Paris September Itinerary - planning
 

Planning out my itinerary for Paris, from Sept 10 - 17. Is it reasonable, or am I over doing my itinerary? First trip to Paris, and big on art, so museums are a must for me, and will take advantage of 4-day museum card. I've left dining possibilities out as I like to be flexible; but suggestions would be welcome.

Sunday: Arrive CDG-Paris around 1pm. Get luggage and clear passports and immigrations, and then find the train station to get to St-Michel - Cite station, and walk in the corridor over to Cluny-Sorbonne metro, and exit from here, walk along St-Germain from Boulevard St-Michel, just past St-Jacques to my hotel. Check into hotel, freshen up. Walk around and get my bearings together. Go see Notre Dame, and queue up for the Towers of Notre Dame to check out those gargoyles. Stroll around Ile de la Cité and Ile de St-Louis, dine at a cafe. Take an illuminated night boat cruise along the Seine. Crash.

Monday: Find a cafe for coffee and breakfast, and this will be "my" cafe for the week. Get a Museum Pass. Visit the Louvre, explore Jardins Tulieres, lunch in the Louvre cafe or food court. Head over to Musée de l’Orangerie to check out Waterlilies by Monet. Walk over to l’Arc du Triomph via Champs d’Esylees. Dine at a cafe. Find the meeting place for Fat Bike Tour to take the night bicycle tour at Tour-Eiffel. After that, evening is free, probably crash for the night as it's a busy night.

Tuesday: Musée d’Orsay and Musée Delacroix, then head over to Rodin Museum and gardens after picking up some picnic items, and have lunch in the gardens at Rodin Museum, and muse over sculptures. Afterwards, walk around St-Germaine-de-Près towards Jardin Luxembourg, and relax. Evenings TBD, perhaps a wine bar or just sit in a cafe and watch the world go by.

Wednesday: Musée de Moyen-Ages, and Ste-Chapelle in the morning, and then head over to Centre-Pompidou for lunch and checking out the modern arts. Walk around Marais and Carnavalet Museum. In the evening, the Louvre is open late, so probably go back and look at stuff I might have missed in the first visit.

Thursday: Day trip to Versailles. Rent a bike and explore the gardens. Picnic lunch. 25€ including RER return transport.

Friday: Spooky Friday!!! Les Catacombes de Paris, and Montparnasse Cemetery. Go up the Montparnasse Tower to the observatory deck and take photos of Paris that won’t have the black building sticking out no matter where you look. Then in the afternoon, go to Montmartre / Sacre-Coeur and wander around the streets there for the afternoon. In the evening, back to Latin Quartier to explore more.

Saturday: Go up Tour-Eiffel first thing in the morning. The rest of the day is free to do whatever I want.

Sunday: Last cafe & croissant. Au revoir Paris!

I'd add the Marmottan museum in as you love art. Your days are busy but doable; how I like to travel! I suggest a late lunch at Rodin, as you will be very busy with Orsay and Delacroix. Please visit the Place des Vosges while in the Marais. On Saturday, you can add walking along the Champs to the Arc.

I think you are visiting too many museums in too short a time. The days seem unbelievable to me -- like Monday, you plan to visit both the Louvre and just wander over to see the Orangerie museum, also. You'd have to like museums a lot to do both in one day, but I guess you can. But the other day, you plan on visiting both the Orsay and Delacroix museum before lunch!! then, after lunch, doing another museum, Rodin.

So, I don't think this is reasonable in terms of the art museums. I would not add the Marmottan museum myself at all to this list -- you have more than enough Impressionism and Monets elsewhere.

That's an ambitious schedule, especially for the first day. If I were you, rather than taking the train to Cite Station and then schlepping your luggage to the hotel, I would take a shuttle. You can book on line, and it is maybe $18 or so (I haven't checked this year or our upcoming trip). You can pay in $$ or Euro. You can relax once they have loaded your stuff into the van, and they will take you directly to your hotel and unload your luggage for you. IMHO, it's not worth saving a few dollars when you are starting your stay.

You'll save time and energy and you will get a mini tour Paris as they drop off the other passengers.

Do a search here for the various companies, Bee, Blue Van, Airport Shuttle etc..

Enjoy your trip and don't forget to write a trip report when you return - we all learn so much from trip reports and they are appreciated.

Don't worry about an overdone itinerary - that's just a piece of paper. When you get there your feet and your mind will tell you how much to do, and what to save for future trips.

