Hi all - I was hoping I could get some advice regarding a walking tour I put together for my family and I. Please note that I have NEVER been to Paris so all my research has been done online, using guidebooks and via Google Maps - so I could be WAY off on my guesstimates as to how long this whole tour will take.

Things to consider - our travelling party consists of myself, my sister, her husband and their 3 children (ages 13, 11 and 8). All people in the travelling party (even the kids) are fit and able to walk long distances. The kids in particular are seasoned world travellers and enjoy the culture and activity of international cities.

So here is my plan:

* 20 minute walk from Hotel to the Louvre in time for opening at 9am

* Spend 2-3 hours seeing highlights of museum or focus on one portion

* After Louvre walk to Place de la Concorde

* Continue down the Champs-Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe

* From the Arc de Triomphe walk to Trocadéro for a view of the Eiffel Tower

* Continue on from Trocadéro to the Eiffel Tower to end our journey

Google Maps says the walk from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower (taking a route that brings us by all the stops listed above should take about 90 minutes without stopping) so I am thinking if we do the Louvre in the morning and then head off to the rest of the sites by noon we should be in good shape to finish up at the Eiffel Tower around dinner time. Was thinking a picnic dinner on the Champs de Mars would be amazing!

After all that walking I am assuming we'll want to take the Metro back to our hotel in the St. Germain area.

So sorry...I should have clarified! I definitely plan on stopping for lunch, rests, photos, snacks, etc. I was just observing that without stopping it would be 90 minutes so I would assume that leaving 5+ for the trip would be sufficient.

I've done a similar day, walking and sites-wise, and it's definitely doable. (And I'm old!)

You shouldn't have any problem doing this in a day.

Hi whatsarahsaid [love the screen-name BTW!]

so into this we have to factor a walk from St. Germain to the Louvre to start off?

sorry, i reckon that by the time you get to the Arc you'll be on your knees.

I would suggest the following:

pre-order tickets on line to the Louvre.

1. start by getting the metro to the Arc and go up to the top for views around Paris.

This will put you at the top of the Champs, so you can walk downhill.

2. either walk or catch the metro down to Place de la Concorde - personally I'd get the metro because it's just shops until you get to Concorde, and I'd want to save my feet til later.

from Concorde walk to the Louvre - tour til lunch. EAT. [IMO it is essential to get something in you and to have a rest to give you energy for the rest of the day]

3. walk down to the Isle de la Cite and see Notre Dame [ are you deliberately missing it off?] Then either get the bateau-bus [a water bus] back to the Eiffel tower or the RER from St. Michel. finish at the Troc if you can be bothered, otherwise go back to your hotel via the RER or RATP.

IME it's not the walking that will tire you out, but the 2-3 hours in the Louvre - you will have to do a lot of walking just to see the main sights. They have various routes round the highlights which you can look at on the net before you go so that you can decide which you want to do in advance.

have a great trip!

I would absolutely stick with your original plan and go to the Louvre first--and get there before it opens. If you are going to be visiting other museums while you're in Paris (you don't say how long you'll be there), definitely get a Museum Pass prior to your Louvre visit. There is a separate line for Museum Pass holders, and you need to be sure you get in that line. Figure out beforehand where the Mona Lisa is, and once the Louvre opens and you're admitted, go there immediately. That way you can see the Mona Lisa without 10,000 other people. Same for Winged Victory, Raft of the Medusa, etc.

Wow...you all are amazing! Thank you so much for the wonderful advice. And thanks annhig for the screen name compliment! ;-)

I just had another thought! What if we saved The Louvre for another morning and start our walking tour off at Notre Dame and then stroll along the Seine (or take Metro) to Place de la Concorde and pick the plan up from there?

Whatsarasaid, where are you staying in Paris, if I may ask?

St Germain area

It is certainable do-able and I think those times are about right. I probably wouldn't do a major walk on a day I plan to spend hours in a museum, either. Have you ever done something like this with an 8 year old?

