Robespierre: Thank you for your advice. I will definitely go up the Tour Monparnasse instead of the Eiffel Tower. The restaurant looks interesting as well, but the prices are a little bit out of my league, :( Thanks anyway. Since you seem to know so much about Paris, you might have another idea which is a little bit cheaper?

With just one day, I don't think I would even take the time to get "up high". The charm of Paris is mostly in its streets...the hustle of a big city set against charming architecture, flower stalls, little cafes, chic boutiques and shops.

There are so many cafes where you can have a nice lunch at a sidewalk table. That's what I would look for. Decide first what area you want to be in at lunchtime. Then people can recommend a place to eat.

As for the evening, here's a suggestion: a boat ride at sunset, ending at Ile de la Cite. Find a nice little brasserie or cafe on the Iles where dinner will only take an hour or so. (Dinner at a good restaurant will take 2 1/2 - 3 hours). After dinner, stroll the Iles, stop at Berthillon for ice cream. Many of the little shops stay open til 9pm.

For the "rooftop" view, you can also consider Galerie Lafayette; ask at the guest desk as to which escalator to take (it's the same one for the fashion show). And the stained glass dome in the store is worth seeing. Walking and soaking in the beauty of the city is to me the essence of a trip to Paris. Enjoy.

It is hard to say where we will be around lunchtime since I have never been to Paris before. We will probably be dropped of somewhere in the centre where I wanna head to Eiffel Tower and then further to Notre Dame. After that probably take a walk along CHamps Elysée, visiting Arc de Triomphe. Until that time we might be hungry. Any ideas for a nice but that expensive restaurant or cafe in that area?

I think you're overestimating what you can do in one day. With such a short visit, I wouldn't want to spend time figuring out the Metro (can you afford taxis?). Walking takes longer than you're allowing, unless you intend to just make a bee line from one place to another . But, if you do that, you'll miss the most charming thing about Paris...just strolling and looking in shops, sitting at a cafe, etc.

Similar to Isabel's post, I would suggest starting at Ile de la Cite and Ile St. Louis. Here you'll get the feel for how central the Seine is to the heart of the city. The architecture is very interesting. Lots of shops/cafes. Have lunch there. There are many cafes to choose from.

Walk over to the right bank and head toward the Louvre. Walk around the courtyard and Pei's pyramid, then head along the Tuileries to the Place de la Concorde. From there you can see straight up the Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower and the golden dome of les Invalides.

Walk over Pont Alexander III and head to the Eiffel Tower. By then it should be late afternoon...I doubt you'll have time to stand on line and go up. I believe there's a sunset Seine excursion boat you can catch right there at the tower. I would put a sunset cruise on my MUST DO list. It takes about an hour.

As for <i>after</i> the cruise, you haven't said if you prefer night life or a concert or just to linger over a nice dinner.

It might also help to know WHERE you arrive and depart Paris...which station?

Strolling is great if you've got a week, but I think it's a waste of precious time on a one-day trip.

The M&eacute;tro may be useful for getting from one end of town to another (and not complicated - my 13-yo nailed it in two minutes), but that's not what you're doing. Use the <u>bus</u> instead. Print out the <i>Bus touristique</i> from this page:

<b>http://www.ratp.info/orienter/tous_plans_pdf.php</b>

Buy a <b>Mobilis</b> pass for Zones 1-2 at any M&eacute;tro station and you can jump on and off buses to your heart's content. The map will show you the lines that run to all the major sights. There will be one that passes by your points of ingress and egress - be creative. The pass also works on the M&eacute;tro should the need arise to cover some distance <i>fast</i>.

We will do the trip with a German bus organisation and I don't have a clue where they will drop us off. They also offer a citytour with stops for taking pictures, but I want to experience Paris myself and not through the lense of my camera. What do you think? It might be good for seeing a lot, but I will probably sweet little corners that are typical for Paris. My friend told me about a bus or metroticket (ticket des jeneusses?) for people under 26. Have you heard anything about that?

Only you can decide what kind of day you want. You can bus/metro all around and see many of the major sites. Or you can immerse yourself in one or two little corners of the city. You can't do both. Like you, I would not be inclined toward the tour bus.

I don't know that metro pass. You'll read here how easy the metro is...and it <i>is</i>. But it takes getting used to all the interconnecting corridors, the ticket machines, the signage, etc. You could end up spending much of your day wandering around underground...doesn't sound like much fun, does it? Robespierre suggested the bus...a better option.

The <b>Ticket jeunes</b> is a one-day pass for those under 26, and is valid only on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. I don't see the proof of age required to purchase it. Here's a link:

<b>http://www.ratp.info/informer/ticket_jeune.php</b>

Punch the <i>Tarifs</i> button for pricing.

There is a daily pass for all transportation called a Ticket Jeune for those less than 26. It's a couple euro less than the similar thing without age restrictions (Mobilis). The only thing is that it's only good on Saturday or Sunday or a holiday, but I think your day is a Saturday, so might as well get one. Ask for a &quot;ticket jeune&quot; for zones 1-3 at any metro clerk window. They should give you a ticket which you use in the metro turnstiles, and a card to hold it, labeled &quot;ticket jeune&quot;. YOu must write the number of the ticket onto the card, just as you do for some other passes.

I wouldn't take the Batobus either, don't think it's very efficient nor a good view of much from the Seine. And I like the bus, but don't think it's as easy for someone to figure out or understand the routes as the metro. If you can, it's nice because you can see more.

These are just personal preferences as to what to do -- I wouldn't ever spend any time trying to go up high to look at things if I had only one day in a city.

Minor correction: you are required write the number of your <i>card</i> on each <i>ticket</i>, along with the date you use it.

Thanks for all your help. I think I will figure out which transportation to use once I am there. Maybe the clerk can help me as well. Fortunately, I happen to speak a little French, so I will see what it is with the numbers for the ticket.

The rules are in the paragraph at the bottom:

<b>http://www.ratp.info/informer/ticket_jeune.php</b>