My husband and I are taking a last minute visit to Paris -arriving Sat. Oct 7th and departing Friday the 13th. We are staying with his uncle, an American working in Paris. Neither of us speak French or know much about France and its towns. His uncle speaks fluent French. I am a little lost on itinerary planning which bothers me immensely! His uncle will be available to show us around Sat. when we arrive and we have asked him to drive us to Normandy on Sunday as he will be off from work and he can drive us there. Should we spend the remaining 4 days exploring all that Paris has to offer? Or, are there a few side trips not to miss that can easily be done in a day? I am thinking Versailles. We are not big museum people and cannot see spending much time in one. I want to do this well, but not be exhausted and lost in a country where I don't know the language. Any thoughts on some intineraries, must sees or plans?

For sure stay in Paris. My husband and I have made over 25 trips that included Paris or were strictly to Paris. We just returned from another in which we spent 9 days there. We are not big museum goers but enjoy pleasant walks, architecture and stopping at sidewalk cafes. We never tire of Paris and no matter how many times we go, we always find something new to explore/see. We especially enjoy the markets of Paris. I suggest you plan to start each day with a market in a different part of town and then explore that area of town. Purchase the Knopf Mapguide to Paris which breaks the city into areas and points out the major tourist sites in each. Select 4 areas that appeal to you and just walk about and see the sites in that area each day. Take a good menu translator with you. Language is not a problem. You'll do fine. Enjoy.

Yes, stay in Paris. In the four remaining days, you will barely scratch the surface. It would help if you mentioned what DOES interest you. Since you mention Versailles, perhaps you would be interested in visiting the Musee Jacquemart Andre, a grand home right in the middle of Paris instead? Do you like walking in Parks and people-watching? What about food? Shopping? Antiques? Street markets?

Arm yourself with a good guidebook and start reading. Study the map of Paris to get your bearings. Most Parisians speak some English. If you learn "Bon jour Madame/Monsieur. Parlez vous Anglais?" you'll be fine as far as language is concerned. You sound intimidated. Don't be.

But like I said, tell us what you enjoy, and people here can make suggestions

I am intimidated, mostly because of the languge. I have my Fodors Paris and Paris for Dummies. I have read them both, but find the pronunciations nothing like i would expect! I suppose that is my fear, not knowing how to ask for directions etc. We do enjoy walking and just exploring parks, reataurants, and shopping. I am leaving the 3 and 5 year old at home and want to make the most of it, I suppose. It sounds like the best thing to do is relax and let Paris guide me when i get there!

HMSB
Like the previous posts, stay in Paris. You could spend months in Paris without running any language problem. Thousands of tourists visit this city each year and most cannot speak any word of French.

<i> We are not big museum people and cannot see spending much time in one</i>

Give it a chance and visit the Musee D'Orsay. It's loaded with some great paintings which you've seen elsewhere. I normally spend an hour in this museum each time I visit Paris. It's full of treasures.

Another good museum which can be visited in a few hours. Rodin's museum has a statue you've certainly seen. This is the &quot;Thinker&quot;. This is the guy with his head on his fist, thinking about something. It's big, it's outside, and it's easy to visit.

There are some other sculptures in the garden which can be visited within a few minutes.

Whether you live in New York or elsewhere, you're certain that you've seen the Statue of Liberty. Do you know that there's a small version of this in Paris. It's on the Seine near the Eiffel Tower.

There's a big flea market in Paris near Port de Clingencourt (sp?). This is worth hours of visiting this market on Sundays. Free to entry and lots of food on the hoof, so to speak. Street food is everywhere at this market.

If you want some Tex-Mex while you're away from home, look up the restaurant &quot;The Studio&quot;. Ask the people at your hotel to show where this is located. It's a great location and you're going to remember this place. The food is &quot;tex-mex&quot;. What else would be expected but the local is great. It's in a courtyard surronded with dance studios. You can see the dancers prancing around in the windows.

You could spend months finding things in this city. You might even spend a few hours in the Louvre. This is another museum I like to visit often.

Have a good vacation and don't worry about the language.

Blackduff

NO doubt about it. &quot;Explore all Paris has to offer&quot; in the remaining 4 days. We seem to be doing this for many years. Only because his uncle can take you to Normandy would I even say do that.

