Pre(r)amble:
Two Australian women, myself (32) and my mum (58) will be spending 3+ days in Paris as part of a 6 week European/UK vacation. Neither of us speak French, but I am a confident traveller, while my mother is not, so she'll be relying on me to lead the way. My mum has never been to Europe/UK before and my 1 day in Paris was so long ago (I was 16) and the memories so vague, that I consider this to be a quasi 1st trip to Paris.

Our accommodation is booked and we will be staying in the Opera area. After leaving Paris we head to the Loire Valley for 4 days.

We plan on finding meals as we go and are on a bit of a budget. We tend to eat lighter lunches which should be readily available from bakeries, cafes or supermarkets. However, it would be nice to at least go to one reasonably priced restaurant for dinner - something typically French, but which won't break the bank.

Based on plan below we will purchase the 4 day Museums Pass.

So much to do, so little time..

The plan so far is:
Sunday 27 August
- arrive by train from Germany (5 hour trip) at 2pm. Check in to hotel
- metro to Montparnasse to the Paris Art Market (open til 7pm)
- seek out Christian Constant (chocolate shop) in rue d'Assas (open til 8.30pm)
- 10pm Cityrama Illuminations open-top bus tour (booked)

Monday 28 August
- Scare Coeur
- general stroll around the Montmartre area (suggestions for any streets/places of interest)
- Musee du Louvre (Egyptian collection for mum; not sure what else yet)
- [if time] Fragonard Musee du Parfum (near hotel)
- back to hotel
- 8.30pm Cityrama River Cruise and Moulin Rouge show (booked)

Tuesday 29 August
- Eiffel Tower (try to get there just before opening)
- walk past Hotel Invalides on way to visit Musee d'Orsay (or take RER if time short)
- walk across Pont Royal, through Jardins des Tuileries and along Champs-Elysees
- Arc de Triomphe
- [if time] seek out La Maison du Chocolat (open til 7pm)
- dinner in French restaurant?

Wednesday 30 August
- Sainte Chapelle church
- walk past Marche aux Fleurs
- Notre-Dame, including tower
- stop by Salon de the Berthillon
- Jeu de Paume (Sully site) photographic gallery/exhibition
- Place des Vosges
- Centre Pompidou (open til 10pm)

Thursday 31 August
- check out of hotel
- Galeries Layfayette
- general stroll along Bvd. Haussmann
- afternoon train to Tours, Loire Valley

The art market on Sunday isn't a very big one and probably not worth a special trip. Your Wednesday schedule seems too packed, so maybe you could shift a bit more to Sunday? Maybe move Place des Vosges and the Pompidou..? that way, you could wander in the Marais a bit as well (which is active on Sundays).

If you insist on the art market, then you should also go up Tour Montparnasse, as it is a fantastic view and includes the Eiffel Tower! Also (or alternately), you could choose to add Jardin de Luxembourg, as I think it is the premier garden in Paris.

Thanks Travelnut. I'll rethink my Sunday and Wednesday. No, I don't have my heart set on the Paris Art Market. In fact I know nothing about it, it just sounded interesting and was open on a sunday. I could maybe shift the Pompidou to sunday, but thought that that particular sunday (last of the month) may have been the free museum sunday in which case I thought all the museums would be very crowded. Alternatively, Notre Dame and St Chapelle are open sundays, but I'd have to check their church service schedule.

I second the notion of skipping the art market. I was there recently and was really not very impressed. Plus the Montparnasse area, though lively, is less picturesqe than many parts of Paris. In addition to Place des Vosges & the Marais, the square in the Palais Royale is something I hadn't discovered until recently and really liked it. It might be a very nice place to stroll around on the way from your hotel over to Vosges...
I also second the Luxembourg Gardens reccomendation, but as you said- so much to do, so little time!

As for restaurants- there are many possibilities for nice french food with 3 course menus around 30 or so euro in the 6th. Brasserie Balzar is a personal fave of mine (Rue des Ecoles), but check online for their prices as it has been a while since I was there- reservation would be needed.
Have a great time!

