We are thinking about taking the chunnel from London to Paris for a day trip this December.

If you had six or seven hours in Paris, where would you spend your time? Museum, site, restaurant?

Does anyone know the best way to get from the Gare du Nord station to the Louvre?

First question. Have you ever been to Paris before? This would make a difference I think. If the answer is no, then I think one of those sightseeing bus tours would be the best way to at least see the major landmarks.

I'm a real lover of walking in Paris -- but in December, I'm not so sure (but then I'm a Floridian).

If doing a museum, I wouldn't tackle the Louvre -- simply too time consuming, or else I don't personally see the point of spending an hour or two to go through the logistics of seeing the Mona Lisa just to say I have. I'd probably choose the Orangerie for the Money waterlilies, instead.

Of course, most of my limited time would be spent eating in Paris!

Duh, Those waterlilies were painted by Monet -- but I guess they are worth a lot of MONEY.

I agree that a bus tour is great. You can get on and off at different stops.

The Louvre is large, but we just looked at the Mona Lisa building and spent a few hours there.

The chunnel is great, but I would recommend taking a taxi from Gare Nord
to the Louvre...that is if you are not on a limited budget.

Never been- yes, we hear it can be chilly- thanks for the sightseeing bus/museum suggestions. Any restaurant recommendations?

If your trip was in June when it is light until 11:00 p.m. and the weather is nice - I'd say go for it.

But in Dec it will be dark before 4.m. and the hop-on-hop-off bus tours are open top so you will FREEZE. If you sit downstairs you really can't see much - or more correctly can only see things on one side of the bus.

The fully enclosed buses are not hop-on-hop-off and cost a LOT more.

Any way you slice it you will pay about $400 for a few hours in Paris (when you include 2 meals, Eurostar, Louvre, taxis/metro/tube, etc) And if the weather is nasty it will be hard to see much.

Only you can decide if it is worth it . . . .

Dear Kath - For once [and i'm one of the wet blankets on this site] i'm going to say - "go for it". We took our kids to Paris for the day, much against my better judgement, saw lots of sites, and had a ball.
We were staying out at St. Germain des Pres, so didn't get into central paris until about 10-30 - probably the time you'd get there on the eurostar.
we started at the etoile [arc de triomphe], and skipped going to the top, though i gather from OPs that the views are great, as we were prioritising teh eiffel tower. AS there was a transport strike [the RER was free!] we walked down to the eiffel tower, and went right to the top. Even though i'd spent several weekends in Paris before I'd never done this, so i don't know woh was more excited, me or my son, then aged 12.
After that, we got on a boat [just by the tower] and sailed down to Notre Dame. Then it was lunch - a 10 euro menu in one of the many restaurants nearby.
THen we did the depatment store near notre dame [can't remember its name] and walked back through the tuilleries and up the champs elysee, dragging our DD out of all the shops, and crosssing everything that the RER was still running. fortunately it was, and it was still free. Phew.
So i think that it is very possible to see a lot in Paris in a day, and highly recommend it.

sorry - just to say I meant that we were staying in St. germain "en laye", not "des pres". hope i didn't confuse you.

Thank you! I know most folks have been down on this idea, but we are in London for nine days, were in London a few years ago, and think this might be a great trip (even with cold, dark conditions) for a long day in the middle of our nine-day tour....just to give us a sense of the city.

I think we would opt for a cab from Gare du Nord to the Louvre (if we choose that, NeoPatrick- I think your museum suggestion is a great one as well)- any idea's how much this might run for four?

Are there any great restaurant suggestions near a museum or in general?

Don't get me wrong - I do love Paris. And it seems you are pretty much set on going. But my $400+ was based on 2 people - now knowing there are 4 of you, this day trip probably going to run $650-$700 or more. If it were me - and I didn't want to spend 9 days in London - I'd spend not very much more and stay overnight in Paris. You would have nearly 2 full days in the city.

I'm in the "go for it" camp! Book your Euorstar tickets as soon as you know that your plans are firm and you might snag one of the $90 round trip fares. I booked ours from the states using RailEurope at 90 USD each (round trip) because I ordered 4 tickets there were no fees or shipping costs. Compare raileurope and eurostar.com to see which has the best rates for you and your dates. I also called BETS and they were extremely nice but couldn't do anything for me that I couldn't do myself, but if you have questions they might be able to help you. You can get a nice overview and see the sights of Paris on a tour, maybe do a "highlights" tour of the Louvre, and spend some time having lunch and/or dinner and just enjoy soaking up the atmosphere. The cab from the train station to the museum certainly would be convenient, but you could also metro although you would have to change lines - not brain surgery but maybe something that you don't want to bother with. If you're interested we can give you metro directions.

As far as a restaurant suggestion, what type of food do you like and do you have a price range in mind?

Margo!

I love your enthusiasm!
I'll look into raileurope vs. eurostar.
Cab/Metro are both fine with us- but I'd love Metro instructions if you have them.....
As for food, we'll be travelling so we won't be "dressed"- any suggestions for a cafe that might be near the Louvre if we do an hour or so tour there?
We are lucky enough to have accomodations in London covered, so we are willing to splurge a bit on Paris for a day.
As for a tourbus, most have said that with weather in December, that will be an issue on a top level of an open bus....can we take the Metro or cab to museum, find a nice spot nearby for lunch and then maybe see one more site before we head back to London?

Did someone say "Métro instructions?"

How about a Do-It-Yourself tour using public buses? See if you like this: http://tinyurl.com/ovpaw

I guess if you will be in London for 9 days why would you only do a day trip to Paris! I think once you go to Paris you wish you would have done the reverse senario. IMO

I hardly qualify as a Paris expert - we had an unplanned 24 hour layover in Paris this past January - but I would say that you should see the Eiffel Tower. I'm not sure the ages of your children, but I don't know if that matters. My daughters (18 and 20) and I all loved the Tower - it far exceeded any preconceptions I had about it.