parismemanque

Bonjour!

I'm going with my mom and sis, it's going to be their first trip to Paris. I thought this would be easy because I've been to Paris but it's not! I would love some help, advice, suggestions...

Here's the rough draft, I'm trying to organize this around the 4/6-day museum pass, which we would start using on Monday. We're mostly going to be traveling by bus... and nothing is set in stone, well just the Macaron class.

Thur July 26
Arrive at 8 am. Grand Hotel Les Gobelins.
Notre Dame, Quartier Latin, Jardin du Luxembourg, Boulevard Saint Germain

Fri July 27
Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, Pont Alexandre III, Les Invalides
Champs Elysees, Grand Palais, Arc de Triomphe, Ladureee

Sat July 28
Montmartre, Sacre Coeur, Place du Tertre, Moulin Rouge, Cafe Les Deux Moulins

Sun 29
Le Marais
Cemitiere Pere Lachaise

Mon 30
Louvre, Les Halles area

Tues 31
Versailles

Wed Aug 1st
Pompidou, Macaron class

Thurs 2nd
Rodin, Pantheon, Saint-Chapelle

Fri 3rd
?

Sat 4th
?

Leave on Sun 5th


We also have a 2 day pass for a Hop on, Hop off bus tour (which we may use the first two days) and want to take a Seine boat tour. I'm not sure about Orsay, I love museums but my mom and sis may have enough with the Louvre. I want to go to the Rodin museum because I loved it and think they will like it and Pompidou because it's different. We're all into pastries, people watching and shopping.

Thanks in advance!

SusannahT

Fountainebleau is fascinating with beautiful gardens & easily accessible

Rastaguytoday

Travel by Metro. The Paris Metro is the best transportation going.

You are wise to try to stay outdoors as much as possible on the first day. The Luxembourg Gardens are a perfect spot to watch the world go by.

After Sacre Coeur, walk down the streets of Monmartre.

You have nothing on the Musee D'Orsay or the Louvre. If you want to see things from Whisler's Mother to more than 20 Vincent Van Goghs, and a bunch more, please go.

See St. Chapelle early. You can walk from there to the Musee D'Orsay. It's also almost across the street from Notre Dame.

Take a stroll on the Ile de la Cite.

There's much more to say....

ira

Hi P

IMO you are overplanned.

Paris is to be enjoyed a sip at a time, not gulped down.

I suggest that you plan for one "must see" in the AM and one in the PM.

Leave the rest of the day to serendipity.

>I love museums but my mom and sis may have enough with the Louvre.<

If so, why are you organizing your visit around a museum pass?

Can't you go to a museum and let them go shopping, or whatever they wish to do?

ira

PS,

I wouldn't make the Louvre my top choice of museum: a) it's too big and b) it has that horrid pyramid.

My suggestions for first-timers are, in this order,
www.musee-orangerie.fr
www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com/ especially for Sunday Brunch
www.musee-orsay.fr/en/home.html
www.musee-rodin.fr/
www.carnavalet.paris.fr
www.musee-moyenage.fr/

Enjoy your visit.

Gretchen

I know the pyramid is horrid to Parisians, but it is at the very least, interesting to visitors.
Please DO go to the Orsay, if for nothing else, to see the absolutely beautiful interior expanse of the former train station transformed to an art museum. It will absolutely draw your mother and sister in to see the galleries. BUT choose the ones that they will like best., Get the Michelin Green Guide to Paris and see the possibilities for the Orsay AND the Louvre and plan before you go.
I agree with the Rodain, and also love the Carnavalet and the Cluny, at least to see the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.
You really might want to engage Michael Osman for a day to do the museums with your group. And the Orangerie.
I also recommend getting the DK Eyewitness Guide to Paris. It conveniently shows "quarters" or areas of Paris and what is there in that area to see easily.

