Gretchen

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.

Bitter

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.

Bitter

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

IMHO: Good.

Gretchen

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.

SashieZo

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.

tom_mn

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.

SashieZo

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

suze

<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!

SashieZo

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...

nwtraveler

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.

suze

<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.

tom_mn

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

Gretchen

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.

SashieZo

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.

SashieZo

<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"...

janisj

>>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?

Gretchen

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.

kerouac

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.

SashieZo

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.

Tibor08

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.