Paris itinerary help
 

I've booked my flight plans, finally, so here goes. I've been to Paris twice before and seen most of the major sights; I'm focusing here on some smaller and new/reopened museums, and the 6th eme, as I don't think I've been in that area before. I'm young, really enjoy museums and walking, and don't mind fitting a lot in to each day.

Arrive Friday at 4 pm. Get to hotel, check in, and back to 1 eme. See church Germain l'Auxerrois and hopefully make it Louvre by as close to 6 pm as possible for as much time there.

Saturday: Go to Place des Vosges, wander around 4th back past Notre Dame to the 5th. Stop at Berthillon. Visit Clunee Museum close to opening time and wander around the 5th, including St-Etienne-du-Mont, Shakespeare and Co and Luxembourg gardens. Lunch here or in the 6th. Explore 6th and St. Germain church. L'Orangerie until close, and then maybe concert at http://www.ampconcerts.com/concerts/index.php?

Sunday: Tulieres and St-Eustache church, Orsay at opening, Musee des Arts Decoratives, Quai Branly until close at 6:30. Last Batobus at 7. Walk outside of Eiffel Tower, Trocodaro and Invalides.

Monday: Parc Moncaeu and Jacquemart Andre, walk along Champs to Place de Concord. Petit Palais museum ... and somewhere else until close? Depart at 9:45 pm.

A few questions:

I think I've worked my days out right, but do I have anything scheduled for a day when it's closed? Anything I could do more efficiently? I feel like I'm backtracking to the 1st a lot.

What should I do with the few extra hours on Monday? Maybe I should visit the Carnavalet on Saturday and move Orangerie to Monday? Or add a smaller museum like Malliol? What about the portrait exhibit at Grand Palais? Or the Parc de Vincennes (especially if I stay close by at the Doree) or the Blois de Bolugne (sorry for spelling)?

Do I have any extra time on Saturday? I figure the Orsay until noon, but I don't know how much time to allot to Arts Decoratives or QB? Neither one is a topic about which I'm crazy.

Are there other classical music concerts besides those on the Amps website, maybe in a church? I wasn't crazy about the concert selection or the price ... 15 Euros as the lowest ticket seems a bit high.

Any thoughts/itineraries for wandering around the 6th for 2-3 hours?

Should I re-visit Marmottan? I believe I was therefore before when the Morisot exhibit was in DC, so I don't know if I've missed out on some pieces from the permanent collection.

Anything really special I'm missing?

How/when/where can I fit in a dessert at La Duree? Can I just buy one or two macaroons, or do I need to buy a box?

I'll ask about restaurants in another post.

I'll answer the easiest question; yes, you may buy only one macaron at Laduree!

Have fun!

I always buy Pariscope so I can see what concerts are on for the week. Many times I have gone to free concerts in churches. Once I went to one (not free) at the Ecole Militaire which is evidently rarely open to the public. I am also thinking of the Portraits exhibit at the Grand Palais for my November trip. I'm not sure of your dates but what about the Titian exhibit at the Musee de Luxembourg or the Venetian one at the Institute du Monde Arabe?

Thanks for the help. Is there a particular La Duree store that I should visit ... one with a better selection, or less expensive prices, etc?

I did know about the Titian, but I'm not super crazy about that sort of art. The Venice exhibition does look interesting, and I hadn't heard of it. Thanks!

I'm going Oct 20-23.

Even though I have also been to Paris a few times, I always try to take one of the Paris walks that I haven't done before....

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pariswalking/

I always have found them very informative.

Hi JT,

I noticed you mentioned restaurants in Paris.That question has been asked and asked again. Simply type in Paris restaurants in the seach box and read forever.

I think most people want their own thread on subjects that have been exhausted.

Thanks all. Yes, I should have said that I'd read some similar restaurant threads before ... there was a good one about restaurants under 20 Euros, for example. Maybe I should stick with that.

Thanks for the link about the paris walks.

Laduree is all one word. I cannot imagine that the different locations have different prices. If you're in the 6th, there is a Laduree on the corner of rue Bonaparte and rue Jacob, just down the street from l'Eglise St. Germain.

How did you find out about the free church concerts? From Pariscope?

Yes, Pariscope lists both fee and free events. It is all in French but easy to figure out. Unless it has been changed recently, it is subdivided into categories, Theatre, Musique, Cinema, etc. The concerts are listed by date so you can find things easily. Free in French is libre.

Joe, as grandmere said, you can buy one macaron at Laudree, but I'll bet that you can't eat only one! They are that good.

