Calling Paris experts
 

Our neighbors will have 4 or 5 days in Paris this coming August. They want to see churches, museums, Versailles, the bridges over the Seine, and other Paris highlights. My brain is not working well; so if anyone could put together a short list of major things to see, I and they would appreciate it a whole lot. I know there have been many threads on this issue and would welcome pointers to them. Merci!

Here are the suggestions I gave my brother and SIL for their 3-4 days in Paris (first time in Paris):

Seine boat ride (at night)
Deportation Memorial
Ste-Chappelle
Notre Dame (excellent guided tours Wed/Thurs 2:00; Saturdays 12:30)
Cluny Museum
Eiffel Tower
Montmartre/Sacre Coeur
Jacquemart-Andre Museum
Arch of Triumph
Louvre
Opera House tour
Rodin Museum garden (my brother wanted to see this)

They're staying in the 6th so will see St-Sulpice and St-Germain-des-Pres churches.

The Seine boat ride will allow your friends to see many of the bridges.

I would also recommend a market street on Sundays (Rue Mouffetard is especially great).

Other churches I would recommend are: St-Gervais-St-Protais (wonderful stained glass), St-Paul-St-Louis, Julien-le-Pauvre, and St-Severin.

They might enjoy one of the early evening concerts at Saint Chappelle. The light coming through the stained glass windows is beautiful then.

Thanks, adrienne. That's just what I'm looking for. It's difficult to pick the highlights when there are so many great things to see. And I'll definitely suggest a Ste-Chapelle concert; I already had the chapel on my must-see list.

The Michelin Green Guide for Paris might suggest things to do depending on the number of days available, the equivalent of various trip itineraries offered at the beginning of their regional guides.

Adrienne had a very good list but I would add the Musee d'Orsay. While walking through the city I would also add the Tuilleries and Luxembourg gardens.

Adrienne does have a great list. For the average person I would have things like Musee d'Orsay, maybe a garden like Tuilleries or Luxembourg, the Pantheon, and Les Invalides before the deportation Memorial and Jacquemart-Andre on a short trip.

MrNuke - the deportation memorial only takes 10 minutes is right behind Notre Dame and is free. I highly recommend it; it's a very unusual memorial.

Underhill - if your friends do plan on the Orsay they should buy tickets ahead (they are not timed nor dated) and by pass the entrance line. Full info is on the Orsay site.

Here's another church - St-Etienne-du-Mont near the Pantheon whose relic is Genevieve's finger (she is the patron saint of Paris) and one of the few remaining rood screens - it's quite beautiful.

If they are really into churches (as I am) they should see Val de Grace, exquisit in its simplicity. It's only open 4 afternoons per week.

Hire Michael Osman for a day and make better use of a limited time.

Hi U,

Look up Paris under "Destinations".

Also
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

Kerouac’s Ethnic Walk
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35095155

((I))

a second vote for Michael - try to get him for the first full day - he will orient them and help them through the list.

Adrienne,

I now exactly where the deportation museum is, I personally wouldn't have it on a first visit to Paris list. For someone interested in history, and something near Notre Dame I would consider the Crypte Archéologique

I do second your recommendation of St-Etienne-du-Mont. For anyone that has the Pantheon on their list the church is a beautiful side trip that doesn't get quite as many tourists as some of the other churches.

Thanks for the links. The Destinations pages on Paris with Kids is particularly helpful. I've ordered the Michelin Paris Guide and the Streetwise maps to get them off on good feet; the 12-year-old boy is doing most of the research, as his parents both teach at the university and are on very tight schedules.

Dont underestimate The Louvre and the Eiffel tower at night

I'd recommend the night Fat Tire bike tour. It starts at 6 p.m. and lasts for 4-5 hours. It is very slow and easy riding on a big comfortable beach cruiser. http://www.fattirebiketoursparis.com/bikes/bike-tour/
You see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Ile de la Cite, eat ice cream at Berthillon, ride by the Louvre and the Tuileries, go back and forth over a number of bridges, and then park your bikes and go on an hour-long Bateaux Mouches tour before getting back on the bike and riding back to the starting point near the Eiffel Tower. We loved it, and this gives you a chance to get a lot of sightseeing in at night. The tour guides speak English.

Not hijacking, but an add-on question. The Fat Tire site states no evening tours on June 21 and July 14. I know about Bastille Day on 14 July, but does anyone know what is happening on 21 June to merit this?

http://fetedelamusique.culture.fr/pa...=30&id=115
This would be my guess as to why no night tours on June 21.