Hello Everyone,

My wife and I are flying off to Paris on September 1st for a 4 night stay, coming home on September 6th. As we are at the six week mark now until we leave, I've started thinking of a basic itinerary. We are trying our hardest to leave a lot of time open to just walk the city, sit at cafes, have nice long dinners, while still seeing all of the important sites and landmarks. If you guys could have a look at this and let me know if it's a little too ambitious, or if I'm missing any 'must-do' sites, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you!

Thursday, September 2nd
- Arrive in Paris early, grab a bite to eat, check in as soon as possible, get some rest, shower etc. (When we went to Italy and arrived early, this day was almost a total waste because we were so tired from the flight, so I'm trying too allow time to rest before heading out).
- Visit the Eiffel Tower

Friday, September 3rd
- Visit Notre Dame
- Visit Sainte-Chapelle
- Walk the Islands - in and out of shops, have lunch...
- Visit Musee D'Orsay

Saturday, September 4th
- Vist the Louvre (Only the highlights - we'd rather not spend the whole day here)
- Walk the Champs Elysses to the Arc De Triumphe

Sunday, September 5th
- Visit the Rodin Museum
- Walk the Jardin Du Luxembourg and the Parc Monceau

If we can see the Jardin Du Luxembourg on Saturday, maybe we can do a day-trip to Versailles on Sunday?

Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you!

Generally speaking, I think you could ramp up this itinerary without making it too rushed.

I should think you could do a few more things on Saturday. Walking the Champs Elysées could be replaced, IMO, too, or maybe you could just use it as a pathway to the Grand Palais.
I would spend at least a bit of time in the Marais.

And I'd have brunch at the Jacquemart-André if you don't go to Versailles.

And as long as you're at the Rodin Museum, maybe take a peek at les Invalides or the Musée Armée - there are some fascinating exhibits on the lower level.

I'd do a boat ride on the Seine one evening.

We just got back from our first trip to Paris. We also spent four nights and loved every minute.

I would suggest going to the Louvre on Friday toward evening since it is open late on Friday's. We went from 4-7PM and the crowds were not that bad. We were able to walk right up to the Mona Lisa around 6PM which is one of the most crowded areas of the museum at times.

I would also suggest taking the metro over to the Arc de triomphe and then walk down the Champs Elysees as it is a downhill walk. That walk can take you right to the Louvre on Friday if you wanted to re-arrange things a bit.

The Rodin is excellent especially the garden area where you can sit and relax for a while. It is not a far walk from the Orsay.

Versailles is only a 30 minute train ride from Paris as long as you know to take the RER C to Versaille Rive Gauge which then takes you about a 5 minute walk to the entrance. The gardens and grounds were spectacular. The chateau was extremely crowded when we were there. I heard it tends to be more crowded on Sundays at Versaille but we went on a Saturday when the fountains were running and it was a very crowded day.

Thursday, sorry, no rest On such a short trip, you will need to minimize jet lag (I'll post my solution later!)

Where are you staying?

I'm wondering about Eiffel tower on first day. I might want to prepay for tickets and go first thing..Friday morning? To avoid crowds. Then Orsay might be a good combo with it.

Champs Elysee Ok. You might not be as impressed as you think.

No Marais? Place des Vosges would be one spot I would go if I had to pick, even if it is for lunch.

You like parks. I'm not sure if, on such a short stay, I'd do parc Monceau also

On such a short trip, I'd also think twice about Versailles. If it's a dream of yours OK, but you can easily fill your time in Paris itself.

Here's my swag.

Thursday...get to hotel around lunch/1PM . Check-in. Lunch nearby. Go to St Chapelle (best seen in full sunlight). Notre Dame, Ile St louis. Hotel to freshen up (?), dinner near Islands, Seine cruise after dark.

Friday
Trocadero to get view of Eiffel tower. Walk over and go up.
Orsay
Lunch
Walk Left Bank
Luxembourg Gardens
Louvre (open till 10)
Dinner right bank

Sat
Rodin
Metro to Etoile
Arc de Triomphe
Champs Elysee
Lunch
Tuileries
Louvre des Antiquaires
Place Vendome
Palais Royal
Rue Rivoli
Opera Garnier
Dinner (Place des Vosges?)
Walk along Seine

Sunday
(Versailles? almost full day)
Right Bank/Marais (Place des Vosges?)
(Parc Monceau?)

I agree with St Cirq - it's a question of tastes, but personally I don't see much point to walking up the Champs Elysées - the shops aren't all that, and it quickly feels like a grinding route march. If you're visiting the Louvre, you could stroll around the Tuileries gardens and see the Monets in the Orangerie. You could take the metro to go up the Arc de Triomphe on the Saturday evening (it's open till 10pm or thereabouts) and see the Eiffel Tower light up.

Likewise on Friday evening, you could go and see the roller parade (starts at 10pm from Gare Montparnasse and follows a different route each week): http://pari-roller.com/index.php?p=101

The Luxembourg and Parc Monceau are, if not at opposite ends of Paris, then at least quite some distance apart. You could (if you really don't intend to spend too long in the Louvre) spend some time in the Rodin that afternoon and relax in the Luxembourg. Or if the Louvre tires you out, you could go to the Parc Monceau from there.

agree with other posters that your itinerary can include more. one point generally is that you should get a 2 or 3 day Paris visitors pass when you arrive. you can get it at any included site and the one I found most accessible was the Pantheon if you're staying in 5E or 6E. This will cut all wait times down tremendously at the Louvre, D'Orsay or Versailles in particular

For the Eiffel Tower, as was pointed out, you can get an appointment online.

