Free morning in Paris
 

My husband and I leave for France (Bayeux and Paris) 1 week from today.
We've got most of our itinerary set but since our flight home does not leave until 5:50 pm we have a few hours in the AM to fill.

Here are the things we're planning to do:
9/19/09 - arrive at CDG bus to Opera and walk to Gare St. Lazare for train to Bayeux
9/20/09 & 9/21/09-2 day Battlebus tour of D-Day Beaches
9/22/09-Tour to Mont St Michel
9/23/09-train from Bayeux to Paris - arrive at Gare St Lazare bus 95 to St.Germaine des Pres stop walk to Hotel Bonaparte, after checkin take bus 69 for overview, Eiffel Tower, boat tour on Seine
9/24/09-Sainte-Chapelle, Conciergerie, Notre Dame, Musee d’Orsay, Rodin Museum
9/25/09-Arc de Triomphe walk along Champ De Elysees to Musee de l’Orangerie, Louvre open late on Fri
9/26/09-check out of hotel and leave bags at hotel, ?????
leave around 2:00 from Saint Michel Notre Dame station for RER B to CDG for 5:50 flight

Thursday is pretty full so we may not make all our stops. We're plannnig on using a 2 day Museum Pass on Thurs and Fri. We're not afraid of walking so except for really great distances we're not planning on using mass transit.

I'm hoping that from the time we check out of the hotel on Saturday the 26th until we leave for the airport we'll be able to cram some more Paris charm into our trip. Are there outdoor markets on Saturdays in the area of the Hotel Bonaparte? Or should we just walk around the Latin Quarter, Jardin Du Luxembourg??
Also does a 2:00 pm departure from the Saint Michel RER station allow enough time for a 5:50 pm flight?
Thanks for any advice or suggestions.

Also does a 2:00 pm departure from the Saint Michel RER station allow enough time for a 5:50 pm flight?>

how long do you have to check in before the actual flight?

RER will take about one hour from start to check-in if in Terminal 2 but you may have to transfer by the CDG Val peoplemover to Terminal 1?

there is a flower market i believe on most days on the Ile de la Cite - there is a nice walkway along the Seine's Left Bank from the Saint-Michel RER station upstream towards Austerlitz - there is a large statue park there and pleasant views of Notre Dame, etc. The Rue Mouffetard has one of Paris' most famous outdoor markets - not very far from your hotel.

I second the Rue Mouffetard market. There are also shops/cafes on the street as well as the vendors set up on the street. You can visit the Mosque while you're in the area and the Pantheon or pop into a few churches: St-Sulpice (turn left out of your hotel and it's 1 block) and St-Etienne-du-Mond. Or return to Hotel Bonaparte through the Luxembourg Gardens if the weather is nice.

Also in the area above is the Musee de Moyen Age, which can be seen in an hour or so.

Thank you for your great suggestions for a last morning in Paris.

We have an American Airlines flight from term 2 so I believe the 2 pm departure from St. Michel RER will get us to the gate in plenty of time.

Any comments on our itinerary? Are we leaving out anything essential?

A Paris Museum Pass will probably pay off greatly for your plans on your last few days - covers all those museums - buy it at any museum - but they only come in 1- and 3-day versions for your plans - so look at a one-day card for 9/24 but perhaps even a 3-day card will be cheaper than buying two one-day cards? check the site and see

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Paris Museum Pass | Official website
It's quick and easy. Buy your pass on your arrival at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airport (CDG). > List of retail outlets here.
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www.parismuseumpass.com/en/home.php - Cached - Similar
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Paris Museum Pass | Official website - FAQ
Jump to ‎: The Carte Musées-Monuments came into circulation in 1988 until ...
www.parismuseumpass.com/en/faq.php - Cached - Similar
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PARIS.TICKETS.CARTE.MUSEES.MONUMENTS
This card entitles you to free admission to 63 museums and monuments in Paris and the surrounding area. Unlimited number of visits without any need to queue ...
www.paris.org/Expos/ParisTickets/CarteMusees/

It is unlikely that 9/24 is feasible. The first 3 will take the whole morning, and I can't see doing both those museums in one afternoon. The Ste. Chapelle and Notre dame need plenty of sunlight to show off the knockout stained glass, so if it rainy and you skip them, the 2 two museums could then make it in the same day.

Just off Bldv St Germain, Rue de Buci is a neat place to walk through, with its food stalls. Have a look at Le Procope nearby, one of the oldest restaurants in Paris, where Ben Franklin ate, nice cobblestone street. Nearby, Cafe Bonaparte is a place I had a nice Croque Monsieur.

Musee du Moyen Age is small enough that you could spend an hour in it, and check out the roman ruins

Square du Vert galant is a nice, small park at the bottom of Pont Neuf...nice views of Seine,Louvre. Perhaps last views of Paris (RER nearby)?

Pal, the museum passes have changed to 2,4 and 6 day configurations.

merci lenny - the site i linked to said 1- and 3- but i thought it were wrong. Thanks. a 2-day pass will be perfect for them on their last two whole days in Paree.

I am a great one for leaving more time than you imagine you need to get out to any non-changeable non-refundable flight - like leaving St Mich at noon - i have experienced too many 'perturbations' on the RER/trains - unexpected delays due to train accidents, mal-functions blocking the lines and all too common in France strikes, albeit these are often announced in advance. Yup you'll be bored for a few hours at CDG but at least will not rish being on a stopped RER and looking at your watch abd fretting. Expect the unexpected IMO at the very worst time

I agree with Palenque...we just returned from CDG to DFW on Friday and amazingly got to CDG in record time, flew threw check in with the ticket counter, and were practically the only people going thru security. I had allowed 3 hours (as AA requires there) and we were thru security and sitting at the gate with 2 3/4 hours to spare. This compares to last September, when we arrived 3 hours ahead, stood in line at the ticket counter for 40 minutes, then took 90 minutes in a tremendous line at security. Go figure. Always better to err on the side of caution.

There are two things that we try and do first thing in the am to avoid lines... and I see both of these are later in the day on your itinerary. I don't know the crowds now and this may not be an issue...

=> Eiffel Tower - I like to get there first thing before they are open to get in line.
=> Notre Dame top - I like to climb to the top of the Towers and they capacity control how many people are in the stairs. I usually try to get there first thing to avoid the longer lines that happen later.

One thing that we did on our last trip was the Montparnasse Tower - it is a great view of Paris b/c you can see the Eiffel Tower. This would make for a morning activity and a nice way to say good bye.

I did think our schedule for Thurs the 24th was too crammed. Except or the Rodin the places we're visiting that day are in the same general area so we can alter our schedule as the day goes on and may need to leave some stops off entirely. It helps that the Orsay is open late on Thurs.
I never considered sunlight when planning the visits to Saint Chapelle and Notre Dame. Thanks for the tip.
Surfmom - our visit to the Eiffel tower is later in the day on Wed. because we're taking the train back from Bayeux that day. No choice. We could make Notre Dame our first stop of the day on Thurs.
We'll definitely reschedule our departure for the airport on Sat. We'll just spend some time with a good book at CDG.
Thanks for all the help information.

Perhaps you can add the Rodin to Wednesday, as it's quite close to the Tower. If time is short, at least you could stroll through the gardens (which are the best part IMO).