We (family of 5 - 2 adults and 3 kids) will be in Paris for 5 nights in July. Planning to rent an apartment near Louvre. Would like to know about this area in terms of safety, metro access, etc. Also would like to get some recommendations on how to spend the 5 days in Paris, Do's and Dont's.

Look at the Destination Guide here. Also, lot of threads here with itineraries. You have not given us anything in terms of interests.

look at Paris Walks for tours. Also look at Fat Bike tours, Segways.

Louvre is ultra safe, most of central Paris is. I find area bit bland in terms of place to stay, bit commercial

Hi Rajesh
Welcome to Fodors - hopefully you will find plenty of helpful advice here.
We stayed in that area a couple of years ago in July, and just loved it!
We were so convenient to the Louvre Metro stop, could walk to the Seine, and had convenience stores, food shops and bread shops close by.
Take a walk along beside the Seine in the early evening - so much going on with the Paris Plage (beach, dancing and cruises.
Don't miss the Eiffel Tower light show - it's quite spectacular. Di

Maybe your family would enjoy a night time cruise on the Seine to see the monuments lit up at night. Luxembourg Gardens is usually popular with kids. If the kids are old enough, go to Note Dame early to line up and climb the towers there. Great view of Paris and of the gargoyles. I think the park behind Notre Dame is also nice to rest or have a picnic. If they are a bit older (and not claustrophobic), the catacombs might be interesting. The Centre Pompidou also has some exhibits, etc... that appeal to kids.

The Louvre area is certainly safe as is most of Paris. Do be aware of your surroundings and carry money/passports in money belt or some other safer/pickpocket unfriendly manner and don't allow yourself to be engaged by the con artists (read and sign petition, is this your ring?, etc...); you will see these around tourist areas. Use the same safety precautions you would use on the subway in any part of the world.

Berthillon ice cream will be a hit and I am sure that a crepe from a street vendor will be enjoyed by all!

Have a great trip.

Looking at a guide will overwelm you with sites. So pick you top few, then look at what else is in the general vicinity.

For example, the Louvre. Wether you go in our not, the building, the entrance, the Tuileries Gardens are in themselves something to see. If you do go in, be warned that it is massive, so plan on what you want to see. Outside of the Louvre itself, arcaded street of Rivoli(Angelina's hot chocolate), Palais Royal garden, Place Vendome, the covered passageways, fashion street of Faubourg St Honore, Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe.

So one sight can be wrapped in with many,

If you look at Sacre Coeur, maybe less able to do the above. After the view and maybe Place du Tertre for a drawing, less things to see other than the neighbourhood. Maybe you combine it with a trip on the Montmartrobus or the funicular.

But in essence, it would be 1/2 day to see "one' sight.

So maybe you let Eiffel be your 'view over the city'. Picking Eiffel, you may want to approach it from the most scenic route, via Place Trocadero. From there, maybe you add in Military Museum, or Rodin, or Orsay museum.

Other info...

http://fattirebiketours.com/paris
www.paris-walks.com

Here's a "don't" -- <b>don't</b> think that the centre of Paris is the most interesting area even if many of what people call the principal "attractions" are located near the Seine. The farther you stray from the centre, the more authentic (and cheaper) the city becomes.

If you were to rent an apartment farther from the center, you would benefit from much lower rates, an authentic neighbourhood with cheaper shops and restaurants, and yet you would be only 10 minutes by metro from the things you want to see. But people who stay in the centre of the city often never get to see the "real" areas a bit farther away because they erroneously think that there is nothing of interest there or that it might be "unsafe." Totally incorrect!

Just boooked the Intercontinental Le Grand Louvre go there a bunch it is the best area in Paris and quite safe more $$$. Parisvoice.com eurocheapo.com/paris great city tours tips.
viator.com is another good site for more upscale.

Have fun!

Best area? For whom?

the area is safe but everywhere in Paris there are dozens of scams and pickpockets = rear-pocket wallets are easy prey - use a moneybelt under your clothes. And do not fall for the many scammers offering watches, etc at a great discount or anyone really coming up to you with a map to ask directions, etc. Many many reports of street crime per above but with the knowledge to be wary the problem is lessoned.