Yes, you'll just be getting a small taste of Paris. I just hope that the taste will give you the desire to return for a longer period when you get a chance.

As for your worries about the language, millions of tourists enjoy Paris every year without speaking French. Polite manners will get you everywhere, even if you are clueless about the rest.

Sticking mostly to Paris, apart from your day out to Normandy, allows you to explore at a gentler pace. Don't feel you HAVE to see everything, or, come to that, anything that doesn't grab your imagination.

As for language and pronunciation, try
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/.

Particularly their &quot;quick fix&quot; phrases with audio downloads:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/quickfix/

Yes, as you say, relax and let Paris guide you when you get there. You are going on a vacation away from your children, so you might want to make sure to plan some romantic dinners for two. Afternoons resting your feet in cafes and wine bars. Wandering in and out of shops in St. Germain and the Marais.

There are lots of threads here with restaurant and shopping ideas, and your husband's uncle should have suggestions also. Do you know where he lives?

Here are some of my favorite things to do in Paris:

Lunch or afternoon tea at Laduree (Rue Royale location--not far from Place de la Concorde) Ask to sit upstairs. Very pretty.

Clignancourt and Port de Vanves Antiques market. The first of these goes on forever. Watch your wallets if you go. The second is smaller, but very good.

Wandering in the Tuileries, Luxembourg Gardens, and Parc Monceau. The last of these is close to the Musee Jacquemart Andre which I already mentioned.

I agree with the poster above who likes the Musee D'Orsay. You may not like museums, but aren't you at all enticed by one of the world's best collections of impressionist and post-impressionist art? Unlike the Louvre, you could see it all in a couple of hours (depending on your pace, of course.)

You MUST visit one of Paris's food markets. Different neighborhoods set up their markets on different days of the week. This would be easy to research, and someone here could easily tell you which one(s) are close to your Uncle or worth going out of your way to see. Trust me, this is like nothing you've ever seen in the U.S.

Of course there is Notre Dame and a bizillion other churches you can pop into.

Julie's idea of walking in different neighborhoods is a good one. Just plan which things you definitely want to see in a particular neighborhood. Then you'll be surprised at the wonderful surprises around every bend!

Surprised by surprises?! Such inelegant phrasing! Sorry...

I keep thinking of things...

I think it's essential for a first time visitor to Paris to understand that the Parisian standards for politeness are much more exacting than ours over here.

For instance, always greet the shopkeeper when you enter a shop. Always ask if you can see something. Don't just start handling the merchandise as though you own the place (as we do in the states!)

I think the reason some Americans think the French are rude is that it is actually we who are being rude (by French standards) and they are just responding in kind.

Anyway, keeping these things in mind will, no doubt, make your whole trip much more pleasant.

Don't be intimidated by the language barrier at all. Learn a few pleasantries and you'll be fine.

- Bonjour (upon entering a shop, or encountering anyone you will interact with, or that matter.)

- S'il vous pla&icirc;t (when asking for anything)

- Merci

- Au revoir

- Parlez-vous anglais? (very important!)

- Excusez-moi and pardon

That's about all the french I can speak and have not had the slightest difficulty staying in Paris.

Of course, learn some basic foods and other helpful nouns, etc. so you will recognize them in print.

You've gotten some great advice so far. I might add to be sure you have a good map and I never travel without a menu translation book. You have the advantage of a local for some meals but it might be helpful for lunches. The book I use is &quot;Eating and Drinking in France&quot; by Herbach and Dillon. It fits in a pocket or purse and there has only been a couple of menu items that I could not find in the book.

I just returned from my 6th visit and one of the highlights was an evening concert at St. Julien de Pauvre (sp) church. There are concerts at many churches - St. Chapelle or St. Germain usually have them so look for the signs. St. Chapelle is a treasure in the first place, it is more spectacular on a sunny day but beautiful any day.

You might also check into guided tours. I haven't done one yet but was going to on the last trip but ran out of time. I have heard good things about this one:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pariswalking/

They have standard and special monthly walks. It is 10 euro per person and you show up at the designated location at the designated time. No reservations needed.

