Paris: Help w/short and very last minute trip
 

I just found out that I have a business trip in Paris next week and I could use some help with ideas to make the best of my short time there. I was in Paris only once before over 20 years ago as part of a whirlwind bus tour of European cities and spent about 1 1/2 days there. At the time I saw some of the highlights and visited Versailles, but it has been quite a while.

I will be traveling overnight from New York (arriving around 6 a.m.) and will be there for 5 days and nights. However, I will obviously be jet-lagged the day I arrive and then I only have one day (the last day) completely free to play tourist. Other days I will have a mix of work and/or meetings with the possibility of grabbing a few hours here and there.

I will be staying in the Opera area and will be working within a 10 minute walk from the hotel. This is what things look like time-wise:

Day 1 -- I arrive at CDG around 6 a.m, so I figure I will get to the hotel around 8-9 and will have several hours before I can get a room, unless I am lucky and they have something available.

Day 2 - I will probably have until about noon or 1pm. Then I will need to work and go to meetings. The evening after about 6pm will be free.

Day 3 - No free time today as I will be working all day and have a work-related event to attend in the evening.

Day 4 -- I should have about 2- 2/12 hours free in the middle of the afternoon and the evening free after about 5:30 or 6:00pm.

Day 5 - Completely free day and evening (Saturday). Flying back on Sunday morning.

This is so last minute that I really don't know what I want to do. A few things that come to mind are taking the hop-on hop-off bus (or maybe the 69 bus) the day of arrival to rest and get a sense of the area (not sure if sitting on a buss is smart after flying overnight, though). I'm also considering a visit to the Louvre or Musee D'Orsay, a possible free walking tour and as I have some interest in photography I was considering booking a photo tour for a half day (or more, depending on what other things I want to do) .

I get the sense that doing less and enjoying the moments is probably a better plan than rushing from one thing to the next, but I don't want to waste the little bits of time I may have free wandering around aimlessly without any idea what I am looking at.

Any thoughts/ideas/input is most greatly appreciated.

You probably won't get to your hotel that soon, and they will have a room for you to leave your luggage. Freshen up a bit and begin walking around. Get a bite to eat at a café.
It could be fun to head over to Notre Dame and have a bite at the Brasserie en l'Isle just behind ND, over the bridge. it will get you into the Paris mood. There are also numerous cafes around Notre Dame.
Head over to Ste. chapelle and look at the windows.
We keep pressing on on our first day, have an early dinner and are pretty much "on time" for the next day.

Wish I had a last minute business trip to Paris!

A few thoughts:

- re checking into your hotel. I always email a hotel as I'm leaving for the airport to advise I will be arriving early the next morning. At that time (and if the hotel has a real time booking engine) I check to see if they have any vacancies the night before I arrive....if yes that implies there are rooms available for an early check in the next morning. That gives one a bit of information when dealing with the front desk at check in.

- I haven't done a HOHO bus but I do enjoy the Bateaux Mouche boats on the Seine and think it's a good thing to do the first day when you're tired. I usually take the one at Pont Neuf

http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/home/

- check museum hours in advance - Musee D'orsay is closed Mondays/open late Thursdays; Louvre closed Tuesdays/open late Wednesday and Friday, etc, etc

- regarding the Louvre there is a Highlights of the Louvre tour in English (well, there was) at 11am - check the site for other times. It was a good 90 minutes overview if that's all you have

Below is a link to a restaurant round up I did - we were staying in the 1st near the Opera and many of the restaurants are in that area.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nt-roundup.cfm

Have fun!

this is when i think that the HOHO bus comes into its own, especially as you may not be able to get into your room straight away.

you could do just as gretchen says, get off at Notre Dame, go to the/a brasserie, St Chappelle, wander around the Isles, then get back on the bus again, or take a bateau mouches or the batobus down to the Eiffel Tower.

Both big museums have late night openings which may be useful to you.

bon voyage!

I think the best antidote to jet lag is a good walk. That first day consider walking "down" from hotel to Notre Dame, "across" to Eiffel Tour or Arc de Triomphe and back. Just draw a triangle on a map and go!

Thanks for all of the thoughts. IF you have any others, please keep them coming :-).

