Ten days in Paris in May
 

We are headed to Paris soon. Consider this a first trip as I haven’t been to Paris in a couple of decades and Cheryl has never been.

We will be staying at the Marriott Champs Elysees for 10 nights (free stay), and will spend our last night at the Marriott at the airport before an early departure.

Transport: Several friends have recommended using the buses rather than the metro. It obviously doesn’t make sense to buy the Navigo pass on Wednesday, but it might make sense for the next week. Or should we just use the carnet? We expect to walk a lot, as we want to explore neighborhoods. Oh, yes, we plan to ride the batobus, and may get a two-day pass. I think there is plenty along this route to keep us busy for at least a couple of days.

We plan to buy the museum pass, perhaps a four day pass Wed-Sat (we arrive early Wed morning), then (if we aren’t tired of museums) perhaps a two day pass the next week, Tues/Wed or Wed/Thurs (we fly out on Sunday).

We plan to eat in restaurants, cafes and brasseries for lunch. We have a long list of recommended restaurants, and we know about TheFork, which we will try out. For evenings, we plan to mostly have moveable feasts of wine, bread, cheese, etc.

When we were in Brussels a few years ago we set ourselves a mission to find the “best” chocolate. It was great fun trying out so many different types. In the end, Pierre Marcolini won. We plan to set that mission for this trip as well.

I’d like some garden recommendations – there are so many that sound wonderful!. We plan to visit the Rodin Museum garden, and saw someone’s recommendation for the Albert Kahn Museum and Gardens. We spent a couple of weeks in November in Japan visiting gardens. Will the Kahn gardens disappoint after this?

There is so much to do and see in Paris, I think we won’t do any day trips out of the city this trip.

I usually hang out on the Asia board, but I’ve been reading everything I can on the board about Paris. What a wonderful resource you are!

Thanks in advance for your thoughts, ideas and feedback on our plan.

Why anyone would recommend not using the Metro is beyond me.

For the bus system, go to any bookstore or tourist shop and buy a copy of Le Bus, which has all of the routes and correspondences. Like the Metro, every stop has a name, and there is a name at either end of each line denoting the direction of travel.

I have a circular tour of the city by city bus I can post if anyone is interested.

I would not buy a museum pass for your arrival day as you won't get full use out of it. Even if you arrive early in the morning, by the time you get your bags and get into Paris, check into the hotel, and unpack and freshen up it will be around noon.

Before you buy the pass, consider how many museum you'll be visiting in 4 days and if it's worthwhile for you. Will you really be seeing more than one museum a day? That's the only way it pays for itself. Are any of the museums on your list free museums or not part of the pass?

Also think about the batobus. It's a very slow way of getting around and it only runs on the river (obviously). There's 8 stops and 5 of them are very close to each other and it would probably take you less time to walk among them.

A river cruise is a much better investment. You go from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower and back. It has commentary and costs less than the batobus. You can take day or evening cruises (1 hour).

http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/home/

I usually take the metro since I'm so familiar with it. Buses will be slower because of traffic but you get to see sights. I think a combination of the two is best.

I use post it flags on a laminated map (Streetwise) to plan my sightseeing. That way you can easily group sights geographically and avoid spending excess time getting from one place to another. Then decide on the method of getting to your first location and walk from there to the next place.

<< For evenings, we plan to mostly have moveable feasts of wine, bread, cheese, etc. >>

Where are these moveable feasts going to be? You won't eat in restaurants in the evening?

Paris Walks has chocolate tours. I can recommend this tour company as I have taken about a dozen walking tours with them plus one bus tour (one day to Vaux).

http://www.paris-walks.com/chocolate-walk.html

There are gardens all over the place. Large ones and small ones tucked in all over. There's a lovely garden behind Notre Dame and the wonderful Luxembourg Gardens.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/tr...anted=all&_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/17/ma...t-gardens.html

There's also a good book about Paris gardens:

Hidden gardens of Paris : a guide to the parks, squares, and woodlands of the City of Light (Susan Neunzig Cahill).

RonZ I'd like you to post you bus tour please.

We usually walk,walk, walk. But I love the metro. plan to take the RER to Versailles.

When we are in Paris we use a mixture of buses, metro and walking which I suspect is what most people do.

Bus map: http://www.ratp.fr/informer/pdf/orie...s_paris&fm=gif

As in London, the metro is quicker but the bus more interesting.

I thought Hopstop might have Paris by now, but for France it just has Rennes and Strasbourg - go figure. (Loved Strasbourg, but easy to get around.)

Cool you're headed for Paris, looking forward to the TR.

>>I’d like some garden recommendations<<

The only recommendation I have for you is the day you visit Rodin go to the Museum of Natural History. They are close together and there is a fantastic garden area as well as many interesting buildings to explore.

Thanks to all of you for your comments. I'm sure that ultimately, we will use a combination of types of transport. The advantage of using the bus as several of you said, is that you can see a lot and really learn your way around by bus. For more distant places, the metro makes good sense. RonZ, I'd also like your circular tour of Paris by bus. Thanks for the link to the bus map, thursdays. We also have a couple of transport apps for our iPhones, City Mapper is the one recommended by friends who just returned from Paris.