Rajesh - kerouac lives in Paris and has very good advice for visitors.

I don't think what a resident wants to do or where they hang out is the same thing as what a short-term tourist wants to do or where they want to stay.

But many short term tourists do not have the goal of spending as much money as possible in the most expensive area of the city. At least I don't when I am a tourist.

I disagree with Christina. I am a short term tourist. I have been to Paris several times, but always for short trips from 3 days to a week. I seek out different areas and out of the way places as well as the top tourist sites. But, that is only my opinion.

Thanks to all of you, I have got some excellent advice. I'm going to book the apartment near Louvre. So far I have the following activities planned :

1. Louvre, Rodin, Orsay, Notre dam
2. 1 day trip to Versailles
3. 1 day trip to Loire valley to see some of the castles
4. Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee
5. Evening Cruise on the Seine
6. Since I'll be there on July 14th, enjoy the Bastille day celebrations

Should I take the guided tours of Louvre and Versailles or can we do it on our own?

You can easily do it all on your own. But I wouldn't plan a one-day trip so "see some of the castles" in the Loire. You'll need more time than that. You only have 5 days, which is barely enough to find your way around all that's in Paris to see. Don't try to squeeze in the Loire and Versailles in that short amount of time. And frankly, the Champs Elysées is a waste of good time. It's just a big street with a lot of American chain stores on it. You'd be better off exploring the Marais or Montmartre.

Louvre Rodin Orsay and Notre Dame is too much for one day IMHO
If you have not been to Paris, going there for a short time and planning 2 days outside of the city short changes what the city has to offer.
if you MUST, Parisvision and Cityrama have day long Loire tours

If you are going to go to the Loire for a day here is some advice for you. Take the TGV from Paris to Tours and take one of the many château tours that start from the tourist office. The TGV will get you to Tours in an hour. You want to arrive in Tours Centre, not the train station Saint-Pierre-des-Corps. The tourist office is right across from the train station and that is where you'll pick-up your tour. Here is the weblink for the Tours tourist office. Click the tab on the left that says "Excursions" and you'll find all the info you need.

http://www.tours-tourisme.fr/index_en.php

If you decide on this you'll need to use the TGV website to buy/reserve your tickets. For info on these trains use the websites www.tgv-europe.com for schedules and prices. Don't forget to uncheck the box marked "Direct Trains" to see all possible options. If the TGV site redirects you to the RailEurope website then try again and enter "Antarctica" as your ticket collection country. The RailEurope website often doesn't show all the trains and generally has higher prices. You can buy tickets up to 90 days in advance and the earlier you buy them the cheaper they will be. The discounted tickets are known as PREM tickets but these are non-refundable and can't be exchanged.

The only other advice I have is that seeing the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay on the same day is too much. See them on different days. No need for guides in the Louvre or Versailles unless you are intensely interested in them and want real in-depth knowledge. Your days 4, 5 and 6 have plenty of room for other things besides what you have scheduled. Move the Louvre or Orsay to one of these days.

You can easily do it all on your own. But I wouldn't plan a one-day trip so "see some of the castles" in the Loire.>

Well no you can take a train to Tours and hook up with any of several mini-bus tours that take you from the train station to 3 or 4 castles the same day or a half-day tour to a few of the most famous. Very easily done and the mini-bus tours are not all that expensive - they act as transit to the castle gates and you pay your own entrance fees - not a guided tour as such but an easy way to do a one day tour of some of the most famous Loire castles - hard to visit more than one a day on a day trip via public transportation.

http://tours.france.com/tour/Full-Da...roducts_id=905

Well some even include admission fees, which make the cost a good deal - this is just one of several mini-bus tours to Loire castles from Tours, just an hour by high-speed TGV train from paris - speeding along at nearly 190 mph at points so the train trip is a part of a memorable day.

One could also ask why exactly you want to see the castles of the Loire valley. If the key word is "castles," there is no lack of castles right next to Paris (not even counting Versailles of course). If you have a specific historical interest in a specific château, that is another matter entirely. I have a weakness for Chambord myself.