25239

Will be in Paris in Feb. for the first time with my family for 4 days. What would be a must see, but not too exhausting first time Paris trip. Also, what is the best way to exchange money.....should I take travelers checks or use ATMs....is there a charge for the ATMs? Thank you.

HowardR

As for planning your trip, start here with the Fodor's website and check out its Paris itinerary. It'll help you get started in a most positive way.
As for ATM charges, check with your bank. Its charges are the ones you'll incur, whatever they happen to be. ATMs are definitely the way to go, far superior to travelers checks, but you might want to take a couple of the latter for a "just in case" situation.

mclaurie

Use ATMs for best rates. Travelers' checks are passe.

For an itinerary, go to destinations above & read the recommended Fodor's 3 day itinerary. It's really unfair to ask someone here to do a 4 day plan for you-especialy as you don't say who/ages of family members or interests. If you're new here, you can do a search of previous threads/answers by typing in the "search this forum" box above.

For example, if you've got teens, try -Paris AND teens in the text search.

For more info on money, try ATMs AND Paris

StCirq

A good guidebook will also help you winnow down the possibilities and determine how you best want to spend your time.

Ryan

Your questions are among those most commonly asked. If you do a search, you'll get plenty on each question.

That said, I'll try and answer a few. In terms of what to see, that is really up to you. Paris is a fairly easy city to navigate and many major toursit sites are within an easy walk or Metro ride from one another. One your first day, you'll likely be tired from the overnight flight. I wouldn't be to ambitious. If the weather permits, I might suggest a walk along Seine from Notre Dame to say the D'Orsay. Then spend some time in the museum.

I'd say Notre Dame, the D'Orsay, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower are musts. If time permits, the Sacre Cour and a 1/2 day trip to Versailles are well worth it.

In terms of money, most will tell you either exchange a small amount at home or at the airport. Just enough to cover transportation. ATM fees will depend on your own bank. Ask them about the fee and any extra charge for foreign currency transactions. Also, check with your credit card companies about their policies. We find using AMEX easier, even though the rate may not be the best. Other's prefer the ATM.

In terms of getting around, Paris is a fairly easy city to navigate. Get a good map of the streets and the Metro. If you are the type that is comfortable in a city environment, you'll have no problems in Paris.

BAK

The specifics depend on the individuals, but some general principles might be useful.

Decide on split ups and meeting points; there's so much to see of so much variety and time is so short that there's no point in people visiting boring places just to stay in a group of four.

Assign each person one or two meals to plan; you pick lunch one day and dinner the next. 25240 picks dinner one day and lunch the next, and so on for the four days.

Bring several cameras, not one, so each person can photograph what they want, when they want.

Ignore the "not too exhausitng..." requirement. You can sleep later. Paris needs to be seen when the sun is rising and the streets are being cleaned and it needs to be seen at mid-night.

BAK

ira

"Paris needs to be seen when the sun is rising and the streets are being cleaned and it needs to be seen at mid-night".
Amen, to that.

You might be interested in the Batobus.
http://www.batobus.com/english/qui.htm

SalB

Credit cards in an ATM are great but check with your company for charges. Last trip we used a debit card in the ATM and didn't have any charges. Be sure you know your PIN in numbers because the French ATMs don't have letters on them. They do have English menus so you don't have to worry about that.

When we land, we walk and walk and walk. Someone earlier suggested a walk along the Seine. I still remember my first sighting of Notre Dame . . . just like the pictures! It was a real thrill. The walking is fun because Paris is so pretty and it does wonders for jet lag.

Get a good rest and then head out for sights. You should ask each family member to write down three (or more or less) things they each want to see. Put the list together and arrange them according to area. Then divide them up into different days. You might use indoor ideas for rainy days and outdoor ideas for sunny days. Try to include some of each family member's ideas and then you'll have a happy family.

The Jardin des Plants has a little zoo and along the Seine in that area is an outdoor sculpture garden. Both would be fun for kids (of any age).

I love the Tuileries and the Luxembourg but probably not in February. If you have smaller children, though, they might be good places for a nice romp to let off some excess energy. If you have little children, you will meet Parisians. Most French people love children and will do anything they can to make your life easier.

Have a great trip.

mamc

To the sights recommended above, I would add St. Chappelle. It is my favorite sight in Paris and best visited on a sunny morning so that the exquisite stained glass is seen to best advantage.