Please critique 8-day Paris itinerary
 

I'm leaving for Paris in about 3 weeks, but I've been spending more time reading up on art and history instead. It's time to get down to the gritty practical details. So please advise! Note that this is my 1st time to Paris and I'll be there for 8 days.

Even 8 days don't seem enough. So much stuff to see and do and experience there! Please weigh in on what's worth it and what's not.


1.When/Where:
In Paris from 4/30 - 5/8. Stay in Marais, closest metro: St. Paul.

2. Planning to buy a 5-day museum pass and activating it on Mon (5/2). So I need to do non-museum pass stuff before and after that period.

3. Questions about restaurants: From this reading forum, it sounds like I need to make reservations at restaurants? Many trip reports seem to indicate that?

If I have to splurge on one meal in Paris, where should I do it? I want something that I cannot even get at a top restaurant in the States. Is it actually worth it to throw away Euros in Paris, where I could get a better and possibly less costly meal in the U.S.?

4. Question about Seine river cruise: Anybody has tried Vedettes de Paris? I assume that's different from Vedettes du Pont-Neuf? Which one is better?

5. Church music? How do I get the performance schedules? Which church do you recommend? Preferably free.

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Tentative Itinerary:

1. Sat. (4/30) Fly in at 10 a.m. Get to hotel (best way there for 2 active adults?). Check in hotel.

Walk Ile de la Cite, St. Germaine du Pres. Eiffel Tower. Seine river cruise in the evening.

2. Sun. Walk Marais, Jewish quarter, cemetery. Check out shopping galeries, market (which ones?) Anything else? It's a holiday so most places may be closed.

3. Mon. Activate 5-day museum pass. Louvre. Is it a good day to do the Louvre? Too packed?

4. Tues. d'Orsay. And time permits, Cluny.

5. Wed. Versaille

6. Thurs. Pompidou. Opera Garnier. Anything else on museum pass?

7. Fri. Where w/ museum pass? Fashion show at Gallerie Lafayette at 3 p.m.

8. Sat. Carnavalet. And more walking around.

9. Sun morning? Church music?

Not sure I have enough things to see w/ the 5-day museum pass. Any suggestions.

Please let me know if I shouldn't miss a certain sight, shop, etc.

Thanks for your critiques!

Jen

Also forgot the following must-dos and sees on my list:
1) St. Chapelle -- on one the museum pass day
2) Champs-Elysees -- any day.
3) Arc de Triomph -- covered by museum pass?
4) Notre dame tower/crypt and maybe Concierge -- on museum pass

5) Monmartre -- non-museum pass day
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More questions. These are worth it for first timer? What to do there?
* Monpartnasse
* La Defense

Please suggest the best routes as well, so I don't end up wasting time going to one end of Paris to the other in a day.

Sorry for asking so many questions. Advice in any areas will be much appreciated. Thanks much!

Get Rick Steve's book on Paris. It's the only tour guide you will need. Eight days is enough. Don't stress so much. Enjoying Paris means sitting in a street cafe drinking wine and watching people go by. There's a great spot (Vesuvius?) on the Champs Elysee with good pizza (!) and nice wine. Rick Steve's really helps you understand where you are going. You need to check the museum schedules for closed days. And use the maps to see where things are so you can plan what to see when. Don't forget to go see Jim Morrison's grave. What an amazing cemetery. But most of all, go slow, enjoy the food, don't worry about reservations. Find a spot you like and just relax. Eat bread and cheese as you walk in the morning. Get red wine and chocolate (real dark) and eat it in your hotel room. Obviously you are going to do the museums and the museum pass is well worth it. You don't have to stand in line, so even if it would be cheaper to pay individual entrance fees you will be glad you have the pass. Buy a carnet of Metro tickets. Read Rick Steves!! Have fun. I love Paris.

Hi
Many guidebooks have suggested walking routes. Which guidebook will you be using? Frommers.com has suggested itineraries on line, they also publish a separate book on walks in Paris, with just enough detail on notable buildings and stops along the way.

More info on Paris:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34519236

I don't see that you will get your money's worth on a 5-day museum pass.
Get the 3-day version to get you into the Louvre and Orsay without waiting in the ticket lines. The Carnavalet is free.

So, on the Louvre day, add in Notre Dame, St Chapelle, and the Conciergerie if you are going there.

On the Orsay day, or the 3rd day, you can add in the Arc de Triomphe if you're going inside.

I pushed Post too soon

How do you define splurging on a meal--that is, how much would you expect to spend on a splurge? Reservations at all but the very very top places can be made a day or two in advance, and your hotel can do it if you give them information on what you want and when.
As to 'throwing euros away in Paris', spending money on good meals is a personal choice, one person's waste of good money can be another person's sublime experience. If you do enjoy fine food, Paris is a place to indulge. If you'd rather have more money to spend on something else, that's your call.

I think Vedettes de Pont Neuf is excellent, better than Bateaux Mouches, but I don't know the other Vedettes lines. Go on line and get the boat schedule. If you choose a Vedettes dPN departure that is on the half-hour, you will get to the Eiffel Tower area just as the ET begins its hourly light show, which starts on the hour, evenings, and lasts for 10 minutes.

What hotel?

It looks like you are running out of things to do at the end. If you are, if there aren't other things in town that grab your interest, work in another day trip, such as to Chartres or Giverny.

I agree with Elaine; 3-day museum pass should do it. Once you're done with the Louvre and Orsay, lines aren't really a problem.