Art_Mom

Just returned from a short trip to Paris. Musee d'Orsay was by far my favorite over the Louvre. I guess it's personal preference. For those less interested in art Orsay is much more accessible with impressionist and post impressionist art that most people are familiar. Orsay is large, but it is much more manageable than the Louvre which is huge. In 10 days I think you have more than enough time to visit both if you wish.

jan47ete

Am going again in April for maybe the 5th time. A bucket list trip to see Monet's Giverny. The Orangerie has his work in an incredible setting. The Catacombs and sewers are great sites. The Passages are 18-19th century glass roofed shopping centers that are lovely. The Canal St. Martin trip is also very nice. One highlight of my last trip was a concert at St. Chappelle and there is always the free ones (or practice) at Notre Dame. And how can anyone go to Paris w/o stopping at the Flea Market.

adrienne

Thursday - what will you be doing on the blvd St-Germain? It's a noisy street. Are you just walking it to walk it w/o any destination? I go out of my way to avoid the noise and traffic on this street. Meander through some of the side streets north and south of the blvd.

While you're at Notre Dame walk behind it to the delightful garden and then continue across the street and down the steps to the Deportation Memorial, a much overlooked site.

Friday - wow - this is a lot in the heat.

Saturday - you might want to switch Montmartre for Sunday and take the Paris Walks tour of Montmartre at 10:30. It's 2 hours and very interesting. You start at the bottom of the hill and wind up at Sacre Coeur.

Sunday - again, if you switch Saturday and Sunday there's a Marais walking tour Saturday at 10:30. Afterwards you can continue on to the cemetery.

I'm never in favor of the HOHO buses. They're expensive and I find it's much better to take walking tours and get a live guide and much more information.

The Louvre and Orsay are 2 very different types of museums. If they say that you've booked too many museums you can do the Rodin garden only. You'll get a flavor of his sculpture and there is the delightful garden and cafe.

I love the Cluny and Jacquemart-Andre (or Nissem de Camando) museums. They're all small and the last two are period houses.

http://www.paris-walks.com/download-pdf.html

bilboburgler

another vote for D'Orsay such a great museum. I'd score it above the Louvre and even stick the Rodin in ahead of it. I'm also with Ira about letting yourslef discover things.

Look after your feet, you will find that you try and walk yourself into the ground. Have a look at a Segway tour as an alternative one day.

And use the metro

colonna

I would definitely go to the Louvre, for 1-2 hours, pick a couple of areas to look at (maybe Greek and Roman antiquities, and Italian paintings, or walk around the medieval Louvre underground), and then get out, no guilt. Otherwise it's noisy and exhausting.

Your hotel is near some good wandering areas. One is the Jardin des Plantes (if it is not too hot), which also has several indoor natural history museums and a zoo.

If you are interested in weaving/tapestries, the Gobelins Manufacturing plant offers tours a couple of days a week (in French, if you are really interested).

Also, if you walk down the ave des Gobelins to the church of St Medard, you are at the bottom of the rue Mouffetard, where there is often a market in the morning. There are dozens of small food stores, boutiques, restaurants, creperies all the way up rue Mouffetard. It is touristy and "studenty" but some people (including me) find it adorable. When you get to the top, you can go to the Pantheon, or wander down one of the slopes to the river.

TDudette

I agree about adding Musee d'Orsay. You may run out of steam that first day so maybe combine Luxembourg/St. Germain with Moufftard Market and that general area on one of your free days (or save Notre Dame area). Maybe leave those last days free to return to things you loved or add suggestions above.

Have a wonderful trip and please do a trip report!

Sloane_428

I just returned a little over a week ago from my first trip to Paris and I have to agree with everyone who has recommended visiting Musee d'Orsay. The building itself is extraordinary and the Impressionism gallery is amazing, one of those exhibits that you will only find in Paris. My second favorite museum was the Musee de l'Orangerie, which was a welcome change because of its small size. It was very manageable in 1.5 hours and that was with a return trip to the panoramic Monets before heading out.

Make sure you go to L'As du Falafel in the Marais. You can also do some shopping in the Marais -- tons of cute little boutiques as well as more popular stores. It was our favorite (and most successful!) shopping in Paris.

I went on the Sunday Paris Walks Montmartre tour and it was great. It was nice to see the quieter and more quaint side of Montmartre and it gave us a very different perspective that we wouldn't have gotten had we just gone up to Sacre Coeur on our own.

parismemanque

SusannahT - We would like to stay in Paris the whole time, with the exception of Versailles but I'll keep Fontainebleu in mind for next time, thanks!

Rastaguytoday - thanks. We're taking the metro only when necessary because of my mom's knee problems. I love the metro but it has too many stairs. 

ira - I'm trying to group all things together by area and like you said have a couple of main things we want to do and then see whatever else is around. I'm doing an itinerary because I want to make sure we don't miss those main things. 

