Paris Itinerary.. help help any recommendations?
 

here is my rough draft of my itinerary..

please make suggestions if possible i love hear what everyone has to say about this!

(this is in order of the things i do, whatever is listed first then second then 3rd etc.) If I am out of place please correct me :D I don't mind in fact i would love to hear your opinions

Thursday: I fly in from rome

Tour Montparnasse
Sacré-Coeur
Moulin Rogue
(I am very unsure about this?!?!)

Friday:
Invalides
Rodin Museum
Eiffel Tower
Champs-Élysées
Arc de Triomph
Back to Tower to see lights

Saturday
Luxembourg Gardens
Notre Dame
St. Chappelle
d'Orsay
St Germain des Pres
Buci

Sunday
Place des Vosges
Parc des Buttes Chaumont

I am sorta confused on this day and I don't know if what I planned would be enough or maybe I can move other things from my other day into this day

Monday:
Louvre
Tuilleries
Pompidou
Bastille area

Tuesday
Chateau Versailles(now i don't know if I should end my trip here, this seems relaxing so maybe I should move it towards the beginning or in the middle? let me know what you think.

Wednesday - my flight at 12 noon

If there is too much I would rather cut out museums then anything else around Paris. I love looking the sights, buildings, scenery.. i guess you can say i'm more of an outside kind of girl.. picnics and such.. similar to s.f which is where i am from.

If this is the only trip you ever plan to make to Paris, and you have a jet on your back, then this will work, because it must work! Except for Monday, because you'll never be able to properly visit the Louvre AND Pompidou on the same day without your head completely exploding.

But . . . if you think of this as a first taste, get rid of the Pompidou this time, and regroup Saturday. Notre Dame & St. Chappelle go together; likewise Musee d'Orsay and Luxembourg gardens, but all 4 together, no way, not even for me, and I'm the energizer bunny, meaning I get up and move, move, move all day long until I collapse in a bar with a glass of wine (or 2).

Look at a map of where things in Paris are, and combine them by area, so you aren't heading all over the place. It looks like you tried to do that, but you just need to focus yourself a bit more!

Moulin rouge, by the way, not "rogue", but since it's in Pigalle, you might not notice! :)

cali88 - Only thing I would consider changing would be the visit to Place des Vosges on the Sunday as that is definitely a busy day for the Marais.

Secondly Chateau Versailles. We also have several days to choose from and I notice that in Summer ( is that when you're going?) they have ' Les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes' on a Saturday.
I think that should be quite something.

Don't worry too much if your choices for the days sightseeing are further apart - that metro is just wonderful to get somewhere quickly!

Is your visit to the Pompidou Centre purely for art? On weekends there is a lot going on outside in the form of individuals or groups doing acrobatics even on roller-blades, musicians, artists, and other forms of circus type stuff. Quite entertaining but a pick-pockets heaven!

Sorry, forgot to mention that when you visit Sacre Coeur in Montmarte, there is a little white train that does a tour all the way daown to the Moulin Rouge. You can hop off here, take a photo if you wish, go for a coffee at one of the cafe`s opposite and then get back all the way to the top of Montmarte again with the return journey.

Check about Louvre, I don't remember very well, but I think that Saurday and Suday afternnon you can see the fountains working.

I do not like so much Pompidou, I would just go to see it from outside, and instead to visit it, I would visit the City Hall (Hotel de ville). You have to phone there for booking (it is free of charge, but you need to be on the list) - http://www.paris.org/Monuments/HdVille/

We are not fans of cabartes in Paris, so we did not go to Moulin Rouge. Instead, we loved Crazy Horse http://www.lecrazyhorseparis.com/

When you visit Louvre, have nearby, on Rude de Rivoli a hot chocolate at the famous Angelina coffee shop.

In one evening or night, take a cruise on Seine.

When you visit Notre Dame go also on Ille St. Louis, to have an ice cream at Barthilon. It is a very old and nice part of Paris.

Have a beautiful vacation!

"When you visit Notre Dame go also on Ille St. Louis, to have an ice cream at Barthilon. "

Gelato at Amorino is even better.

