koryn

I will be in London for a week in early July and am thinking about taking a day trip to Paris offered by British Tours. They offer a 7 hour tour with a driver/guide who picks you up at Gare du Nord, takes you pretty much wherever you want to go and then drops you back off at the train station for the return to London. I'd like to see the Louvre (which I know will have to be a quick visit!), the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. How doable is this in terms of time available to see these sites and to actually get from site to site? Where would you recommend I eat lunch? Am I forced into doing "something quick" at the Eiffel Tower (I notice they have a couple of snack bars located there) to save time for sightseeing? I'd appreciate any guidance you could give.

ira

HI K,

Save some money by buying a one-day RT fare at www.eurostar.com and using the metro and/or www.batobus.com to get around Paris.

Enjoy your visit.

Christina

I wouldn't use that tour, but there is a hopon-hopoff bus that goes to the main tourist sites and has a stop right at Gare du Nord. That is called L'Opentour and they have four different routes with open-top buses. You buy one pass and can take the bus all day, getting on and off as you wish, and you can change routes. It's only 26 euro and that would seem to do whatever you want, so you wouldn't need to pay for any tour/guide, but just buy a Eurostar ticket.

For someone who just wants to see the main sights, has never been there before, and has one day, I think that would be best in comparison to Batobus or trying to figure out the metro, etc yourself. But that would certainly be another option. I kind of like those open-top bus tours of cities, though, and weather should be fine in July. In fact, it stays light very late, so you wouldn't have to leave until maybe 7-8 pm to go back to London (if you want to get back there before midnight).


http://www.paris-opentour.com

nytraveler

Since you time is extremely limited I would start earlier (take the first train fro London, cab from place to place in Paris and take the last train back.

That will

Give you more hours there (you should be able to get more like 10 at least)

Won't wast time waiting for some silly hoppy bus

Can spend as long as YOU like at each stop

Have time for a pleasant lunch

TimS

For someone who has never been to Paris and isn't familiar with the Metro and bus system, the following suggestion may not be practical, especially when you're short on time. However, I'll give it anyway just to show how cheaply you can see the things on your list. Bus #69 goes within a few blocks of the Eiffel Tower and virtually right by the other places on your list. If you ride it for its entire circuit, it will give you a great above-ground introduction to Paris. Buy a one-day zone 1-2 Mobilis pass (5.60&euro at Gare du Nord. It will cover all your RER, Metro, and bus rides. From Gare du Nord take the RER B to St-Michel Notre-Dame. You'll be on the Rive Gauche (Left Bank of the Seine). Walk across the bridge and visit the cathedral. Walk across another bridge to the Rive Droit (Right Bank) to catch bus 69. When you're ready to return to Gare du Nord, take the Metro and/or RER.

Here is a link to a map of the bus route: http://tinyurl.com/35773z.

Here is a link to a Metro/RER map for central Paris: http://tinyurl.com/3cd9gm.

TimS

Pardon my French! I should have written Rive Droite rather than Rive Droit.

elaine

I can't see daytripping to Paris and spending the time with a car and driver. Take the

Order Louvre entrance tickets on line at louvre.fr advice, and go early on your own. The longest entrance line for the Louvre is the main one starting in the courtyard at the Pyramid. There is another entrance at Porte des Lions, between the Arc du Carrousel and the Tuileries Gardens. A highly-recommended entrance is the underground entrance from the metro stop “Palais Royal-Musee du Louvre”. Either splurge and use a ticket to enter the metro or, if you are already coming off a metro train, exit at the far end of the platform where the sign says “direct access to the Louvre” and you will walk through a security check, then the Carrousel shops, and into the central ticket and information area.

If you enter off the rue de Rivoli across from the Palais Royal, you can also take the entrance via the Louvre Carrousel shops. The first Sunday of every month offers free admission to the Louvre and many other cultural sites, and the lines are even longer.

Every day the Louvre offers a "Highlights" tour in English (sometimes twice a day, first one is usually about 11am, second one about 1 or 2pm.)Check the Louvre website for the schedule. The Highlights tour is great for seeing the famous "big three"
(No head, No arms, No torso) plus a fleeting glimpse of some other master works. That tour is 60-90 minutes, I forget which. You go to the Tours Conferences desk, main entrance level. Allow a few minutes before the actual time of the tour: you have to pay for the tour, rent the headsets (the guide uses a microphone), and be prepared to leave a credit card or passport as security for the headset.

There are free coat-check rooms behind the escalators. The coat-check room won't take bags, that’s a separate checking procedure. There are relatively few restrooms, often with lines, especially on school field-trip days.

koryn

My thanks for all the suggestions given above. However, I really like the idea of a driver/guide. I think it best utilizes the small amount of time I will have in Paris. He will have tickets pre-bought for the Louvre, will escort my inside the Louvre acting as a limited guide, and can take me directly to places of interest to me in Paris. My original question was more of a scheduling/timing one. How doable is it to expect to see the Louvre (quick visit - to the "main 3" as it is often referred to here!), the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame? Will this be too much of a rush, or will there be enough time to absorb some of this beautiful city?

cathies

The three things you have suggested are all close to each other. From that point of view I don't think you will have any trouble. Hope you enjoy your day.

Apres_Londee

By the "main "three" at the Louvre do you mean the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory of Samothrace, and Venus de Milo? If so, it wouldn't take that long to see them because they are all fairly close together in the museum.

I would recommend heading over to the Louvre's website to learn a bit about the collection and where everything is located in the museum. Then maybe you could do a short tour of the areas that interest you (say, for example, oriental antiquities or Spanish paintings)as well as a look at the "main three" mentioned above.

I would probably start at Notre Dame, including a climb up the towers. Then to the Louvre, and have a late lunch at Cafe Marley. Or, for a quicker lunch, buy a sandwich or crepe on the street. Visit the Louvre for 2 hours. Then head over to the Eiffel Tower. You could certainly do this in one day. I imagine it could also be done in six hours(allowing 1/2hr transit to and from Gare du Nord), although that would be less than 2 hours at each place (again allowing for transit between) So yes it is very rushed but I think doable.

I'm not sure how it works with the driver/guide. Is the guide also the driver- will he have to take time to find parking? I also don't know if driving between these points is in fact faster than taking the metro.

Remember that unlike London, central Paris is fairly compact (a true walking city) and there is a metro station on virtually every corner. If you can nagivate London, Paris will be a breeze.

I just can't help but think that it may be less efficient to see the city with a driver/guide and strict seven hour limit than doing it on your own. But that is my personal bias, as I much prefer the freedom to do as I choose and not keep to someone else's schedule while sightseeing (I especially hate being rushed) What if you get caught in a snarl of traffic? What if you are captivated by something in the Louvre and want to spend extra time? What if you want to stay and have dinner before going back to London?

Anyways, whatever you decide you will love Paris. Enjoy your trip.

KL467

Koryn,

Notre Dame can be quick. I did not climb to the top, however.

On a Friday in July 2008 around 10 a.m., I waited in line at the Eiffel Tower for two hours. Then it takes time to go to the different levels. It was worth it to me!

I went on a two-hour tour of the Louvre. Because I was with a tour group, I don't know how long the lines were.

Have a great time!