I was in Paris 3 weeks ago and the only thing I'd add is that the lines to the popular attractions, such as the Louvre are very long so I'd attempt to do that early in the day. Even the line to the top of Notre Dame was long since it doesnt open till 10. Other than that, its a great walking city.

A lovely restaurant my husband and I recently found for a "moderate splurge" is Pomze, in the 8th arrondissement. Sponsored by apple growers, it features apples in all of its dishes - but not in a gimmicky way. The food is actually quite innovative, without being "trendy for trendy's sake". They have an excellent 25 euro, 3-course prix fixe menu and you can also have a 3-glass flight of ciders (alcholic) matched to your courses. Check out www.pomze.com.

We ordered one prix fixe, plus one appetizer and one main course of the regular menu (and shared dessert). This gave us more flexibility in terms of menu choices, while still delivering good value.

The museum pass will help you avoid the long lines. There are special enterances to the Louvre and the musee d'orsey for those with the pass so don't be alarmed when you see the hordes outside. Also, if you enter the Louvre from the metro as opposed to from the street there is less of a crowd.

When you go to Centre Pompidou, I hgihly recommend the restaurant Le Hangar. It is at 12 impasee Berthaud, off of Rue Beaubourg that runs right behind the Pompidou. It is a fabuulous little French restaurant with fantastic classic French food for a rediculously low price. 3 of us had appetizers, dinner and dessert plus a good bottle of wine for 100 euros.

Have a great time!

I second the Brasserie Balzar. Sure, there is better food to be found but their food is very good. We always make sure to eat here when in Paris. My DH says that Balzar's helps him realize that he's really arrived in Paris! Service here is theater and the waiters are very friendly and speak English. Here's a link with a coupon: http://brasseriebalzar.com/. As an alternative to the art market, you might consider Musee Rodin (if you're a fan) as the museum also has a beautiful garden. Actually, you can pay E1 for garden access only if you're not interested in going inside. Here's a link: http://www.musee-rodin.fr/ . Have a great vacation with Mom.

I assume you're talking about the Marche de la Creation. I can see stopping by if you are in the neighborhood, which is what I've done because I usually stay around there. However, I didn't think it was very good and it was the same stuff you'd find at some weekend street fair in the US, and a lot of it was just pretty bad art IMO. I didn't buy anything. But if you have nothing else to do, okay, but I wouldn't make any special trip all the way over there just for that, if you are far away. Besides, a lot of them close up around early afternoon anyway, so what is left is not much later on in the day even if it theoretically is open until 7. I'd rather go to parks, museums, walk around, etc. than that.

Now I really do like the Bastille Sunday market and think that's more fun than that Marche Creation, and with a lot more things you might actually want to buy (it's not just food, but lots of stuff). That is on bd Richard Lenoir leading off north from where the Bastille column is. Then you could wander around the Marais area which has a lot open on Sundays, due to the Jewish shops and eating places. Other Marais shops can be open, also.

The free SUnday is the first of the month, not the last.

You may enjoy attending an evening concert at Ste. Chapelle. Schedules are at ampconcerts.com.

Admission to the Rodin Museum is covered by the museum pass.

We were in Paris last month. We ate at Cafe Med at 77 rue St. Louis en L'Ile just across the bridge and only two blocks from Notre Dame. For 12.5 euros they serve a delicious 3 course meal. It is small, so it's good to get there early. They open at 7.

I'm still regretting that we didn't eat at Le Reminet, across the Seine from Notre Dame at 3 rue des Grands Degres. On Monday and Thursday they serve a 19 euro 2 course meal.

We usually went to boulangeries to buy ham and cheese baguettes, wonderful mini quiches or tartines for lunch.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I shall look into them and adjust my itinery. I will dump the art market for something else.

Okay, based on Fodorite advice I have rearranged things a bit and dumped the Paris Art Market. No evening meal plans have been incorporated at this stage, but I have noted your suggestions.

