Paris in 2 days suggestions
 

I will be visiting Paris for a brief time (2 days) in a week and would like to know what order I should see things in.

I want to go to the Lourve the 2nd day, so that takes care of that. :) What order should I see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Champs ... , etc. in?

Thanks for your help!

I can't really advise, but it might help if you posted what days you are going so that other posters would be able to tell you if there were any issues of particularly crowded days or closed museums.

True, that might help. :)

We will be arriving Saturday morning at around 10 a.m., and leaving Sunday evening around 6 p.m. We are staying at the Etoile Park hotel, located within a five minute walk to the Charles de Gale metro station near the Arc de Triumphe. Sorry if I mispelled a lot of that, I'm very tired and too lazy to google the correct spellings.

Thanks again.

A personal opinion, to be sure, but I would almost always urge, when limited on time, to visit the Musee d'Orsay as a higher priority than a visit to the Louvre.

The Louvre is arguably the greatest collection of art from all the world to be found in France - - but the Md'O is the greatest collection of art from France in all the world.

And it's a terrific one-two punch to combine lunch in the main dining room at the Md'O - - it makes for a great way to break up 2 to 2-1/2 hours of art viewing; affordable, elegant with good service and excellent food.

Best wishes,

Rex

Hi sp,

First day:
Since you will be near the Arc, go see it.

Walk down the Champs to the Pl Concorde.

Go back to the hotel and freshen up for dinner.

Go eat.

Go see the Eiffel tower lit up.

Go to Bed

Second Day
Go to the Musee D'Orsay by Metro.

Take the Batobus to Notre Dame.

ave lunch

Get back on the Batobus and get off at the Jardin des Plantes.

Use the Batobus again to the Hotel de Ville.

Batobus again to the Champs Elysee.

Have an aperitif.

Walk back to the hotel.

I agree with Rex about the Louvre.

I would hire a guide. Michael Osman at [email protected] is excellent but may not be available so quickly. I will try to come back with another guide suggestion. These folks would optimize your time and are quite reasonable in cost. Unfortunately your time really translates to one day, not two.

I agree with Ira's suggestion with one modification. I would view Notre Dame from the outside and visit Ste. Chapelle (nearby on Ile de la Cite)to see the wonderful interior and stained glass.

I modify my itinerary. St Chapelle it is.

Hi
Good advice above, but I'll tweak it a bit to include the Louvre which you mention you want to visit.
Visit the Louvre website before you go, it is an excellent planning tool for what is in effect miles of galleries.
Buy a ticket in advance, on the internet.

Weekends are crowded of course. When you get inside, pick up one of the free visitors maps (available in English). On such a short visit to Paris, 1.5-2 hours in the Louvre, unless this is your primary reason for going to Paris, is as much as you can afford.

If you do the Orsay museum
it may also be very crowded, see if you can order your ticket on line as well. Alternatively you can purchase a Carte Musee musuem pass (sold in many metro stations and at small museums) which allows you to skip the ticket buyers' lines at the Louvre and Orsay. It is good for many other museums as well, but you are buying it just to save some time.

You could leave the Orsay and walk or metro to the Eiffel Tower. There's usually a long line to go to the top, maybe you can be satisfied by seeing it at the bottom, and then seeing it from a distance from many places in Paris.

If you want lunch, Le Totem is a restaurant at Place Trocadero, a 5 minute walk north of the ET. Food is okay, and a bit expensive for what it is, but some tables have a wonderful view of the ET (esp good at night). I"m not recommending the place as a fine dining experience, just as an option during a short visit. They have burgers and sandwiches in addition to other main courses.

From the ET you can walk to the Arc de Triomphe, and then down the Champs Elysees as mentioned, to Place de la Concorde. Then metro to the Cite stop to see Notre Dame and Ste Chapelle.
I don't think ND is open for visits on Sundays, at least not You can't do all of this (with both museums) in one day but you can always split it up.

Click at the top of this screen on Destinations; the Fodors info on Paris has suggestions for short visits.

I meant to say, I don't think that Notre Dame is open to visitors during Sunday church service hours, perhaps it is later in the day.

Thank you guys so much!

Have any of you heard anything about the hotel we will be staying in ... the Etoile Park?

i would also like to agree w/ rex. the louvre is massive and has everything. the orsay is great art (esp impressionism). i was overwhelmed by the size of the louvre, and wowwed w/ the orsay. i am going back again this year. i will go back to the louvre only because i missed parts due to closure. make sure you check on that.

With only two days in Paris, I say--walk around and take it all in! My DH and I go for a week every year, and spend much of the time walking, eating at bistros, and watching the world go by while we sit at an outdoor cafe. Choose one or two things on your 'must do' list, but keep the rest of your time flexible. In past years I've taken Paris Walking Tours while DH goes out and takes fabulous photographs. This year I'm taking a Segway tour that is a four hour 'highlights of Paris' on one of those new Segway transporters. Spend some time in the shops and department stores--we always buy baby clothing to give as gifts when invited to baby showers--it's kind of our 'signature' gift. Bottom line--relax and enjoy the people and architecture of the city. The metro is the fastest and easiest way to get around, and it is extremely easy to figure out.

I would saving the walking tour until you have a week or two to burn. To cram as much as possible into two days, take the Mètro* everywhere possible. Buy the Museum Pass for one day, and you can hit Versailles in the morning (plan your train ride to arrive when it opens) and the Louvre and Notre Dame in the afternoon. I believe the Arc de Triomphe is open late in the summer, so maybe you can take in the sunset from the top. The Eiffel Tower is also open evenings, so plan to visit there after the other sights close for the day.

When you get back, check into a rest home for a week.

* Use the RATP Mobilis daylong pass. Zones 1-2 for downtown, Zones 1-4 to add Versailles.