Enjoy,

Nina

I agree with Christina that some days are very busy, but I still think it's doable. You are planning to visit the Louvre again at evening so you'll have more time than just the Monday, and then you have all of Saturday free. The Rodin museum doesn't take very long, maybe 2 hours at most for the gardens and house. The Orsay will take a while. You could always visit that at night as well (I've forgotten the day) but I think they do have one late day a week.

One more thought: you may opt for Giverney over Versailles. As you like art, I think it would be great to see Monet's home and gardens. There are reproductions of tons of his paintings inside the house, so you'll also get to look at art. If that doesn't work, maybe go to Versailles on a Saturday or Sunday when all the fountains will be working; it's really a sight to behold.

lmlweb, I feel your itinerary is very doable. I am also a museum hound so can understand your list of "must do" museums and wouldn't change them. I agree the the Musee Marmottan would be a good addition and it can be enjoyed in 2-3 hours (possibly less if you don't sit and meditate in Monet's gallerie). If you are a Berte Marisol fan, the Marmottan is a must see - her grandson donated the "family holdings" and they are wonderful. The Carnavalet has a really large collection of both fine and decorative art (lovely rooms of furniture)and quite alot of historical displays as well - and it's free! I wasn't crazy about Pompidou as contemporary art just isn't my thing and this museum is very crowded. Unless you're a big fan of contemporary, you might consider replacing that with the Picasso museum and the Cognac-Jay (both are very close to Carnavalet). Also, the Jacquemart Andre Museum is a real gem that you might consider on your "free" Saturday and the Nissim Comondo Museum is close by (French furniture and decorative art). Truthfully, I found Versailles wanting - IMHO the art is "second string", there is really no furniture to speak of, the gardens didn't have very much to commend them either (I visited in June) unless you like the color green:) Giverny on the other hand is glorious in bloom. Also, right next door to Monet's house is the Museum of American Impressionist Artists-last June I saw a wonderful special exhibit of Edward Hopper and another of Mary Cassat Japanese woodcut prints. There are just so many wonderful museums in Paris that it's almost overwhelming trying to decide which to visit. This is your first trip you say? Well, it probably will not be your last!

ttt

thanks for all the feedback. Good point about Versailles fountains on the weekend - perhaps I will go on Saturday instead, and freeing up Thursday - Orsay is open late on Thursday, but my Museum Pass will have expired, but it's only 7.50 Euros extra.

Delacroix is not a must for me, as there's quite a few of his paintings in the Louvre also. Maybe, maybe not.

I just want to see Versailles, even if others find it lacking. I don't know why, but riding a bike and seeing the hamlet sounds just fun!

Good point about the shuttle, just concerned about the time it will take for me to get to hotel as you'd have to make stops to drop off others. I'll decide closer to the day I leave.

The plan *is* to return to Paris, so if I don't see some museums, that's okay - there's next time. Giverny is for another trip also. In fact I think there's a painting holiday in Giverny, so I'd rather experience that in the future!

Compared to the taking the train, and then schlepping your luggage on unfamiliar and possibly crowded streets, that is a very lively area, many tourists and locals, I think that the shuttle is the way to go. We stayed in the area a few times and I never never remember St. Germain being quite and empty. Lots of people going in both directions, even on a Sunday afternoon.

The shuttles hold six passengers. Generally there are maybe two or three other shuttle stops, even if you are at the end of the route. A lot of the passengers are two or maybe three people, who of course are getting off at the same hotel.

You could be let off at the first stop if you are lucky. Trust me, after a long flight to a new city, it is a very relaxing way to arrive at your hotel. We've done both, and I much prefer the shuttle. But of course, only you can make that choice.

Nina

I took the Fat Tire Bikes night tour that meets at the Eiffel Tower in Sept. 2004, and unless they've changed it considerably, the tour includes a boat ride on the Seine and ends very late--at around 11:00 or 11:30. Just something to keep in mind!

I agree that it's busy but doable, for someone who knows she's interested in art. On your first day, assuming you're flying from across an ocean (U.S. or Australia, for example), you'll be a bit jet-lagged. Speaking from experience, the night-time boat ride on that first day can be a recipe for sleeping on the boat!

If the line for the Notre Dame towers is long on your first day, skip it then, and go to the towers on your St. Chappelle day. Go to Ste. Chappelle early to miss the line there, then walk over to Notre Dame and visit the towers before that line gets long.

There's a cute-looking cafe in the Rodin gardens. I don't know the hours, and I haven't eaten there myself, but I did notice it the last time I was there.