I've always gotten such great advice from all of you & I'd appreciate your input. This is a first draft of our itinerary for later this month. My first trip to Paris. Is it too ambitious?
*Will gladly sacrifice sleep & museum time for market visit, small bits of chocolate, bread, & cheese collection and some evening jazz.
Wish the Pompadou was open but sounds like it is closed until mid-October.
What do you think?
Arrive Saturday 11:00am-
Drop bags @ Hotel Du Louvre
Walking Orientation Tour vs Batobus (Recommendations?)
Evening stroll to reset that crazy clock-where?
Sunday-
Notre Dame (Audioguide)
Ile de la Cite
Catacombs
St Chapelle
Deportation Memorial
Marais walk (Will anything be open?)
Monday-
Arc de Triomphe
Jacquemart-Andre Museum
Opera House
Eiffel Tower
Sewer Museum?
Tuesday-
St Germain neighborhood walk
Luxemburg Garden
Musee Rodin
Musee D’Orsay
Wednesday-
Louvre
Tuileries Garden
Musee D’Orangerie
Place de la Concorde
Thursday-
Versailles – Castle & Gardens
Markets or wandering neighborhoods
Friday-
Montmartre?
Chocolat collection

Saturday-
Depart 8 am

Thank you!

Well my first reaction is that it is awfully heavy on museums and not enough time to just explore areas. Personally I would skip at least half those museums on a first trip to Paris. In fact this summer was my eighth trip to Paris and I still have not been to all of those on your list. You mention markets. Don't you want to spend some time walking around exploring - and maybe visiting some markets and an occasional cafe?

Sunday - You could do Notre Dame, St Chappell and the Deportation Memorial which are all on Ile de la Cite. Check out the park at the west end, past Pont Neuf, with good views of the Siene and Pont des Artes (especially nice at sunset). Just across the bridge from the Deportation Memorial is Ile St Louis. Walk around there a bit and you'll be across from the Marais. A walk through there and that would be a full day. (So no Catacombs that day).

Monday - way too crowded. Did you plan to go up the Arc and the Eiffel Tower or just go see them? The Opera is beautiful but if you plan a tour of the inside that will take a while as well. And the Jacquemart-Andre Museum often has a very long line. So something will probably have to go. And that day doesn't allow for any just wandering or exploring.

Tuesday looks doable especially if you get to Muse D'Orsay before it opens and don't need to spend more than a couple hours there. And that day is a reasonable mix of museums and neighborhoods/parks.

The rest of the week looks reasonable.

There are walking tours of various neighborhoods in all the major guidebooks and several books which are just a series of Paris walking tours. Look on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...0tours%20paris)

Here are my photos of Paris if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/paris

I personally wouldn't do the Louvre and Musee D’Orangerie on the same day. The Louvre is HUGE as you probably know. You don't have to see everything of course (probably impossible in a day), but you may be bug-eyed by the time you're done. The Orangerie is not a big museum, so may be you can fit it in another day (except Tuesday). Maybe Friday?

No real need to see the Tuileries Garden on the same day as the Orangerie even though the museum is in the garden. Seeing the garden really won't take a lot of time, anyway, unless you want to dwell. Seeing Place de la Concorde won't take much time, either.

Saturday - do the walking tour. I've not been on the batobus but I don't see the attraction. It's like a city bus on the water. Better take a seine cruise, especially at night.

Sunday - the catacombs are no where near the rest of the itinerary. Are you sure you want to go there? Plenty will be open in the Marais on Sunday. It's Saturday that's the quiet day.

Monday - way too much. The sewers were one of the first things I wanted to see on my first Paris trip but I would put them last on the list for a first time visitor. Do either the Arch or the Eiffel Tower, both is too much. Definitely see the Jacquemart-Andre. Book tickets in advance to the Opera.

Tuesday - you're the second person in two days who wants to go to the Rodin Museum when it's closed. What gives? It's contagious! LOL

Friday - what's the chocolate collection? I want to go there!

No churches except for Notre Dame? You'll be passing some lovely ones.

I would post photos but I'd never post them after isabel's.

I disagree about the Louvre and Orangerie on the same day. You need the Orangerie as a foil. In between the two have lunch, ride the ferris wheel, stare at the obelisk, look at the Maillol sculpture. You'll have enough of a transition.

I just returned from Paris and waited over an hour to get into the catacombs on Sunday morning even though we arrived an hour before opening. The wait was much longer by the time we actually got in. That's a lot of precious time, worth it if you are very interested in the history of mining in Paris and why the catacombs exist in the first place but perhaps better spent at some of your other choices. Instead, if you are a cemetery lover, you might want to consider visiting the Pere Lachase (sp?) cemetery as during your Marais visit.Fascinating and no waiting.