With respect to Notre Dame, my suggestion is that you arrive really early (about 9 AM) if you plan on tackling the tower (which I highly recommend). The line gets really long, really quick, and moves really slow. For the cathedral itself, the line is very, very long, but it moves swiftly.

A museum that is frequently missed, but really should be on the top of any fan of Money is the l'Orangerie which consists mainly of 2 massive oval rooms with 8 massive Waterlilies.

Also second recommendation for seeing Louvre at night if possible.

You might also consider. due to short time you are there, the Hop On Hop Off bus tour. That way you will have seen all the big stuff, even though time may not have permitted you to visit.

Here's another suggestion from one who loves Paris:

First of all, where are you staying? With that info we could probably suggest a better "first day".

Thurs.---you could do the Eiffel Tower but then what about a river cruise. You could get your bearings and relax a bit. We prefer www.vedettesdupontneuf.com but there are many others that may be more convenient to your hotel.

Fri.---your plan of Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, walk the islands, but then I'd head to Place Vosges in The Marais and maybe The Carnavalet museum right in that area(It's free,small, easy to navigate, and will make quite an impression).

Sat.---your plan of The Louvre, then a walk through The Tuilleries. If you want to see The Arch,I'd Metro there. I'm with the posters who are not fans of the Champs----too wide, full of car dealerships and far too commercial----just my opinion. At night I'd head over to the left bank area, maybe for dinner, and then Notre Dame after dinner. The street entertainment is fun and walking along The Seine with the music playing is memorable.

Sun.---D'Orsay, then Lux. Gardens (really Sun.is the best day with music, etc.), then The Rodin (again small and easy to navigate). Then The Eiffel at night (my favorite time) if you didn't go on Thurs.

Parc Monceau was OK, but I would save it for another trip----Lux. Gardens is the one to see on a first trip.

There is so much to do & see in Paris and 4 days isn't alot of time, but I'm sure you will enjoy your visit and have many places on your list for a return trip.

Nice nuggets here. Bookmarked.

DaveMM

Thanks for all of this feedback everyone. We will definitely take all of these suggestions into account. Any others will be welcomed as well!

TPAYT,
Good. I moved Louvre to Friday to take advantage of late opining. Vedettes is my preferred Seine Cruise company also. Carnavalet is interesting not just for its collections, but the building itself.

I was thinking of mentioning Paris Walks as an option.

To add additional comments--We were not too impressed with the Champs de Elysees either. We walked only from the Arc to the George V metro station which is a short walk. It was extremely crowded and the stores and restaurants were not impressive. The tree lined streets are nice but I guess we are jaded since we have seen similar in Chicago's Miracle Mile and Park Ave NY etc.

I highly recommend the Louvre in the late afternoon/early evening time frame on Friday as mentioned above. It was only our first time there so I can't say that this is the best time always but it worked for us.

We also really enjoyed walking in the Marais--had a good lunch at Au Bourguignon du Marais by the way.

We also enjoyed the Seine cruise from Vedettesdupontneuf. There is a live commentator on board. The boat was nice and the trip was relaxing. It passes all the important monuments that it can via the river. Across the street and down the street a bit is a place called Rose de France at Place Dauphine--a little hard to find but they make great salads for lunch.

We covered a lot in our four days--you can view my trip report which is still in the works but the Paris part is done.

I highly recommend the Seine river cruise the evening of the day you arrive. Check the sunrise.sunset.com site and pick the time when you will have some daylight but also dark.

Also, purchase some wine and bread to enjoy - they sell it there but it is expensive & not much choice.

You can purchase your ticket online in advance too @ www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/. They will email your ticket and if you lose it you just have to find a computer (voice of experience).

This is all great stuff. TPAYT, I like your minor adjustments to our current itinerary. I'm not sure that we'll make it out to Versailles, but maybe if we feel adventurous and get more done in the first few days than we thought, we can plan that trip during one of the weekend days.

Hi csitju!

For the last day I would not choose to walk both the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Parc Monceau. The two parcs are not close. If I were you I would spend the last day in the 17e district, having a walk in Les Batignolles and then in the Parc Monceau. Les Batignolles were a village outside Paris long time ago. It's built on a hill. There are lovely squares, tiny houses and charming streets! You can walk by, it's really nice. And then you can go to the Parc Monceau.

Ok, so now onto restaurants... Does anyone have any recommendations? We'd be looking for some really good local bistros, some cafes to sit and have coffee/tea, and a few nice restaurants, but nothing that's going to cost $1,000 for a meal!

Thanks everyone!

In case you didn't know, the Musee d'Orsay is doing some remodeling and much of the Impressionist art is currently in the De Young Museum in San Francisco. You can check their website or the De Young website to see the specifics.
It is still open, just missing some famous pieces if that matters for your visit.

Where are you staying? Helps to pick restos nearby

Lynnaustin, thanks for the tip. I'll have a look at what will be missing and see if it is still worth visiting. We will be staying in the 1st arrondissement if that helps..

Ok.

Many threads here on restaurants. I'll throw out...

Angelina's on Rue de Rivoli is famous for its hot chocolate and desserts (like the Mont Blanc)

At place des Vosges had a nice outdoor lunch at the small
Cafe Hugo

On Ile St Louis there are quite a few good restaurants. I ate lunch at Breaaserie de L'ile right nar the brdige to Ile de la Cite. Dinner spots include L'Ilot Vache and Tastevin.

Along the Seine, Left Bank, across from Notre Dame, there are a few decent places, some with patios. Rotisserie du Beaujolais would be nice for dinner.

Left Bank restos from my last couple of trips include Chez Clement, Le Petit Zinc, La Jacobine, Chez Rene, Chez Henri- Moulin a Vent.

I've also liked the Patisserie Paul, that are in many locations, for a quick lunch sandwich.