Paris - My Itinerary...your comments?
 

We touchdown in Paris at 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday, are staying by the Arc, have an early checkin confirmed, and are leaving the following Sunday. I'd appreciate your constructive feedback.

Saturday: Champs Elysees, Eiffel Tower, Jacquemart Andre Museum, Place de la Concorde, Seine drink cruise, buy five day museum pass for use on Sunday.

Sunday: Church at Notre Dame, Notre Dame Towers, Notre Dame Crypt, Notre Dame Treasury, Sainte Chapelle, Pantheon, Arenes de Lutece.

Monday: Buy carte orange pass, Cluny Museum, Louvre Museum, Place Vendome.

Tuesday: Arc, Hotel des Invalides, Montmarte, Sacre Coeur.

Wednesday: Versailles, drinks at Hemingway's at the Ritz.

Thursday: Musee d'Orsay, Picasso Museum, Rodin Museum.

Friday: Open.

Saturday: Open.

Wow--are you going to be busy!

Will have the same timeline in October; were in Paris two years ago in June; recommend enough time to just explore the neighborhoods leisurely. We'll be staying by the Arc this time, due to a business connection, but recommend some time in Rue Cler where we stayed last time. Liked having our last couple days to revisit favorite spots and just wander

You may want to try to walk through the Luxembourg Gardens. It's not far from the Pantheon.

Thanks for the feedback folks. Yes we are going to be busy, but I think it is doable based on our attention span and likes/dislikes. We're not huge art lovers, so I'm sure we'll go through many of the museums more quickly than most.

I saved Friday and Saturday either for roaming, repeating, in case we get rained out, or if we get behind my schedule. There are some other things we want to do that I've not scheduled such as:

Jardin Luxembourg
Latin Quarter exploration
Marais exploration
Place des Vosges
Pompidou Building - we'll skip the museum unless it is raining
St. Germain - I don't even know what this is (no stones please)
Concierge

There are others as well that I can squeeze in if we have time. I think this is aggressive, but doable for us and welcome any other comments.

Get in line for the Tour de Notre Dame by 9:00. Only 20 at a time are allowed up, starting at 9:30. The line will already have 50-60 people in it by 9:30.
Tour the interior afterwards.

On Thursday, assuming you mean to visit d'Orsay and Rodin, then Picasso (not the order you listed). You really should add a brief respite in Place des Vosges on the way to the Picasso - it is one of the loveliest squares in Paris.

If you like flea/junque markets, on Saturday go to Marché de Vanves on the southern edge of Paris. It is a street market and takes about 2 hours to have a good look around.

You could take a day-trip to Fontainebleau on Friday, if you wanted. It's a neat town center and chateau is quite easy to reach. Take RER or SNCF to Fontainebleau (Avon), then walk out front and take Bus to Chateau (I think it says A/B). Just ask someone else who's standing at the stop. The bus will stop directly across the street from the Chateau; afterward, you can do a little window-shopping, get lunch etc. right in that area, then go to same bus stop to return to le Gare.

You will have a wonderful time... if you still need things to do, just find a bench in one of the beautiful parks (Luxembourg is a favorite, Monceau is lovely), do a little shopping, café-sit and people-watch.

Check out this thread for Sunday:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34454939

..you have received good advice..only 2 quick comments..1- the pantheon..i am really not sure why you would choose to visit this..i am still trying to figure out why i chose to visit it! 2. dont hesitate not to see all of the places on your list..the joy of travel (or at least i consider it a joy) is to discover something unplanned..a church or small museum that caught my eye as i was looking for something else..oh and thirdly from your talkboard name, if you are an md there is rather an interesting museum of medical history..i forgot its name (can find in the green guide)..odd hours so opening times must be checked.

Hi md,

A few comments:

I would move Jacquemart-Andre museum to Sunday and have brunch there (11:45 to 1:00. You can visit the Arc and the Parc monceau before lunch and then go to Notre Dame.

Pantheon and Arenes de Lutece are not high priority for a first visit.

The church of St. Germain-des-Pres is about 1000 years old. It is worth a look. There is a very good crepes stand just out front of it on Bld St. Germain.

It's ConciergeRIE. It's a nice building, but I wouldn't make it a must for a first visit.

Have a nice trip.

We are going to Paris in June and have an itinerary similiar to yours. However, we are planning to take three or four Paris Walks such as Hemingway's Paris and Montsouris Village. We took their Montmartre Walk the last time we were in Paris and felt that we saw and learned a lot that we wouldn't have been able to on our own.

Just a couple comments, you do have a lot to do, but a good plan, generally.

The Tourist Office near the Arc is closed, so don't look for it. I think you have too many museums on Thursday, but I just couldn't visit that many in one day, so if you know your taste in these things, maybe -- except these three museums are spread all over Paris, they aren't even near each other, so maybe that's not so great logitically.

I liked the Pantheon quite a bit, actually, but I guess you have to be a Voltaire groupie to appreciate it. It doesn't take hours to tour it, but I enjoyed seeing it and it is a change from the museums/churches. I also liked the conciergerie. I would put both above the St-Germain des Pres church, for example. I also wouldn't put the Carnavalet on your list, but that's not one of my favorite museums. I see you didn't, anyway, though.

St Germain is just an area or neighborhood of Paris. There is some good shopping there if you like designer shops or expensive things, antiques, stuff like that.

Just a quick note to let you know that your Carte Orange will allow you to purchase a discounted 1 or 2 day unlimited ride Batobus ticket. Just show your CO while purchasing your ticket.

Although it has been suggested, I wouldn't skip the Pantheon. I like your itinerary - you can always adjust as you go, especially with 2 open days at the end of your trip. Have a wonderful time!

We did Paris three years ago. Quite by accident joined a Walking Tour of Paris. English guide has lived in Paris for 20 years. We did three more walking tours in our six days there. Made the whole trip worthwhile. I have put a link to their website below.

We are going back to Paris in Sept. and already planning which walking tours to do this time.
You will be very busy on your trip. Versailles can take a full day to see it all. I forget the tour title, but it is a guided tour of the secret passages and inner chambers and you see things the others don't. Worth the time, being done in two sesions.

Enjoy your trip.

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

You will be moving, but Saturday is less full that one might think unless you are going to stand in line to go up in the tower. Place de la Concorde is something you view, and move on. but run, and see blurs with this plan. I doubt if you can do it all if you stop to really take in anything.

The Picasso Museum to me was a waste of time. The painting there are not his best works by any means.

Musee d'Orsay and the Rodin Museum will use up the day. Do them justice.
That is of course unless your objective is to wave as you by the places.

You have two open days. Some of what you have will spill over to those days.
Certainly the Louvre can use up more than a day. When you go in, you really need to know what you are after.

Thank you, thank you, thank you folks. I am going to do some tweaking of some of these days. I know from doing something similar for our trip to Rome last year that some of these things will take twice as long as I think and others will take half as long. We're ready to roll with the punches (and weather) and enjoy our time without being too rushed (despite how the itinerary appears).

Thank you for the input and encouragement.