teach905

The time is coming up and I need help planning my days. We are husband and wife 50+ making our first trip to Paris. With the Dollar so poor we are not looking to spend a great deal on food. We want bistros etc and a couple of nice dinners...Les Ombres is on the list. We planned to have dinner at the Eiffle Tower, but the prices are now out of our reach.

We are staying in an apt.in the 6th on St Andres des Arts not far from St. Germain Blvd and St Michel Blvd. I am trying to plan my days:

We leave the US on Monday night and arrive in Paris at 11AM on Tuesday. We plan on heading to the apt., unpacking, and exploring the neighborhood. Since we are so close we will probably see:

St Chappelle and Notre Dame that day. Any suggestions for a place for dinner near the apt?

Wed.
Musee de L'Orangerie
Musee Picasso
Pompidou Center
Musee du Judaisme
reccommendation for a place to eat in the Jewish quarter and Marais

Thursday:
Versailles
Evening Paris Illumination boat tour

Friday:
Louvre
Orsay

Sat:
Montemarte/
Sacre Cour
Back to apt
Renoir's House before dinner in that area.

Sun:
Arc de Triomphe
Eiffel Tower

Monday and Tuesday open to go back and do other things.

Back to the states on Wed.

We will do museum highlights and plenty of walking. I want to be able to explore Paris so I planned days that are doable with cafe stops and time to wander. As you can see there are no markets in place. What days will be the best to do them and what markets are the best to see?

I can't wait!!!! I was a history major and I love seeing what I studied all those years ago!!!


Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Travelnut

You need to spread out your museums over more days - 2 in one day is more than enough. Your brain will freeze over.

You can't enter Musee de l'Orangerie until after 12:30 anyway - when we visited last April, we went in around 4pm, no line.

You don't need more than 1/2 a day to explore Montmartre/Sacre Coeur - don't limit your trip to only the church and Place du Tertre - see those small, winding backstreets too. Still a 'village' kind of atmosphere..

I'd prefer a museum in the morning and some of the outdoor/walking type activities in the afternoon. The Louvre is also open later on Wednesdays, and maybe Mondays.

apersuader65

What time of year are you planning to be there? The weather and the number of hours of daylight may impact your itinerary, as well as the amount of queueing you'll face.

teach905

We plan on being there from April to the 16th. The days will be longer.

I plan to get the mueum pass to make the lines shorter. I know we have 1 crazy day planned...but I know if we do not get to all of it, we still have time at the end of the trip.

When we've gone to museums in the past, we go to see the famous things. We spend lots of time at museums in NYC so we try to see the historically famous the first go round. We'll go back to any we want to.

weindell

One of our favorite places to eat in the St. Germain area is Brasserie Balzar, on Rue des Ecoles. Don't know when your trip will be, but if the weather's cold, Balzar does a great choucroute garnie (sauerkraut cooked in white wine with great pork and sausage accompaniments). And I always have to save room for the profiteroles for dessert.

apersuader65

The first Wed. your schedule is you hectic day, I assume. Keep in mind that you may have some lingering jet lag that day. In any event, make sure you follow travelnut's advice, L'Orangerie doesn't open until 12:30 p.m. so arrange it later.

raspberryberet

Hi teach!

Try to plan your visit into Sacre Coeur around noon. We wandered in a few weeks ago around noon and were taken by heavenly surprise to open the doors to the ethereal sounds of the nuns singing in a choir.

We sat for about a half hour just taking in the not-of-this-world experience. It was breathtaking... so beautiful. My favorite memory in all of London, Rome, Paris.

gard

Hi

My wife and I went to Paris a couple of year back. Here is my trip report with pictures and linsk http://gardkarlsen.com/Paris_France.htm and I have also made this interactive Google map that shows where some of the attractions are located http://gardkarlsen.com/paris_france_map.htm . Hope that you can find some useful information in the trip report

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

mamc

I agree with those who think you are packing too many museums into too few days.

April is likely to be lovely in Paris. Spend your mornings in museums and your afternoons walking and doing things outdoors or vice versa. We have often been able to eat outdoors in April and it is a pleasant respite after a morning of museums.

One of the best parts of Paris is enough time to enjoy exploring the city by walking around the neighborhoods, visiting the cafes and strolling and through the gardens. One of my favorite experiences is walking through Luxembourg Gardens on Sunday morning when the families are out. The garden at the Rodin Museum is a lovely place for a picnic and I love the Tuilleries.

I also recommend the Cluny with its exquisite tapestries of the Lady and the Unicorn.

You have plenty of time to enjoy Paris. Have a wonderful time.

Michel_Paris

Chez Clement and La Jacobine are two good places to eat near your appartment.

For your Seine cruise the Vedettes du Pont Neuf is quite near where you are staying. A visit to the park at Square du Vert Galant (where the boats leave from) is also nice.

I'd add Ile St Louis to Notre Dame day.

I'm unfamiliar with Renoir's house. Can you give some details?

I'd agree to maybe shift some of the museum visits around.

Cluny (Moyen Age) is a good one. Luxembourg Gardens is worth taking a lunch to and sitting on a bench. I also like the Rue de Buci and Cafe Procope area for walking around.

Place des Vosges is a must see in the Marais. There are also some nice restaurants in the arcade to have lunch/dinner at.

Around the Louvre I like going to Palais Royal, Place Vendome and Opera Garnier. If you like antiques, go to the Louvre des Antiquaires right across from the Louvre to see the hign end antique shops.

