reddy2go2

Fellow Fodorites,

We (husband, two teenage sons and I) are going to be in Paris for a day late March. Would love your thoughts on what a perfect day in Paris would be like for you.. and also, places you would recommend for lunch and dinner.

We arrive at 9 am at Gard Du Nord and take the Eurostar from Gare Du Nord to London at 9 pm. Must sees for us: Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and St Chappelle, plus walking by the Seine. A good, quick lunch and a great dinner. Thought we would use the metro to get around efficiently. Welcome your thoughts.

Christina

well, the perfect day for me doesn't matter as you have your interests and must-sees. Mine wouldn't include any of your must-sees, but I've been there a lot.

YOU aren't going to have alot of time for dinner and will be limited FYI. Some places don't even open until 7:30. Don't you have to be at the Eurostar at least a half hour ahead? Well, I would be just to be on the safe side. So that leaves you to a cafe or something where you can eat early.

Nikki

It might be better for you to have the great lunch and the good, quick dinner. Most restaurants don't serve dinner until at least 7:30 PM. The cafes and brasseries that have continuous service will be able to get you the meal you want in time to get to your 9:00 train, but if you want a bistro or more elaborate restaurant meal, you won't be able to fit it in before going to the station. But many very good restaurants are also open for lunch.

glenmd

I did pretty much your exact day two years ago, except instead of stopping for lunch/dinner, I walked up to Arc de Triomphe and then walked down the Champs-Élysées past the Louvre. It was a good day. I actually had less time than you, arriving in Paris close to 10 and leaving to return to London at about 8. As Christina mentioned, seating for dinner may be an issue though (I am not much on fine dining though, so I can't comment specifically on it)

Depending on exactly how much walking you want to do, you could walk the whole way from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower (that is what I did). I took me about 2 hours, but I did a lot of wandering, crossing the Seine at least 4 times on the way.

If you do walk, one place you could stop along the way is the Musee d'Orsay, although the lines can be bad there. The lines at the Eiffel Tower can be bad as well, you may want to consider reservations, though admittedly, this does reduce your flexibility. The day I was there, I waited 30 minutes or so.

ggreen

Agree about the meals. One additional issue is that IMO there's not great dining options near the Eiffel Tower; perhaps someone will happily prove me wrong!

For the rest of your itinerary, you can definitely do those things in one day. Here is a suggested route, or you could do it in reverse:

- Take the RER B from Gare du Nord to Chatelet or St. Michel
- Visit Notre Dame and St. Chappelle
- Lunch nearby
- Then walk along the left bank of the Seine past the <i>bouquinistes</i> to the Eiffel Tower
- To get from the Eiffel Tower to Gare du Nord, take the RER C from Champs de Mars-Tour Eiffel to St. Michel and change for the RER B

ira

Hi r,

Good itinerary.

How much do you want to spend on lunch and dinner?

Nikki

There are several good dining options near the Tour Eiffel on rue St. Dominique. I like Cafe Constant. They don't take reservations but if you get there early you can probably be seated right away. A very well priced lunch menu.

reddy2go2

Thanks all. We are looking to spend 150 usd for lunch and 200 usd for dinner or visa versa. Upper limit for the 2 meals is 500 usd. Is that reasonable for 4 people in Paris?

cadmom

Get a good map and just walk.