I feel like I messed up picking the vacation days I did - May 7(wed) - 10(half day mon). I'm concerned about the impact of the May 8 holiday in Paris.

We arrive early Wed AM 7th but my DH is a bad flyer so usually has low energy on the first day of any trip. Normally that would give us Day#2 as a our first full day but that is the holiday May 8 so I am now very concerned about what will be available/open. I've read holidays are like sundays in France..and basically it sounds like we will experience "2 sundays" over this time period.

So my questions are:
1) Will museums that are not usually closed on sundays still be open?
2) Should we assume crowds will be worse at touristy sites because of the holiday?
3) Since buses will not run on May 8 (holiday) and May 10 (sunday) can it be assumed that they will run on Sat?
4) Are there particular suggestions you have regarding sites or things to do on may 8 or on sunday?

Basically I am trying to answer this question: How do we plan our days to get the "most" out of this short vacation? This is our first visit to Paris and we know full well we could never cover everything even if there hadn't been a holiday but some direction woudl be greatly appreciated.

Our experience in May 2008, with those three holidays, was that even Parisians we spoke with were amazed at the crowds of visitors. Large groups of German, British, Dutch, etc. tourists moved en masse, and people from throughout France converged on Paris. Part of it was because two of the holidays were on Thursdays, letting the French "font le pont" (make the bridge) by turning it into a four-day weekend. This year, it would be only a three-day weekend, hence perhaps less of a magnet for visitors. I don't recall that buses, etc. were completely closed down.

(My email would make more sense if I write down the correct vacation days! DOH!) We leave the US on Wed the 6th, but arrive on Thursday the 7th.


d_claude_bear, thank you for your prompt reply. I was afarid of that. I'm wondering if I need to make advanced reservations at restaurants and get museum passes ahead of time now....which I had not planned to do before.

Yes it's IME just another Sunday - all museums you want will be open

Buses not running?

not sure what buses you are talking about but the RATP will be running the usual Sunday schedule of metros, RERs and buses - meaning very frequently.

Actually IME a long weekend makes Paris even nicer as many locals leave town and the obnoxious car traffic is way down - as is the smog - a good time to see clear from the Eiffel Tower.

Many small stores and supermarkets should be open at least in the morning. Tourist area places open as always.

Minimal impact except perhaps for lines at museums.

Huny Badger,

What museums are you interested in? I looked at the website for the Louvre and they are open on May 8. Just check museum websites and see what's open. Most of these will also be open on Sunday.

The Metro will be running and some if not all of the buses. You shouldn't have any problems, though some attractions may be more crowded. Buy your museum pass when you get there. If you go to a smaller museum to buy it, you won't have any wait.

Palenque - I've heard that the city is more pleasant when the car traffic is down and locals are on holiday but I was not certain this would be that kind of holiday....not like in August for instance when it seems everyone leaves the city. In fact, it seems, from what I've read that this holiday is a busy one for the city...not as far as there being more Parisians but for more tourists, which of course would be jostling for the same tourist attractions that I am.

Of course, I don't know from experience, which you well may, but I thought there was limited bus service on Sundays.


cw - We're not huge museum-lovers so I don't really have a must-see list but we despise long lines, esp if we can avoid them by being prepared ahead of time. My thoughts were at the very least though were: the Louvre, D'Orsay, The Army Museum...

I too went to the Lourve's website and saw that they will be open. Wondering though if it's going to be a mob scene, in which case, I'll force DH to brave it on the day we arrive.

If crowds will be bad, now wondering if we should bag Versailles, leave it for another time....

I am (or will be soon) thankful that our flight is on Monday.

We were in Paris over the same weekend last year.

I will second cw's advice to check the websites of the museums you are interested in visiting on Friday to see if they are open. If I recall correctly, the Orsay was closed last year on May 8th. The Louvre was open, as was Versailles.

Last year we debated whether to visit Versailles on Thursday (May 8) or Sunday - yes, two busy days but we wanted to see the fountain shows. We went to Versailles on Sunday. On the 8th, we climbed the towers of Notre Dame and visited Saint-Chapelle (long wait to get in), the Pantheon (and climbed the dome), and Rodin museum.

As noted by d_claude_bear, Paris was busy with crowds, but it didn't effect us too much. Our longest waits as I recall were for Saint-Chapelle and the Catacombs. Whatever you choose to do each day, try to get an early start.

HB,

With only a few days, I'd skip Versailles--but that's up to you. Maybe it's a must see.

The major sights will be crowded, so go to the most popular (Louvre, d'Orsay) early. Parts of the Louvre are open on Friday night and people report that nights are less crowded. The Army Museum is popular but there are many fewer people in the museum part, though it can be crowded at Napoleon's tomb especially when the tour buses come.

Make restaurant reservations if there is a place you definitely want to try. Otherwise, you can always make a reservation when you're there.

Don't fret. Unless you want to shop a lot, you won't be inconvenienced on Sunday.

Have a great trip.

Where are you getting the information that buses don't run on Sundays or holidays? Sure, there may be reduced schedules, but Paris doesn't shut down its transportation system on any day of the year.

I'm always in Paris on a Sunday and have been there several holidays, much bigger than May 8th in impact. Sunday never enters my mind as a day to avoid Paris.

Bucky Badger - i was talking more about if it were a 3- or 4-day weekend by chance - then i think more Parisians take off. But on any day where commuters are not clogging the roads in and around Paris smog will be less - like it seems to be on weekends.

About buses - i am not sure but metro certainly runs frequently all day.

It might be worth checking into the museum pass to avoid lines, but if you were thinking just of the Louvre and Musee D'Orsay, you can through links on those museum websites to ticket services to buy advance tickets to the museum that lets you avoid the line. The page on Louvre website is http://www.louvre.fr/llv/pratique/bi...sp?bmLocale=en and on D'Orsay website is http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/visits/...n/tickets.html. There are service charges of course but the time you save may be worth it.

Also if the crowds at the "biggies" are overwhelming don't forget smaller museums. Here's a link that describes 4 of them: http://monsite.orange.fr/barclayparis/page1.html

thank you, thank you for all your replies!

luv2cthings - very helpful to know what you did on the 8th. thank you.

Christina - Glad it seems I am wrong about the buses - good thing.

cw - Versailles was a thought...but now I think it's on the "next time" list.

Seems like hitting the Louvre on Friday might be the best plan for us, since ppl would be lighter. *sigh* shopping...I wish. Not going to have much left over after paying for the trip so window shopping will be mostly what I do.

General question - everyone says "get an early start".. I get up at 5:10 here in the US. What is an "early start" in Paris? 8am? 7? I've got to have something to eat in the AM before anything though so when would cafes/bakeries be open for a quick bite?

Just to answer my own question, now that we are back...the holiday made places thinner. It was easier to get a dinner reservation and the museums seemed less crowded than I anticipated (but we visited them first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon, so that might have been part of it).

Some buses stop running on Sunday but they ran on the holiday.

We found there was no issue on the 8th at all. In fact, sunday was more difficult just b/c so many dining places were closed and we hadn't planned ahead much.

Thx for posting an update. Many ppl come here and we never get to hear what happened on their trip!