Seventy-Two Hours in Paris
 

Of course, that's not enough time to immerse yourself in the city, to really explore, to get the pulse and the pace of your surroundings.
But it's all you've got - three short days.

Where would you go? What would you do? What would you see?

A good place to start would be right here on this website with Fodor's three-day Paris itinerary.

Just to be clear - I'm not so much interested in the question "What should I do?" I want to know "What would you do?"

Unless, of course, you're saying that you would follow the three day Paris itenerary.

Thanks

Dear AB,

>I'm not so much interested in the question "What should I do?" I want to know "What would you do?"<

Ummmmmmm. You posited the hypothetical and then rejected the answer.

We can only help those who want to be helped.

Unless, of course, this is some sort of a quiz? Is there a prize for the correct answer.

((I))

Sit in cafes and people watch.
Have a nice dinner.
Walk the shopping avenues and window shop.

Soak in Paris. One museum, depending on the mood.

(NOTE: In Winter, LOTS of museums!)

We tweaked the Rick Steves Paris in 3 days our first visit in 2003. Just try to do it on weekdays and make sure you check which museums are closed on which days.

Last September we were in Paris for 4 days and I know we didn't do as much because the lines were much longer. It was a weekend this time and before it was Tues - Thursday. It makes a big difference.

Be sure you get the Museum Pass if the Louvre and Orsay are on your list of must sees.

Whatever you do, try NOT to miss St. Chapelle. It was definitely a highlight in a city full of wonderful sights.

My must sees/dos for Paris in 3 days. This depends on when you arrive and which museums are open. The itinerary below was for a Tuesday AM arrival in late July.

Day 1
First thing, get the Museum Pass.
Musee d'Orsay - skip the line and go straight in w/ your pass.
Lunch in the Rodin garden cafe
Tour the Rodin Museum
Tour Les Invalides
Walk over to Rue Cler for dinner
Eiffel Tower by 7PM, stay til 9PM
Cruise on the Seine w/ the Vedettes de pont Neuf and ONLY this one, not the cheesy other Bateaux Mouches cruise.

Day 2
Rick Steves Historic Paris walk - Ile de la Cite - Notre Dame, Latin Quarter, Ste. Chapelle
Louvre
Place de la Concorde
Walk up Champs Elysees
Arch de Triomphe at rush hour
Tuileries Ferris Wheel (I had three 16 year olds w/ me.)

Day 3
Rick Steves Marais walk - Carnavalet Museum, Pompidou, Place des Vosges, Victor Hugo Museum (You could easily skip this, but it was right there so we went in.) Falafels at 23 rue de Rossiers. Delicious!
Souvenir shopping near Pompidou

Our second trip we added Versailles (didn't care for it), Montmartre (great souvenir/trinket shopping), Luxembourg Gardens (refreshing and lovely) and a walk back through St. Germain to Les Invalides and didn't see Ste. Chapelle because it was unexpectedly closed. The biggest disappointment of our trip!

Next trip I'd like to check out Park Monceau and the Opera District and just soak up Paris and observe at a cafe.

Hi,

I spent 3.5 days in Paris (first trip) this Feb. Here's the trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34567249

Condensed version: We had a short list of must-sees, like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, and Sacre Couer, and en route to those places we found some amazing treasures that we just couldn't have planned for.

You'll have a great time no matter what you do.

If you follow the 3-day itinerary, be sure to add Ste. Chapelle. Fodor's has inexplicably left it out! It should be visited when you visit Notre Dame.

I also think with just 3 days, I would skip Montmartre (admittedly, not one of my favorites) and spend more time visiting one or two of the other neighbornoods - the Marais and the Place des Vosges; the Ile de St. Louis; St. Germaine or the Invalides and Musee Rodin.

And for sure, I would take some time each day just to enjoy Paris, walking and people watching in parks and cafes.

Oh, this truly is what would *I* do. Okay, now that I've been twice, this is what *I* would do.

Marvel at Ste. Chapelle.

Find Arenas del Lutece in the Latin Quarter. I wanted to last time, but we were short on time.

Check out another street market, only have seen the one in Rue Cler.

Get hot chocolate at Angelinas.

Find the cafe on Rue de Bourgogne that's in the Harrison Ford Sabrina where my friends sat and had coffee. It was a few blocks down from our hotel near the Musee Rodin and my friend recognized it in the Sabrina movie after returning home.

At night stroll around Les Invalides and the Alexander Bridge and keep looking back over my shoulder to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up. Watch my teenagers make human pyramids along the lawns of Les Invalides.

Take the Vedettes de pont Neuf cruise at night AGAIN! lol

Sit and enjoy the grand beauty of Place des Vosges while eating my falafel special from the Marais.

Go into more neighborhood boutiques. Maybe check out Place Vendome.

Check out Park Monceau and the Canal St. Martin as well as the Opera District.

Eat at the restaurant atop the Tower Montparnasse.

See a movie in French on the Champs Elysees.

Hang out in the Louvre and view rooms I hadn't visited before, while definitely skipping the Mona Lisa.

I would track down a street fair selling antiques and such, I've missed seeing one each time I've gone. I would see an Opera and visit one of the dozens of museums I've yet to enjoy. More time strolling and window shopping and less time running from monument to monument. I wouldn't give back one second of seeing those monuments but I'm glad the next time will be spent on enjoying the fact of just being there.