet miserable day which also changes everything.

Yes, you might not be able to get into your rooms till mid afternoon -- but that day 1 itinerary will take you til well after dinner time.

Say you get to the hotel by 11AM and drop your bags. I'd walk around the neighborhood, have a nice lunch. Return to the hotel to finish checking in and unpack -- then back out and walk around another area (ONE area - not 3/4 of central Paris!) have dinner and back to the hotel.

What Kerouac said, first of all.

We NEVER NEVER take a nap upon arrival. Just keep going, a lot outside, walking. Stow the luggage in the hotel's holding place. Get some lunch. Buy Museum passes, if doing that. Seine River cruise. Have an early (7PM) dinner and GO TO BED. The next day you will be up early (because of the time change) and be ready to go pretty much.

If you "must" see the Champs (the most sterile part of Paris) consider taking the bus that goes down it from the Arc to Concorde, and then crosses the river to the Left Bank-- take it either way.

regarding the Champs, if memory serves it is a bit of an anticlimatic hike from the concord to the Arc. Can someone confirm. I think we've always taken the metro and popped up across from the Arc.

http://www.startribune.com/eternal-l...led/305452041/

IMHO: Good.

Yes, that bridge is an offense. Stupid.

I think the OP may be trying to be the tour guide (because she has been there--once?--seems to be relying on what the guide books say) when it might be really nice if everyone was just on the same page.
When we go back to paris, we see about everything we have seen before and then add to it.
why not tell your family we are just going to do a little of what EVERYONE wants, and we will have a great time in Paris together.
Suggest to them they scrap Versailles (right now) and now you have 4 days (actually 3.5 because as Janis rightly calculates, the first day "isn't").
AND definitely get a map and GROUP your destinations.
Something you don't have is a trip to the roof of the Galeries Lafayette for a view from a height of Paris. There is a good cafeteria on one of the top floors for a bite to eat--and a bit of shopping for all.

Actually, I've been there a few times, 20 years ago. Like I previously said, I'm tailoring this to them since they have never been. I will have the last day to myself since they leave Paris a day before me. If they do decide to go to Versailles-I have that day as well. There are a lot of things we all want to do but if there is something that K is interested in (love locks - not my thing to do) if it is not out of the way and takes 10 minutes to do - it's not a problem with me. But we don't have to worry about that anymore!

Adding Galeries Lafayette. With regard to Versailles - it's up to them whether or not they want to go...I gave them my 2 cents worth.

Believe it or not!!!!!... I have a map and looked at it before I wrote my original post. But I relied on memory with regard to where sites are located in a lot of cases.

Catacombs: Unless things have changed in the last year (like allowing reservations) this ends up being most of a day. Queue requires at least 2 hours, sometimes up to 4, then an hour to walk through, and in an unusual part of Paris to the south so time consuming to reach. Sure to be a hit with 10-20 year olds. Interesting on many levels for others, and good for a rainy day assuming you have an umbrella for the queue.

Tom - people wait on line for 4 hrs to look at skulls?

<We NEVER NEVER take a nap upon arrival.>

Everyone is different and handles jet lag differently. I can't sleep on a plane, so by the time I'm in Paris I've been up for 24-36 hrs. If I don't nap the first 2-3 days to get acclimated I'm even more of a zombie and never get onto local time.

As far as the proposed itinerary, just because people have never been to Paris before, isn't a reason to try to see the entire city in 3 days!

No, not the entire city, but the highlights.

And just to be clear I did not say "we never, never nap".....
although we never do...

My recommendation to help with your schedule is to ask the hotel for early check-in. They won't guarantee an early check-in, but in my experience most hotels will make an effort and the longest I've had to wait for a room is an hour.

Since this K and W's first time make sure they understand how to use the metro and a plan for meeting up in case you get separated.

<And just to be clear I did not say "we never, never nap"..... although we never do...>

No, that's what Gretchen posted that I was replying to.

Yes indeed, up to 4 hours. To see skulls and femurs, a LOT of skulls and femurs, and many artfully arranged.

Yes, and I do agree that everyone is different--but they don't really have a place to nap--and she asked about how others deal with jet lag. This is our way that works for us.

Sometimes the jet lag is bad and I need to walk, walk, walk. Other times it's not so bad - although in either case I'm done by 7PM. One of the reasons I picked my 1st day route is that it is pretty much straight. Not so much looking on the map "where are we" .... "where do we go now"... to me, that is ok and expected, on the second day forward, but the first day I like to keep it simple. But, having said that, maybe a walk through the Tuileries and then a walk back on the Seine. It all depends on how we feel AND the weather. Yes, a walk in the pouring rain is not fun.

<It all depends on how we feel AND the weather. Yes, a walk in the pouring rain is not fun.>
I should have added, "and the shoes my niece will be wearing"...

>>One of the reasons I picked my 1st day route is that it is pretty much straight.<<

But it covers a MASSIVE swath of central Paris. You'd have the poor girls on their feet for hours.

Where are you staying?

You will not be beginning this any before noon, and you'll need to eat (I think I said all this above). Have lunch somewhere easy in your neighborhood--soup and salad--or walk over to Notre Dame and have a fun lunch at Brasserie en l'Ile St. Louis, just across the bridge at the back of ND. Then start your itinerary and do a little of it. Plan for a Seine river cruise about 6 or 7 leaving from Pont Neuf, come back, have a dinner somewhere "simple" and go to bed.

A cruise on the Seine is a very nice and relaxing way to spend your first hours in Paris, particularly if you have not been able to check into the hotel yet and don't feel like going on a death march for a few hours. However, it is important to know that you WILL fall asleep on the cruise no matter how much you fight it, at least part of the time. This is not a tragedy. You will still end up seeing all of the monuments of interest during your stay.

I've taken the seine cruise with my friends and we all fell asleep- but at different times - so we were able to wake each other up. Maybe not such a bad idea, and if we miss too much, we can always take another one. A coffee break (depending when we arrive) and lunch was always on my schedule. I never skip a meal while away and especially in France.

Janisj - we are staying in St. Germain. The poor girls (lol) can voice their objection.

Kerouac- death march! another good one...they'll get a smile from that.

I still like the idea of walking through the Tuilleries and then a cruise. There is a stop at Place d'la Concorde.

So if you are right Gretchen and we don't start until noon...then my plan is lunch in St. Germain area, walk through Tuileries, seine cruise, back to hotel, drink at a cafe, dinner nearby and bed by 9. Now, that sounds like a good plan.

I am going to Paris beginning the 2nd week of September for one month. I do not plan to see and do this much in 30 days that you plan for 3 days. If today is Tuesday, then it must be Belgium. I hope that you enjoy your vacation. Have a nice day.