Paris in 24 hours
 

Hi there. I am going to make a very very very fast trip to Paris. So I would like to know if somebody could help me telling me what should I do or where should I go (and specialy how: bus or metro - which station) in Paris if I have only 24 hours to visit it.

Thank you everybody!!!
Hugs!
Peace.

A whole 24 hours? Gee, why bother?

Where are you coming from? Is this en route to somewhere else? It's not much time but you can still see a little bit. Tell us what time you arrive and leave. Where will you be staying?

The metro is very efficient in Paris. The stations will depend upon what you wish to see and where you are staying. Do you want to see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc di Triomphe, Notre Dame?

If you are passing through Paris anyway for some reason, it depends where you are coming from and how you are leaving for people to tell you which metros to use, etc. But frankly, if someone has to tell you that, that implies to me you don't know how to use an underground/metro system as you shouldn't need anyone to tell you, you just look at the map and decide how to get where you are going by the lines and the stops.

We will be "stuck" in Paris for 24 hrs, too. A layover. We plan to send our bags on home so we won't be encumbered by them. We'll get an airport hotel and then take the RER into the city. Plan to walk around, maybe visit a museum, and have a great meal. Take the RER back, have a good sleep, and get on the plane for Seattle in the morning. I lived in Paris for three years so won't be doing any tourism, per se, but there is a lot to see. Try to hit the major sights so you'll be inspired to return. Enjoy!

Is this a side-trip from somewhere like London, or is this a stopover on route to a new destination? Where are you staying? And how are you arriving and departing?

Thank you Robert2533, Thank you michele_d, Thank you Christina, Thank you Bedar and Thank you Apres_Londee for answering!

Well.. I am going to Paris from LONDON. After Paris I would have to return to London. Actually I dont have exactly 24 hours. I am going to have much less than this.

Let me explain to you all: I am going to travel for business to London, but I would like so much to visit Paris. I have only 1 day off to visit Paris. So I was thinking to catch a train or a airplain (which one do you think is better?) to go to Paris. At morning. And then I would have to go back to London at night. That's why I have less than 24 hours in Paris.

So I would like to know which places should I visit in Paris and what should I do in Paris to have a good time in Paris if I dont have much time at all.

Thank you all, again!!!

This is a very DIY group so my suggestion might be anathema, but why not hire a guide?

Definitely take the Eurostar - it is city centre to city centre. Book as far in advance as you can at www.eurostar.com

I think you should take Eurostar rather than fly because airport transfers in both cities will cost more time than the transfers to/from the train stations.

I suggest that you take a train to Paris in the evening the day before, if possible, and spend the night in Paris. You can start exploring Paris in the morning and leave Paris in the evening, as you have planned.

Why don't you give us a list of attractions that you very much want to see or things you want to do as a starting point?

It would also be helpful to know which day of the week you plan to visit so we don't suggest things that might be closed.

I'm with the others regarding the Eurostar. Taking the train is the way to do it. You'll depart from St Pancras station in London and arrive at Gare du Nord in Paris.

The next question is, what are your interests? Are you hoping to see some of the iconic monuments, or spend time in a museum? Are you interested in food markets, or art, or history, or ????

The more you share about your interests and expectations, the better the suggestions people can give.

There have been other threads about taking a daytrip to Paris- you could try doing a search for them, you might get some good ideas.

Catch the eurostar as mentioned; book early to get a good deal.
Use an open top bus for your transport and then work out what you might like to see

http://www.parislopentour.com/paris-accueil.php?lng=gb

Approx 2 hours from London to Paris city center. Kind of activity depend on what do you want and your category of interest. For first timer , it's always a great idea to spend a day visit popular tourist attraction such as Eiffel Tower and Louvre and any other main attraction in Paris. Paris is a compact city and has great public transportation system so you will easily transport from one attraction to another one.

Thank you TDudette!
Thank you jamikins!
Thank you Gina_07!
Thank you michele_d!
Thank you Apres_Londee!
Thank you theotherside!
Thank you jh2011!

Thank you all again for traying to help me. You guys are awesome and that's why I am so happy!

My day off in London is going to be May 18th 2012. That's the day that I would like to go from London to Paris.

I am not going to have much money for this fast trip to Paris so I could not hire a guide. Besides that I think it would be very expensive to buy tickets to Eurostar at this time (almost 2 weeks from today).

About the interestes.. well.. let's say that there is a book called "100 places you should visit in Paris"... then.. let's say we reduce this book to "10 places you should visit in Paris"... which places should be these 10 ones? Im pretty sure that Eiffel tower should be one of these 10 places. hehe

I need more help, please, people!

If it were me, I'd start at an art museum (d'orsay for me), then have lunch and stroll towards the Eiffel Tower.

