Hello, So we are two 21-22 year old's planning this trip to Europe mid July. This is our first time to Europe. We will be spending 5 days in Paris. We would like to see the Eiffel Tower and any other interesting MUST see places.

So what are we interested in:
Culture filled towns/cities
Historical sites ( museums, architecture, world war 2 sites, castles, old churches romantic sites, unusual sites, etc) Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

I'm not clear on the kind of advice you want when you say you are intersted in culture-filled towns/cities? But your title says you have 5 days in Paris.

So I'm not clear on what you mean, there is lots to see in Paris in five days, are you asking where else you can go for day trips? You know the usual which will have castles and churches -- Chantilly, Versailles, Chartres, Fontainebleau come to mind.

You probably know what you want to see in Paris, the usual suspects for first-timers -- Notre Dame, Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, etc etc. If you like WWII stuff, be sure to include the military museum at Les Invalides in Paris, which is where Napoleon is laid to rest.

So which is it? 5 days in Paris or culture-filled towns? There are churches and even castles in Paris of course.

I've heard that one can learn about French culture in Paris.

Hello, Nessagirlhawaii. Here are some Paris suggestions. First, go to a library and look at several different guide books, then go to a bookstore and buy the ones that seem best to you.

If you like sculpture, go to the Rodin Museum. If you like painting, go to the d'Orsay. The Louvre has everything. Be sure to go inside Notre Dame; if you're adventurous, climb the steps to the top for great views. There's a charge for that, but just going into the church is free. Also, walk all around the outside of it. Sit on one of the benches in front of it and contemplate its beauty and think about the sensibilities that created it over the span of three hundred years or so.

Sit in a cafe and enjoy the people-watching. Have wine with lunch.

Ignore any snotty replies to your questions here, and have a wonderful time!

I would definitely stop in at Deyrolle on the Rue du Bac and Laduree on the Rue Bonaparte.

Don't forget to stop in at a Monoprix.

My favourite church in Paris is St. Sulpice. Go on Sunday and hear the organ.

You must take a stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens.

You could also take the Metro out to Pere Lachaise to visit the graves of Oscar Wilde and Colette.

A great place to have lunch is the cafe at the Jacquemart Andre Museum. It is always PACKED.

P_P

Paris is a great walking city and there are a ton of guidebooks with various walking "subjects". My favorite is "Walking Paris: Thirty Original Walks in and Around Paris" by Gilles Desmons. These walks are really comprehensive (including art, architecture, history - all that you mentioned as interestes) and each walk leads to the next so you can walk for as long as you want and see so much! Each chapter lists the museaums and monuments along the way (times and admission info is dated as published in 1999). Of all of the walking tours I've done in Paris, this book is IMHO the best.
Also, I recommend Musee Carnavelet in the Marais district. This is the Museum of the City of Paris, is FREE and has wonderful period rooms of decorative art as well as exhibits about Paris history with lots about The Revolution, Paris Commune, etc - and interesting paintings with Paris history subjects. Also, close by is another FREE museum, the Musee Cognacq Jay, which is interesting if you'd like to see how the monied class lived in the late 19th-20th century.
Norte Dame is always on everyone's must-see list although it's not one of my favorite buildings. But, also on Ille de la Cita is Sainte Chappelle which has fabulous stained glass windows so if you have a sunny day and are in the neighborhood, it's worth spending an hour there.
If you're in the mood for an evening concert of classical music, on the fence arount La Madeleine you'll usually find flyers of church concerts that are usually less than E20 (if you find yourself in this area, look for the ladies room next to the church and go downstairs just to see it - art nouveau - you'll likely never see such a fantastic public ladies room again!)
And, as Ceclia said, ignore the snotty remarks. You're only just starting out in your foreign travel and I really hand it to you that you're taking the initiative to head to Paris. I am sure, this will only be your first trip there because once you've seen Paris all you'll want to do is go back!!!

The advice to go to the library, or a bookstore, and get some guidebooks is not at all snotty. The OP has started several threads that read the same, asking for the most general advice on what to see, where to go, where to eat, etc. Each and every thread basically says we are going here, tell us what to do. So I personally do not think it snotty to say get a book, find some web sites, do some reading and then come and ask the fine tuning questions. No matter what your age, you need to own the experience.

I might do 4 days in Paris with one day trip...lights of choices, I might add Reims or Giverny.

As far as Paris itself, I love Musee d'Orsay. St Chappelle is a great choice, especially on a sunny day and I do love Sacre Coeur.

I think your question is quite broad and sometimes the reaction you get from the forum is varied.

I always have a guidebook. Above all, enjoy Paris, you really can't go wrong.

A Paris Museum Pass is very useful. The list of museums and monuments that accept the card is on the site. It will save you time in line at most major sites. Buy it a small, less busy museum maybe the day before you plan to start using it. There is a 2, 4 and 6 day pass...but they have to be used on consecutive days. Also check to see what days your favorites are closed on and which days they have longer hours to see as much as possible and avoid going on a day the museum isn't open.

I believe you can make Eiffel Tower reservations on line but there will still be some waiting in line. Lots of threads about the Eiffel Tower, so search for them to get good info.

Food recommendations....depends on how much you want to spend. I love the crepes from the to go stand at L'avant Comptoir if you are in the 6th, but really any crepe stand works for me. You could also check David Lieberman's blog.
I would go to Bethillon on Ile St Louis for the ice cream...it's THAT good!

In Paris, the open top hop-on-hop-off bus is an excellent way to see all the sights, just at first, and there is a funny commentary that you can listen to as well. My Grandma and I did that on our first morning in Paris, and rode the green route, which takes you from wherever you hop on ( for us it was Notre Dame ) all around the famous sights. It gives you about four different views of the Eiffel Tower, goes all the way up Champs-Élysées and around the Arch de Triomph, and drives you right through the Louvre courtyard! For us it was a great way to get a good look at parts of Paris that we simply didn't have time to return to in our short 5-day stay. I would absolutely recommend Sainte Chapelle! We went there on our last day in Paris and it was literally THE most amazing church I had visited in our entire trip (which covered London, all over Italy, and various parts of Switzerland, as well as Paris!), if you like historic, beautiful, romantic old churches, then this is the ultimate!

Check out Place des Vosges and the Marais. Second (or third) Sainte-Chapelle(go to a concert here), Luxembourg Gardens(have a picnic), Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, the Louvre, Ile St. Louis. Try the macarons at Laduree or Gerard Mulot. Walk along the Seine. Take a river cruise
at night to see the city lights. Go to the top of the Arc.