4 days in Paris ...may not visit again!! what are mandatory do'es
 

Hello Everyone.,

I will b travelling wid my husband to Paris on 24th August .We want to cover as much as we can... in 4 days... no problem with long days and tight schedule... please suggest some good itinery to explore the dreamers paradise...

please suggest us also that -
is renting a bike advisable or... walking is better(or trams and buses)!!
what are the cheapest and most beneficial options available... museum pass and other discount cards...

Thanks in advance :)

Well, what I would think are mandatory may not be the same as yours. You don't say what your interests are. My list would be to walk along the Seine and cross as many bridges as you can, I love the view from the bridges. I would climb the tower of Notre Dame to get a tremendous view of the city. I would visit the Louvre but take one of the guided tours of the main pieces (it is overwhelming on your own). I would spend some time on Ile St. Louis and shop/wander. I would have dinner somewhere near the Trocodero (there's some restaurants in the square behind it) and be ready for the sun to go down and the Eiffel Tower to light up - be sure to be there for the top of the hour when it twinkles. I'd take a boat cruise. And on a sunny day, go to St. Chapelle to see the windows. Get a good map and walk. There are lots more things on my list but this should get you started.

Museum passes - if you plan to see a few museums, get the pass. You won't save money but you will save time by not having to wait in the long lines - which is more valuable to me on a short vacation.

You may want to click the Destinations link and look for Paris. There will be lists of things to do in X number of days. Find the ones that are interesting to you and do those. Make an A list and B list. Plan 2 A list things to do each day, then if you have time on your way from one to the other, do a thing from your B list. You can't do it all, but you can get some of your important things checked off your list.

Have fun!

First of all, nothing is mandatory. Many people think it is important to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower and walk along the Champs Elysees, but I do not. You will see the Eiffel Tower from lots of places in Paris, and unless you have a strong desire to go to the top, then you don't have to do it. It does eat up a good amount of time. For me it is enough to be out at night and look up to see it twinkling, which it does every hour for a period of time.

If you like French Impressionist Art, the Musee d'Orsay is a great museum, both for its collections and for the spectacular setting in a converted train station.

If you want to see art from around the world from antiquity up to the time of the Impressionists, the Louvre is a great museum, but it is huge and you should go to the museum website to choose a plan of things you want to view. It is also important to check whether the things you want to see are in galleries that are closed certain days of the week and to plan accordingly. This information is available on the website.

Notre Dame is a great site, but I would make sure to see Sainte Chapelle nearby for its remarkable stained glass windows.

The museum pass may or may not save you money, depending how many museums you want to fit into your visit. But it can be very useful to skip the lines at certain sites, especially the Musee d'Orsay and Versailles.

You can see Versailles if you want to take a trip of half a day or more to the suburb in which it is located, and this can easily be done using public transportation, but you may not want to take that much time away from Paris proper in a short visit.

The metro is the quickest way to get around the city, and there are metro stops within a few blocks of just about every spot in the center of Paris. Buses are a little more interesting if you can study the bus lines to figure out where you are going, and you can see the view out the window.

I usually buy a carnet, which is a booklet of ten tickets that can be used on the metro or the bus. You can share them with your husband and buy more if you need them.

The velib bicycle program provides bikes at many stations around the city that can be rented and there is no cost if you return them within thirty minutes. There is a recent thread here with information about using these bikes:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ep-by-step.cfm

But my best suggestion is to read trip reports on this site. That will give you an idea of the things other people have done and enjoyed.

as has been said by PPs... what is mandatory is your choice. "Packing in " as much as possible might not allow you to really enjoy the beauty of Paris.
I would forget about bikes in a city you are not familiar with (huge traffic !)
One day (bus?) tour stopping at "main sights" may give you a quick overview and allow you more time to focus on what you are interested in (museums, churches, shops, food..etc)

We are planning on taking a Segway tour next May, sounds like fun and we'll see sites that we may go back to see in depth...
http://www.CitySegwayTours.com/
Som

The bus system is great and will allow you to see much of the city. So pick a hotel near several bus lines; the metro is for those of us who have "been there, done that".

Without knowing your interests its hard to give a list matching your specific needs.

But I can tell you that racing from one place to another is NOT the way to see Paris. You have to lave yourself time to sit in a cafe with a drink for an hour - to relax in the late afternoon - or just to rest your feet. A couple of good spots: one of the cafes neat Boul St Germain and Boul Mich - or near the Opera.

For transit you use the Metro - for longer distances and feet for shorter ones. A bike is not practical - unless you are doing a specific bike tour. Many places traffic is way too heavy and there are often not places to leave them.

The most basic sights IMHO are;

Eiffel Tower
Louvre
Notre Dame
St Chapelle
Musee d'Orsay
Montmartre
Musee Cluny
Ile de la Cite
Versailles (1/2 day trip by train - do get up early)

But a lot depends on YOUR interests.

I just posted a 5-day itinerary. I think we covered the "major sights" for 1st timers.Hope this helps. We mainly walked, but used Metro (subway) too.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...me-visitor.cfm

Go to Sacre Coeur.

The segway tour was a highlight for us. Riding the segway was really fun, plus we covered a lot of ground and saw a lot in a short time (from the outside, at least).

I love Musee d'Orsay...not as overwhelming as the Louvre. For me enjoying the cafes in the 6th is a must. Pay attention the the open/close times & days to get the most out of what you decide is a must. Try to group your activities in the same arrondisement to save time but I agree with nytraveler....don't run all over the place in a hurry. To me, that's not what Paris is about. Luxembourg Gardens, with some picnic goodies, is a lovely way to enjoy some time in Paris. Opera Garnier is just beautiful. Enjoy your trip...I go back in December.

I think any basic guidebook will list the top sites for first-time tourists and then you have to pick out what seems most important to you, that's all.

I have never gone to the top of the Eiffel Tower and I've been visiting Paris at least 20 years because I just have no interest in that, for example.

no, you should not rent a bike for regular transportation around Paris while you are sightseeing, which seems to be your question. Paris has a public transportation system that is underground (metro, subway whatever yo call it) and buses. Trying to navigate Paris busy traffic and then trying to find places to keep the bike, etc., doesn't seem advisable.