No, pure and simple. Enjoy Paris.

When I was in Paris 2 weeks ago, there was a temporary theme-park (carnival-like, if you will), where you can take a ferris-wheel ride to see the entire city at night. I paid only 6 euro for 1 ride. During my 3.5 day trip, I was able to visit: Arc de Triomphe, Champs, Eiffel, Versailles, Louvre, Tuileries (garden in front of Louvre), Centre de Pompidou, Basilique de Sacre Cour, & Notre Dame. If you're into shopping, visit the following: Outlet near Eurodisney, Champs, Galleries Lafayette, Rue Cambon, & shops around Place de la Madeleine. Shopping in Europe is tax-free. If you're planning to shop, visit VAT tax free website.
Do you research to find out which place is closed during your 3.5 day visit. I know some museums are closed 1 day/week.
Bon Voyage :)

Of import to answering your itinerary questions is where you will be staying. If you're staying north, say near montmartre, then your first day itin. would be different than say if youre in the 7th. I would propose amending your first day schedule to include (assuming youre located near city center) walk on the islands w/o going in to churches (too much info for jet lagged brain)and eat late lunch there; cross over to louvre side of river and walk the outside, thru the tuileries garden; that'll take you up the champs to the Arc choice of going up or not. Catch an early dinner at any cafe you choose in the area. From the Arc, take Av. Kleber south to the Trocadero. From there, you'll have a great view of the tower. Walk down to the tower and visit up or not your choice. Walk back to the river and catch the last boat ride back to the islands. Go to your room and sleep. You will be acclimated to the time, and will have plenty of rest for the remaining 3 days.

As for Versailles, it is purely a personal choice. I'm a history buff so it was a must see. Since its' a one hour excursion from the RER station in central paris to the gates of the chateau (which includes the walk from the station to the gates) taking the early train out is important. Check on-line for the opening times for the particular visit date you have in mind and catch a RER train that complements the arrival time at the gates accordingly. As with any of the more important sites, you can certainly spend a day at each, but pick out your favorite parts to see those items, places that are most important to you. I will visit Versailles every time I go to Paris, along with the Louvre. To me, they are the most impressive of all they have to offer.

The Orsay, for me, was a significant downer. I had heard the reviews of it here and made it a must see. Interesting, but not impressive to me. Personal choice.

Keep in mind to be flexible. You may very well see something while you're walking that catches your eye and might want to stop.

Please don't forget to give us a trip report when you return!

Good luck and enjoy!

No, skip Versailles! There is so much to see in Paris proper that you'd waste time going out and coming back.

No way. Save it for next time (and you WILL start planning your return by your last day in Paris...). Also, next time stay at least 7 nights.

Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle are close to each other so visiting them on the same day makes sense - but try to go to Sainte Chapelle when it's sunny. The windows will be beautiful.

The lines at the Eiffel Tower are often very, very long so you may not have time to wait. I went just after it opened on a weekday and had to wait only about 20 minutes.

Personally, I don't understand the attraction of Champs- Elysees but it's your trip and if that is what interests you, definitely go there. Same with Versailles. Even if you only have 3.5 days - if you really want to go there, go there. It's your trip.

Zinnimal-

Is this list chronological for Sunday:
???
<<Sunday

Musee d'Orsay
Eiffel Towel
Arc de Triomphe
Walk Champs-Élysées
Possible boat trip>>

If so, you may want to place the tower first @ opening time (or 45min before) to maximize your time.

Additionally, you may want to hop on the Bateaux right after the tower and take your self-tour using it as a mode of transporation to d'Orsay. From there hop back on it to get to the Concorde stop (the boat will go up river in the opposite direction and do a "U-turn", giving you some time to relax and see some of Paris from the river). At the Concorde stop, you can walk up the Champs to the Arc.

Note: there is/was at least (I think) one boat company that does NOT give you a day pass or provide one for sale - maybe someone here can advise of this. Check all the official websites for info on the boats.

As others mentioned, please allow for extra time. You WILL want to see other unplanned things along the way as you come to them.

