Paris itinerary
 

Well my fiance and I are headed to Paris Dec. 28-Jan 4 and I've made up our first tentative itinerary. While I am very excited to see the Louvre and d'Orsay, we're not huge art fans so I don't think we'd be much interested in other art museums. The days don't seem very full to me but that's what we want! We rushed around Amsterdam and Munich last Christmas and were exhausted, and we're going for very relaxing, with time to shop and go out this trip. So, here goes:
Dec 28 Sunday:
arrive at CDG at 9:20am;Musee d'Orsay; Hotel des Invalides (I don't think this will take us long, we're mostly interested in Napoleon's tomb)'
Musee Rodin (again, I don't know much about art so I don't anticipate this taking us long)
Dec 29 Monday: Louvre; Notre Dame; St. Chapelle
Dec. 30 Tuesday: Catacombes; Pantheon;
St. Sulpice (I just read the Da Vinci Code, which mentions St. Sulpice, so that's why we're going!); Place de la Bastille
Dec. 31 Wednesday: Arc d'Triomphe; Sacre Couer; Montmartre
Jan 1 Thursday
Eiffel Tower (It's open, according to the website); Pere Lachaise; Princess Di memorial
Jan 2 Friday: shopping!
Jan 3 Saturday: Versailles
Jan 4: head home :(
Now we have decided not to get the museum pass because just paying the entrance fees would be 10 euro cheaper. However, if the lines were to be really long, we'd be willing to pay the extra 10 to skip the lines. I've heard there won't be many lines, does everyone agree with this, or should we get the pass? Thanks a lot!

Most people are too jet-lagged to do any serious musuem stuff on the first day. The d'Orsay; Invalides, and
Musee Rodin are very special places for me so I wouldn't want to be dazed there.

I'd suggest a couple of walks along the river and in the latin quarter and perhaps a city orientation bus ride.

well, I appreciate someone who knows what they want to do, but I do have a few comments.

First, I would not bet on no lines at all as you are going during a peak holiday period -- on top of that, school will be out so it's also a good time for families with kids to go. The Louvre and Orsay are probably the ones you might worry about lines.
YOu don't have to decide this ahead of time, you could go there and if there's a long line, go get a museum pass or plan to return a different time with one(note, the metro/RER station or very close museums to the Louvre or Orsay may be out of the museum passes because of the demand, so you may need to get it elsewhere). You don't have to decide everything in advance. For example, the last time I wanted to go to the Orsay was in a July and I went there and saw the lines were several blocks long, if not more -- I went to the closest RER stop and they were out. So, I just decided I'd buy one at the metro on my way home that evening and go another day, and I did something else at that time.

Frankly, if you don't like art much, I wouldn't bother with even going to the Louvre. There are other museums that I find much more enjoyable and you won't have those problems. That is because I prefer art from about 1850 and later best, and that isn't in the Louvre. I don't like Delacroix and that style. YOu don't have to exactly "know" anything about art to enjoy viewing a beautiful painting or sculpture.

As for Invalides, Napoleon's tomb is nothing that exciting, however the military museum at les Invalides is simply outstanding and it isn't art so you might enjoy that activity if you are at all interesting in history. They have redone the WWII exhibit, for example, and it is really very good.

For museums, if you have no interest in art, don't bother, but I would suggest Rodin, the Cluny, the Maillol Foundation, the Marmottan, the Jacquesmart Andre and the Pompidou as perhaps of more appeal to you than the Louvre.

I've thought about being too jetlagged on Sunday for Orsay, Rodin, and Invalides, but I don't anticipate it being a problem. We'll be 20 and 23 so we can keep going :) Like I mentioned, I don't think Rodin and Invalides will be long visits, as we're just not art aficiandos, or however one spells that! I also forgot to mention that we will probably have free time after Versailles if we go early and also on the day we plan to go shopping, and on those days we are going to go back to anywhere that we felt we didn't have enough time for, so we could go back to Rodin or d'Orsay if we were too tired. Thanks for your input!

