A week in Paris
 

We're arriving in Paris on Wednesday morning and spending 6 days there (April 26 to May 2).

We have a day trip planned to Mont Saint Michel and a dinner cruise on the river booked. Other than that, were kind of winging it. Besides the obvious (Eiffel tower, louvre... etc) are there any other must dos while we're there?

Also, what would you recommend as the best transportation to our hotel from Charles de Gaulle?

For transportation to your hotel, it would be helpful to know which hotel it is. The RER goes from CDG straight into the city center, but whether it's the best option for you depends on where exactly you're going (plus how much luggage you'll have, how much you're willing to walk, how much you're willing to pay for convenience, etc).

For transportation you may use taxi - it's a flat fare from Paris to the airport, look it up before you go. Sure RER B line to CDG works too but if you have more than 1 person, I'd say taxi is the best.

For the must dos in Paris, I don't know, maybe swimming in the Seine...?

Skip the dinner cruise, the food is only so so. Do a cruise on the river at sunset and then have dinner in a nice restaurant. Way better.

We always your Bateaux Vedettes du Pont Neuffor our traditional ride on the Seine. It's either the first night or the last of our trips.

You can buy a ticket ahead [not necessary to pick a date or time] and save some money.
10 euros. open date ticket.


http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/home/

I agree with DebitNM about the "Dinner" cruise. I too take Vedettes du Pont Neuf, and sunset is great. Something I like to do is take the metro to Trocadero and view the Eiffel Tower from that vantage point. Just turn left as you exit the metro. I also enjoy a stroll through the Tuilleries and a visit to l'Orangerie. As for a museum, consider Musee D'Orsay.

We loved our walk on the Promenade Plantee. Try googling to find the access convenient for you. You get to walk an elevated (for the most part) walkway like the Highline in New York.

I agree with L'Orangerie andD'Orsay. Do your homework before the Louvre...it is massive . Know what you want to see there. We have enjoyed the food tours we have taken with Paris by Mouth. St Denis is an underrated favorite of ours.

Thank you all for your advice/suggestions!!

Just got back 2 weeks ago & ready to go back. Agree with Orsay Musem, especially for Impressionists on top floor. We did a Paris Walks tour of the Ile de Cite & thought it was very good. But I like those short tours where you can learn something then go on your way. If you have any interest in medieval history, the armory Museum is outstanding. It's by Napoleons tomb & there's a French WWII history Musem in the complex. Me & my boys first went there 8 years ago& DS1 asked to go back to the armory museum this trip. Our first Paris Musem 8 years ago was the Rodin, very nice. Seems like I noticed a Rodin exhibit now at the Grand Palace? Agree about deciding on what you want to see at the Louvre, massive building, many people. But we had very short waits getting in, went early afternoon. What about Notre Dame? Our first trip we happened there on a Sunday morning & walked through during mass, beautiful. And there's a holocaust memorial right behind it that's very impressionable. Have a great trip!

I'd highly recommend visiting both the Egyptian and Persian collections at the louvre --- they are absolutely outstanding and tended to be much less crowded than many of their European counterparts. Trust me the winged bull is breathtaking :)

Also highly recommend both orangerie and musee dorsay for their impressionist collections--- though I would actually advocate for more time on the main floor with the less famous works as you actually get to enjoy them more (lack of crowds and fewer selfies)

Personally I would skip the dinner cruise and see an opera at the bastille, a ballet at Palais Garnier, or other chamber music on the Ile de la Cite...the performances we saw rivaled anything on offer in New York and it was nice to feel more integrated into French culture rather than on the touristic periphery

For an amazing dinner I highly suggest La Petite Pointoise in the Latin Quarter for quintessential French cooking.... or if you want something a little more experimental and modern try Porte 12

Thank you all!! You were all right about the dinner cruise but since we had already booked it and paid for it in advance, we went through with it anyway. It was lackluster and the food was not good at all!!

We have one day left tomorrow that we're trying to sort out since many things are closed but so far it's been amazing!