The Louvre is a must, I think they're going to recognize more art pieces there than at Orsay. I've been there too and love it as well. 

The museum pass also gives you access to Sainte-Chapelle, Versailles, Pantheon and others. We don't want to stay in line! Hehe. 

Thanks for your suggestions. 

Gretchen - I'll check those guides, thanks!

Art_Mom - They just won't want to miss la Mona Lisa! I think we'll end up going to both!

jan47ete - I went to Marche aux Puces when I was in Paris. I've been debating whether we should go or not. They have cheap souvenirs, but they're also very cheaply made! Oh yeah L'Orangerie! So much to do, so little time. 


I'll be back to keep replying. Thanks everybody for replying so fast! I really appreciate it.

Shanna

Hello! I took my mom and sister to Paris in 2002 (every woman should go to Paris). They had a good time, but maybe didn't quite get why I love that city so much. I dragged my poor sister out at night and we just walked the streets. One afternoon we ended up in an Irish bar in Monmartre. And a friend and I once had a VERY unusual experience using the toilette at a restaurant near the flea market. Then we picked up strawberries, went back to the hotel for a delicious if unusual dinner. St Chapelle often has concerts. Wonderful venue. Once attended Gregorian chants at Notre Dame. But please reduce the itinerary - Pompidou, never understood the why of that unless there was something special going on. Set aside a lot of stroll around time and let Paris come to you. It will - oh you know it will. Don't worry about your mom and sis enjoying themselves, but seriously, Paris isn't about museums, it's about wine, cheese, pastries, bridges, quays, booksellers and wacky artists, and cafes - and an ambience not found anywhere else in the world. I've seen the Mona Lisa several times but what I remember is a fabulous Croque Monsieur and that crazy night in Hemingway Square. Have a great time - I know how important it can be for family to see Paris through your eyes.

europeannovice

Another vote for Musee d'Orsay. We loved the architecture as much as the impressionist paintings inside the museum.

Also enjoyed the Cluny with the Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries and the original heads of Notre Dame.

When at Saint Chappelle also visit the Conciergerie which is right next door and on the museum pass.

Enjoy your trip!

europeannovice

Forgot to mention we also took the bus many times since we had my mother in law with us and she could not handle the steps either. The bus was very easy to navigate and you get to see things along the way.

Nikki

"I went to Marche aux Puces when I was in Paris. I've been debating whether we should go or not. They have cheap souvenirs, but they're also very cheaply made!"

Which flea market did you go to? If it was the Clignancourt market (also known as puces de Saint-Ouen), you might not have made it past the junky area near the Porte de Clignancourt metro. That is not the main part of the flea market, which is enormous and contains many shops specializing in all sorts of vintage and antique goods, from fairly affordable to very high end. If you do go there, you have to walk past the highway overpass and turn left on rue des Rosiers.

Gretchen

Ditto what Nikki said. You went to the section surrounding the Puces, and not the real market. You have to go 'way past all that junk to get to the shops.
The Marche is not really a "flea market". It is a rabbit warren of streets with permanent shops and "malls" (with many booths). I have pretty much stopped going because the prices are SO high--and I can often buy the exact same thing in the US for less.
However, on Saturday, we do LOVE to go to the Porte Vanves market--which IS a sort of traditional flea market with tables set up along the sidewalks.

denisea

I am a fan of Impressionism, so I love D'Orsay and L'Orangerie. (I hope some day to make Marmottan, also).

I know the Louvre is a must for many, but for me it's not my favorite art and it is massive (and can be crowded). It depends on your tastes. If you go, you can follow the crowds to find the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, easily.

I also love Musee Rodin. I also love Opera Garnier...a gorgeous building, inside and out. Also, St Chappelle is so intimate and beautiful. I'll throw in St Denis, as a wild card. It's a bit of a ride on the Metro, but we both loved it. It is the burial place of French kings.

I would encourage you to use the Paris buses,as well as the Metro. You will see more of the city and orient yourself by seeing the city (you see nothing on the Metro). You can use the same carnet of tickets for the Metro and buses. The bus is easy to use and I regret not starting to use it until my last trip to Paris.

Have a great time.