April in Paris
 

7 ladies traveling to Paris the first of April are looking for touring suggestions. Most of the party will be in Paris 3-4 days and the remainder will be there 5-6 days.

Accommodation suggestions would be helpful as well as "must see/do" for our novice visit.

First, grab a few good guidebooks at the library and decide what interests you. I'll start with some obvious ones:

--Louvre (2 or 3 different visits)
--Walk from Louvre thru the Tuillerie Gardens
--Musee D'Orsay
--Picnic lunch at Luxembourg Gardens - on a weekend when there's likely to be music.
--Evening cruise--Vadettes du Pont Neuf
--Notre Dame/St. Chapelle
--At least 1/2 day on the Isles
--See Place de la Concorde at night
--Galleries Lafayette or La Bon Marche, especially the food courts. You won't believe Paris "take out food"!
--If time, Jacquesmart Andres and/or Cluny Museums

If any of you are interested, there are concerts most nights at different churches around town. There's also the ballet and opera, not to mention some great jazz clubs.

Some like to go up the Eiffel Tower, some don't. I like watching it from the Trocadero at night. The Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysee have never been high on my list, but that's just me.

Study the metro before you go. Maps are readily available online or at the library. Many guidebooks have a section to help you out. Look into "Batobus", a kind of water taxi.

Most important, make time for spontaneous wandering and for just sitting at a cafe with a glass of wine or a coffee, watching Paris go by.

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As for accommodations, you need to tell us your budget and how many rooms (doubles?...singles?).

The Marais! How could I forget the Marais?! Don't know if you'll have time, but it's an interesting area to spend a day in.

Paris in May would be more pleasant. In April dress for anything the clouds may deliver.

Hi W,

Early April is likely to be chilly, windy and rainy (or warm, mild and sunny).

You might find these helpful:

Paris Superthread
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34519236

100 Great Things to Do in Paris
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...mp;tid=1277898

Degas’s Paris Walks
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34712768

Jacquemart-Andre’ Museum http://tinyurl.com/p9pol

Enjoy your visit.

((I))