The total distance from Louvre to la Tour is around 5 km or 3 miles. You don't need 90 minutes to walk 3 miles, at least I don't, but if you walk slowly, you would. That's 2 miles per hour pace, obviously.

We have absolutely done similar walks in Paris and loved them.

There are a couple points to consider:

You need to build in plenty of rest stops - not just lunch but a couple of cafe stops for a drink or ice cream

The standing in the Louvre can be much more tiring than walking - so plan to stop as soon as you exit

The weather will matter a LOT - this is fine if the weather is good - if its 90s and humid or rain or heavy snow it won't work

whatsarahsaid,

I just had another thought! What if we saved The Louvre for another morning and start our walking tour off at Notre Dame and then stroll along the Seine (or take Metro) to Place de la Concorde and pick the plan up from there?>>

it all depends how long you have in Paris, really; if you are going to put the Louvre onto another day, you might add inthe Orangerie to this day as no child/adult can fail to be impressed by Monet's lillies and it's well within your route.

I'm still hanging out for starting at the Arc if you're going to go there at all - it's the outlier and if you decide to walk, it's all downhill!

On Fodors before we went to the Louvre this June, I found this 3 hour highlight tour--http://www.gettingaway.com/directory/europe/france/paris/louvre.htm

Three high school students and I did this almost exactly (something was closed and we did get a bit turned around once) including a good many photo stops--and finished in a bit over 2 hours. We were hoofing it and didn't read every plaque, but it enabled us to see most of the highlights they wanted, have time for a bit of a wander in the foundations, shop a wee bit, and eat a quick lunch in a bit over 3 hours.

I'd definitely look into the Museum Pass even if you only use at 3 places (I think it starts to save money about Museum number 4) because you get to use the fast line (except not at Notre Dame tower or Saint Chapelle--it works as your admission but you don't get to bypass security long line).

So if you have a Pass, being there before opening isn't as important.

Thank you all for the wondeful tips. We've changed our plans for this walk since yesterday based on all of your tips, advice and suggestions. It is now as follows...let me know what you think!

FYI - we'll do a Louvre visit the next morning with an afternoon visit to Sacre-Couer and Montmartre.

*****

Start Day at Eiffel Tower (9am) in order to beat the crowds.

After Eiffel Tower head over to the Trocadero for some great photos with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

From the Trocadero continue on to the Arc De Triomphe (20 min walk/5 min Metro)

Next take a stroll down the Champs-Elysees to the Place de la Concorde and grab some lunch along the way

Finally end the tour with a relaxing cruise along the Seine.

Another alternative I gave them for this tour is to purchase a hop on/hop off bus ticket to visit the sites.

whatsarahsaid - IMO - much better.

you may even have enough energy left to walk down to Notre Dame and catch your boat from there.

you can buy your Louvre tickets at FNAC (goes for other museum tickets as well) and so beat the line at the billetterie.

Tip for Montmartre and Sacré Coeur: if you pass the church on your right hand side and keep turning right to the back of the church you come to the parc de la turlure, which has nice views of the north east of Paris on one side and you have a good view of SC. It's a nice spot for a picknick lunch and it doesn't have the crowds of tourists the "front" side of SC has. Oddly it's an undervisited area.
Parc de la turlure connects to Rue Lamarck, which you can follow down to the number 80 busstop. The 80 bus takes a circuitous route via Gare st Lazare, ending up at Champ de Mars, perfect if you want to see the Eiffel tower later.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parc_de_la_Turlure

Don't forget you have the option of buses if parts of the walk get tedious (and they would, for me).
http://www.ratp.fr/plan-interactif/cartebus.php

If you find the children desperate for lunch just as you hit the expensive end of the Champs Elysées, one more reasonable option would be the café at the Petit Palais (the permanent collection is free to enter, or you can just enjoy the café and garden).