Any suggestions for a good map? I can use an iPad or smart phone, but I don't want to be staring around in a crowd with one of them trying to figure out where to go. Seems like trouble waiting to happen. I heard good things about the Paris Map guide (Michael Middletech) but the last edition was from 2002.

If you have an iPhone as well as your iPad, the Paris2Go app was extremely helpful to me on my trip two years ago. The maps download to your phone, so no data plan required, but it will locate you on the map using the GPS. Between that and a paper Metro map, I was all set. I'm not sure if there's an Android version or not, but definitely worth checking out. Just like in the States, you'll see people everywhere with their faces in their phones, so you won't look out of the ordinary at all! If I needed to use the map, I'd just get out of the middle of the sidewalk, figure out where I was headed and be on my way. No big deal.

I love the idea of Notre Dame on your first day - I did that and Sainte-Chappelle and it was a great Day 1 activity (active and felt very "Paris-y"!).

In no particular order, some of my favorite things I did:
- walking tours with Paris Walks - there are tons to choose from, every day, all 90 minutes or so; I thought it was a great way to get an overview of a neighborhood in a pretty short time frame
- the Pompidou - I liked this museum more than I expected to!
- concert at Sainte-Chappelle one evening

The late museum hours will be great for you. It may be heresy, but I'd go to the Orsay over the Louvre if you have to pick - it's more manageable in your time frame, and the building itself is one of my favorite museums. That's just me though.

I agree with Laurie_ann--I'd do a good walk to keep you awake. And do take advantage of Bus 69 while you are there--you are in PERFECT position to keep taking advantage of it. Grab a carnet or two and you are totally set.

Actually, now that I think about it, you should take advantage of what both your geographic area and your excellent transportation opportunities offer so that you can add serendipity into your visit. As a photographer, you certainly must enjoy that aspect.

There certainly are a lot of terrific visuals where you are staying so that you can mix sightseeing and meetings with little effort and see many things most tourists don't usually get around to seeing. You are in the midst of Napolean's and Napolean II/Haussmann's Paris, and I heartily recommend you take advantage of that history while you are there.

The Place Vendome is not something I recommend to the person who wants to run from Notre Dame to Saint Chappelle, fit in a snap of the Mona Lisa, and jog down to the Eiffel Tower. The Place Vendome is something I recommend to anyone who wants a sense of time and place in Paris.

Another landmark near you that obviously comes to mind is the Palais Garnier. We took an English tour there in 1999 and we STILL talk about it. Please ask your hotel desk for information, or dash into one of the Palais Garnier ticket booths because the PG's website has a lot of "Franglais" with a few broken links
http://visitepalaisgarnier.fr/en/useful-information
I have seen on other info pages that tours run Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays at 11.30 & 14.30 if that helps.

For another architectural beauty, please see L'église de la Madeleine. If you can snag a concert seat there, drop in. It has excellent acoustics.

If you visit the church, you might as well check out the Galerie de la Madeleine, one of the famous "passages couverts". You will also be staying near Passage Choiseul. If you want to check out some of the other passages, here's the Google map of them: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...007&dg=feature
These passages offer lots of photographic opportunities.

Of course you will want to dash in to the Louvre and certainly you will want to walk the bridge to the Musee d'Orsay, but the museum that offers the least "museum fatigue" is the nearby l'Orangerie. The display of Monet's Waterlilies (Nymphéas), a total of 8 huge paintings in two oval shaped rooms with diffused light (something you understand) is worth the price of admission.

By the way, my daughter's most impressive photos of Paris were from around the l'Orangerie's Seine area. The lighting in the area, no matter what time of day, seemed to give that "the camera sees what we actually don't" type of thing.

If you want some sound in addition to light, keep you ears open for my favorite Paris buskers, "Les Musiciens de Lviv" or "Caberet Slave". They will explain to anyone who asks that they are UKRAINIAN, which has taken on a bit more meaning in recent days for those who had not been in the know. You will miss their 2 pm showing at the Place des Vosges in the Marais, but according to my study-abroad daughter, they sort of keep to a Metro schedule, and she has seen them on a regular basis at Concorde, Chatelet and Bastille stations. Enjoy them now!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=ok8h_4fFi0E

Foodwise, you are in prime position for business lunches that are darn good. I'd check in with Chowhound.com for these.

