nixiefoo

First of all, I want to thank everyone who participates here with such helpful information. Over the last several months I have gleaned a wealth of information as I've planned our trip to Europe.

My husband, tween daughter and I are traveling to London and Paris in June. I'm trying to nail down our Paris itinerary and I'm having a hard time organizing it. We will be there for 7 days, arriving on a Tuesday and leaving on a Tuesday.

We are staying in an apartment in the St. Germaine area. We love history, art, architecture and gardens. We have never been to Paris before. We really despise crowds so that aspect will be a challenge for us, I think. Here is a rough outline of a possible itinerary with some room for flexibility and down time, I hope.

Tuesday: Arrive from London in the afternoon. Settle into our apartment. Walk a bit...maybe in the Luxembourg gardens. Eat. Get groceries.

Wednesday: 1pm at the Catacombs for a skip the line tour. Eat. Relax. Head for a walk later to the Tuileries...and Louvre to take advantage of its nighttime hours and fewer crowds (we hope).

Thursday: Notre Dame and Saint Chapelle. Seriously thinking about splurging on yet another skip the line tour at 10am which looks like 3.5 hours. Eat. Downtime? Go to the Orsay in the evening as they are open until 9:45 (also in hopes to avoid the crowds).

Friday: sightseeing day. Head out to the Eiffel Tower (no interest in going up it), Trocedero, maybe Napolean's tomb, Arc de Triomphe. Bridges. Maybe some shopping and to eat. Opera House?

Saturday: Versailles. Thinking about just doing the gardens, the trianon, and Marie Antoinette's hamlet as the Chateau lines and crowds inside really don't appeal. But being able to enjoy the picturesque aspects still sound worth the trip. Thoughts?

Sunday: explore the Marais area, go to the Musee Pompidou.

Monday: explore the Latin quarter and the Cluny museum. Maybe the Pantheon.

I know there are a lot of things of great things I've missed. I don't want to pack too much in and maybe I already have. Would love to hear what any of you think. Maybe there are more graceful ways to order and group some of these activities. Maybe there are suggestions on things to avoid, things to consider adding? Restaurants that are particularly awesome? Boating on the Seine at night? I would love any and all input you could give. And thank you in advance for anyone who is kind enough to take the time to read and reply to this.

Gretchen

It is probably too late to get Michael Osman as a tour guide now, but that would have been a great addition. You could still try.
I don't see the Rodin Museum on your list.
One reason I like the DK Eyewitness Guide to Paris is that it DOES group things within an area and adds a graphic map for each area. You might take a look at one.
The street markets are so fun to browse--and being in an apartment, you could actually get some things.
You seem not to have any restaurant plans. I hope you will not eat in all the time.
The Michelin Green Guide to Paris is also invaluable, maybe in planning your trip to the Louvre and Orsay. You will want to pick wings of the Louvre--and not all are open all the time so pick an alternate in case one is.
You haven't mentioned Montmartre and Sacre Coeur and the funicular to get there. I am not a huge fan of Montmartre but for a week, I'd certainly give it a look.
The Seine boat ride would be a must for me and I'd do it the first night just at dusk as the lights are coming up in the buildings and the Eiffel tower. that will be getting late for the Paris evening hours in June.

MmePerdu

As an addition to your day in Versailles and considering your desire to avoid crowds, as well as liking gardens, consider the Potager du Roi, the king's vegetable garden, a short walk outside the palace grounds. Google for their website for the hours and location (I'd give you the link but I'm traveling & am without my computer). I actually like it much better than the main gardens but that's highly subjective, I know.

TDudette

Hi nixiefoo. What is the duration of the Catacombs tour? You could move Arc de Triomphe to that day and insert Rodin Museum in its place if his works are of interest. It is near Invalides.

Have an excellent trip.