Sunday 27 August
- arrive by train from Germany (5 hour trip) at 2pm. Check in to hotel
- take Metro to Jeu de Paume (Sully site) photographic gallery (open til 7pm)
- walk to Jardin du Luxembourg (via Berthillon or Amorino on Ile St Louis and the Latin Quarter) (how far we get depends on time and any stops along the way)
- 10pm Cityrama Illuminations open-top bus tour (booked)

Monday 28 August
- Musee du Louvre (Egyptian collection for mum; not sure what else yet)
- Sacre Coeur
- general stroll around the Montmartre area (suggestions for any streets/places of interest)
- [if time] Fragonard Musee du Parfum (near hotel)
- back to hotel for rest and change of clothes for evening
- 8.30pm Cityrama River Cruise and Moulin Rouge show (booked)

Tuesday 29 August
- Eiffel Tower (try to get there before opening)
- walk past Hotel Invalides on way to visit Musee d'Orsay (or take RER if time short)
- walk across Pont Royal, through Jardins des Tuileries and along Champs-Elysees
- Arc de Triomphe
- [if time] seek out La Maison du Chocolat (open til 7pm)
- dinner in French restaurant?

Wednesday 30 August
- Sainte Chapelle church
- walk past Marche aux Fleurs
- Notre-Dame, including tower
- stop by Salon de the Berthillon or Amorino on Ile St Louis
- Place des Vosges
- Centre Pompidou (open til 10pm)

Thursday 31 August
- check out of hotel
- Galeries Layfayette
- general stroll along Bvd. Haussmann
- afternoon train to Tours, Loire Valley

ttt

I think your times look very good. I'd suggest not going up the Eiffel Tower but rather the Montparnasse tower (so you can see the ET from above and not the ugly MT). Your Wednesday looks a tad light, so if you wanted to add a museum (maybe Orangerie or Marmottan) there it might be a good day.

My biggest advice to you is to check out the Eiffel tower in the afternoon/early evening. It doesn't get dark here until 10:30 or so right now and it is just such a gorgeous view from up top to see the city all lit up. And just another fyi - the lights come on on the tower at 10 - and every hour, on the hour, for 10 minutes, the whole tower sparkles (until 1 am i believe). Now that is a worth really seeing.

I think you may be focusing on Berthillon and Amorino too much, you have it listed twice. Berthillon is just decent ice cream. You can even get it in some cafes, I buy it in one I frequent in Montparnasse. They don't have as many flavors, but still. People wait in long lines there just for that, which maybe you want to do once, but I don't think twice. There are Amorinos elsewhere, anyway, that might be more convenient. There is one at Galeries Lafayette, for example (in their home or Maison store). There is also one in the Marais, so I would think you could go there since you are going that way anyway one day rather than retracing the event on Ile St Louis. The one in the Marais is on rue Vieille du Temple not too far north of rue de Rivoli. So, why not walk from Notre Dame past Hotel de Ville, which is worth seeing, and then you can go by it on the way to place des Vosges or something instead of going over to stand in the lines on Ile St Louis again. Of course there are many good chocolate shops and several Maison du Chocolat, also, that you can work that in somehow.

I'll tell you one of the museums I was most impressed by on my recent visit was the newly renovated Petit Palais. I loved that museum (and it is free entry). It has a little of everything, it is beautifully displayed, and it's not huge so you don't get as worn out. I liked it better than the Orangerie, but I was never that crazy about a lot of the art they have in there, like all the Renoir whom I don't care for.

Le Grand Cafe, just off the Place de l'Opera on Blvd des Capucines, is a pretty good restaurant and not overly expensive.

Another good choice close to Opera is Le Souffle on Rue du Mont Thabor.

Just a few doors down from Le Soufflé is L'Ardoise, a lively bistro with good prices and an extensive menu. Book ahead to get a table on the ground floor rather than the basement.