We have been to Paris several times for extended stays...seen the mainstream things--Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, Musee D'Orsay, Cluny, Seine River Cruise, Pantheon, Louvre, Conciergerie, Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, L'Orangerie, the marais, Rodin, Jacquemart Andre, (not in that order) etc..there may be more but that is what I can remember offhand.

We will be in Paris and will only have one full day in late June. Can anyone suggest something for that day? I am thinking the passages + the Carnavalet, but I would appreciate other suggestions. We will have been in Switzerland, Alsace, and Champagne for the 2 weeks prior.

Thank you!

Forgot to mention that we have been to the Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon's tomb, and Champs Elysee also.

Would you like to see any of them? How about just relaxing in a neighborhood you like

Of course, relaxing in a neighborhood would be wonderful...we will be staying in the 5th and I am sure there are things there that we would enjoy...just thought it would be helpful if other made suggestions that we might not have thought of.

Go for a walk on The Canal Saint Martin in the 10th between Rue du Faubourg du Temple in the south and as far north as you like until Place de la Bataille de Stalingrad. Go to the crypt under the parvis in front of Notre Dame and see remains of Paris going back as far as the Roman era. Plus, learn about the history of Paris over the last 2,000 years. The Carnavalet Museum, which you plan on visiting, was originally the residence of Madame de Sevigne and gives a great overview of Parisian history from 4,000BC to today, plus, it's free. The catacombs have just reopened, which you had also mentioned. If you want to do a great 2 hour walking tour of Paris look up a company called Paris Walks. They offer tours of several different areas. It's only 12 euros per person. Their guides have extensive knowledge of the city and its history and I find them the most expert of all the walking tour companies. On Rue Monge in the 5th, see the Arenes de Lutece, an actual Roman arena in Paris that no one really visits. It's free too. It's not stunning visually but like many ruins around the world, you need to use your imagination and think about what once was. Adjacent to the arena and east is The Jardin des Plantes (also free), a lovely botanical garden. See the Jardin du Luxembourg in the 6th and notice the present day senate building built in the 16th century as a royal residence for the queen Catherine DeMedici. The gardens here are meant to mimic the Boboli Gardens in Florence. Les Invalides is the museum of military history. You've probably seen it next to the Seine with its huge gold dome. It has the tomb of Napoleon, separate exhibits of WWI and WWII plus the most amazing collection of medieval armor and weapons I have ever seen. The suits of armor look brand new and there are hundreds of them. The original suits of Henri IV and Louis XIII are on display here and the detail of these suits is something I couldn't have imagined, especially the cobalt blue color of the armor. If you haven't seen it, admire the Pont Alexandre III crossing the Seine in front of Les Invalides, the most beautiful bridge in Paris (or anywhere I've seen for that matter). Have you been to the Palais Royale? Visit Rue Mouffetard behind the Pantheon and see a really ancient looking street full of street market type vendors in front of their stores. A wonderland of food that will inspire you to picnic. If you've walked through the Latin Quarter walk a little further west into the 6th and explore from the Jardin du Luxembourg north to the river and as far west as Rue Bonaparte. Of course you could always go to a great restaurant, but I'd save that for the end of the day. Or you could just go to a cafe with a great view and drink an awful lot of wine.

This should help;

http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/12/24...l/24hours.html

FMT, thank you for the thought you put into your answer--we have already done some of what you suggested --but we have never gone to the canal St. Martin--I am thinking if it is a nice day, that would be a great thing to do. I wonder if it would be too much to do the Carnavalet, passages and the canal--they aren't close to each other, but it might make a nice day nevertheless...your thoughts?

There is a nice boat ride up the canal St. Martin that goes through the locks up to Parc de la Villette. Here is some information: http://www.canauxrama.com/e_saint-martin.htm and here: http://www.pariscanal.com/+-Canal-St-Martin-+?lang=en.

I thought my link gave some ideas but I guess not.

My apologies, Mimi...I do appreciate your help and have printed out that page--I am in overdrive right now as we leave for the airport in half an hour...

Hi wren,

Just checking in now as it was my birthday and I've been enjoying myself all night. There is enough time to do all 3 things you mentioned in one day. I think you would enjoy doing the Canal Saint-Martin if the weather is right. The Gallerie Vivienne is the most beautiful of the remaining covered passages and would be most quickly reached via metro from Canal Saint-Martin. I made a lot of suggestions in my original post to give you ideas. However, my personal opinion is that if you have only 1 day in Paris and the weather is good then you should spend as much of your time outdoors as you can. So skip the Carnavalet if it's nice. I think you would enjoy yourself more if you were just relaxed and didn't have an agenda other than those 2 destinations. Do them slowly. Spend whatever time you have after those 2 sights just strolling around. I live here and I still love to stroll through The Tuilleries or hang out for a while in front of Notre Dame or sit on the Pont des Arts people watching or just walk along the river. Yeah, it's what the tourists do but it doesn't make it any less beautiful. I don't look down on touristy places in Paris. Before I moved here I used to long to go back to these places whenever I had my vacations here and now that I'm here I still enjoy them just as much. These are the places that make Paris famous and it's because they are beautiful that people frequent these places so often. Remember, you have a very brief time to visit an old friend. But these are merely my suggestions and it's your very brief vacation so do what your instinct tells you. Follow your vision. You're probably in mid flight right now so I hope my message reaches you in time. Enjoy!

FMT

P.S. - And even if the weather is lousy just use an umbrella. Make getting wet part of the fun.

cigalechanta - Link has great info! good to bookmark!