Is 9 days enough for Paris alone?
 

I'm going to Paris in early August for about 11 days (not including travel days). Ideally, I'd like to spend one day in Versailles, one day in Bayeux/D-Day Beaches, and 9 days in Paris (with half a day for Chartres). Is 9 days enough for the city of Paris alone, or should I forget the Bayeux/D-Day trip to add another day to the city? I love to really get to know a city, so usually I don't spend less than 7 days in the base city of my trip.

Bonus Question: Any lesser known things to see in Paris or tips that only locals and frequenters know?

yes

We are all different, but I could spend endless days in Paris and never risk getting bored. Indeed, we spent 10 full days in paris last May and wished we had more time. But 10 days was a good amount of time to see a lot of things we wanted to see and just enjoy Paris. We thought we might do a day trip, but decided not to - we did't want to tear ourselves away from Paris.

You ask: "Any lesser known things to see in Paris or tips that only locals and frequenters know?"

Of course - but find your own places. I really can't tell you what you will enjoy. Look at some good guidebooks, chose things you want to see/do/experience.

I could visit Paris over and over again....I never tire of it.

So much to see...some of the things that I wish I had seen sooner. The towers of Notre Dame, St Denis, Musee Marmottan. But every street is different, compelling and interesting. If you sat in one cafe and just watched people, you still wouldn't be bored.

You could also check the other thread you started where you sort of asked the same question:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...s-552265-2.cfm

I think you can spend as many days in Paris as possible. I suggest you forget about the 1 day trip and save it for paris. Paris is an amazing city with great sites, vibes, food, culture and ambience.

David Downie, who lives in Paris, wrote an interesting book called Paris Paris which is all about the Paris most people don't see when they visit. It's essays, not a list. He's a lovely writer.

http://www.amazon.com/Paris-Journey-.../dp/0307886085

Not sure these are "lesser known", but they are usually not on most visitors' A-list. They are places we love and, given the length of your stay, places you probably shouldn't miss:

Basilica St. Denis - unbelievably mystical place...one of the first Gothic churches and the resting place of many French kings back to the 5th century.
http://saint-denis.monuments-nationaux.fr

Carnavalet Museum - essentially the museum of the history of Paris.
http://www.carnavalet.paris.fr/en/homepage

Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris - a great, small collection...not to be confused with the Pompidou.
http://mam.paris.fr

SS

Of course 9 days is "enough" in any city a tourist visits. What does that even mean??

See some of a more real France than just Paris - 9 days for the average traveler would be way too much - this is a busy city with oft smoggy air - rivaling that of Beijing a few times in the past year - Paris has neat sights but I tire of its traffic and smog at times and enjoy a more tranquil and yes typical France outside Paris - two day trips are great - do not cut them IMO - you return to a lively Paris at night - and maybe do another day trip like to Giverny or Auvers-sur-Oise if interested in art - more enjoyable than a crowded museum IMO.

Yes you could spend 11 days in Paris and not get tired of it or you may - keep plans in flux and let each day dictate its course.

Natural History Museum on Rue Cuvier. Fine park adjacent.

I'd add as much time as possible. Except for Versailles, DH and I never tried to combine anything with Paris until our 3rd trip! Even then, we had to return to Versailles to see what we'd missed.

We never did get to Bayeux/D-Day so others can confirm, but is one day enough for those?

Chartres also would also be more than a 1/2 day trip. With train down and back, the size of the Cathedral and a walk around, we felt rushed.

Have a great time.

We spent a day and a half touring Bayeux (the town, cathedral, and tapestry) and the D-day beaches and just scratched the surface. We didn't have time for any of the D-day museums. We had been to Paris for a week previously and only spent 4 days there this time, revisiting the places we enjoyed most, as we wanted to head out to the countryside for the next 20 days. One could stay many days in Paris but there are other beautiful places to be seen!

In Paris, we especially enjoyed the Cluny - the tapestries and other Medieval works were a delight.

I think a week is enough. But, it really depends on you.
I love Paris for lots of reasons,but I mostly love to walk around and meet people.Or sit with my favorite person and just take in the beauty. I could stay a year but that's not reality.
Anyway yes 7-9 days is enough to get a feel for the city.

With 11 days you can do and see a lot in Paris and do your day-trips, as well. Keep the day trips. Yes, you could spend a life-time in Paris and still not be bored. Does that mean you should never go outside? 9 full days is a plenty of time to see most of the top attractions and many extras in Paris. You need a break from museums, cafes, restaurants, shopping, walks in neighborhoods etc. Trust me, that's more than enough time. Leave a few things for next time. Absolutely, do your side-trips with all that time.

A few years ago I spent about ten days in Paris. This was my general itinerary:

Arrival day: Luxembourg gardens, Sainte-Chappelle, Notre Dame
Day 2: general walking tour of the center, Louvre
Day 3: Versailles
Day 4: Chartres, long walk around Paris at night
Day 5: Orangerie, Montmartre, walk around Latin Quarter
Day 6: very long day tour to Normandy for D-Day sites
Day 7: Pompidou, shopping, vespers at Notre Dame
Day 8: Marais walking tour, Musee d'Orsay
Day 9: Montmartre walking tour, Champs Elysees
Day 10: depart

I think that amount of time is <i>plenty</i> for a first visit - my trip was leisurely on several days. Doing the D-Day sites in a single day is a very long day; I only did it because I was with my brother, who was working and only had one weekend day off. If you have the inclination, I'd probably do an overnight in the area at least.

If you fall in love with Paris, you'll be back. If you don't, ten days is more than enough time in a place you don't love.

We spent 7 full days in '06, 8 in '11 and 9 this year. If this is your first trip, you'll have plenty to see and do in 9 days. I would suggest that Versailles is actually a part of Paris. It is a 35-40 minute train ride from central Paris (Invalides) to Versailles. The same station to Montmartre involves transfers and takes about 30 minutes. Do Versailles in an early morning departure, and you'll be back in Paris for dinner.

As for Bayeux/D-day, one day is a stretch unless you do a tour. Even then it is a LONG day. Unless you plan on renting a car in Bayeux and driving to Calais for a train, you'll have a difficult time with this day trip.

I think the average traveler would havew their full of Paris in say 5 days or so and be itching for something less hectic, calmer and lacking a laundry-list of 'must-do's" - yeh make that D-day trip a 2-night stay in Bayeux perhaps - a lovely town with great cathedral of its own and severl mini-bus trips to the nearby D-Day main sights. Maybe even swing over the Mont-Saint-Michel for a night before returning to Paris via bus from the Mont to Rennes for TGVs blasting back to Paris.

I have spent weeks in Paris and never tired of it but my first trip there I was tired of the tourist rat-race after 4 nights and it felt so so good to see another and very different and less hectic part of France.

No you could spend all 11 days in Paris and Versailles itself and not touch the tip of the proverbial iceberg and that's a problem to something - always something you just 'have' to see. Paris is great but to me a tiring city with often filthy air and mobs of foreign tourists everywhere.

See some of the real France to boot and I guarantee you you will have loved that decision. You can always come back to do more of Paris and France too - but 11 days in Paris only is not most tourists' cups of tea I believe.

<See some of the real France to boot>

I'm pretty darn sure that Paris is "the real France" PalenQ!

Well you know what I mean - uyes Paris is a real part of France but very different what other very real parts of France - or have you not been out of Paris - if so you would realize what I meant - if not get out and see for yourself!