HUTCH1113

I have been lurking on this forum for some time and it has helped me immensely for trips to Italy, NYC, Maui and now Paris. So, thank you for all the shared wisdom.

My wife and I leave for Paris tomorrow for a quick Valentine's Day jaunt. We will only have 2.5 days (Friday Afternoon through Sunday) of real Paris time and I am nervous about our planned itinerary. I really hope this short trip is worth the effort! I would like to know if this sounds reasonable to the experts here.

We would label ourselves as "on-the-go" tourists. We like to do alot of walking, soak up the scenery/people, architecture and famous sites without lingering too long at any one place. We are not really foodies, so we would not be spending 3hours at restaurants.

We are staying in the 7e, a couple of blocks East of the Tour de Eiffel. Here is the planned itinerary:

Friday afternoon (Day 1): After check-in and possibly a nap, we would grab lunch from a street vendor and be on our way. We figure it is best to stay around the hotel on the first day. We would go to Trocadero, the Eiffel Tower, Rue Cler and maybe Invalides if we are not to tired.

Saturday (Day 2): Explore the Right Bank and go to the Musee d'Orsay as early as possible. We only plan to check out a couple of the wings and then move on. Take one of the scenic bus routes over to the 5e Latin Quarter. We would like to see Luxembourg Gardens, the Pantheon, Rue Moffetard and the Sorbonne. We would like to spend the evening on Ile de Cite and Ile St Louis to see Notre Dame lit up and grab one of the late Pont Nuef Vendettes cruises.

Sunday (Day 3): Explore the Left Bank. Start at the Arc de Triomphe in the morning and walk down Champs Elysses to Concorde Plaza and maybe down Rue Rivoli to see Tulieres Gardens and outside of the Louvre. We would like to end the day in the Marais District and up into the 10e Canal St Martin area to see the Republique Plaza and Place Vosges.

Questions: Is this too much activity for 2.5 half days? How would you spend your time more wisely?

Thanks so much for your opinions.

nbujic

Orsay is on the Left Bank. ( if nothing, just look at the building from the inside and the view from the terrace ).
Take a look at the Napoleon's tomb behind Les In. ( you won't have time to look at the museum)
You'll have to l study the maps and the Metro system on the plain - you'll be using it !
What ever you see ( or miss) have a
wonderful time!

opaldog

It sounds doable for a brief, yet busy trip. Two things stood out for me; I never take a nap the day I arrive. It always leaves me feeling like I've been hit over the head with a ton of bricks. I get out and walk and sightsee and in the evening have dinner and get to bed at a reasonable hour. I always wake up feeling better the next day. Second, the idea of going to the marais on sunday is a good one. The place des vosges is busy in the afternoon and all the small stores leading up to it are open. Try the falafel from l'as du falafel on rue de rosier. Buy it from the window and walk over to the place des vosges. I would also recommend the canal ride from the boat basin (l'arsenal)up to La Villette. You can then metro back to other areas. We did this last April and really enjoyed it. It took about 2 hours or so.

Nikki

Sounds like a fun weekend. You have the right and left banks reversed, though.

The Musee d'Orsay doesn't have actual "wings"; it is in one long building, a converted train station. The Impressionist paintings are on the top floor, and if those are the things you want to see the most, you should take the escalator directly to the top. The escalator is sort of hidden at the far end of the building.

Robespierre

In the limited time you have to work with, I think maybe walking long distances isn't the best use of your time. Arc to Concorde takes an hour.

Sure, do a little strolling in the Ve or the islands, but keep the long-distance marches to a minimum.

Good choice on the bus - it lets you see Paris with more intimacy than the Métro. Plus you can jump off any time you see something interesting.

See my bus tour: tinyurl.com/ovpaw

Pittsburgher

The only thing I would add to your itinerary, if you can fit it in, is a stop at the Rodin museum, which my spouse and I think may be the most romantic museum ever. It's small, and can easily be done in not much more than an hour, and the image of "The Hand of God" will remain with you for a long, long time!

StCirq

I think you can fit all that in if you really are "on the go" types, but you need to organize your two full days better if your intention is to divide them between the Right and Left Banks. As it stands, you've got bits of each mixed up. An hour with a good map of Paris should help you devise the most expedient route.

Have fun!

Robespierre

There are good maps of Paris at http://www.ratp.info/orienter/tous_p...hp?partenaire=

The two <i>(avec rues)</i> are street maps with the M&eacute;tro and bus networks overlaid. These are available free at RATP outlets in Paris.

HUTCH1113

Oops..my mistake. I did have the banks reversed. I think my brain is playing tricks on me. I am trying to organize the trip in some coherent fashion, so we dont do any backtracking. We will probably use the bus more often than I indicated in my OP, but it will depend on how the feet are feeling. We will walk as much as we can depending on weather and energy.

