Tia

We're leaving in four weeks for a one week trip to Paris. We're seasoned travelers, but Paris is overwhelming me as far as what there is to see and do. Plus, my French is SO rusty! LOL Can anyone give me some advice about what is most important to see/do so I can narrow things down a bit? It would be greatly appreciated. Not that it matters all the much, but we're staying at a hotel very close to the Argenine Metro stop. Thanks a million in advance!!

Mab85

I don't know what you're interested in seeing besides all the big sights, but I can give you tips about interacting with people. Basically, don't worry - the French, despite what many Americans think, are very warm and friendly people. I would just advise you to always be polite, smile, and greet people with "Bonjour" when walking into a shop or restaurant. "Merci" and "Au revoir" go a long way; you don't need to be able to carry on a whole conversation.

In terms of sights, you'll have to talk about what you're interested in. Do you just want to see the big sights, or are you looking for out-of-the-way stuff?

Tia

I guess definitely I'd like to see the main sights, but some neat out of the way places would be fun, too. I'm just so overwhelmed looking at all my guide books. I'm not sure where to even start! UG!! Vacation stress!

WillTravel

Don't worry - there's no need to see everything, nor is it possible. And it's impossible to say what's most important, because that's totally dependent on your tastes. Make a list of 5-10 places that you are interested in - no need to make the perfect choice every time.

AisleSeat

Rich steves has an interesting page in his Paris book that says, "everyone tells you you could spend a lifetime and not experience all of Paris. But you've only got one day, or two days, or three. He then goes on to list everything that should be on your list for one day then what you should add if you have an extra day or two or three.

As I recall it includes Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sont Chappell, Louvre, Orsay, the Seine, Montmartre and the Champs Ellise. After that you start adding other good stuff.

Jolie

If I didn't know what to do in Paris and needed to "narrow down" everything there is, I would do it by category.

What one church appeals to you the most? Notre Dame, St. Chappelle? What museum - Louvre, Orsay, Rodin, Pompidou? What monument would you like to climb up - Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe? What park is prettiest in your opinion? Etc.

I'd start by picking one thing from each category and see where that gets me. At the very least, I would end up with a "sampling" of the city.

Girlspytravel

Musee des Arts Decoratifs-Rue di Rivoli-have lunch across the street first at the classic Angelina's (I like Angelina's again, after an absence of 10 years)

Quai Branly Museum (and make reservations ahead of time for its fantastic rooftop restaurant under the Eiffel Tower-Les Ombres here:

www.lesombres-restaurant.com/

Musee d'Orsay (have lunch in their lovely Belle Epoque frescoed dining room-around 23 Euro, or, get there on Thursday night, which is when the museum is open until 9:30, and have dinner with their gastronomic menu-38 Euro, inclusive)

Buddha Bar-nighttime entertainment-bar-Asian fusion restaurant, good sushi, great drinks, fab music and atmosphere-Rue Boissy d'Anglas-behind Hotel Crillon on Place de la Concorde

Bateaux Mouches-daytime boat trip down the Seine

Shopping -for Lancel purses-at Lancel shops (my new favorite handbag) stores in and around the Champs d'Elysees, and of course found at the great department stores of Paris-Le Bon Marche, Galleries Layfayettes

My favorite perfume store: Annick Goutal (yes, you can get it here, at Sephora, but not all the limited editions you can't-love this stuff, and the AG shops-I have 3 different scents, plus their rose soap-very delicately floral).

Go to AG's flagship store on Rue di Castiglione (a perfume street, btw)

www.annickgoutal.fr/us_accueil.htm

These are a few things I would see in a week....

fromMA

Some of the best times I've had in Paris is just walking along the Seine and stopping for a picnic. Wine and cheese and the Seine.....it doesnt get much better than that. Sitting at a sidewalk cafe at Place St Michele near the Sorbonne is also a great place to people watch. It's a great walking city.

AGM_Cape_Cod

We make a list of what we would like to see while we are Paris but some days we just wander down the streets looking at things. We have a joke about 'just another ...' since there are places that don't appear in the guidebooks that look fascinating. Give yourself permission to just enjoy the city. Remember what Humphrey Bogart said 'we will always have Paris!'

cigalechanta

Not much in this article but thought it will give you a few ideas. The photo of L'As du Fallaful was taken by a poster here, Beatchick.

http://nymag.com/travel/weekends/paris/

Nikki

Some good answers to the same question in this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34978268

highflyer

On our last trip to Paris we visited the Montparnasse tower the day we arrived. It was great to look down over Paris and get our bearings. The view was better than any map!
It's not really out of the way and it's not often on the 'must do list' for first time visitors either but it's a great way to see Paris.

2010

Each time we've gone to Paris, my husband & I each chose 3-4 places to visit or activities to do. We planned our day around opening times & headed out early. Generally, we were able to avoid the crowds of visitors at popular sites, museums or churches. Depending where that took us, we either stopped for lunch at a cafe or put together a picnic & found a lovely spot to eat. Sometimes we just wandered through the neighbourhoods or visited another site along the way in the afternoon. Dinner was usually our main event in the evenings followed by a leisurely walk back to the hotel. We have gone to a concert in St. Chapelle where the acoustics and the stain glass windows illuminated by the soft evening light were amazing!