KTtravel

When we visited Versailles, we got there just as it opened. It wasn't crowded and you could likely go through the palace quickly. I remembered visiting as a tween and there is something about the Hall of Mirrors that I found very intriguing. If you went on a weekday, it might be less crowded.

off2CU

I was thinking the same thing as TDudette and also suggest adding the Arc de Triomphe to your Wednesday plans. The Tuileries end (or begin depending on how you look at it) at the Champs Elysees. The length down to the Arc de Triomphe is a little over a mile.

The Tuileries is not that big and you could walk down one side of the Champs. Visit the Arc de Triomphe and then walk back down the other side of the Champs. Pass through the Tuileries again on your way to the Louvre.

On Thursday, I suggest checking out two good bistros on Ile de Saint Louis - Cafe Med and Au Lys D'argent. They are across the street from each other on Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île.

Bon voyage!

nixiefoo

Thank you so much for all your thoughtful and helpful replies.

I probably should put Sacre de Couer on the list. After all the cathedrals we will be seeing in London and then Paris, I purposely left it off the itinerary. But I'm rethinking that decision. And now I'm definitely inclined to book a boat trip! Are there street markets on Sunday in the Marais, I wonder? That may be a good day to browse before going into the Pompidou. And I'm really needing to research restaurants more. We do want to eat out occasionally and hope to have some good dining experiences. I was considering dinner at the restaurant at the Orsay, mostly for the ambience. My daughter wants to try fondue. I'm going to look at the guide you mentioned. Thanks so much @Gretchen!

I'm intrigued and really appreciate your off the beaten path suggestion @MmePerdu.

The Catacombs tour is 2 hours, @Tdudette. Thank you for the suggestion on the Rodin museum and how to organize that day. I had thought to just go home and relax after the tour, eat something and then venture out to the Louvre at 7:30ish but maybe it makes more sense to squeeze in some things on that Wednesday (that we otherwise were going to do on Friday and move our Versailles trip to Friday when it will be a tiny bit less crowded than Saturday). Hmm.

Thank you for your input about Versailles, @KTtravel. I do think it might be a disappointment for my daughter to miss the inside of the Chateau. I'm rethinking my plan.

I really appreciate your input on how to organize that Wednesday, @off2CU. It's helpful to get your perspective on the flow of places and activities. And I especially appreciate your bistro suggestions as I've done very little to figure out good food options. Thanks so much.

Still open to and eager for any other suggestions or thoughts anyone else has. Thanks again!

denisea

Consider smaller museums to avoid crowds...Musee Rodin, Musee Marmottan and L'Orangerie are options.

Some favorite restaurants for us in the 6th are Le Comptoir and Marco Polo. Both are near the Odeon metro stop. For gorgeous desserts and all things chocolate, Un Dimanche a Paris is worth a stop. We also enjoy Cafe Varenne, Cafe Danton and Le Bonaparte in the 6th.

We did a food tour with Paris by Mouth that we so enjoyed. We did the St Germain tour. I can't really think of a fondue restaurant in Paris but the Paris by Mouth site is a great resource for restaurants by arrondisement.

Try this for markets and days/hours open...

http://www.discoverfrance.net/France..._markets.shtml

sandyh

If your daughter wants to try fondue, you might consider Pain Vin Fromages. It's east of the Pompidou at 3 Rue Geoffroy l'Angevin. Not open til 7pm, and you would really need to make a reservation. But she would probably love it; many people do. (There are menus on the website in four languages.)

http://painvinfromages.com/#_=_


Sandy

denisea

Take a look at this link for fondue in Paris....

http://www.wine-tours-france.com/par...e-restaurants/

KTtravel

Oh yes, L'Orangerie is a delightful museum and doesn't take long to go through. If you like Monet at all, it really is worth seeing his immense Waterlilies there.

Too many good choices in Paris!

KTtravel

I forgot to mention, if you have no desire to go up the Eiffel Tower, you can certainly walk by it in the evening and save your daytime hours for museums. At night, on the hour, the tower shimmers with lights for about 5 minutes and it is fun to see as it glows.