I hope this has been helpful.

<to waste the little bits of time I may have free wandering around aimlessly without any idea what I am looking at.>

Well that would be my plan exactly! IMO it's not a waste to wander around Paris. If you feel the need to know exactly what you're looking at, grab a tourist brochure, street map, and/or guideobook.

My favorite Paris map was a freebie from the hotel lobby. It just worked better than any of the ones we had purchased at home in advance. Plus being paper, we took notes on it.

jent and Alessandra, thank you for the helpful information. Suze, you are probably right. It would be good to wander and let the streets take me wherever they lead. I'm sure I would see quite a few things I might not otherwise look for. No need for me to identify absolutely everything, but I do like to know generally what I am seeing. No doubt when I return home I will be asked what I saw and it would be very nice to have an answer! :-)

My best Paris memories are of drinking wine in sidewalk cafes. If you have a map the major monuments, parks, etc. will all be marked.

I like the Streetwise map. It is laminated, easy to read and fits in a purse....well, most purses. You will be in a great location for sights and restaurants. Have fun!!

Trips4fun--You are more than welcome, and it is very gracious of you to say thank you.

I am so happy you are now planning to experience Paris as opposed to merely touring it.

I, like so many posters, also recommend Streetwise Maps, most of which include Metro maps on one of the folds. Unlike an iphone, no one rips a Streetwise out of your hand. :) Just make sure you are clear of the skinny kids holding clipboards with petitions because you'll give yourself away.

Our hotel maps have also been darn handy, especially because one can write and circle all over them.

Since we like to mix spontaneous and planned experiences, we used two books to help us experience Paris at least once every year since 1998:

"Access Paris" and "Time Out Paris Walks"

"Access Paris" ** allowed my kids to "pick a street and see what's there." "Time Out Paris Walks" allowed us to take a more directed approach.

**<i>My caveat is that the "Access Paris" I liked best was the 6th edition, not the most recent ones. Somehow the updates lost the purpose.</i>

However, you might enjoy something you can access right now online.

The website
http://www.historywalksparis.com/ ,
given your upcoming Paris location, might give you some great ideas.

By the way, I admit a bias against the HopOn bus. Not only do the regular Paris bus routes cover the same ground for practically nothing, riding regular transport allows you to see Parisians and experience life there. I love traveling with the Paris mom, dad, two kids with one in the stroller with their recent purchases from BHV.

Enjoy, enjoy.
AZ

(I don't like laminated street maps, because I like to write on them, add notes about locations, where I've been, where I'm going, where my hotel is -lol!)

I like the Streetwise map, and travel with it, but especially like Middlemarch's Paris Mapguide for great detail. The first one might be enough for your short time, though. There are some good ideas for you here. I'm constantly checking for good Paris ideas - I'll be there in May for two weeks - and get plenty of them on this forum.

If you stay near the Opéra Garnier as I did that last three days, you probably already know that the Roissy Bus will take you there directly from CDG.
For just an hour or two to kill, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps are just in that area.
It is a bit "touristy" and not exactly cheap, but also Café da la Paix is just in the area.
If you are into photography you may be interested in the exhibition of Henri Cartier Bresson's photography at the Centre Beaubourg. Have not seen it myself, but Cartier-Bresson can't be bad..

I certainly would not fixate on bus 69 because it does not run anywhere near the Opéra area, so you would be better off testing the dozen or so other bus lines that run through there. You can transfer bus lines on the same ticket as long as you don't backtrack, so this allows quite a bit of exploration.

In any case, Opéra is an excellent area for wandering, either along the Grands Boulevards (which metro lines 8 and 9 follow) or down avenue de l'Opéra towards the Louvre and the Seine -- just for a start!