I think your mathematics are off concerning the cost of buying and not a museum pass. You list four sites that are included in the pass--d'Orsay, Rodin, Louvre and Ste. Chapelle--in the itinerary for the first two days. The cost of a 3-day pass is 30euro, which is around the same cost as separate admissions to these four. Thus, you're definitely better off buying the pass. Plus, if you can squeeze the Arc de Triomphe in sometimes during the first three days, that would make five for the pass.
That doesn't consider the convenience of bypassing that lines, which to me is worth something, too!

versailles is also included in the museum pass - and if you're in rain or damp weather, bypassing the huge lines with no protection from the weather can be a huge benefit. we did the Louvre and Musee D'Orsay in 1/2 day each - scope out the artists or works you really want to see and go right to those areas. Arc dTriomphe and Sacre Coeur/Montmarte are in opposite ends of the city - you may want to combine the Bastille and those two instead. same wiht Pere Lachaise - its a long ways from the Eiffel tower and Princess Di memorial. Grab a 'rough guide' map and take a look - we organized our time by androissement and saw a lot without sacrificing our bodies.

Hi,

I'm glad you are taking it slow this time. I'm worn out reading your itinerary.

When you visit St Sulpice you will find the Pierre Herme patissiere on the corner of Pl St Sulpice and Rue Jacob. It is worth stopping in.

Also, two blocks South is the Luxembourg Gardens. About 5 blocks North is the Blvd St Germaine. You might wish to stop by the Cafe Flor and the Deux Magots.

You might want to consider adding in a Seine River cruise at sunset. Sunset is early that time of the year -- you could take the cruise (we did it over Valentine's day) and still have time to make dinner reservations for 8 or 8:30.

The Pont Neuf cruise is a BYOB, so bring some wine & snacks. ((b))

Do a text search in the france forum for an old thread

100 Great things to do in Paris

I second the Jacquesmart Andre recommendation. It's awesome. The house itself is just as interesting as the art, so I think it would appeal to you.

I know you're young, but do you know how big the Louvre is? It's a quite an ordeal to go anywhere else afterwards. If you really want to go your best bet is to get a guide book that maps it out for you and decide ahead of time what you want to see. But be aware that some rooms will be closed from time to time for maintenance.

I didn't include Versailles in my museum pass discussion since she listed that trip on the last day, while the others were at the beginning of their visit.
If the schedule remains generally the same, her best action would probably be to buy the Versailles tickets from the clerk at the RER station when she buys the rail tickets.

I second the suggestion to take a sunset river cruise on day 1. And the Opera House is well worth exploring. Have fun.

If you follow your itinerary more or less, you should buy a museum pass because you'll save money -- not because of the Orsay, Rodin, Louvre plus Ste Ch.(which only add up to about 26 euro), but because both the INvalides and Pantheon are also included on it. Maybe you weren't aware that some monuments are on that pass, also. Those cost another 7 euro each for admission. There won't be any line problem at them, but given your itinerary, you should buy it.

Christina, thanks for updating the museum pass info. I had forgotten that the Pantheon and Les Invalides were included.

Just a couple of things - besides the advantages of getting the museum pass.

You may be underestimating the effect of jet jag. You will have flown over night, possibly w/ a plane change/layover along the way, and land at CDG which is a real zoo. Most people are really exhausted after being up for 30+ hours - which it will be by the time you go to bed at local Paris time.

I would skip any museums or indoors "concentration" stuff that first day.

Personally I would also probably move Versailles a day or two before your last day. Maybe flip flop your open shopping day w/ the Versailles day. It would just be less hectic to be in Paris doing the packing and last minutes shopping just before you leave.

You may want to consider a Paris Walks tour. I did the one with St SUlpice and it was very good.