Thurs...
Skip Montparnasse, you already have Eiffel and Sacre Coeur for views. Moulin Rouge (Rogue:))...if you must. Have dinner elaswhere and go to late show. It is...for the tourists. Take the Montmartrobus to get around Montmartre

This opens up your day a bit. Sacre Coeur is not a long visit, most poeple go just to sit on the stpes and view the city. The Cathedral itself I found just OK.

Have you looked at Paris Walks. If you flipped Thurs and Fri, you could do a Paris Walks of Montmartre,


Fri
Re-order. Do Eiffel first to avoid crowds. Consider a Seine river cruise at night to see the lights. There are several companies, Vedettes du Pont Neuf is one I like. Invalides and Rodin will fill most of your day. Glad you did not then add the Orsay! Champs Elysee is..not what you might expect. Approach it from the Place de la Concorde side. You could also perhaps add the Tuileries to this. Nice views from this end of C.E. Walk up to AdT, go to top for views.

Sat
Could do St Chapelle first, then ND. With the Orsay in picture, might skip Ile St Louis. Walk down Blvd St Germain ,Buci, lunch, depending on time, Luxembourg (you could spend an hour of two there), to Orsay. .

The Orsay closes at 6...

Sun...
Add Ile St Louis, then over to Marais. Carnavalet museum might be of interest. Pairs Walk again of Marais?

Mon...
Bastille area is OK, but not sure would make a trip just for that. To Louvre add Palais Royal, Place Vendome, Rue de Rivoli (and Angelina's). You could even add Louvre des Antiquaires, which is high end antique shops in one building.
Also in the area are the 'Passages' which are covered arcades with intereting shops, some very old. A nice walk.

Plan well for the Louvre, it is huge. Consider entering via the Metro station, to avoid crowds.

Let us know what you think. There is so much to see in Paris.

Thanks so much! your comments are very heplful!.. I am just really unsure about Thursday, when I fly in from Rome at 1pm.. is it better to go out and about since it's Monday and that's usually less busy? Should I load on more things on Thursday.. I mean the flight to rome is only 2 hrs

One other things can anyone recommend a cheap airplane to fly from Rome to Paris? Has anyone used Easyjet or Vueling.. I'm still up in the air about that one..

BTW did I miss something? Or there other day trips around Paris that I should be aware about?

any comments or suggestions are welcomed :)

I meant Thursday not Monday on the second line.. opps.

I have used Easy Jet and Vueling both. They are fine, I would use them both again. New planes, good prices, especially if you book far enough in advance. Just be careful of low baggage allotments.

Paris will keep you busy. At most, one day trip, and Versailles is one good choice.

People here have used a rule of thumb to plan for 2 things per day..then fill rest of time wandering and having a coffee at the nearest cafe.

Evenings...Seine Cruise, perhaps a jazz bar, walk along Seine, concert?

A nice way to approach the Eiffel is from the other side of the Seine, getting off at Trocadero and walking between the two Palais Chaillot buildings then...boom. Quite magical.

I didn't understand your Thursday schedule. I thought you meant to tour the Montparnasse area and I thought that was an unusual desire for someone who hasn't been there before, but would make sense if you were arriving there or staying there or something. But then I wondered if you were using "tour" as a noun and just meant to go up that building? Well, I do like the view from up there very much if you are really into views, and it's easier than the Eiffel Tower. But not a must see and doesn't combine with anything else you are doing that day, it is the opposite side of the city from Montmartre. So I'd forget it. Going to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur should be enough for an afternoon.

I don't know what you intend about the Moulin Rouge. Do you want to go to a show at night or just look at it. Because it's nothing much to look at, so don't waste the time going there if that's the reason. A lot of people enjoy that show, you just have to know if that's your thing or not. I've never been because it's not remotely the kind of thing I ever do anywhere (ie, Vegas "revues" are nothing I would attend either), but I would for fun if I were with someone who really wanted to go.

I like the Pompidou a lot. I don't think one should say you should go here and not go there in terms of museums, but it is entirely your taste as to what kind of art you most want to see. I'm not that crazy about a lot of what's in the Louvre, for example, as I don't like a lot of that very old art. I'd much rather go to the Pompidou than the Rodin or Carnavalet, for example. You could easily throw something onto Sunday from another day.

"BTW did I miss something? Or there other day trips around Paris that I should be aware about?"

Paris has much more to offer than you schedule to visit, and you can do at least 10 - 15 day trips around Paris.

