candj83

This will be the first trip to France/Paris for DH and I. I've been working very hard and doing a lot of research and for the most part, I feel like I have a solid itinerary but would appreciate a final review. We will have been in Normandy for the first part of our trip. Our hotel is in the Latin Quarter, Hotel Atmospheres. We're going to be in Paris Sept 22 - Sept 27.

Day 1 Tuesday:
Drop rental car off at Gare Montparnasse, sometime mid-afternoon. Check into hotel, explore a little if we have time. Walking tour to get acquainted with the city at 20:00 (8pm) with Paris by Martin, includes food.

Day 2 Wednesday:
City Wonders Ile de la Cite and Notre Dame Tour with skip the line access for the tower, 10:00-13:00. Grab some ice cream at the famous Berthillon. Cluny Museum 13:30-15:30 (1:30-3:30). Explore Rue Mouffetard, grab a late lunch and shop. Take Metro line 7 to the Louvre. Spend the evening at the Louvre, using the Louvre Masterpieces Tour app on our phones. Dinner afterwards.

Day 3 Thursday:
This morning we are flexible, and I think it might be nice to go exploring. Suggestions for where? Should we walk the Seine itself or should we walk through the neighborhoods, like St Germain on a certain street? We think to visit either Musee Orangerie or Musee Orsay late morning-ish around 11:00-13:00. Picnic lunch Jardin des Tuilieries, and pop into Angelina for some famous hot chocolate and dessert. Rodin Museum 15:00-17:00 (3:00-5:00). Go to the top of Eiffel Tower at 19:00 (7pm). I am hoping to buy advance tickets for this time but I don't see 19:00 listed on their website; it jumps from 17:30 to 20:00. Do they not sell advance tickets for these times? Visit the Arc de Triomphe after a few hours at the Eiffel Tower, stopping for dinner in between the two.

Day 4 Friday:
Full day at Versailles. We would like to take the Private Apartments of the King Tour provided by Versailles at 9:30. Can anyone advise if it is possible to get into the Hall of Mirrors if we arrive super early (8am) to get in queue before we go on the tour? It would be wonderful to experience it mostly tourist-free, even for just a few minutes. I just don't know if this is possible. We would like to visit the Queen's Hamlet in the afternoon, possibly renting a bicycle to get around. Return to Paris, and take a Seine River tour. Dinner afterwards.

Day 5 Saturday:
I would like to spend the morning at a flea market. Puces de Vanves Flea Market (south) opens at 7:30am. There is another market, just a little north of Montmarte, Marché aux Puces, but it doesn't open until 10am. I was originally thinking the market in Montmartre because of its proximity to the activities for the rest of the day. However, the market itself sounds more expensive and it opens much later so I am now thinking going to the Vanves market and then taking the metro up to Montmartre after. We would also like to see the views from Sacre Couer and explore the Place du Tertre for street art. I had considered taking a food tour in Montmarte at 14:30 (2:30) but I am worried about having enough time for the flea market and Place du Tertre. Thoughts?

We would would like to end the day with a concert in Saint Chapelle and a nice dinner at a restaurant participating in the Fete de la Gastronomie.

Day 6 Sunday:
Fly home 9:25am

Tibor08

Oh Lord, I get dizzy

menachem

scrap half of it. you'll be run off your feet come evening.

For instance, your Versailles day, I would only do the Queen's Hamlet and the parks and grounds.

Day two: Cluny, to me is much more worth your time than the Louvre, but in any case, I'd skip one museum.

One day three, do give yourself time to hang out, breakfast late, or have brunch somewhere, walk in a park, go to Luxembourg, have an ice cream, a drink in the park, or whatever, but don't plan much. A walk along the Seine is not a very good idea: it's a racetrack with cars.

There's no "popping into" Angelina's. Better find yourself a nice salon de thé, or better yet, have tea and pastries at the Paris Mosque.

Scrap Arc de Triomph on day 4. Not worth it, seriously. Eiffel tower is already questionnable. Why not have dinner at Tour Montparnasse. Glorious views. Or even the rooftop restaurant of Institut du Monde Arabe and after have a stroll to Ile st Louis and Ile de la Cité. Very nice on an evening.

Saturday instead of going to the flea market, go to a food market, buy some nice things and have yourself a picknick lunch?

Again: it's so packed your schedule. Allow yourself some time for loitering and wandering around. That way you'll see and experience more. The highlights you chose will be full of people.

rosemaryoz

It certainly is a full book! But some people really like to pack in their time on holidays, so only you know the pace you can achieve.