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...ng/#dailywalks

On your first day, it may be well after lunch before you arrive at your Hotel. If I had a choice, I would look for a patisserie, have a cafe, then go walking (location dependent). Either walk to Eiffel tower followed by a stroll and dinner. Or mix in a daytime or night city illuminations tour:
http://www.cityrama.com/

I'd also say skip the Louvre. The Cluny has some neat stuff and the old building also includes some roman baths ruins. Plus, its in a good neighbourhood for restuarants and shopping. And, if ROman things interest you, the is the Lutece roman arena nearby.

Hope this helps!

Mike

Thanks everyone for your responses! I never knew there were so many problems with my itinerary! :) Well, I can't make myself skip the Louvre. It's not that we're not interested in art, it's just the Louvre, Rodin, and d'Orsay will probably quench our thirst for it. The jet lag discussion, still not sure what to do about it. When we landed in London after an all night flight, we walked from our hotel in Earl's Court all the way to the Thames without really being tired. We tend to take a sleep aid on the flight so we're sure to get some sleep. However, if we realize in the days after that we didn't get our money's worth at any of the museums, we'll just go back. I was thinking of flip flopping Versailles and shopping as well. I don't know where I got my figures for the entrance fees but apparently I was way off! Thanks everyone!

Oops I also forgot to address someone else's comment. About Montmartre and the Arc de Triomphe being on opposite sides- we're staying in the 16e so I thought maybe we could go up to the Arc and then over to Sacre Couer, but maybe it would be better to fit the Arc in somewhere else? It looked to me like not really around anything so I planned to stop by on our way up to Montmartre but if there are any other ideas, let me know. I also just listed things that were open on New Year's Day, and what we see will depend on our hangover status, basically. I agree they are pretty spread out from each other, so I guess we'll see what we actually make it to!

Math aside, we went to Paris from Christmas to New Years, 2001 and the lines were LONG. It's a very crowded time of year. I was so glad we had the pass. You can use it for Orsay, Versailles, the Louvre, the Arc d/Triomphe, Notre Dame.... I'd definitely get one!

I second the above post. My friends and went for almost the same dates in 2001-2002, and the lines were LONG!!!!
The louvre is open late on thursday nights..til 9 i believe..and it's much less crowded. When i was there in Feb 03, there were times when we were the only people in a gallery. Seriously, we sat with about 5 other people and just soaked up the Hall of famous french paintings that we've all studied in art history...JL David, Gericault, ect..I was an art dream come true!!
The lines for Notre Dame were so long that i almost started to cry..not to mention that we waited in the cold for 1 hour, then took the stairs to the tower. ouch.

Your itinerary didn't seem too ambitious to me but it does seem to bother some of the older folks.

A question, why the Place de Bastille? There is nothing of the Bastille there but you might find the Viaduc des Arts interesting. Just continue down the river side of the Opera on Avenue Daumesnil. A substitute in the same area would be Place Des Vosges.

Some of your choices are a little morbid: The Catacombes, Pantheon, Pere-Lachaise Cemetery, Princess Di Memorial, Napoleon's Tomb. All worthwhile, but you're in the City of Light and celebrating the start a new year.

I was thinking of deleting the Bastille two minutes before I read your post, actually! I've heard a lot about the Bastille in history class of course but it would only be worth going for sentimental value, I suppose. I'm thinking of adding the Musee Cluny in its place. Also, yes my choices do seem a bit morbid I suppose! But we're very interested in most of those "morbid" activities, as we don't have much morbidity here in Iowa :) I just thought they all sounded interesting! I just added up the admission prices of all our museum and monument choices, and it looks like we'll be getting the 5 day pass since it's 10 euros cheaper than all the admissions combined. Seems like a long pass but with the 3 day we'd be quite rushed. Thanks everyone!

Hi,
Definitely get the pass. If you have to pay each time you enter a museum you might be too selective and only go to a few. With the pass you can "pop" in and check out anything that might be the slightest bit of interest. There is a list of all the places that accept the pass on the website http://www.intermusees.com/wwwie/index.html check it out, you might use the pass more than you think (St. Chapelle is on there too).