How much are the tickets by train you are looking at?
When in Paris No one on the list for me would be Notre Dame Cathedral (free entry).
I would also try and include Sainte Chapelle not far from Notre Dame.
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/f...ainte-chapelle

If you do decide to use the subway a mobilis card for zones 1 and 2 is only 6 euro 40.

http://www.transilien.com/web/site/a...obilis/lang/en

If you are pushed for time and the lines are long at the Eiffel Tower, the Montparnesse tower is another option and also gives a really good of the city.

If you want to visit a museum and you like the impressionists and 20th century paintings, then consider the Musee de l'Orangerie. It's centrally located and small, and therefore manageable in a short amount of time.

http://www.musee-orangerie.fr/

Or, the Musee Rodin is small and near the Eiffel Tower

http://www.musee-rodin.fr/

I would see Notre Dame and climb the towers, and plan a walk either in the Marais on the right bank or through St Germain or the Latin Quarter on the left bank. If money is tight you can really experience a lot just by walking through the neighbourhoods. If the weather is nice you can grab a sandwich and head to a park, either behind Notre Dame or the Tuileries beside the Orangerie (or somewhere else), grab a bench and have a seat and eat lunch while people watching.

The thing is, you have less than 24 hours.
Don't do anyone else's version of what YOU think Paris is going to be. Google Paris and tell US what you want to see.
We can help you plan the best use of your time but don't spend anyone else's favorite day in Paris.

Thank you LSky!
Thank you theotherside, again!
Thank you Apres_Londee, again!

LSky, I didn't Google it because Google is a not a human being. All I need are suggestions gave by real human beings, like you all.

I like the idea of visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral and Eiffel Tower. I would discard arts places like Museums and stuff only because I like so much paintings and I would need much more time to "appreciate" the paintings ("more time" which I'm not going to have).

Any other suggestion, please?

Since I don't speak french at all ("bonsoir" and "bonjour" is all I know), people in Paris speak english too?

Have you actually booked your tickets to Paris? The longer you wait its likely the more expensive they will get...

Agree that the first thing you need to do is book the Eurostar tickets. And BTW, google exists because of human beings and the opinions and facts they have posted on the Web. We cannot guess what you should do in Paris for 24 hours unless you fess up and say what most appeals to you about the idea of visiting. There's no need, especially in your unique circumstance of having only a tiny amount of time to visit one of the great cities of the world, to be so recalcitrant about your wishes. All we know so far is that you don't want to look at art, and the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame hold some interest for you. Be advised that the Eiffel Tower may not even be accessible to you, as the elevators are under construction. People who don't speak French are all over Paris every day and manage - you will, too, but it helps to add a few words to your vocabulary and make an effort.

StCirq,

It's news to me that the Eifferl Tower may not be accessible. Do you know how long the elevators will be under construction? We plan a trip in early July and the kids are so looking forward to getting to the top.

Thank you jamikins!
Thank you StCirq!

Actually I haven't bought tickets to Paris yet because tickets by train are too expensive for me right now. I think I would have to go by plane, maybe.

StCirq... Google gives me too much information and a kinda lack of information about how to go to the places by metro or bus... And like I said.. "let's imagine that there is a book called "100 best places to go in Paris" (in the models of the existing book "1001 Places to See Before You Die")... I am pretty sure that the author of the book doesnt know the interests of all the people who are going to read his book, but he suggests anyway places that HE likes and places that HE think that OTHER PEOPLE would like too.

What I would like to know would be the 10 things that I should do in Paris (excluding going to arts places, because of the lack of time).

In other words... Imagine that you are the author of a guide book called "10 things you must do in Paris"... as the author of this guide book, which things you would suggest for the people who are going to read you book?

bipenett, Fodors has a search function at the top. I searched "things to do in Paris and found these links to other threads:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-paris.cfm?321

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-paris.cfm?106

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...w-thread.cfm?7

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...in-paris.cfm?2

The first link has 321 posts, the second over 100.

No since in re-inventing the wheel, as they say.

The one thing I WOULDN'T do is go up the tower (well, that and the Louvre). The long wait is fine for someone staying a week, but, in your particular case, no.

The best view OF of the tower is from the Trocadero Metro stop. You might also consider just going to the Arc de Triomphe which also has wonderful views over Paris - including the Eiffel Tower. Views from the Eiffel tower obviously do not have views of the tower). Best of all, the Arc de Triomphe has NO LINES.

Generally - plan on seeing everything from the outside. Going INTO attractions takes more time than you have. Even in the smaller museums with NO lines it takes time to see the collections. In addition to your "View" stop(s) mentioned above, maybe just these two walks - with the only "stops" being quick lunch/dinner breaks (a real evening restaurant dinner often runs 3 hours) at a nice outdoor cafe and quick rests at particularly pleasant parks. That would make for a very full day and you'll see a lot of what is best about Paris. The travel time to/from Montmartre is also prohibitive.