Since nobody posted the route of bus 69, I will do so: http://www.ratp.fr/informer/pdf/orie...=pdf&nompdf=69

Let me put in a good word for the Knopf Mapguides guide to Paris. It is about 4" by 6" and less than 1/2 inch thick and can fit in a purse or pocket. It shows the city in 10 fold out maps to each selected area with a selection of 8 to 10 sights in each and also provides brief info about a handful of restaurants, cafes and bars, concerts, shopping, etc. in each area. gives opening/closing times of sights I'm using it right now to plan a 12 day trip to Paris in early april.

as kerouac wrote, so many bus lines go via Opéra that you can literally go almost anywhere
#42 is a nice connection from Opéra to the Eiffel Tower - via Madeleine, Concorde and Ave. Montaigne.
http://www.ratp.fr/informer/pdf/orie...loc=bus_paris/

I totally agree that one does not have to limit oneself to bus 69. The official Paris transport system website, www.ratp.en is very helpful to plan out a couple of bus routes you'd like the best.

Their English route search page is:
http://www.ratp.fr/itineraires/en/ra...herche-avancee

Since I myself am now starting to use phone apps with offline maps (did it in Ljubljana last year) you might load up a couple of these before you head off.

I know that the "RATP : Subway Paris" is available for Android, so I'm assuming it's available for iPhones. The Android version: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...abernovel.ratp

Heck, now that I'm thinking about it, I think I'LL download it and play with it.

The app "Metro 01" is supposedly more reliable and can be used offline, but it's limited to metro lines, I think.

What the heck, I might as well download this one, too!

Again...
Enjoy
AZ

I buy one of this pocket size map in book form at a kiosk in Paris livre.fnac.com/a1019764/Collectif-Paris-pratique-par-arrondissement. It lists all the streets metro map and does not have the LED screen glare problem outdoors under the sun.

Another feature of the RATP site is this interactive map:

http://www.ratp.fr/plan-interactif/carteidf.php?lang=uk

Used in conjunction with the itinerary planner recommended above, I find it especially helpful in planning bus travel.

Well, I've been playing around with the RATP app link that I posted above:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...abernovel.ratp

It's not bad. However, I think I need to go to Paris to really test it out. Anyone willing to fly over to do a test run with me?
AZ

Wow. Thanks everyone. I really appreciate all of the insight and help. The more I have been doing some research, the more I realize there is no way I can get more than a taste of what Paris is like in the short amount of time that I have -- but I can certainly enjoy my brief visit!

I picked up a Streetwise map, which seems very good for getting an overview of the city. Allessandra, I agree. Nobody is likely to swipe my little map, but I wouldn't want to be standing there for long periods of time staring at my iPad. I am going to try a few apps though. And Google Maps is always good.

The biggest problem I am going to have is getting over that feeling like I am going to miss something and just slowing down. I would much rather spend more time in fewer places than marching from one place to another checking off items on a "must see" list.

A question about Le Marais. I had been considering a photo tour in that area (there are other options also) but the only day I could do that would be Saturday and I had read that is not really a good day to visit. Am I better off choosing a different place?

Stores are more likely to be closed in the Marais on Saturday than in other areas, but for a photography tour I don't think it would be a drawback, and it might be less crowded than on other days.

Actually I saw many stores in the Marais advertising 7/7 opening. But that's probably not much help if the one you want to shop at is closed.

AZ

I used the RATP App quite extensively.

It was pretty good for a quick look at the Metro or bus maps.
The actual journey planner was also okay.
You just need to set the App to "Bus & Tram" as transport modes if you want to stay over ground.

The only downside may be that the App does not have a preset list of bus stops. So if you want to go to a certain bus stop you may need to manually use an adress in the neighborhood.

It obviously works best when you also have a mobile internet connection and do not have to rely on finding free WiFi here and there.

Another option, as a sort of river-based HOHO bus, might be the Batobus:
http://www.batobus.com/english/index.htm

For me, every trip includes one wander round BHV (especially the hardware in the basement, and household items, for small, inexpensive souvenirs that will also be useful), but that's just me. Where you'll be is pretty well on top of the Galeries Lafayette (worth a look for the domed atrium alone).

>>The biggest problem I am going to have is getting over that feeling like I am going to miss something<<

Of course you are. That's why you'll be saving a list of things to see when you come back again, isn't it...? :)

Almost forgot..
For a very different shopping experience than at Galeries Lafayette, Printemps or BHV, you could take a look at Tati's "flagship store" at Metro Barbès-Rochechouart.
But only if you were going to Montmartre anyway, e.g. to visit Sacre-Coeur.