We have been to the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery and I am glad we went, keep it on your list! At the Rodin, rent the audio guide. Even though you are not huge art fans, it will make the exhibit much more enjoyable and interesting (the audio tour is not really long so you won't tire of it) Be sure to check out the gardens, and if you are hungry there is a little cafe in the back.

Regarding doing the Arc and Sacre Couer/Montmartre on the same day, I think that will work just fine. I did exactly that just recently. You can take the number 2 metro line from Charles de Gaulle Etoile near the Arc to Blanche or Pigalle. After walking around Montmartre and seeing SC, the number 12 line would take you from Abbesses or Pigalle to the heart of the city on either bank. Of course, you can also make connections to just about anywhere in the city.

We walked from the Arc to Parc de Monceau, and took the number 2 from Monceau to Blanche. Monceau was very pretty (on the first of September), but it might not be so pretty in December.

A couple of comments:

Place de la Bastille has no runis of the Bastille itself, though there are outlines in the pavement of where the priuson used to be...hope this doesn't ruin it for you :)

The Lady Di memorial is not very much, but can easily see if you were to include it on a walk from the Eiffel tower to the Arch.

I agree with you that if you "force" yourselves to sleep on the plan, and maybe do some "bedtime" adjustments, i.e. going to bed earlier/getting up earlier you can minimize the jet lag. I've heard that you "get back" an hour a day of jet lag.

I stayed in the 16th my last trip, near metro Michel-Ange. Quiet, not many topurist, neat to see how the locals live.

Enjoy!

Dear Eahayden,

I just want to suggest a little people-watching at Café de la Mairie, a favorite haunt of Henry Miller and a few other writers, when you stop by St. Sulpice (the Da Vinci Code is on my list of books to read).

Here's a website:
http://www.undergroundparis.com/mairie.html

My wife and I went on our Honeymoon there last week and for what it is worth let me give my two cents about the trip and your itenerary. The three day museum pass was a great deal for us as it allowed us to do some other things on the front and tail ends of our trip that had the musuems in the middle and allowed us to enjoy those seperately. Now having said that let me say that if I had to do it all over again I would have gotten the 5 day pass. We did tend to rush a little bit while there and maybe did not get to spend enough time in each musuem. Also, we did miss some that we might have liked to see. If you can get on the go in the mornings early the pass can work out best for you. The lines in Louvre can be annoying and can be bypassed with the pass.

As far as Rodin is concerned a casual observer who does not have a great interest in sculpture can do this museum, and enjot it, in a very short period of time 1.5 hours or so. Now others may disagree but this was enough for me and I did not necessarily feel overly rushed doing it.

I would make one reccomendation that I think may have been mentioned in parts by others but I would add the Arc de Triomphe in the day you do the Louvre. Start at the Arch (go to the top on your museum pass) and the walk the Champs Elysees down to the Louvre. Bring a picnic and stop in the park in front of the Louvre and get your energy up before in for the long haul in the worlds largest (at least it seemed that way) museum. You can do plenty of shopping along the way on the Champs - although expect to pay for it. Note that the Grand and Petite Palais museums on the way to the Louvre are not open this year.

Also, I would reccomend bringing a flashlight on the Catacombs tour as it would help in some spots down there.

I know it is toursity and expensive but speaking as someone who is not into dancing and shows all that much I would reccomend trying the Moulin Rouge combined in your Sacre Couer/Montmarte tour. I would expect something special (read expensive) for that days performance.

Lastly maybe do the Seine cruise from the Eiffel Tower but be sure to get some shots from Trocedero Square (Metro stop Trocedero) looking out the Eiffel Tower.

Again my two cents for what they are worth.

PS be sure to get the Carte Orange and not the Paris Visite pass- buy single tickets when you want to go to Versailles and back.

You might want to plan your itinerary around the weather -- museums on rainy days, outdoor things on sunny days. Take a list of things you want to do and let the weather lead the way. Just a suggestion.