Also, the sewer tour is OK, but less so than so many of the other sites you have pegged. Perhaps consider it for your next trip. (You WILL go back!)

See the Eiffel Tower after dark when the lights twinkle and the crowds party at the Trocadero. Combine it with the Batobus or river cruise to see the bridges and buildings beautifully lit.

You will be amazed at how much of what you have listed will come to you just by walking from the Louvre to the Arc d'Triomphe, then to the tower. Very doable if you are up to a beautiful walk.

Have a wonderful trip.

It's a lot but go for it! You might visit the largest place first and see how much of the day is left over. Also, do check on the days museum (esp. Louvre) is open late and appoint that day to visit it.

Hub and I rarely made it past 9 on that first day--when you take that evening stroll, be sure it's not too far from your hotel or that you know how to tell the taxi driver the address when/if fatigue hits you!

Pompidou closed? What's going on with that, please. Yes, do double-check what day of the week things are closed.

Only one floor of the Pompidou is closed (the 5th) but I think you have too much to do already, anyway.

The Batobus is not any orientation of anything, it's a boat on the river, you won't get oriented to anything that way, I wouldn't bother if that is the purpose. If you want a boat cruise, take one, but not the Batobus as that isn't what it is. It is river transportation and has a lot of stops.

I think your Sunday and Monday are okay, actually. The other days are combining too many similar museumes to my taste, but it's your trip. I never do more than one art museum a day myself, and I definitely would never combine an art museum with the day I visited the Louvre. Combining Rodin and Orsay is not as bad (I still wouldn't do it).

Too much! No time at all for just enjoying the city.

The Batobus doesn't orient you to the city. It's a water taxi. I'd go on the walking tour or just orient yourselves.

Sunday and Monday look downright impossible. You need to group things better so as not to be criss-crossing the city.

But all of that will become apparent once you've landed and arrived in Paris, at which point the itinerary will likely be tossed in the nearest poubelle.

I think the boat does give one an orientation and it is relaxing and enjoyable.

I also agree do not do both Louvre and D'Orsay the same day. I would select the D'Orsay!

The Marais is VERY crowded on a Sunday. I would avoid it.


I would visit Luxembourg Garden on the weekend and enjoy the activities you see with families and little music bands etc.. You could easily enjoy several hours here!

Have fun and build in plenty of time to sit at a cafe or just wonder and find wonderful nooks and crannies.

Thanks so much everyone! I knew it was probably too much.

isabel, I am cutting back on museums and will switch Monday to a more sane schedule with the Arc OR Eiffel Tower.

Andrew, I will definitely go bug-eyed if I try to see too much, so, despite a desire to see everything, I'm going to cut back so we can spend more time wandering.

adrienne, A walking tour it is if we are up to it. It will help our jet lag. We will probably cut out the catacombs and save that and the sewers for another visit. I'll look at the Jacquemart-Andre website and decide about that visit. Thanks for telling us to book tickets in advance to the Opera. The Rodin website says it is closed on Monday though some of my travel guides say Tues. Not sure what that is about? Chocolates will be collected as I go

bjk0908, Catacombs and Sewers now at bottom and falling off list. I think walking between Louvre-Arc-Eiffel might be a great 2-3 hr walk when we arrive. Maybe trying to be near the Seine at sunset.

TDudette, I will be lucky to last until 9 on the first day! The Louvre is open late on Wed. which is why I chose that day.

Christina, Since I live in a small town, I often visit two museums in a day when I go to big city. I just make sure to keep my visit short enough that my head doesn't explode & I try to have a different focus at each museum. I was an art history major in college so I will try to focus on works I've been wanting to see.

StCirq, Google mapping hotels, sights etc.. is giving me a better grasp of ways to group things. That said, throwing the itinerary in the trashcan is always an attractive option!

annesherrod, Love your suggestions as an alternative to a lot of walking if we are too exhausted on arrival. Luxembourg Gardens or a river cruise give us another, more relaxing, option.

This trip was a surprise and has left me little time to plan so I really appreciate your input!

btw isabel, Love your pictures!

You're correct - the Rodin museum is closed on Mondays. I went into my internet history to see what I was looking at and guess what - it was the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia! So sorry about that! I scrolled down until I saw the hours. Duh.

If you're pressed for time you can visit the Rodin Museum garden only. There are quite a few sculptures and the place is lovely (although it used to be lovelier before they constructed the new entrance and removed the green fencing and gate and rhododendrons). But it's still nice to walk around.