Guenmai

Teach 905...so you'll be in the same apartment I'll be in, but exactly a month after I've been there.It's apt#122,right? That's the one I recommended I think to you and have also recommended it to others as for the area and conveniences in the neighborhood which I've stayed in, almost annually since the early 80s.
If you walk down to rue de Seine, there's a grocery store right on rue de Seine between Blvd. St. Germain and rue Buci. I've been shopping there for years...nice selection of items. You can also enter the grocery store from the rue Buci entrance right next to Paul's restaurant.
Plus, the open-air vegetable, fruit, etc market is right on the corner of rue de Seine and rue Buci. The patisserie right on rue Buci, right before you get to rue de Seine...right side of the street...is wonderful. It's been there forever. And there's a deli-style place in the same block that has wonderful food. So, you're all set.
I know you asked for sites, but I thought I'd help you get aquainted with the neighborhood. I'll continue writing later. Happy Travels!

rileypenny

Notre Dame followed by strolling Ile St. Louis, with late lunch at Mon Vieil Ami on Ile St. Louis, followed by a ride on the Vedettes de Pont Neuf, would be a great day.

There are several informal cafes/bistros that are good but not too expensive, in the Place du Marche St. Honore, which is sort of between the Place Vendome and the Louvre. We visited two of them while in the area and without reservations. Some are even open for Sunday dinner, when many things are closed.

Shops in St. Germain area are closed Sunday, so that is a good day for a visit to the Louvre or the Paris flea market.

palette

You might want to consider using the Batobus rather than the commercial boat tours. You can buy a day pass and use it to go from one area to the other via the Seine, with great views added. There is no narrative, but most of the buildings you pass are easily identifiable.

I agree that you are going to run out of interest by doing so many museums in one day. Standing and shifting from one painting to another can be exhausting.

If you have some time, try to see the interior of the Opera Garnier - it is stunning.

Personally, I would skip Versailles, but then I am not into palaces. Losing an entire day in Paris would not be my choice. I would rather sit in the Palais Royal and watch the grandmeres gossip by the fountain.

TPAYT

We're in our early 60's and go to Paris often. here are our suggestions.

Take any boat but Batobus--not a nice experience

Lunch at "Place Vosges"(many restaurants outside) in the "Marais"

Ile St. Louis restaurants that won't break the bank--"Sorza", "Le Fleur en Ile", best ice cream in Paris at 2 or 3 walk-up places.

Our other less costly restaurants are: "Au Bougnat" on Rue Channoinesse about 1-2 blocks from Notre Dame, it's very plain to look at, but what wonderful food. "Relais Entrecote"(1 dish only-steak and ff)left bank, down the side street from the Cafe de Flore" on Rue St. Benoit. And our all time favorite is Italian--"Marco Polo" to sit outside at Rue de Conde near the Odeon, left bank.

Also, check St. Chapelle before you go. We were there in Sept. and the larg, main windows were out for restoration.

We hope you have good weather, especially for Versailles---a stunning, memorable day trip.

RondaTravels

I second the "skip Versailles" advice. The gardens are at least half of what you want to see there and they won't yet be in full bloom in early April.
As for eating in the Jewish quarter, try L'As du Fallafel.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/12/31/travel/31bite.html

Don't be seduced by the other fallafel places on the street -- find this one! And it is so cheap you'll have a little more money to splurge elsewhere!

I also think you are going to get fried from that many museums! I'd relax a little more! Try the Berthillion ice cream on Ile St. Louis. Small servings, but the most intense flavors (the berry flavors are my fave).

I also had one of my favorite meals ever in Paris last December in a tiny Italian restaurant in Montemartre. A very neighborhood place (packed on a Sunday night). I can't remember the name of it but it was on a small side street right off of Rue des Abbesses, I think on rue Audran.

Have a wonderful time in my favorite city!

Guenmai

I third..."skip Versailles". Happy Travels!

apersuader65

Being a history major, I think you would enjoy Versailles, notwithstanding the several "skip" recommendations above. As you may recall, Versailles was worth a trip for many working class parisians as far back as 1789!

Make your plans as you wish, but I would recommend leaving some fluff in the days. By that I mean be prepared to skip some places, as you may find one place more interesting and want to stay longer than your itinerary.

Also, be wary of potential jet lag, it can cause early fatigue or late starts. You early planning may just eliminate that.

Good luck and enjoy.

teach905

I thank you all for your help. I am in full gear now. I know my days are full, but I also know we will alter the days as we go along. I plan to enjoy the time in Paris. Each day has a star by the must do things...the rest are gravy if we get to them. They are just things in the area. I remember going into the British Museum and all I wanted to see... the Rosetta stone. We spent about an hour in the museum, and we all know how many days could be spent there. I know museums can wear you out. The big ones I really want to see while I am there...The Louvre, The Orsay, L'Orangerie, The Rodin...the rest may all wiat for another trip. But if we are there, and if we have time... I want to know what is near where we are.

Yes, Versailles is on my short list. When my daughter back packed and went to Paris, I told her she had to go to Versailles! I won't miss it.

As for jet lag, we usually do fine going to Europe...it's coming east that's a problem for us.

Thanks again...any more ideas are great, but I think I am well on my way to a great plan for the Cty of Lghts.

ValereS

I recommend you this new travel guide dedicated to paris

http://www.myvideoplanet.com

Nikki

On rue des Rosiers in the Marais, I have eaten twice at Chez Marianne, which I recommend for lunch. You can choose a combination of Jewish and middle eastern items to make a platter at a reasonable price.