However, I like the list of things you want to make at your first visit in Paris. I am sure you will want to return, so you will have another ocasions to see more.

christina.. my hotel is .3 miles from the "tour" someone at work suggested that i go there instead of the ET.. but is it worht it ove the ET? Thursday seems to be a short day since I have to check in the hotel at 2pm

as for moulin rogue i will take that out.. thanks!


michel... what day should i fit the Seine Cruise in? that sounds exciting..

Honestly I rather have a more relaxing trip than anything else, but my best friend wants to see everything so what can I do?

thanks again for all your help!

BTW, does any know of a good website with a map of all these attractions.. it's very time consuming searching for addressing and puting in goggle map one by one.. there must be an easier way to see all these attractions on one map so I see ow far everythign truely is...

You could do a bus tour of the city, that way your friend will have seen all of the sites (not necessarily visited).

I like the idea of a night Seine cruise because the buildings, bridges, and Eiffel tower are lit up. Take the last one of the day (chekc website, I beleive it is 10PM).
That way you can do it any night without interfering with planned sightseeing, and you can have dinner and then walk over. Vedettes du Pont Neuf is nicely situated to a lot of restaurants, so their location is good.

The Tour Montparnasse is the only (still?) skyscraper in Central Paris, so it has nice views. There is also a good restaurant there, with the view. Perhaps plan a dinner there one night?

"BTW, does any know of a good website with a map of all these attractions.. it's very time consuming searching for addressing and puting in goggle map one by one.. there must be an easier way to see all these attractions on one map so I see ow far everythign truely is..."

Go to the bookstore and look for the Fodor's guidebook of Paris. If not the Fodor's book, then one of the other travel guides usually has a full size pull out map of the city. I still have mine from when I went with all the places I visited circled. When I got home, I framed it with pics of each place. It's not only handy but makes a beautiful souvenir.

The pull out map in the Fodor's Paris guide has several crucial flaws, and I would look for a better one. The Fodor's map does not cover a very large area of Paris, for instance. Montparnasse, Montmartre, and the Bastille are all too far out from the center to be covered on it. Additionally, it does not show the location of metro stops, which can be an important feature for planning.

Fodor's is your guide. I also recommend buying a map for Paris, that includes Metro and RER stops. In the pas I've used the Michelin Blue Guide, but there are others out there.

I've found I like more info for locations than a guidebook delivers, since I do tend to wander :)

lots of good info. thanks.

Would anyone know how much that seine cruise would be in late may for two people?

Michel_Paris ..


to be honest with you i am not much of a musuem person.. i would like to go to a couple but i don't want to spend all my time here.. i like building and sigths more than anything else..

as for sunday would it be possible to palace of versailles for a day trip.. i really would love of see this in my itinerary but i am un sure as to where to put it.. i see that you have left that out.. if it's not good on sunday what dates would i switch it out with according to the dates you have already laid out?

thanks again Michel_Paris !

The Vedettes du Pont Neuf regularly charge 12 euros per adult for their Seine cruise. There is a coupon you can print off their web site for a discount of 2 euros. There is also a promotion where you can buy the tickets from the website for 8 euros.

http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/billet_en.php

cali88 - Have a look at this. Great little mini tours of some very attractive parts of Paris. Even though you may never go to any of them, it's a lovely flavour of Paris!
http://www.geobeats.com/videoclips/a...s/france/paris

I'm more small museum kind of visits. Something I can go in and out in a couple of hours. Marmottan, Moyen Age (Cluny), Jaquemart-Andre, Rodin, et...

For Versailles you have a couple of choices, solo or coach tour. If you go solo, there is an RER line from central Paris that takes you about 5-10 mins from the Chateau, walk over. This option allows you to get there at opening...the tour buses can make the place crowded. Going on your own also lets you spend more time visiting the grounds. They are huge. You can also rent a bike or take the mini-train.

Parisvision, Cityrama are two of many tour companies.

Weekends can be busy, but on weekend you can get to see the fountain show, saturdays and sundays 11-12 & 15:30-17 There is also an equestrian show saturday,sunday and some thursdays..11AM

If you check their calendar, there are also exhibits and concerts

Tod,
Many thsnks for the fabulous Geobeats website. I absolutly loved it and gave me some great ideas for my trip in May.

Tod,
Sorry for the mispelling. I meant to write Thanks.

