Compartmentalizing Paris!
 

We are taking our granddaughter to Paris in October. We will arrive early on Thursday and depart early on Monday. I want to design (or find)an itinerary for each day that will insure that we see the main sights with as little "backtracking as possible". Do any of you have such an animal? We will be in the 6th at Pas des Calais as our base. Any tried and true plans? Thank you!

...how old is your grandchild and will you arrrive jet lagged?

One reason I like the DK Eyewitness Guide to Paris is that it shows various quarters of Paris and what is in them. You might take a look at that.

Here are 8 compartmentalized walks, courtesy of Degas:

Notre Dame and Islands
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34454939

Latin Quarter
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34454229

St Germain and Shopping
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34454443

Marais, Shopping, Eating
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34454657

Right Bank, Shopping, Eating
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34455303

The Passages
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34455833

Parc Monceau and Grands Boulevards
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34455870

Montmartre
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34456501

Get a copy of the Michelin Green Guide to Paris, which has planned-out itineraries that are excellent for avoiding backtracking. The Guide has a great deal of useful information, including neighborhood restaurants.

..agree with underhill..the green guide is terrific..but will help with specifics when i know your specifics..

Have you looked at the 3-day itinerary under "Destinations" on this website?

Also, United Airlines Hemispheres magazine has a feature called "Three Perfect Days" for many, many cities. Go to http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com, click on 3 Perfect Days at the bottom, then select Paris et voilá. (Note that there's an error in the itinerary for the 3rd day: Blvd Haussmann is nowhere near the Luxembourg Gardens!)

Thank you all for suggestions. I will check them out- have already checked a few sites but thought Fodorites would turn up somehting different, which they have! Travelbunny- my granddaughter is 13. I promised her the trip a few years ago "when you are a teenager"- had 16 more in mind, but, a promise is a promise!

If she's a girly girl at 13, maybe one of the fashion show/luncheons at the Galleries Lafayette (I think...I'll be corrected if I'm wrong/nutz)...just think of THAT for a 13 year old's imagination! And then maybe a couple of hours special visit to Virgin Records. When you get in Paris, at a newstand, there is a magazine "Time out" (???) and it will list events 0therwise, about 2 weeks before you go, I think it is Paris.org that will have a list of events. Or, Metropole.com has "paris scene" section with lists of things happening. Does she like Castles? Horses?

Pariscope is a very good magazine that lists events, that costs only 0.40 Euro, and is available at newsstands.

Kind of off topic, but unless you're made of money, take her to Monoprix to do her shopping. Their accesories are very fun, and are affordable even with the weak dollar. (I'm assuming you are from the US.) Also, don't neglect the t-shirt stands that are all around. The "t-shirts" that my daughters bought at a stand across from the Louvre were actually nice, slim fitting, knit shrits, rather than traditional baggy t-shirts. And the fake pashminas that they sell all over the place for about 5 euro are terrific to bring home.

On topic: I enjoyed the Eyewitness book, too. Also, buy the Paris Mapguide...its very detailed maps are a great help in figuring out what is near what. (For example, Nicholas Flammel's house [if she's a Harry Potter fan] is only a couple of blocks from the Beaubourg.)

Unless you have religious objections, have her read DaVinci Code before she goes...my 13 yr old loved it.

Get a copy of the Michelin Green Guide to Paris, which clearly lays out the city's arrondissements and shows the sights within them. The guide is especially useful for its walking itineraries, and there's a good deal of very useful information for Paris in general. We never leave home without it.

Your timing may make you miss the fashion show at Galerie Lafayette (Tuesday), but there is one at Printemps, which if I am remembering correctly was on a different day. My 11 yr old granddaughter loved the fashion show. She would probably also love Sephora, the perfume shop on the Champs, but keep a tight grip on your credit card; it's easy to spend, spend there. Monoprix as recommended above is fun, but I didn't like the one on the Champs. There's one near St. Germain des Pres church (rue de Rennes)which seemed much nicer and less crowded. If she likes music, one of the concerts in one of the churches is fun. What with all my g-daughter and we did, she seemed happiest shopping and eating. :)

I just checked the two fashion shows and they are both on Tuesdays, so that's not an option for you with the present schedule.

Re Fashion show...RATZ!
On the other hand, there is a museum of fashion as part of the Louvre complex. When I was there in November 2003 was an exceeding boring (IMHO) of Air France memorabilia ... But if there is a show with historic clothing??? Maybe?
On Rue du Rivoli, close to le Semaritain is a youthful shop (I want to say "Elle")... let her give you a show! <GRIN>
(LOL...You're welcome... I can spend your money! )

There is a good series of guide books published by Dorling Kindersley named "Top Ten": as the name suggests, it's a practical way of not missing anything essential in a city. It definitely is available here in Europe, I hope it is too in the States.

..13 is a marvellous age!..I too love the Michelin walks. i think she might like a bateaux mouche ride at night...she should read a good travel book and then decide what she'd liketo do..you might "tick off" a few on her list with a half day bus tour...once she has a few specifics..you can plot your journey on a map....at that age it can be fun walking down the blvd st germaine to blvd mich..lots of great window shopping..coffee at deux magots (terribly overpriced but so historic)...have her watch charade or the new Sabrina (I liked the "old" sabrina) for ideas about things she might like to see...what a joy the trip should be.

Thank you all- many things I did not even consider. We are staying at the Pas des Calais right around the corner from blvd St Germain ... again, thanks to all of you for your suggestions.

The couture costume exhibit at the Louvre (enter from the Rue de Rivoli at the far right end of the complex) is wonderful--beautiful clothes through the years from the great designers.

topping for myself--I need this information for my trip to Paris (and as a resource for souvenir purchases for my 15 year old daughter!).