Nikki - great tip about the d'Orsay. We will certainly head to the topfloor. I have always heard people refer to the &quot;wings&quot; of the museum. I ready your 2.5 day trip report and it put me over the edge on booking the trip.

Thanks for everyone's words of encouragement. My biggest concern is that we were being foolish making the long haul from Florida for a couple of days. As everyone has said on here....&quot;A little Paris is better than none.&quot;

Robespierre

There are ACTUALLY people who want to DISCOURAGE day trips to Paris from London, which is about 2½ hours away.

Can you BELIEVE it?

For me, 2½ days in Paris would justify traveling for 20 hours.

<i>La faim justifie les moyens.</i> (Pun intended.)

Nikki

You might have been thinking of the Louvre. The Louvre is organized by wings. I see that you are planning to just look at the outside, but in case you do go in, you might want to take a look at a map and figure out which wings contain the things you want to see. And be aware that not all exhibits are open every day. A closing schedule can be found on the Louvre website.

amwosu

WOW!!! I think that going from Florida to Paris for 2.5 days is romantic and fantastic. I live in Indy where we are currently buried in snow and I dream (daily) of a weekend getaway to Paris.

With your limited time I would do the Arc then hop on public transport and get to the Tuilleries and the Louvre and visit L'Orangerie to see Monet's Water Lily murals.

I would leave the trek along the Champs Elysees for another trip. Its a big street with slick stores like those you find in most major cities rather than being distinctively &quot;Paris&quot; like the Tuilleries and the Marias shopping experience.

annhig

hi, hutch - what a trip!

It all looks great - so far as your sunday is concerned, I echo the thoughts about the Champs elysee. Why not get a boat dwon the seine from the eifel tower down to Notre Dame instead?

good luck!

HUTCH1113

I'll let everyone know if I think the 2.5 days is worth the 20+ hours in flying time (and jetlag). Right now, I am concerned about our connection in Philly tomorrow night. Snow, sleet, rain, ice.....all of the above are my worst nightmare right now.

I tend to agree about the Champs Elysses. I just keep picturing a road like 5th avenue in NYC with the same stores we've seen a million times before. I definitely want to catch the view from the Arc, so I thought the Elysses was the natural way to get over to the Tulieres and Louvre.

I keep trying to figure out a way to fit in Montmarte and the Basilica. Maybe we should start there and work our way back to the Arc and then over to Marais, Vosges, etc.

One more question...what is the best way to get a quick, filling, inexpensive breakfast. I am thinking something like a hotel would serve, but without the price tag (12Euro per person at our hotel!)

amwosu

street food. my son lived on banana and sugar crepes.

Robespierre

We regularly breakfasted on the panini from the sidewalk counter at the grocery at 42, Avenue de la Motte Piquet, right by the &Eacute;cole Militaire M&eacute;tro entrance.

&quot;...I thought the Elysses was the natural way to get over to the Tulieres and Louvre.&quot; It is. On the N&deg; 73 bus.

Nikki

Breakfast in any cafe. Or croissants (or pain au chocolat) from a bakery.

Michel_Paris

Good itinerary.

If you can, go to bed 2-3 hrs early tonite, get up 2-3 hrs early tomm. I like to strat adjusting my time clock BEFORE leaving. Plus, don't sleep when you get there: go outside, walk, have coffee and pains aux chocolats...moving around, no time to spend in hotel room

I like the walk from Orsay to the Seine, via Blvd St Germain. Along the way, Cluny (go in if you can, otherwise look at roman remains outside), Cafe de Flore or Bonaparte for a lunch (corque monsieur) in front of St Germain des Pres church, side trips to Luxembourg, Pantheon, Sorbonne. You can then zig up St MIchel off of the blvd to get to Notre Dame. On your way across Seine (on St Michel bridge) have alook at lines, if you can go to Ste Chapelle...very much worth it (and remember, you want to go upstairs). I like the rest of that day.

For Sunday, if you are wanderers and like walking, I don't think that walk is too much for the 1st half. Once you been along Rivoli and Tuileries (perhaps detour off to see Opera Garnier, Laduree for sweets and maybe Faubourg St Honore street), I would go to see Palais Royal park, very nice. There are some nice sights in the general vicinity (Comedie Francaise, fountain). From there, I would take the metro to St Paul, then carry on with Rue Franc Bourgeois, Place de Vosges, Rue des Rosiers (busy on a Sunday!). Village St Paul is also kind of neat, between Metro and the River. This is a LONG day, but if you start early enough, by the end you will have seen some of the best of Paris.

Enjoy!
Mike

As an aside, I had a nice dinner at the Bistrot du 7e, which is near you, Metro Latour Maubourg.

HUTCH1113

I leave in 4 hours for Gay Paree! The weather is looking great so far.

Happy Travels to Everyone.

Robespierre

<i>Schadenfreude.</i>