Also, if you can fit in the Grand Palais, no matter what the exhibit is, by all means go. The building itself is spectacular. It is closed on Tuesdays. You will be right there when you visit the Petite Palais.

It is open from 10AM - 8PM and Wednesdays (you won't be there) until 10PM. The current exhibit, 9/16 - 1/16/07, original drawings of Walt Disney and the original works of art that inspired which inspired them, from the Gothnic to the Surrealist, mostly drawings and engravings. The building alone is worth the price of admission.

I'm glad that you're young and healthy ... I'm exhausted just reading your agenda :-)) But of course, my mileage does vary.

Enjoy,

Nina

Joe - I loved Laduree on the Champs Elysees. Its wonderful inside. Take a walk up the grand staircase and peek in at the private diningrooms then pay a visit to the loos (toilets)on the same floor before returning downstairs and buying your one (surely not!)macaroon.

Joe, did you go up the Tour Montparnasse in prior visits? There is a rooftop observation deck with fantastic 360* views. There is a ticket window inside (8€) then you take a certain elevator, then stairwell 2-3 flights.
http://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/uk/

I loved Musee Carnavelet and didn't get to finish it. Have you been to Musee des Arts et Metiers in the 3rd? It is very interesting, full of historical technology, a good break from 'art' galleries. You know, the Marais is supposed to be liveliest on Sunday, not Saturday... and the Bastille market along blvd Richard Lenoir is quite large and has a lot of variety.(Sunday mornings)
http://www.arts-et-metiers.net/

Be sure to have a nice stroll thru Jardin de Luxembourg and look for the replica Statue of Liberty. (there's another one on the island at Pont Grenelle). (not me in the photo)
http://www.washburn.edu/faculty/csul...StatueFull.jpg
http://www.parisphotogallery.com/Par...erty/10570.jpg

If you want to branch out a bit, I really liked the Musee Gustave Moreau in the 9th. The exhibits (2 or 3 floors?) are in the house where he lived and worked - so imaginative!
http://www.loggia.com/art/19th/moreau.html
http://www.scholarsresource.com/browse/artist/929

Thanks, travelnut. I have been up Tour Montparnesse and I loved it since you can see the Eiffel Tour and not it! I love Luxembourg and will walk where you suggested. I could switch the 4th to early Sunday. Both museums you've suggested like interesting ... there are so many good ones!!

On the day we went to Musee G.Moreau, we did a 'walk' from there over to rue des Martyrs, walked up (north) and crossed Clichy and up to the Abbesses, then over (westward) to the Montmartre cemetery. It's kind of 'overgrown' atmosphere with stray kitties prowling the grounds, pretty cool. Then we walked up Caulaincourt and around to Junot and into Place du Tertre.

Just beyond St Eustache is the rue Montorgueil market street where you can stop off for a glass of something if needed.

As you're walking around, stop at the churches to see if there is a bulletin posted about a concert. If nothing strikes your fancy, you can hit some of the clubs in the Latin Qtr (Caveau de la Huchette, Caveau des Oubliettes, etc).

In the 6th, you should pass thru J.deLux, see Eglise St G.des Pres and Eglise St Sulpice, and look for P.Hermes (rue Bonaparte?) and try his macarons, too.

Okay, so it seems I'll have to have multiple macaroons multiple places. What a pity!

One more question ... what kind of lines will I expect at places like Orangerie, Arts Decoratifes and Quai Branly? Since all are new/recently re-opened, will they be mobbed? Any particular times of the day or days of the week to go to help out with lines? Can I buy tickets in advance somehow? I won't be getting the museum pass, as I'll get student discounts.

You can buy tickets online to Branly, Orangerie, Louvre and some others on fnac.fr but I don't know if they take student discounts. I guess you can also go into a fnac store as soon as you get to Paris and see if there is anything available as you will only be there for three days. You don't want to waste time standing on line ;)

Thanks very much. Good point.

Okay, a couple of revisions:

Arrive Friday at 4 pm. Get to hotel, check in, and back to 1 eme. Louvre by as close to 6 pm as possible for as much time there.

Saturday: Parc Vincennes and a bit of Promeande Plante. Visit Clunee Museum close to opening time and wander around the 5th, including St-Etienne-du-Mont, Shakespeare and Co and Luxembourg gardens. Lunch at Fish. Wine tasting nearby. Explore 6th and St. Germain and Sulpice church. L'Orangerie until close, and then Passy for (hopefully) concert.

Sunday: Go to Place des Vosges, wander around 4th back past Notre Dame stop at Berthillon. Orsay at opening, Musee des Arts Decoratives, Quai Branly until close at 6:30. Last Batobus at 7. Walk outside of Eiffel Tower, Trocodaro and Invalides.

