EvaNicole

so much to do...so little time. Is this reasonable?
Day 1 Monday
Arriving CDG @ 930 am. Staying by the Louvre. at the hotel by noon right?
Galleries Lafayette
Place du Tertre
Sacre Coure Basilica

Day 2
d'Orsay
Rue de Commerce
Eiffel Tour (sunset)
Seins River
Night Paris walking/bike tour (any suggests of a great one?)

Day 3
Louvre
Holy Chapel
Notre Dame
Patheon
Latin Quarter

Day 4
Tulleries Garden
Arc de Triomphe
Champs Elysee

Day 5
Train to nice
8 am or noon

I would love to do some shopping (not high end). Where should I go? Halles Mall? When do i squeeze it in?

Christina

I think your itinerary is fine. ON the first day, I personally would do my sightseeing first up in Montmartre, and then end the day doing shopping at GL, which is closer to your hotel. That is if you intend to buy anything, you certainly don't want to carry anything around with you all day, after all, and you will be tired enough, maybe you won't feel like shopping anyway after doing your sightseeing. The other way around, if shopping wears you out, you are missing something more important than shopping.

Noon is a good bet on getting to hotel for sure.

Where do you live that you want to do shopping in Paris for routine chain store stuff? At least GL has a nice building to see. But if you must, that's about the closest "mall" that I can think of to your hotel. You'll find a lot of the same shops on the Champs-Elysees, actually, or in the first few blocks of bd St Michel in the Latin Quarter and places like that. Actually, there are some of those stores going along rue de Rivoli east of the Louvre going towards the Hotel de Ville that would be closer to your hotel. There is a C&A along there, a Zara, a Kiko, a Promod, a Pimkie, etc., and then the BHV dept store is around Hotel de Ville. I think that would make more sense than going to Mall and accomplish the same thing and at least you are outside part of the time.

You could probably do that on day 4 as you don't have much on that day. IN fact, as I said, a lot of those stores are along the Champs-Elysees, anyway. So do the sightseeing first with the Arc, etc., and then do shopping.

EvaNicole

I was thinking about just checking out GL. Where do locals or budget friendly people prefer to shop? Is Halles Mall worth a visit? I'm from the US and love European fashion much better. (grass is always greener on the other side)

Based on my itinerary, do I need a fast pass? If so, which one? is it best I get any type of pass? Any suggestions on bypassing long lines to visit places listed above? Louvre (1st thing in the morning or after 6?), d'Orsay (1st thing in the morning or after 6?). I was thinking about Eiffel at sunset. I read Notre Dame doesn't have a formal line so that should be easy to bypass the crowds?

apersuader65

I would suggest moving the Louvre from the third day to the fourth. If you start at the Louvre, you then exit into the Tuilleries, then onto the Champs Elysees, and end up at the Arc de Triomphe. That leaves day three with Notre Dame, then head to the Latin Quarter and Pantheon.

FYI, enter the Louvre through the Metro entrance (Carrousel du Louvre??), it seems to be much quicker for me.

StCirq

The GL is hardly, IMO, budget-friendly. Can't speak to the Halles Mall - I walked into it a few years ago and walked right back out again as the vibe was just so disturbingly un-French; all the stores looked like anything you could find anywhere in the USA . You might wander around some of the boutiquey-stores on the rue Alesia, though I'm not sure they're terribly budget-friendly, either.

You don't need a pass, just a carnet of métro/RER/tram tickets.

You can't bypass security lines anywhere.

EvaNicole

apersuader65- great point- will do!
StCirq- great feedback! I'll just make a quick stop into GL and spend more time checking out Montmatre that day! I'll skip Halles- and research rue Alesia.

Thanks!

Scootoir

I like to shop in museum gift shops. I understand the Hotel de Ville (city hall) has a gift shop featuring products made in France. It is not far from Notre Dame Cathedral.

Sarastro

<i> Where do locals or budget friendly people prefer to shop?</i>

www.amazon.fr

EvaNicole

�� sarastro. to clarify, shopping without feeling like I'm in a tourist trap or high end exclusivity.

northie

I love shopping or mostly looking at Le Bon Marche - service is amazing.