On Thursday, I would suggest you spend the morning on foot in your neighborhood, exploring places like Saint-Sulpice, while walking west towards Musee Rodin. Definitely better to visit Rodin first thing in the morning and the Orangerie late in the afternoon, to avoid the midday crowds. I would leave D'Orsay till that evening for the same reason, and buy online a nocturne visit pass, which allows you to enter from 6pm on Thursdays. In fact you should buy all these tickets online before you go, to avoid the queues and save time.

And I am another one of those people who think the best views of the Eiffel Tower are from underneath! You can spend heaps of time waiting to get up and down those elevators, even if you have pre-booked tour tickets.

A relaxing way to enjoy the sights & lights from the river in the early evening is by simply hopping on the Batobus...I definitely would reconsider booking that Seine River cruise after a full day at Versailles. The Batobus runs till 9.30pm on weekend nights in September and you can just make up your mind about going when you're there.

candj83

Menachem and Rosemary, thank you for your replies!

This is our third trip to Europe together having been to Italy and Ireland previously. I back-packed around Europe in college as well, so we have some experience and have an idea of the pace we like to go. We realize that each destination is different though, and we learn as we go. We are in our early 30s and very active so we do like to see a lot since we have the energy for it. We hope to keep coming back to Europe and when we get older and have more time, we'll slow down and take one of those dreamy, relaxed trips I read about on here. That being said, we are always still flexible while actually on our trip and adjust our schedule as we feel we need to.

We had planned to buy the 4-day museum pass to allow us to come and go as we pleased. Based off your help, Day 3 we will plan the morning just for time to explore while we walk to the Rodin Museum. I will look at the Paris Mosque suggestion in lieu of Angelina's...if we do choose Angelina's, I see that they take online reservations; can you tell me if reservations are only for a full lunch with entree or can you make a reservation for just drinks and pastries?

We are flexible on either Orsay or Orangerie, and did not intend to visit both (I'm sorry if that was confusing). In fact, we do not have to see either one if the day ends up too full. My first priority is the Rodin Museum and another museum would be optional for that day.

We do plan to spend time under the Eiffel Tower, too. We will drop the Arc if we feel it is too much at the end of the day.

I'm very set on going to a flea market. I absolutely love vintage stuff and I'm very excited to go to one and explore.

Thank you for the advice on the Batobus. I think it's a great idea to have the flexibility of hopping on it depending on how we're feeling. We figured the Seine river cruise would be a leisurely way to end our day after a big day at Versailles, especially since it's easily accessible from our hotel.

Gretchen

You might consider turning your car in at Orly and taxiing to your hotel. Or stop by Chartres on the way from Normandy and turn it in there and train.
It's 'way too regimented for my taste. I would group things by area (don't go to the top of the Tower for me also--better from below--have a picnic on the Champ de Mars).
No Seine cruise--I may have missed it. Don't bother with the Batobus, IMO.
Porte Vanves market is MUCH fun on Saturday.

mamcalice

A very full schedule but if you have lots of energy and like traveling that way - go for it.

A Seine River cruise is very pleasant and a way to see the city from a different vantage point. Use the Vedettes du Pont Neuf (not Batobus) and go at dusk to see the lights come on all over Paris. Beautiful.

We love the Rodin and try to visit each time we are in Paris, especially for the gardens. However, I would not visit in lieu of the Musee d'Orsay or the Orangerie. If you can fit Rodin and d'Orsay in, great.

A note re a concert at Sainte Chapelle. This is always a highlight of our trips to Paris. In late September, it may be dark at concert time so you may miss the wonderful stained glass. I think I would consider missing Versailles this trip to fit in more of the wonders of Paris and leave yourselves a little time to simply enjoy the city which it is the best part of a visit to Paris.

rosemaryoz

I agree with Mamcalice - try to go to d'Orsay as well.(If you're in your 30s and this well-organised, you will definitely have the energy to fit it in!) The evening visit on Thursday would work into your schedule nicely: you just pre-book that ticket & walk straight through Door C after 6pm...and it's so much quieter than daytime. You could have a pleasant couple of hours there before going off for dinner. Have a great trip!

KTtravel

I must preface that I enjoy museums but my favorite museum in Paris is the Orangerie. I also love the Rodin. The Orangerie really does not take long to visit and Monet's watercolors are amazing. If you like Monet at all, I would try not to miss this gem of a museum. You could easily add it to your Thursday morning and then visit the Tuilleries.

candj83

I have ironed out our car return details which has given us a little more time in Paris our first day. We have decided to return our car in Versailles, so I'm thinking we should get into Paris about 1pm at the metro close to our hotel on Tuesday afternoon and hopefully be checked in and settled in our hotel by 2pm. We'll use this afternoon just for walking around and exploring our neighborhood in Paris. Wednesday will be a very busy day and our visit at the Louvre may be a shorter one just to see the highlights. We aren't huge museum people -- we appreciate art but it's not our main focus so I think this will work just fine for us.