You can buy a combined train and Versailles ticket at the RER station, saves lots of time

I read somewhere that the Forfaits Loisir packages for Versailles were gone??

Okay here is what i have so far... I think i might cut something out.. it seems very busy and no time to relax.. maybe should cut out artsy musuems i don't really care for those.. any recommendations?

Thursday:
Check in hotel at 3pm
Sacre Coeur
thats it? should I go up to the Tour Montparnasse because everyone says it's better to take pictures of or go to the top of ET to take pictures? I'm having a huge debate about this.. pls help

Friday:
Eiffel
Invalides
Rodin
Champs-Élysées
Arc de Triomph


Saturday:
Chateau Versailles
Siene Cruise

Sunday:
Place des Vosges
Parc des Buttes Chaumont
Ile St Louis
Marais

Monday:
Louvre
Palais Royal
Place Vendome
Tuilleries
Pompidou

Tuesday:
St Chapelle
ND
Buci
Luxembourg
Orsay

Wednesday:
fly out at 12 noon



let me know what you think.. what i really need help with is within the day.. say for example..
Friday:
Eiffel
Invalides
Rodin
Champs-Élysées
Arc de Triomph

Is that the right order to do this day in? if no pls advise.. that goes for the same with the other dates


again i want to thank everyone for their patience since it is my frist trip oversea i want to ask a lot of questions becuz i don't want to worry about it later on when i get there..

Here's a stab at some possible changes:

We don't have the exact dates for your itinerary, which could lead to some different advice. For example, if the Sunday you are there happens to be the first Sunday of the month, several museums are free (Louvre) which could impact your budget, if so inclined.

Also, will jet lag be an issue? I didn't understand if you were flying from Rome or to Rome after? If so, your first evening and second day should be spent as much as possible outside, to help adjust to local time. If so, I'd move the Seine cruise to your first day - first thing. It gives you a better overall view of the City and the relation of many of the various sites and you don't have a lot to think about or worry about while riding on the boat.

Also, are you intending to try a Museum and Monument Pass? I see at least 9 places you've identified that are covered by the pass.

yes.. I was considering a musuem pass(would 4 days be enough or should i buy the 6 day passs?) and a sperate metro pass

i wil be in from may 27th to jun 2nd

i fly in from rome on the 27th(I would have already spent a week in prior before my trip to paris) checking in at 3pm

i'm also trying to figure out how many zones i need to buy in paris..

how many bus zones*

Friday...
Eiffel first thing..to avoid lines. perhaps approach from Trocadero on Right Bank.

Walk to Invalides. Is your plan to just see the building and ground, Napoleon's Tomb, the Military Museum?

By now...lunch..eat around Invalides

Walk to Rodin...finish afternoon there.

Metro to Arc or Place de la Concorde? Probably Arc, go up, then walk down Champs Elysee to Place de la Concorde. Wander Tuileries, area...then dine nearby.


Rodin after lunch....

You have every minute planned. What happens if the weather is crummy when it's time to see Tuilleries? Or fog for your ET time? Paris is a perfect wandering kind of town. Relax - you'll go back and see the stuff you missed next time. Get a map, a Rick Steves (good walking tours) and Fodors guide books and just read up a little and figure out what's important this time around. You might find some of your answers in there, too.

notes

what is there to do in Marais?

Not sure what your tastes are, but the d'Orsay may be a better choice. The fifth floor is an Impressionist "hit parade" that you can navigate in a couple of hours and likely see several paintings you are familiar with. If you must go to the Louvre, have a game plan - it is HUGE and you should know exactly where you want to go. Also, depending on time of year you may hit lots of school tours on Monday.

Museum Pass usually pays for itself in three or more visits, and it saves time spent in lines. Given all you want to pack in that may be important. Re: advice above on free Sundays, this also means a crush of visitors.

You can kill two birds with one stone by going up the Arc de Triomphe at night. You'll get a wonderful view of Paris and you'll have a clear view of the Eiffel Tower light show.

You have very little time in this schedule to simply enjoy Paris, by taking a leisurely stroll, stopping to sip a verre de vin at a sidewalk cafe or enjoying a cafe and croissant before setting out in the morning. Those experiences can be as memorable as anything on a checklist. Personally, I'd cut your list in half, slow the pace and plan to return.