pariswat

Hi
I would also ditch the HoHo - never taken it in Paris btw.
I'd take a Velib instead, you sound young - Velib.fr will give you some info. It is basically a (nearly) free way of circulating in Paris - you take a bike (2 in your case) at a station, drop it at another one within 30 minutes (if not it starts getting quite expensive) then pick up another one etc.
It is a great day to visit, with a total freedom.
I'd also get on a 'vedette' at some time - I love it in the night : you board a cruise small ship (the smaller the better imo) and see Paris from the river Seine (in a warm place).
Have fun.
Don't forget to have a good restaurant from time to time. Funny I have only eaten once in the 7th (that I noted).

mamcalice

I think your itinerary looks good. Just one suggestion: On the day you are in the Marais and vicinity, you might consider going to the Picasso Museum. It is a fun museum and well worth a visit, especially if your museum pass is still effective.

janisj

Ok -- if you simply <i>must</i> take a H-o-H-o, do not take it for two days. Total waste. One day is more than enough to take all the loops and jump off once or twice.

Photobear

Pariswat....the Velib sounds great but my hubby has mobility issues and my 70 year old mother will be with us.....Would have been fun though.The Hop on / off is a free second day really so we will probably just use it for free transportation but we can always ditch it too.

pariswat

Ah, mobility issues, then yes, HoHo makes much more sense.
A cruise on the rvier is then for you too. There are some on which you can dine.

Catacombs my be difficult to negociate - lots of stairs, very small stairway and when down, some kms to walk before some more stairs in a not better stairway.

Just checked on their site :

130 marches (steps) à descendre (down). 83 marches à remonter (up).
Température : 14°.
Les Catacombes ne sont pas accessibles aux personnes à mobilité réduite. : Catacaombs are not accessible to people with mobility issues...

Photobear

Hubby is pretty good with stairs but he will make the call when that day comes. His mobility issues are with rotation in his hips so bikes are out.

Gretchen

Haven't read many of the replies 'cause you sure have enough good advice, I'm sure
"Kerouc says" Why an apartment in the 7th? It really isn't a very convenient area except for the Eiffel Tower --I say, Kerouac, mind your own Parisian business and this gets tiresome.

I would also skip the HOHO bus for all the reasons given--you have plenty of time to see all along the way and better.

PalenQ

I say, Kerouac, mind your own Parisian business and this gets tiresome.>

To me kerouac is a valuable contributor - a Parisian with intense knowledge of many things not apparent to casual tourists - and that area is a dead zone in terms of neighborhood vitality - kerouac mind our business please!

menachem

Depends on where you are in the 7th. Where is the apartment located?

Photobear

Our apartment is on rue Rapp near Pont D'Alma.

rialtogrl

Photobear, I stayed around the corner from rue Rapp for five days in April. It's actually fairly lively around that area at night. If you have time, check out Les Berges - it is not too far from your apartment. I am not sure a lot will be going on in November, but if the weather is nice, its a nice place to walk around.
http://lesberges.paris.fr/en/

Kathie

You have gotten lots of advice, lots of contradictory advice, too. We all travel differently and that is fine. But do look at the reasons people give for their advice, which can help you determine whether what they say applies to you.

Ten days in Paris is NOT too long. We spent 10 days in Paris last year and would have enjoyed even more time. We took no out of the city day trips, we couldn't tear ourselves away.

We arrived with a long list of places we wanted to see. We were pleased that we saw most of them, but be aware that you need to be flexible. Make a note to yourself of the places you most want to see and make sure you get to those. We planned each day as it came. The night before we would figure out where we wanted to go, plot our metro route and decide where to have lunch and make a reservation.

Have a great trip!

menachem

Behind Musee Branly there's couple of nice places. And you're well placed for destinations on your doorstep as it were. Musee Branly itself (also depends on their themed exhibitions, but almost always interesting and the building is interesting in itself)
And if you cross Pont d'Alma you have the modern art museum and palais de tokyo. We saw a great show last year at Tokyo and their restaurant is quite good for lunch.

What you won't have is a market of a grocery nearby, for that you'd have to be at the corner of Bourdonnais and R de l'Université. But that's walkable. It means you'll have to plan if you want to stock up for a meal in your apartment.

By the way, La Fontaine de Mars is quite near you, on Rue St Dominique. Well worth a reservation!