Tuesday 22nd
- starting 2pm-ish, walk to Pantheon and purchase Museum Pass there.
- explore Rue Mouffetard, shop and eat
- walk through St Germain neighborhood and explore, visit Luxembourg gardens
- either walk or metro to Ecole Militaire stop (meeting point for Paris by Martin tour)
- Paris walking tour 8pm - 11pm, wine and snacks included

Wednesday 23rd
- guided Ile de la Cite and Notre Dame tour, 10-12
- skip the line access from previous tour for ND tower, 12-1
- lunch somewhere close, ice cream at Berthillon
- short visit at St Severin church
- visit Cluny Museum with audioguide
- Louvre museum with downloaded app tour
- dinner
- metro to Arc de Triomphe, go up and metro back to hotel

Thursday 24th
- visit Rodin museum
- lunch at Rodin museum cafe or somewhere else
- metro to Printemps Haussman for a drink or pastry at Le Déli-Cieux with views of Paris
- walk back south, stopping at a few specialty shops and walking past Opera Garnier
- visit Orangerie museum
- Eiffel tower with tickets up at 8pm (it seems you can't purchase tickets online for 7pm like I wanted)
- dinner

Friday 25th
- all day at Versailles, guided Private Apartments of the King Tour, 9:30am
- dinner
- Seine river tour (Vedettes du Pont Neuf)

Saturday 26th
- explore Puces de Saint-Ouen Flea Market just north of Montmartre
- lunch
- shop Place du Tertre Art Market for a piece of street art (I'd love something with Paris scenery)
- explore Montmartre
- take in views from Sacre Coeur
- concert at Saint Chapelle, either 7pm or 8:30
- dinner at restaurant participating Fete de la Gastronomie

Sunday 27th
- taxi to CDG at 5:30am for flight at 9:25am

Should we use our evening time on Saturday for viewing the windows at Saint Chapelle or should we use it for hanging out and watching the sun set from Sacre Coeur? I have been tossing around the idea of visiting Saint Chapelle on Tuesday when we arrive just to make sure we don't miss the windows being lit up by daylight.

Since it is recommended to taxi to CDG for our flight out, do you think 5:30am pick up time is appropriate on a Sunday morning to give us enough time?

Why does the Eiffel tower website have a gap in tickets available for the evening? I was hoping to buy at 7pm but it does not look like we'll be able to do so.

Thank you all so much for your help...I really think our itinerary is coming together very nicely, so much because of your great information and tips!

mainetrvlgrl

I learned when trying to buy tickets for the Eiffel Tower that once a time slot is sold out (there is a limit on the number of tickets they sell via pre-sale), it is removed as an option. I beat my head against the wall trying to figure that out too!

As you wander through the St. Germain area, make it a priority to stop at Patrick Roger's chocolate shop. Between the chocolate sculptures and the unbelievable chocolate, it is worth a stop for a sample. We also enjoyed the Eric Kayser artisan bakeries (there are a few in the city) SO much-by far the best "bien cuit" baguette we had. Sounds like an amazing trip!

denisea

Well, you'll sleep well.

You can pop in to Angelina....just did this in December...many times there is a line but if you really want to go there, you can get in. It was good but not great. If you would like a nice place for something sweet and a coffee or hot chocolate, take a look at Un Dimanche a Paris in the 6th (off Blvd St Germain).

As far as the windows at Sainte Chapelle, they are best in bright sunlight. You can't get into the chapel too much before the concert so I am not sure that going before the concert will get you what you want.

I would see the Cluny and the Pantheon in the same visit. They are very close.

After all the trips, I have never been up in the ET, so I can't help there.

You should be OK for your flight out...depends on if you are checking bags, claiming VAT refund, etc....we are always way early but I have to be early or I am stressed.

The salted butter caramel ice cream at Berthillon is too die for.

rosemaryoz

Glad to see you've factored in a stop at the Pantheon, which is after all just around the corner from your hotel! Your days look busy, but achievable. The only question I would have is Wednesday. You won't do any of those places justice if you try to fit all that into one day! At the very least, the Louvre will require two hours just to get through the crowds, even for 'highlights only'. Personally, I don't think a special trip to the Arc de Triomphe is really worth that time and effort that day. Why not consider a night visit to the Louvre on Wed instead? It's open till 9.45pm, so you could spend a couple of hours, then go for a late dinner around 9ish.

SashieZo

I see you booked a tour of Notre Dame. Wondering if maybe I should book a tour as well since I'll be travelling the end of June (crowds!)...Is it likely to be a long line getting into Notre Dame or D'Orsay ?
Candj83 - hope you don't mind me asking on your board!

