if you had three hours in Paris what would you do?
 

As part of a cruise excursion, we are taking a bus trip to Paris, including a tour of the city highlights, and then getting about 3 hours on our own near the Place de la Concorde. I figure grabbing a quick lunch and walking around might be all we can do, and that would be fun, but is there anything we can take in with that little time? I'm thinking there wouldn't be enough time to go in the Louvre. This will be a Sunday if that makes any difference. Thanks for your help.

Take a river boat down the Seine to see many of the famous monuments/sites.

Find a cafe, sit and watch and enjoy!

You'll have seen highlights from the bus. I suggest you locate a neighborhood that appeals to you away from Concorde, which I don't find particularly interesting. Have a quiet stroll and lunch. I think the general area of the Marais would be satisfying. One of the oldest and most atmospheric areas with the leafy Place des Vosges and loads of interesting boutiques along the Rue des Francs Bourgeois. It's close to the Ile Saint-Louis where your bus will likely not have taken you and finish with a coffee in a cafe beside the Seine.

I can't image only having only three hours in Paris, impossible to comprehend how that could be.

I agree with a walk through the Marais and to the Place des Vosges will be nice. A lot of areas are a bit too quiet on Sunday, and the Marais has some shops, etc. that are open on Sunday.

Have you considered a museum?

I would just walk around the city as suggested and eat outside if weather permits. For me going to any inside site would be a waste of precious time.

STay close to where you are being picked up, have something to eat, maybe, and oh, whatever. What a silly question. You can't really "go" to anywhere.

I would visit Montmartre and le Sacre Coeur and take the river boat ...

The Orangerie is a great small museum near Place de la Concorde that could be viewed comfortably in an hour or two.

Sallyky, I agree with Lowcountrycarol : "For me going to any inside site would be a waste of precious time."

Wander and enjoy...

If you only have 3 hours I would not leave the area or go to a big tourist destination as you'll waste all your time going back and forth or standing in lines. I would grab a sandwich and take a walk through the public Tuileries Gardens and take in the statues, terrasses, and fountains throughout. Or take a free seat near one of the basins, or sit at the cafe in the garden (http://www.louvre.fr/en/la-terrasse-de-pomone) where you can sit with a drink and do some people watching.

If you really want to visit a museum or the weather is bad, the Musée de l'Orangerie is nearby and is a great little museum that can be toured in an hour if you wanted.

I would take a boat tour and after sit at an outside cafe and people watch.

I also recommend visiting the Orangerie. It is right next the Place de la Concorde and can be easily visited in an hour or so. Monet's waterlilies are exquisite and something I want to see each time I am in Paris.

After the Orangerie, find a nice sidewalk cafe and have lunch or a drink.

Stay within a few minutes walk of your pickup place.

I would go to Laduree on the Rue Bonaparte and buy some salted caramel and rose macarons, get a takeaway coffee, walk over to the Luxembourg Gardens, find a bench and ENJOY.

Thin

Thank you everybody for your replies. I would have responded much earlier, but I got a bad something and haven't had the energy. Finally the antibiotics took hold and, thankfully, the trip begins next Sunday, not two weeks ago. We will have a bus tour of the tourist sites before our free time, so I think we'll take the the suggestions to relax, eat, people watch, and just enjoy the atmosphere. The advice to stay near our pick-up spot is very good. We've been told that if we miss the bus, it's our problem and we would have to catch up with the cruise as best we could. Would not want to have to do that.

There is a Laduree on the Rue de la Paix just a few steps from Place Concord (across from Hotel de Crillon).

You are also close to Hediard.

Thin

Don't discount deliberately missing the pickup - depending on where and how you could pick up the cruise if you missed it.

If you could manage it by a short train ride then taxi, I'd be looking to find a way to spend an extra few hours in Paris!

I would walk over to Saint Germain des Pres and have a beverage on the patio of Les Deux Magots.

I would cry.