There has been a lot of really good advice already posted.

My husband and I traveled to Paris and Provence for the first time last April, and despite the chilly rain day in and day out, we had an amazing time!

One thing I would suggest to include into your Paris sightseeing itinerary is the Rodin Museum. I cannot stress enough how spectacular it is. It was by far the highlight of my experience in France.

Good luck with your plans and keep chasing those dreams =)

Dear Chas'n, Paris is a big city, so first off I recommend the bus tour that I believe you can pick up near the Opera, so you can get a feel for the layout. I had the joy of living there for ten months in '95 (not enough time) and it was a dream come true. I lived in the 16th arrondisement (very chic and paid for by my husband's employer), near Trocadero. As everyone wants to stay on the popular Left Bank, I would recommend this Right Bank area. It is centrally located and they have some lovely little hotels there that weren't overpriced. Restaurants are expensive, but there was a wonderful place that was reasonably priced for a whole meal called Bistro 17, which of course, is in the 17th arrondisement. As for museums, I found the Louvre to be a bit overwhelming. Our favorite one is the D'Orsey (sp?). Also, the Rodin museum was excellent. You must have Cafe African at Angelina's Tea Room on the Rue D'Rivoli, one of the oldest cafes, if you are a chocaholic. It is a thick, hot melted chocolic served with a bowl of whipped cream. Decadent! O.K., also I went to the cemetary called Pere LaChaise, worth the trip. It's most famous resident is Jim Morrison of the Doors. I took a tour of famous women buried there. A good place to contact is The American Church in Paris, where they have a women's group which I'm sure will give you good information.That was helpful to me.
There is a shopping are called Gallerie Lafayette and Samaritan, which have an area of groceries and snack bars which you will not believe! Worth checking out even if you don't want to shop. Lastly, visit the Opera House, incredible. O.K., stay away from the famous cafe on Champs Elysee that starts with an "F" I forget the name. A croissant (the same you can get anywhere) and coffee were over $20 ten years ago! Go to the original L'Entrecote, not any of the other ones, which is off Champs for good steak and frites. O.K. also, there is a tourist info place on Champs right near the Arc d'Triumphe where you can get info.Good luck and have a great trip!

We used francevacations.net (http://www.francevacations.net/home_sp.cfm ) a couple of years ago for air and 2* hotel. They gave us a great deal so if you're unable to find what you want selecting air and hotel separately you may want to check them out. Right now they show $1,019 for 8 day/7 night from Dallas mid-March, which is when we went because it generally costs less than later in the year. It was lovely and the weather was beautiful. It only rained one day while we were there. Happy travels!

Hello. I've been to Paris 5 times so far. Great advice from all the others, but something no one has mentioned yet is the little inexpensive checkbook-size phrase book (Charles Berlitz)available at Border's, Barnes & Noble, etc. If you don't speak fluent French, it's invaluable. It shows phonetically how to pronounce the phrases, such as, what to say to the waiter when you're ready to leave (L'addition, s'il vous plait-translates as The check, please). I loaned my book to someone and don't have it here to show the pronunciation. Someone had suggested taking a short course in French, which would be good, but as a single Mom I wasn't sure you'd have time/money. This has worked well for me. We were warned that the Parisians were not nice to Americans, and we've never found that to be the case. Especially if you try to converse in their language and apologize for your lack of expertise. They usually jump right in and say that they speak a little English and theirs is almost better than yours! Hope this helps. Have a wonderful time. The first time truly is like magic..you have to pinch yourself to be sure it's not a dream. But every time has been special! Bon Voyage!

Dear chasnmydreams

You might try checking out Go Today as they have some great deals on trips to Paris. Here is address- www.go-today.com. Most packages include rt airfare and 3 or 6 nights hotel. I have used them before and everything went very smoothly. They have packages starting at 559. for travel now through the end of March. Paris is my favorite city in the world and I am lucky enough to get there yearly! Currently renting an apartment for 2 weeks in the Spring and can't wait to get there. Good Luck with your planning.