Gretchen

If you are going to turn your car in at Versailles, why don't you just do your tour THEN rather than spending all the time to go back out there.
As for the flea market, go to the Porte de Vanves market on Saturday morning. It stretches a number of blocks with LOTS of fun things to look at. The St.Ouen Marche was originally a flea but is now a rabbit warren of high end antique shops (mostly branches of shops in town) and some malls. It is daunting to even penetrate a bit, and to me, just not very satisfying. I can buy most things here cheaper!! IF you are looking for a specific Belle Epoque mirror, or some such, find the name of the shop and go there!! You can also check the Pariscope to see if there is a brocante on some square the weekend you are there. We have had GREAT luck at those.
Your Notre Dame tour is a long time (for me). But if you want a place to eat, just behind ND over the bridge is the Brasserie en l'Ile de Cite which is delicious and fun to sit on the terrace to people watch and see the Seine.

candj83

Mainetrvlgrl, from what I can see, there is a gap of time availability every evening. My tickets aren't even available to purchase yet -- I'll be getting up at 1:30 on a Tuesday morning to try to snag them! Thanks for the tips on the food stops!

Dinisea -- I think we'll keep Angelina's on our radar and we'll check out the Un Dimanche. It appears that the famous shops Laduree and Pierre Hermes will be on our walking path on Thursday so we may just visit those instead. It sounds like it might be a good idea to try to pop into Saint Chapelle the afternoon of our arrival. The Cluny museum is not open that day or else we would go that day. I can't wait to try the ice cream at Berthillon!

Rosemaryoz, yes, we are planning to see the Louvre in the evening. We're hoping to get there around 5-6ish so that would give us a few hours there. The Arc is open to 11 so I'm thinking if we have the time/energy after the Louvre, we'd go check it out since it's on a direct metro line right off the Louvre and it should be fairly easy?

SashieZo, no problem! We booked with CityWonders, you'll have to see if they have availability. From what I've read, the lines at Notre Dame move fairly quickly to get into the church itself. The lines for the tower can be at least an hour wait. Instead of getting in line in the morning an hour before they open just for the tower, we figured it was worth the extra money to get a tour that would give us skip-the-line access and save us an hour (minimum) in a queue. For the D'Orsay, what I've read is you either want to arrive very early (even before they open) or go there later in the day, or even better, go the day that they are open into the late evening. Of course, that's only what I've read, so not what I know first-hand.

Christina

That's true for the Orsay. I've never gotten there before they open, I'm not that dedicated, but the lines aren't that bad if you get there about when it opens. I've never had to stand in line at Notre Dame just to get into the church, and I've been there during some peak tourist seasons so that must be something new, if true. And yes, it will be easy to go from the Louvre to the Arc by metro.

As for taxi, yes, I"d probably book for 5:30 if I had a 9:30 flight. It gives you a cushion, but I'm OCD about that, not being late. I try to get there 3 hrs ahead at CDG, and that will easily do it because there isn't much traffic then at all. So you'll probably get there in only about 40 minutes, but it's when I'd book. Fares are more expensive at that time of day BTW

melodyesch

Bookmarking for the great ideas.

Your itinerary looks PACKED, but as long as you're both energetic AND flexible, you'll have a great time!

Gretchen

Instead of the Metro to go to the Arc, find the bus line that goes all the way up the Champs and kill 2 birds.
Yes, the tour saves an hour in line, but takes 2 hours to do, if it is all that interesting? I have no idea. I have also not climbed to the towers and would love to see the gargoyles, but ..... not all is possible.
I think it would be good to have days with "suggestions" but really, loosen up a bit. If you don't see it all, you are young.
The Louvre is just NOT all about the highlights--and we much prefer almost any other museum to it. But from the Michelin Green Guide, choose a hall to go see (have an alternate in mind in case that hall is closed that day). The Egyptian hall is fabulous, as is the basement which shows how the chateau was built--by slaves who marked the bricks. The Louvre on the night it is open will be even more crowded.

candj83

Yes, definitely, we view these ideas for our days in Paris as "suggestions". If we see everything, great; if not, we know we will go back at some point in time later in life. I figure it is much better to have a logical plan where things are thought through and planned, taking into account proximities, opening times, our personal priorities, etc than trying to just wing it. That way we can make the most of our time. Not everything in this list is a high priority; some things are incidental...we'll for sure see our priorities and hopefully some of the other sights on our list if it works out.

If we have time in the Louvre, we would like to see the Greek/Roman area of the museum because that history is very interesting to us. We are looking forward to the Cluny Museum very much. The tour of Notre Dame is more than just Notre Dame, it covers the very early history of Paris and the Ile de la Cite. The tour itself is about two hours and we were guessing about an hour on our for the tower; perhaps that is too long. We have found in our travels that we actually enjoy small guided tours very much so we anticipate we will enjoy this one as well.