Have a fun time! You are lucky to have the uncle to take you around!

I found Paris one of the easiest cities to see on foot (I do not speak French) of any place I've visited. I didn't even use a guidebook.

Each morning we looked at a map (which we got free in the hotel lobby) and based around a couple major sites (Eiffle Tower, Arch de Tromphe one day for example) then headed to that part of town (of foot, by Metro, or taxi). We looked around then slowly worked our way back toward our hotel as the day went by. Stopping in cafes for a bite to eat or glass or wine along the way. Visiting interesting shops, etc.

I never went in to a museum either and we easily spent 5 days with this plan. If the weather is nice visit the various gardens like Luxembourg and/or Tuileries and look for open air street markets in the different neighborhoods.

Please do not be worried about the language. It should not be a problem.

If you think about it, and have your days planned out, you really don't need to try to talk to anyone. Have your uncle write out his address on a card you can carry, and have cash so you can always catch a taxi back to his place if your get lost, tired, or at the end of the day.

I agree with the others that you could easily spend all of your time in Paris.
If it were my first time, I would not do Normandy, but since it is planned, it will give you a nice view of the countryside.

You won't be able learn much french in the next few weeks. John217 has given you a good list. I find that when I am in Paris, I &quot;up&quot; my manners that even my mother would be impressed. Always say 'bonjour' on entering any restaurant or shop, always say 'aurevoir' on leaving.

Get a good map of Paris (I like Michelin Blue).

Paris has great public transit so you will easily be able to get to all of the sites, but, if at all possbile, walk everywhere. Words of wisdom. don't try to do every tourist site...consider that a cafe could also be considered a tourist site

If you let us know your interests, we can help plan an itinerary. Versailles is great, but it will take up most of a day. Some museums, like the Museum of the Middle Ages (aka Cluny) are interesting for what they are..the Cluny is built over the ruins of ROman baths, so that building itself is worth a visit. The Orsay is housed in a classic old train station, the Rodin is a old mansion...

We are here to help...

We just returned from Paris on Friday and we can't wait to return. We spent 2 weeks in France, and ended in Paris for our last 4 days and I can't believe how much we really enjoyed the city.

We live outside Los Angeles and wanted to escape they city life with touring the countryside of France, but since this was our first trip to France, we just had to experience Paris once.....and we loved it!

We spent our first day walking around and getting a feel for the area. We stayed at the Hotel Brittianque which was in walking distance to Notre Dame, Musee D'Orsay and was a street from the Seine. The rooms are small, however, for our first stay in Paris...it was fine, the location was perfect for us and you could see the Eiffel Tower as we walked to dinner.

We did the double decker bus that made stops to all the major sites, which was awesome! This gave us a great overview of the city and we could get off on and on as we pleased for 2 days. We did a good amount of walking but found that this was one of the best ways to wander Paris. We even found an old jazz place to listen to music after dinner.

On our last day we toured the Musee D'Orsay and then took a bus to Montmarte...we stopped a little to far and we're quite lost and frustrated, however, my DH knew how much I wanted to visit the area and after asking 2 information desks at the bus stations, we we're on our way! It was awesome!

We're thinking of going back just for an entire week next May. There's so much to see and do. However, I last night was very memorable, we had wonderful weather, but on our last night as we sat outside the cafe, finishing our second bottle of wine..it started to rain...and rain...pouring actually with thunder and lightening and it was so romantic just being there...even in the rain.

What might be terrible for you is after reading all of these suggestions and making notes, your husband's uncle might have plotted out totally different (but fully worthwhile) activities for you... and you can't do it all.

Hi HM,

&gt;Neither of us speak French

Don't worry. You will find many helpful people willing to speak English

&gt;or know much about France and its towns.

You are not going to France, you are going to Paris (un autre pays).

&gt;We are not big museum people and cannot see spending much time in one.&lt;

So, spend a little time at
The Louvre, The D'Orsay, The Rodin,
The Cluny, .....

Also see Paris Superthread
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34519236

100 Great Things to Do in Paris
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...mp;tid=1277898

Degas’s Paris Walks
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34712768

Jacquemart-Andre’ Museum http://tinyurl.com/p9pol

Enjoy your visit.