I spent a lovely Sunday this way: Cluny museum (unicorn tapistries)—place Médard (kind of at the end of rue Mouffetard, M° Censier Daubenton) to watch the accordéonist play and the people sing and dance (about 12:30)—walked up Mouffetard market street, buying chicken and frites and a box of strawberries, stopping to eat them in a little park—up to Sacré Coeur for a beautiful view and a beer at the Place du Tertres and a fun conversation with the French couple sitting next to us. What a marvelous day. If the weather's nice on either of your Sundays, I'd recommend the same.

I also prefer Vedettes du Pont Neuf—location and size (smaller).

For free (or any) activities, buy a Pariscope or Officiel des Spectacles, which list everything going on in Paris for that week. I think the new ones come out on Wednesday, so you might need to buy one for each week. Pariscope has a fairly big English section, so you might prefer that. They are quite inexpensive (€0.40).

I might be a cheapo...but I really enjoyed the Batobus over the Pont Neuf cruise. The Batobus stops at 11 sites along the Seine and the commentary is excellent. While the museums are wonderful (especially Cluny), please make time to see Luxembourg Gardens, Jardin des Plantes, and the Tuilleries. Sitting on a bench, eating an ice cream, and watching the people enjoy the parks is a fabulous way to spend a sunny afternoon in the spring. Paris in April...lucky you!

You have walks scheduled. Are those self-guided? If so, you might be interested in guided Paris walks (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...ng/#dailywalks)

Have you given any consideration to a day trip outside the city...? We found this a nice way to break up the week.

Seconding the Vedettes de Pont Neuf and Paris Walks suggestions. Walking tours are great! Pariscope will tell you about church music. However, I believe they've eliminated their English-language section. Allow two half days for wandering and sitting in parks and cafes. For most restaurants, a phone call around lunchtime to reserve for dinner will do. A splurge meal, for us, is 50 euros a person, wine and coffee included, and yes, you should do it in Paris.

On May 1 lots of folks were walking around with small sprays of lillies of the valley...it was great so see that. Include Place des Vosges in your walk - there should be lots of people in the park and buskers for entertainment.

Although lots of things are closed I believe the small shops in the Marais were open. We did 2 walking tours with Paris Walks on May 1 (St-Germain-des-Pres and Marais) and enjoyed both.

Pere Lachaise cemetery is huge - buy a map at the entrance.

Sunday churches - I enjoyed St. Sulpice and the great organ music and choir. The American Church also has a very good choir.

Since you have the Carnavalet scheduled on the first Saturday of the month check the times for their English tour. It was in the afternoon (2 or 3) when I went. They only offer it once a month on the first Saturday. The museum is free but there's a charge for the tour.

The Marais is very quiet on Saturdays. You didn't say where you were walking around but I suggest another area and come back in the afternoon for the Carnavalet.

Monday and Wednesday are Louvre late days. You can go in after 3:00 for a reduced fee and short lines and stay until they close. The only crowds are around the top 3 or 4 exhibits. The rest of the museum is relatively empty.

The Rodin Museum and Museum of the Middle Ages (Cluny) are two of my favorites.

Print a 2E discount coupon for the Vedettes de Pont Neuf from their web site. I agree with others that this company is better than Bateaux Mouches.

JC98 - I was sorry to see you did not include Sacre Coeur in you itinerary.
I have been there many times but will be going again in October hopefully for the wine festival on the first Saturday and then again the following week with three friends who are new to Paris. On the Sunday;
I thought of starting out at the Blanche Metro stop and following rue Lepic street market up to rue des Abbesses into le Tac which ends up at the foot of the funiculaire. After a good wonder around we could try and get lunch in the area or take the little train down to Pigalle and metro off to somewhere else. I am sure they will have their portraits sketched just for fun in Place du Tetre!

ooo, Sacre Coeur is a good suggestion. There is a Paris Walks tour that does that area and I enjoyed it very much.

The day you wander the Marais, go to see Place des voges and the Bastille.

What about checking out Forum des Halles or the rue Cler? Shopping at Fauchon, or having tea at Lauduree?

Actually I think it's great that you have a plan, but once you get there please make sure you relax and stay flexible on your plans!

Thanks, all, for your excellent pointers! I'm printing everything out and compiling an itinerary here.

Someone asked what guidebook I'm using, I'm actually wiping out my local public library's collection on Paris. :] The main sources being Fodor's, Rick Steve's, and Access. Also reading Frommer's online, Eyewitness, Insight, and of course all the non-guidebooks as well. Maybe that's why I'm so overwhelmed!

Anyhow, anyone knows of a website that lets you print out detailed maps of Paris streets? I want to plot all the shops, sights, and little oddities I gather from different guidebooks onto a map of each area in Paris, so I don't have to carry so many books with me and won't miss anything that seems interesting.

Thanks much. And please share any more of your experiences!

Get a Streetwise Paris map. It is small, detailed and manageable and will be so helpful both in planning and in helping you to get around once you are there. We have tried all of the Seine river cruises over the years and like the Vedettes du Pont Neuf the best.
You probably don't need reservations for all of your meals but if there is a restaurant you want to be certain to get to, best to make a reservation. You can find lots of suggestions on this forum.
If you have a chance to take a day trip in addition to Versailles, Chartres and Giverny are fabulous and very easy trips.

Tod or anyone else - What is the wine festival you are referring to? Do you have more info? We are planning a trip to Paris in the fall and haven't selected our dates yet. Thanks!

Hi JC,

>What to do there?
* Monpartnasse
* La Defense

Don't bother.

((I))

Tweeter - I am reffering to the Monmartre Vineyard, Corner of rue des Saules & St. Vincent.
It is the last surviving vineyard in Paris. On the first Saturday in October the start of the grape harvest is celebrated.
As I have seen the vineyard in various stages over the years and just fell in love with it's absolute uniqueness, I now have the opportunity to at last attend the festival.
So will I see you there??