nickimom

Hi Fodorites,

We have decided to do a last minute trip to Paris arriving on 8/28(Thurs) around noon and leaving on 9/1(Mon) at 530p back to New York. I want to see as much as possible including all of the touristy sights as well as the most popular museums as this will be our first trip, and hopefully not our last.

I was wondering if anyone had spent 5 days in Paris and had some type of itinerary. Any help would be very much appreciated. I am looking to stay in the first arron.

Thank you as any help would be appreciated.

yk

<i>I was wondering if anyone had spent 5 days in Paris and had some type of itinerary.</i>

In reality, you will only have 3 full days and 2 half days; given that you arrive at noon on Day 1, and you'll need to leave for the airport in early afternoon on Day 5.

My suggestions are:
1) get a good map so that you can group the sights together, rather than running from one part of town to another.

2) check the opening days and times of the tourist sights and museums. You don't want to arrive at a museum to find it closed.

adrienne

You can search here for lots of Paris itineraries. But the thing to do is pickup a guidebook from your local library and look through it. You haven't said anything about your interests other than doing &quot;all the touristy sights&quot; which would take much more than 5 days.

Do you know what the sights are and what the large museums are? If so you've already started an itinerary.

BTW - you don't have 5 days - you only have 3 days - 9/28 (half day), 9/29/, 9/30 and half day on 9/1. So you need a 3-day itinerary, not a 5-day itinerary.

Decide what's most important to you (museums, churches, cafes, gardens, street markets), post a preliminary itinerary, and ask for advice. A general rule is that you can do 2 big things in a day or 3 smaller things. Consider the Louvre, Orsay, and Eiffel Tower big things.

adrienne

Oops - forgot one day - looking at the wrong calendar page - 4 days in Paris.

zeppole

If you are interested in doing all the touristy things, most guidebooks and travel websites offer breakdowns like &quot;If you only have 1 day in Paris&quot; or in your case &quot;If you only have 3 days in Paris&quot; -- and then you are told what to do.

Similary, google searches for things like &quot;36 hours in Paris&quot; or &quot;72 hours in Paris&quot; will give you itineraries.

I would only suggest that after you've looked at those, take a look at the website for the Batobus and see if using it fits your itinerary.

zeppole

For what it's worth, I don't personally consider the Eiffel Tower a &quot;big thing&quot; -- in the sense I don't think it is time consuming to see it (you can't miss it, actually!). And I don't recommend standing in line waiting to go up in it for such a short visit (or any time, really.). See it from the boat on the Seine or take a walk by it.

I think it's a big deal to see the Eiffel Tower, but you needn't take a lot of time doing it, and can even do it passing on your way to other things (unless you have kids who want to ride the carousel or are an engineer).

adrienne

If you want to go up the Eiffel Tower it takes several hours so it's a &quot;big&quot; thing.

zeppole

Absolutely agreed, if you mean waiting in lines for several hours. (I would be even less inclined to walk up!)

For such a short visit, I would really suggest not spending hours waiting on a line, especially not to go all the way to the top. I sometimes (and only sometimes) think the view from the first landing of the Tower is a kick for those who have spent some time in Paris and therefore can pick out the famous buildings they've visited from above. But I don't think the view from the top is as interesting. For that, one might as well go up to the Tour Montparnasse, no waiting.

RAC

1. Get a Paris Museum Pass and then you can bypass ticket lines. It's also a great value if you're trying to pack a bunch of stuff in.

2. Wear comfortable shoes instead of being worried about looking like a Parisian.

3. Forget about going to the top of the Eiffel tower. The lines we saw were about 5-6 hour waits.

4. Possible itineraries:

a. Day 1: Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, Latin Quarter (Musee Cluny, Jardins Luxembourg and Pantheon optional stops)

b. Day 2: Louvre, then a stroll through the Jarins Tullieres on your way to Place Concorde to take the metro to the Arc de Triomphe. Then take the Metro to the Trocadero stop, ooh and ah at the Eiffel Tower, then catch a boat ride on the Seine.

c. Day 3: Musee D'Orsay, and Invalides.

ira

Hi N,

Look up Paris under &quot;Destinations&quot;.

Christina

I agree with zeppole that wanting to see the Eiffel Tower on a visit (which you should, it is hard to miss, as noted) shouldn't be considered a big thing in itself that takes up half a day. I've never gone up in it and have been to Paris many times, but I've enjoyed seeing it from the Trocadero, at night when lit up, and even when nearby at the Invalides museum and the park, etc.

Some people (like me) just never got that thing about wanting to go up on buildings to look at cities from on high. I've never particularly enjoyed it when I have done it, but you can see views from higher up in many locations that don't take extra time to do them -- like going to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre. There is a view over Paris from up there.

nickimom

Hi all.Had to change my plans unexpectedly and now will be arriving this Thursday around noon and departing on Monday. Sights I would like to see are as follows: Louvre, Notre Dame, D'Orsay, Seine boatride, Arc D'Triompe, Tuilleries, Champs Elysee, Luxembourg Gardens, Rodin, Basilica St. Denis and visit the following neighborhoods: Saint Germian,Maris, Montmarte and thr &quot;Jewish area&quot;.Any suggestions for a possible itinerary woulod be so much appreciated.

maryanntex

In what area of Paris are you staying?

nickimom

Hi MaryAnn Tex,

Ist Arr.

maryanntex

I agree with the previous posters that you should get a map and a guide book and figure out a plan. Then, if you have specific concerns, you can ask.

The suggestions that I have are these:
1. The &quot;Jewish area&quot; is the Marais, and you should go there on a Sunday. The stores there are open on Sunday, and in other areas, most are not. Eat at L'As de Falafel. Food is good (carry out) and cheap.
2. You can spend an hour and a half in the Louvre and the Orsay, or you can spend eight hours--or more. It just depends on your interests and your attention span. I am very much an &quot;art person,&quot; but also have a very short attention span, and only spent a couple of hours in each (our first trip). The Orsay is closed on Mondays and the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. Best to get there as soon as they open--or before. In the Orsay, the impressionists--most familiar paintings--are on the top level.
3. In any case, I would advise buying a museum pass (2 day or 4 day) when you arrive at CDG (there are ticket booths there). The pass can be used at the Arc de Triomphe as well as the museums, and it saves a lot of time. See www.parismuseumpass.com for details.
4. You might consider a Fat Tire Bike Tour at night. It also includes a boat ride on the Seine, and you see a lot of Paris highlights both on the bike and in the boat. www.fattirebiketoursparis.com
5. Everything on your list is close together except for Montmartre/Sacre Coeur and St. Denis. St. Denis is really pretty far away.

adrienne

Paris Walks gives excellent 2 hour walking tour and I'd suggest doing these rather than wandering aimlessly around neighborhoods.

There's a Marais tour Thursday and Sunday at 2:30 and a Montmartre walk Friday at 2:30 and Sunday at 10:30.

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