I guess what I am trying to say is that if you plan every moment of your stay, you'll miss the magic of discovering Paris on foot. Some of our best moments have been serendipity!

From our very first trip to Paris, we have always made our plans knowing that we will return. And we always do!

KARIME2

I am always willing to share my info that I have broken out by arrondissment. If you want you can email me at [email protected] and please put in the topic - paris chart. I took the idea from a friend and now use this system every time I travel.

cchottel

My first piece of advice is to start at the Eiffel Tower. It is the icon we have come to know and I never tire of seeing it. Go back at night. See the lights! Then take a sightseeing boat on the Seine. You will go by so many of the major sites. Just to whet your appetite.

Be sure to keep things grouped together. For instance the Louvre, through the Jardin des Tuileries, to the Place de la Concorde, then along the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. Or Les Halles, the Ile de la Cite stopping to see Notre Dame, and other interests like Ste. Chapelle and/or the Conciergerie. Then Ile St. Louis and over to the Latin Quarter. End up at Luxembourg Gardens. I'm not recommending anything over the other, but just showing you how walkable many sights can be. How much you see depends on how indepth you want to get.

You stay a long time in places you like, other places will be a pop-in or a walk by.

Everyone says it, and it's true: the streets of Paris tend to be what everyone loves in the end. So stop at the sights, but enjoy the walk to the next place. Don't forget to stop and absorb the feel of Paris.

Also, don't assume you won't like something. I had been a Paris a few times having absolutely no interest is Napoleon's Tomb. Then a cold rainy day and I'm near Les Invalides so I decided to go inside just to have a quick lunch, see the "tomb" and get warm. Boy was I ever wrong about this place. Les Invalides is now high, high on my list of must-sees!

This is getting me excited. I'll be in Paris in a little over a week. I still always start with the Eiffel Tower. Then I know I'm in Paris.

elnap29

We had our first trip to Europe last summer. With only 3 nights in Paris, we read the Rick Steves book for ideas and selected only 4 "must-dos": the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Berthillon ice cream, and Jardin du Luxembourg. Of course, we saw much more than that, but everything felt very spontaneous and we had an amazing time. Some of our best experiences came from getting to know the neighborhood near our hotel and enjoying the people we became acquainted with. By the 2nd day the waiter at the corner cafe waved to us everytime we passed. Yes, there is much to see and do, but it will fall together naturally when you are there. I had sprained both feet in a fall in Salzburg, so we had to take the double-decker bus tour the first day. It gave us a good overview of the city and allowed us to plan what we wanted to do on foot (limping of course). Oh, and don't worry about your French. I had only 1 year of it in high school MANY years ago; yet a few phrases served us well - get a small phrase book to take along. people are very kind and most switched to English after I initiated my bad French.

Rastaguytoday

You might try grouping your days with sights that are close to each other.

I was in Paris with a business associate a few years ago. We had a day and 1/2 and he'd never been there before.

I found a hotel in the 6th Arrondisement near the Seine. The first day we 'did' a few things he wanted to see. Tour Eiffel, Sacre Coeur, the Champs. Not enough time for the Louvre.

Sunday morning we walked along the Seine to the Musee d'Orsee and were pleased to see it was the first Sunday of the month so admission was free. Walked from there to Saint Chappelle and Notre Dame. Bought gifts at the Grand Magasin just across the Seine, and made it back to the hotel for our early-mid afternoon flight to Brest.

CRAZY4TRAVEL

I would suggest getting a Paris Visite 5 day pass. It's valid for transportation as well as admission to most major museum and attractions (except the Eiffel Tower). It will save you time from standing in line as with this pass there is a separate queue. We used it extensively on our first trip to Paris. It was worth its weight in gold...especially when you see the looks on peoples faces when you are able to go to the front of the line. At Notre Dame, it was lined up around the block to climb up the bell tower. We literally had no wait at all.

Here is the website:
http://www.parisvisite.com/en/index.php

I've been to Paris 5 times and not seen all I would like to see but you can certainly make a nice dent.

Some of my highlights including the obvious in no particular order:
Latin Quarter, Notre Dame, Ile Saint-Louis, Saint Chapelle, Louve, Jardin des Tuileries, Luxembourg Gardens, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Pantheon, Musee d'Orsay, Sacre-Coeur, Montmartre, Rue Cler, Night cruise on the Seine and a visit to Versailles. Lingering in a cafe to people watch is also wonderful.

Don't worry about your french. I agree with Mab85. If you are polite by making an attempt to be cordial, you will be met with warmth and consideration. It is customary to greet people upon entering an establishment by saying bonjour and making eye contact and also saying merci bon journee when leaving. Learn the basics and you will have no trouble at all....patience is the key.

Have a wonderful time!!

suze

This is how we tackled Paris. Each evening or over breakfast, we'd pick out one specific sight we wanted to see and head there... then map out a walking route across the city back to our hotel. Worked out great. We used the Metro a few times to cover distance in the morning, but mostly just walked. Our complete lack of French language skills did not prove a problem, thankfully.

CRAZY4TRAVEL

Actually...this is the correct site for the pass that includes transportation and attractions:

http://www.paris-pass.com