As for Versailles, I saved it for my 2nd trip, and had I known I would have taken a lengthy 3rd trip, I would have pass up Versailles a second time and waited for my 3rd trip. But it all depends on your level of interest and how much time you would want to dedicate to the palace. Even on my 3rd trip, I spent less than 6 hrs there.

Please report back and let us know how things went and how much you loved Paris!

~Jay

We recently had four nights/3.5 days in Paris and this is what we managed to fit in.
Arrived early afternoon, found hotel and went wandering around the Marais where we were staying.
Next day we visited Notre Dame, took the Batobus along the Seine to Champs Elysee, walked to the Arc d'Triomphe and the Effiel Tower, then boated back to Notre Dame and walked back to our hotel.
Third day we took the RER train to Versailles, visited the palace and then had a wander around the town of Versailles. That took a full day.
Last day we walked to the Orsay Museum, then took the Metro to Abbesses and walked up to Sacre Coeur and wandered around Montmartre. As the Louvre was open late that night, we arrived there at 6pm to take advantage of the cheaper entry fee then had a late dinner afterwards.
Hope this helps.

No, skip Versailles! There is so much to see in Paris proper that you'd waste time going out and coming back.>

I disagree - i will posit that Versailles and its fantastic gardens, including Marie Antoinette's Petit (?)Trianon is the number one attraction in Paris - in terms of history, visual impact, grandiosity, etc.

I would put it above the Louvre, Orsay or anything in Paris proper

and the time it takes to get there is only about 30 mins - Versailles IMO is Paris' Numero Uno attraction. Is it a must - no simply because IMO there are no must sees.

but i'd rather spend a few hours strolling thru the famous park and gardens at Versailles then battling mobs of tourists just to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa any day.

To each her own. Given only 3 1/2 days in Paris I would rather take a day trip to Giverny than Versailles. But your time in Paris will be so short I think you'll find plenty to see in Paris proper.

Versailles is more than just than the world's most famous chateau - it is also a lovely regional town - an upscale to be sure but still typical French regional town - the market square is still graced by a Les Halles type wrought-iron market hall.

Just to the south of the chateau is a part of Versailles that is very interesting to me - here were the former embassies, etc. from days when Versailles was the seat of the French Government under the kings who resided here. This is a very quaint area with imposing squares, etc.

When you get off the RER C train, cross the street and head to the Versailles Tourist Office and ask for their free walking tour of this neat area, which tourists largely ignore.

Paul,
We are also going to Paris for 4 days in August. This will be our first trip. Any travel tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,

Whoever mentioned not caring for the Champs echoes my feeling exactly. It is a wide sterile street. BUT one way to really enjoy it, and get somewhere else is to take the bus that travels down the Champs. Get off near Place Concorde and walk up to the Madeleine area and enjoy seeing the fine food shops just beyond that.
Or do the Hop on bus tours on your first day and get a nice overview of many points of interest.
I wouldn't waste hours waiting in line for the Eiffel Tower, but the lines are shorter at night. And the sun doesn't set until very very late.

I just got back last week and we skipped Versailles. I wanted to go but the timing just didn't work out. Next time! We were in Paris for more than 4 days and I still feel like I barely scratched the surface - if you stay in the city there will be plenty to do.

I agree that the Rodin museum is fabulous. It's walking distance from d'Orsay, so we did that the same day. If you don't want to linger in the garden at Rodin it can be a quick trip and it is definitely worth it.

Get a museum pass! They pay for themselves, there are a lot of places that you wouldn't think of as museums that accept them. Like Sainte Chapelle and the Arc de Triomphe - not what you think of as museums but they take the pass and that cuts down your time in line. The only places on your list that don't accept them are the Eiffel Tower and the boat trip.

Get the audio guides at the Louvre and d'Orsay. They're worth the money.

I think a boat tour on your second day is smart if you're flying overnight. I couldn't sleep on the plane at all (did not realize when booking that it was the Romper Room flight) and found myself nodding off on the boat tour that afternoon.