Are you sure your daughter doesn't want to go up the tower? We took elevators up (which were crowded) but then walked down which allowed us to take our time and the stairs weren't crowded at all.

dlincoln

Don't miss a cruise on the Seine. Paris has three big cruise companies:
Bateaux Mouches: http://www.bateaux-mouches.fr
Bateaux Parisiens: http://www.bateauxparisiens.com
Vedettes du Pont Neuf: http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com
Some of them have ticket discounts on their website.

Sacre Coeur is certainly a good idea. Less for the church, but for the great city view in front of it. And plan some time to walk around in Montmartre!

Que Faire A Paris is a website listing current exhibitions: http://quefaire.paris.fr/english

Prices and opening times of each sight are on: https://paris.sightbag.com/en

Best of luck and enjoy the beautiful city of Paris!

nixiefoo

Such excellent suggestions of fondue restaurants and museums and things and places not to be missed. Thank you SO much, everyone!

northie

Le Pre Verre is a lovely restaurant in the Latin quarter just near you.

Leely2

I don't know your budget and your tween daughter's willingness to endure elegance, but lunch on the terrace at La Grande Cascade in the Bois de Boulogne is to me a Proustian experience, decadent and Parisian, and off the mobbed tourist trail.

http://parisbymouth.com/our-guide-to...rande-cascade/

If you are truly crowd-averse, consider bagging the biggies in favor of something like

http://www.carnavalet.paris.fr/en/mu...eum-paris-city
(Can be crowded at times)

or

http://maisonsvictorhugo.paris.fr/en

or

http://www.palaisdetokyo.com/

Or stuff like that. Have a wonderful time, whatever you do!

fuzzbucket

The Sunday open-air food market is held at Bastille. The vendors are ready to start selling by 09h00, and the whole thing starts wrapping up at 13h00. It will only take an hour to walk through and buy a few things, but remember if you buy food, you'll have to carry it back to St Germain. Since most of the same items are sold at the same markets all over town - with the exception of a few organic and specialty items - it might be better to visit the market nearest you.

If you enjoy visiting churches for the architecture and beauty, I don't recommend Sacre Coeur. It is impressive from a distance, but the interior is not worth going out of your way for and the people eating and drinking on the steps leading to the entrance is not impressive, either.

The Seine cruises are easy, as long as you don't plan a dinner cruise, which is expensive and really not good value for the money. You can buy tickets online or go to the ticket window at the dock at Pont Neuf - not far from Notre Dame. Very inexpensive, one-hour tour, returns to the same dock, you can buy drinks at the dock or bring your own. It will probably be brutally hot in June during the day, so I recommend an evening cruise, when it will be cooler. Check to see when the sun sets and book the latest possible tour after that time. You'll get to see all the bridges and monuments illuminated, which is really lovely.
http://vedettesdupontneuf.com/home/

kleeblatt

One of the first things to do in Paris is to go to the Montparnasse Tower Observation Deck to get a bird's eye view of Paris. It's inexpensive, fast and allows you to get an overview of the city.

http://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/en...al-info/hours/

My favourite thing to do in Paris is to see the Eiffel Tower light up from the Trocedero. Magical.

Scootoir

If you dislike crowds you might move your visit to Versailles from Saturday to Friday or Monday. It will still be crowded but hopefully less so than the weekend. My husband and I spent most of an afternoon on bicycles in the garden and hit the palace late in the afternoon. It wasn't so bad.

That said I would visit Vaux le Vicomte instead of Versailles. http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/en/ Vaux le Vicomte inspired Versailles and is so much less crowded.

menachem

I always like what's on at Fondation Cartier. They have good live programmes too, often very busy, but see what you can get.

Also: tea at the Paris Mosque (there's a hammam there too, with generous opening times for women)
Lunch or dinner at the IMA rooftop restaurant with a great view over Marais towards Montmartre and over Notre Dame and Ile St Louis.

Also Buttes Chaumont to see the synchronized gym classes that elderly Chinese ladies do there and the park itself of course.

Canal St Martin early evening when everyone is having their apéro beside the Canal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7wbihWoSMM