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...062020034.html
and the map: http://www.frommers.com/images/desti...02latinqtr.jpg

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...062020035.html
and the map: http://www.frommers.com/images/desti...0803marais.jpg

bipenette, I have been the author, not of guidebooks, but numerous travel articles, and I would never say there are 10 things anyone must do anywhere. But leaving that aside, here's 10 things I love to do when I go to Paris:

Market in Belleville
Marché aux Livres - Georges Bressens
Jaquemart-André
Parc St-Cloud
Restaurant Florimond
Musée Jean Moulin
Tea at the Opéra Intercontinental
Papetrie-Librairie de l'Ecole Militaire
Gibert-Jeune
Fromagerie Marie-Anne Cantin

Is that useful? For someone going for 24 hours on a specific day when things might or might not be open and without knowledge of the layout of the city....I doubt it.

Thank you apersuader65
Thank you bardo1
Thank you StCirq

StCirq, I am sorry for what I am going to say right now, but unfortunately all I can say is that you may not be a good travel article author.

You, knowing that I have less than 24 hours to be in Paris, sugests me at least 3 restaurants and none importants places like Eiffel Tower or Champs Elysee.

You definitely haven´t got the point. That´s not good at all for a travelguide authors.

Has anyone mentioned a Bateaux cruise on the Seine. Enjoyable and a very good way to see some of the sites

People on this forum are trying to help you, but you haven't given them enough information. If you are young and love music, or walking, or nouvelle cuisine, that might help people steer you toward certain famous Paris things.

So let us know more please. Of your likes and interests. Otherwise go to any good guidebook, and it will tell you the 10 most popular things to do in Paris. Otherwise it will be the personal opinions of Fodorites. That was St. Cirq's point.

I Think you should not be so critical of St.Cirq, who is a very knowledgeable member of this forum, full of exceptionally good information.

Thank you hpeabody!
Thank you taconictraveler!

taconictraveler, I am sorry for what you read. I really didnt want to be rude with StCirq. I´ve seen some of his posts and he really knows about Paris. But he didnt get my point.

All I wanted was a kind of "route" that I should take to see famous places in Paris.

I´ve found a image above which is in another language but it ilustrates exactly what I was looking for. I am sure that the person who made this image dont know me, therefore this person doesnt know my interests, but this person made a image that should intereset tourists in Paris all over the world:

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/t...mapa_paris.gif

bipenett,

If you know so well what is important in Paris, why do you ask for advice? taconictraveler is right. Get a travel book that lists Paris top 10 things to do.

thank you, Gina_07. If you see my first message, you are going to see that I was looking for tips of these top 10 places to do in Paris caring about my locomotion to these places. I havent found yet a guide which would tell me which metro stations should I get to get to the Eiffel Tower, for exemple.

I wanted a squeme that would optmize my time in Paris, like, for exemple:
1)First go to Eiffel Tower
2)Walk to Champs Elisee.
3)Take a Bus and arrive to Louvre in 5 minutes

stuff like that that you wouldnt find in a regular guidebook. Thats why I tried to get these informations over here but nobody got my point.

By the way.. if you could hypothetically find any travel information on guidebooks and websites over internet, so why is there a Forum in Fordors´ website so people could help each other to find these informations?

Is the same thing that in a Blackberry forum, for exemple, someone ask "What should I do if I am having problem to configure my emails on my phone?" and other people say "go read the troubleshooting in the Blackberry user´s guide, you lazy!".

All information is avaible everywhere, but forum´s let you have these informations easily and, speacialy, faster than it should take if you search for these informations evverywhere.

One of the travel guides has a page that makes suggestions based upon the amount of time one has. I do believe it starts with 3 days but it might be helpful. Can anyone remember? Is it Fodor or Frommer???

If you only have a day, I'd walk from the Arc de Triomphe down the Champs Elysee through Tuileries to Louvre and then over to Notre Dame and then reverse but along the Seine to Eiffel Tower. Cross over at that point and maybe take a ride on the Seine. If you have time left, go to the left bank and walk along Rue de l'Universite unti it meets Blvd. Ste. Germaine. Get out your map and decide whether you want to go to the Luxembourg Gardens, Sorbonne or the Mouffetard Market. Or you may wish to think about returning to the train station.

Take pictures and notes of where you will return when you have more time. Stop when you feel like it. This is a very touristy day--but why not? Are you not a tourist? This plan requires good weather!

Thank you so much TDudette and Apres_Londee!!!

You two helped me A LOT!!

I am pretty sure that you both dont know me and dont know my interestes, but YOU GUYS DEFINITELY GOT THE POINT!

You 2 deservers a prize. hehe.

thank you, again, all the people that tried to help me, speacialy TDudette and Apres_Londee!