Of course you are. That's why you'll be saving a list of things to see when you come back again, isn't it...? :)

:-)


Nikki, you might be right that it may be an advantage if it is somewhat less crowded. The other possibility for a photo tour I am considering is Montmartre. I'm not sure if I would otherwise get up there,

I'm not much of a shopper, so the sights are more of interest to me than the shops (for shopping sake), generally. But the shops are certainly part of the experience as well (and make for some great photo-ops).

Montmartre backstreets are FABULOUS for photo shots, trips4fun. Everyone takes pictures from Sacre Coeur, but there are so many neat angles in so many places from the tops and bottoms of staircases and winding streets up there.

And who doesn't want to photograph windmills?

Plus you have a gorgeous Wallace fountain (those lovely things designed by Charles-Auguste Lebourg, financed by Englishman Richard Wallace, and with eventual placement chosen by Hausmann) near that Abbesses Metro entrance with Hector Guimard's glass edicule.

And there's this fab "Wall of Love" up there. I could gush a bit more.

Our best photo we ever took (pre-digital) was from the roof of Sacre Coeur during a thunderstorm. My kids talked me into climbing up there, and I found myself shivering up between lightning bolts, praying for dear life. My second grader grabbed my camera and started clicking away. But I sure don't recommend that :)

There are many online "walks" you can take, so you can't run possibly out of ideas, believe me. Art and literary history abound up there.

Note: You DO realize, trips4fun, that you have become the teacher's pet of so many of us because you obviously had a handle on trying to experience Paris as opposed to attempting a checklist.

That's why we're dripping with envy that you, with your objectives, are going and we're staying home.

Thanks, Cowboy, for the review of the app. I tried it out last night and thought it was OK. The place name search isn't perfect, but then again, neither is that search perfect on a website. I like it in that I won't have to steal my husband's iPad under cover of darkness to check out if I want to mix bus and metro routes.

One other thing--I don't shop but I LOVE watching how Parisians shop. I once got escorted out of Galleries Lafayette by security because I was enchanted by two patient West Highland White Terriers (aka--"Westies")with their owner in the dress department. I swear, the two dogs were giving opinions on which dress was a "yes" and which dress was a "no". I just HAD to take a pic while they were going through the racks.

Oh yeah, trips4fun--maybe you don't want to take pics of people or dogs in Galleries Lafayette.

AZ

>>But the shops are certainly part of the experience as well (and make for some great photo-ops).<<

I tend to be a bit more cautious about photographing strangers, and I'd think twice about doing so in Tati either - and I once got shouted at taking photos in the market under the metro station there.

>>Note: You DO realize, trips4fun, that you have become the teacher's pet of so many of us because you obviously had a handle on trying to experience Paris as opposed to attempting a checklist.

That's why we're dripping with envy that you, with your objectives, are going and we're staying home.<<

I really do appreciate all of the information you and everyone else have been so kind to provide. I just know, however, that at the end of the day any intended plans are probably going to get thrown out the window as I walk around getting lost in my surroundings -- and that's probably not a bad thing.

As I mentioned in my initial post, the last and only time I was in Paris was over 20 years ago (although I have been back to France). At that time I was on one of those "if it's Tuesday it must be …" European bus tours and I spent a little time in Paris. I saw the highlights, toured Versailles and had a good time for what it was. I will no doubt see some of the same sights again and will enjoy them, but I have found that I don't get much satisfaction these days from driving or walking by something simply for the sake of saying that I saw or have been to "x".

>>Oh yeah, trips4fun--maybe you don't want to take pics of people or dogs in Galleries Lafayette.<<

Duly noted :-)

You're right trips4fun, getting lost in your surroundings is definitely not a bad thing at all in Paris! I find it's best to pick an area, have a few things in mind to see in said area then have a wander and see what else you can stumble across. Coincidentally I just published a blog post this morning about a Montmartre walk (that is a wander away from the crowds) you might be interested in www.myloveforparis.blogspot.com - also, I prefer downloading an app as a map rather than carrying one around as wi-fi hotspots can help to locate your position if needed, but be careful (I had my iphone snatched out of my hand and I have been living in Paris!) this post http://myloveforparis.blogspot.fr/20...scammersi.html highlights all scams to be aware of in Paris - not to put a dampener on your trip or anything but always good to keep in mind!
Enjoy Paris! :)