Monday: Parc Moncaeu and Jacquemart Andre, walk along Champs to Place de Concord. Stop at La Duree. Petit Palais museum and Grand Palais museum. Tulieres garden, Germain l'Auxerrois, St-Eustache church (last two if time permits). Return to hotel to collect bag and head to airport ... Depart at 9:45 pm.

Questions:

1) Will Berthillon be open Sunday at all, especially Sunday morning?

2) Is there particular part of Promineade Plante that is worth seeing ... maybe 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile?

3) Any good ideas for self-guided walk in the 6th?

4) Anything I could do more efficiently?

ttt

Degas' walk in St Germain:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34454443

Berthillon Glacier -
http://www.berthillon-glacier.fr/
Open hours: Wed-Sun 10am-8pm

Promenade Plantee - haven't been

Saturday is pretty full up - you might not make it to all of that. Need to prioritize. I'd probably leave out Parc Vincennes/Prom Plantee, and start off with the 2 churches in St Germain, Shakespeare&amp;Co, Jardin de Lux,Fish, then St Etienne, Cluny and Orangerie (or 1 of these if you are running short of time). *are you going to be able to enjoy both lunch (Fish) <b>and</b> a wine-tasting?

Sunday - three musuems in one day is a lot - at least 6 hours there + transit in between. Insert your walk around Invalides between d'Orsay and Eiffel, then Trocadero.

Thanks for the links and tips. I did think Promineade Plantee and Parc Vincennes would be good just b/c they are so close to my hotel, but they are a bit lower on my list. You are right, maybe I should do Fish another day. I know my schedule is quite ambitious, so re-organizing as you suggest could be helpful.

Is Arts Decoratifes part of the Louvre? I was thinking maybe 2-3 hours there and 1.5-2 in Quai Branly, so I think it is possible (although tight) to fit them in with Orsay, as I've been to Orsay a number of times before. Maybe 2-2.5 hours there, but 9:30 - 6:30 with some lunch should be okay? Or maybe I'm pushing it.

Before you stop at Hermes on the way to St. Sulpice, stop at Gerard Mulot for a pain chocolat. Then, head to Jardin du Luxembourg.

Sandy

Thanks, Sandy. No Hermes for me, though, I'm afraid.

Pierre Herme (no &quot;s&quot;) is the chocolatier-patissier on the rue Bonaparte.

Hermes is the very upscale shop where the famous scarves,leather goods, etc., are sold.

Thanks for the clarification. Any more comments?

If you are planning to be in the marais on sunday, the best time I think is in the early afternoon. The streets are full of strollers (baby and people) and shoppers. The Place des Vosges is busy with families and all sorts of people in the park area and under the arcades there are art galleries, restaurants, stores, and live music all around. The stores in the marais are open on sunday. The Falafel and Cheesecake on rue des rosiers should not be missed. There is also a great street market over on Blvd Richard Lenoir near the Bastille and not far from Place des Vosges. We do that in the morning and then head over to the Places des Vosges in the early p.m. We also always stay in the marais and love the area. Just walking all over and seeing where we end up is fun.

Thanks for that tip.

yes, the Arts Decoratifs is part of the Louvre, and right next to it (same building). I've been to it a couple times and it's nice. I'm real fond of decorative art museums, though. The fashion museum is right in that same location (and the publicite or ad museum, which I find some parts fun). The same ticket gets you into all 3 (8 euro) and you can't buy one separately, as I recall, so you might want to pop into the publicite museum if you are there anyway.

Not if you are going to the new one on Quai Branly, though. I try to focus on museums that are unique to a city, myself, so am not so interested in things you can find in a lot of cities unless there is something exceptional about their collection. I guess the Branly museum is about African and Asian arts, which we have a lot of where I live, but if you really like that stuff, it would be top priority rather than French publicite, of course. I like the fashion museums because I have a degree in fashion/textiles, so I always like them, but I know they would not be of interest to most guys.

I never found the shops in the Viaduct that interesting, but they are expensive designer and home shops, which aren't what I like to look at very much. I like the Marais late Sunday afternoon, actually, as it's a good place to have dinner when so many other restaurants may be closed.

oh, as for concerts, there are many that are free or very cheap in comparison to the AMPS organization. Those are expensive concerts aimed at tourists for just that one musical company, you don't have to go to them. In fact, there are often free ones late Sunday afternoon (in Notre Dame or the Madeleine or many other churches, like St Eustache or St Louis on the island).

Thanks as always. I'm going to try to go to the free Radio France concert Saturday night.