PalenQ

With ten days in Paris be sure to do some easy day trips like to Chartres or Reims and of course Versailles - see some of France as well as Paris - regional French towns like Chartres and Reims are way different of course than Paris where foreigners at tourist sites seem to outnumber the French.

Photobear

We will see lots of France as well cause before we get to Paris we have 15 nights through Alsace, Normandie and the Loire. We do have a day trip planned to Versailles.

PalenQ

Sorry I did not read carefully to catch that - Versailles to me is really in Paris - take RER C to within a few blocks of the palace itself - buy an aller-et-retour ticket - there and back and do not forget to cancel the ticket in the cancelling machines at the entrance to the turnstiles or you will be deemed riding sans a valid ticket.

Versailles the town itself is also great - especially the old diplomatic quarter from the late 1700s when folks like Benjamin Franklin stayed in the stately embassies - this area is really neat and old and just south of the Palace - bop into the Versailles tourist office just opposite about the RER C terminus and pick up their self-walking tour of that still stately area that many miss in just beelining to and from the palace and RER C station.

denisea

We stayed in the area and you will at least be close to the RER train. It was not my favorite area but you have decided on it and you will enjoy your trip. Great bus service in this area.

All Christian Constant restaurants are near by on rue St Dominique. I believe there is a small g20 grocery store on rue St Dominique.

drchris

I don' think your days are too full at all. We were in Paris for 4 days in. May and saw all you have noted and more except for the cemetery, Pompidou Center, and the Rodin museum, which we had seen on a previous trip.

If you are interested in medieval art, do see the Cluny in the Latin Quarter. The tapestries and other objects are very beautiful. We also enjoyed the Pantheon. You could easily do those two, St Sulpice, and the Luxembourg Gardens in several hours one day.

We also enjoyed going to the view terrace at Printemps - lovely views over Paris - and seeing the beautiful stained glass ceiling at Galleries Lafayette. No need to shop - you can just pop in to take photos.

Regarding the Seine cruise, I'm pretty sure that all but one of the lines leaves near the Eiffel Tower so you if hot want to do it the day you're in that area. I hope you didn't,t literally mean walk up the Eiffel Tower. We walked the 360 steps down from the 2nd to the 1st level and it was challenging.

Since your mom is 70, you could take the elevator to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We were in line to walk up and were offered the opportunity to take the elevator, wh in we gladly accepted. (We are in our mid-late 60's).

We had been to the Louvre before and just wanted to see a few of our favorites again, which we managed to do in less than 3 hours. We loved the Orsay and the Orangerie.

You don't need to do the HOHO bus. You can see many of the sights from the crosstown buses that take you past the major sights.

Enjoy your time in France. It's such a beautiful country. We also a did Normandy, the Loire, and the Alsace as well as other parts of France.

Photobear

Drchris, great advice. Thank you so much for taking the time to give me so much to think about. I forgot about galleries Lafayette. I went there as a teen and now feel like Mom needs to see it too. Never been to Printemps. Will look into it.

No we will not walk up the tower......OMG...No.......I should have worded it differently. LOL

Elevator at the Arche.....great advice. Thanks.

kelsey22

I have a few thoughts... I normally love the hop on, hop off buses but in Paris I have to agree with what someone said above...a lot of traffic. On the other hand, Paris is so magnificent that you just might want to gaze at it from the top of the bus. If you chose to walk around, you might want to try a few walking tours. I did a "free" one which was great. The guide was very engaging and informative. I also did ParisWalks tour (one or two) - absolutely fantastic. These were both suggestions from Fodorites.

At the Louvre - I took time to sit and people watch from a café...the name escapes me but I will get back to you on this. It was a nice break to absorb the magnificent art work I had just seen.

I agree with whomever mentioned doing the L'Orangerie and d'Orsay together. If you a Monet fan you will be enthralled.

Rodin...one of my favorite places in Paris. It was like walking into another world. Take your time to walk around and absorb the artwork. It was so beautiful and moving. I also stopped in the little garden café.

I had packed a bit of a picnic for Luxenbourg Gardens. I sat by the fountain and watched children play with the remote control boats. Peaceful.

I also went to the Medieval Museum - twice...if you like that time period, you will enjoy the Cluny.

And one last word.. another Fodorite suggested I take in a concert at Ste. Chapelle. It was yet another magnificent experience in Paris.

Now I am ready to go again...Have a great time.