We have a list of museums we'd like to see that is at least two trips long! The plan is to go to the ones on the museum pass on the days we have a pass activated.

I have to admit to being rather adverse to tours. We'd much rather self-guide.

Thanks for the book recommendation on the Hidden Gardens of Paris, Adrienne - that is the kind of thing I'm looking for. I know about the major gardens, but love the little hidden gems.

We used the ratp.fr site constantly when we were in Paris this past December. You plug in where you are (address) and then where you want to go and it tells you what line and how long it will take, including the walk to the bus stop or the metro stop. You even plug in what time you want to get somewhere and it will tell you what time you need to leave! I would never visit Paris again without using this site. The Paris Perfect people told us about it.

I think the Batobus, which is essentially a slow water taxi, is way overrated as a means of public transport. You have to wait forever to board it at most stations, and I can walk between the stops faster than it goes. And it's expensive.

In addition to La Fourchette, there are Groupon discounts for Paris.

Unsolicited advice: there is a difference between "adverse" and "averse." Averse is the adjective you want to use if you mean you're not against doing something, not adverse.

"I think the Batobus, which is essentially a slow water taxi, is way overrated as a means of public transport"

If you think of it just as transport, that's no doubt true. However, I thought of it as sightseeing combined with transport, and enjoyed it. I did make sure that all that day's sights (as opposed to just enjoying the river) were close to the stops. If you're thinking of taking a cruise on the Seine anyway, which a lot of people do, then it's certainly reasonable to combine it with transport.

Thursdays has the right idea. We are thinking of the batobus as transport and sightseeing combined. As she says, we will plan the days sights around the stops. I have to admit that the river cruise with commentary would be irritating to me. For those of you who have been to Bangkok, think of the difference between the public water taxi and the tourist boat. I actively avoid the tourist boat.

And StCirq, you are quite right, I meant to say that I am averse to tours. I assume the "not" just slipped into your sentence, as I am against taking tours.

Thursdays is absolutely right,if that's what you use the Batobus for. Perfectly reasonable.

And thanks for understanding the correction, Kathie. Understood, and yes, we're none of us above correction and the "not" crept in without me wanting it to.

We used the batobus when we had a sunny, lazy afternoon with nothing in particular planned. For that it was great. As a form of public transport, not so much.

.......too bad Batobus has cancelled the 5 day pass as it was one of the best values in Paris.

Velib bikes are fun!

I had the pleasure of working on the Rue de Faubourg St Honore for nearly 4 years from 1996-1999. Didn't go much on the Parisians or their well-earned infamouus reputation of not cleaning up after their dogs, but we loved the place, the sights and the food and wine.

I worked along this road, one of the most chic in town...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attract...de_France.html

As central Paris is relatively compact we used to enjoyed walking around the various arrondsissements at weekends.

A few unusual sight worth seeing, which will also offer a lot on the history of Paris, and how it works are...

- The Paris Sewer Museum on the Left Bank...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attract...de_France.html

- The Catacombs, also on the Left Bank...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attract...de_France.html

- Pere Lachaise Cemetery, and meet some famouus people

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attract...de_France.html


- Jardin du Luxembourg...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardin_du_Luxembourg

- The Versailles Market, especially the open air one every Sunday

http://www.versailles-tourisme.com/e...s-markets.html

And if you want to visit a lovely town just to the west of Paris then you can't beat St Germain en Laye. It's easy to reach by train, being at the end of the RER Line A.

For a day trip out of Paris I highly recommend Chartres. I did both the morning and afternoon tours of the cathedral, and liked the town enough to consider staying there on some future trip. But I'm a big fan of stained glass.

For amazing gardens you should explore a day trip to Monet's home in Giverny. See:http://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/visitgb.htm
It is a bit of a hassle to get there, but well worth it if you love gardens. And the house is great too.

Agree with Chartres, but only if the weather is being kind.

Our daughter and her boyriend at the time were staying with us in our house in Le Vesinet, and we took them to Chartres for the day.

We treated them to a lovely al fresco meal just outside of Chartres Cathedral, and I can vividly remember our daughter thanking us for the treat. I can also vividly remember replying to her thanks, by saying "It's a pleasure my dear, paid for from your inheritance!"

Unless you've got your own transport to reach Giverny, then the time lost in getting to and from would be better spent in Paris, or perhaps the Marie Antoinette hamlet in the grounds of Versailles Palace...

http://www.francetravelplanner.com/g...s/village.html

It's a lovely spot and v.popular with tourists.

Obviously you could spend the rest of your life exploring Paris, but as a tourist, 10 days is a lot without day trips. Thursdaysd's suggestion is a good one - and if you go to Chartres, you must ABSOLUTELY take the tour given by the English guy - just ask as the desk, they all know him. He's made it his life's work and it is NOT TO BE MISSED- if you decide on Chartres.

If you like gardens, why not go to Giverney? Lovely at this time of year, and about an hour from Paris. Lots of buses, trains etc. can get you there.

And Versailles is Versailles. Get tickets in advance, though, online, the wait is ungodly otherwise. Or just go for the gardens, Marie-Antoinettes farm, etc.

Inside Paris, do not miss the Sainte Chapelle. Glorious.

Picknicking for dinner is sort of a bad idea unless the weather really improves. Many parks are closed, cheese shops close at 7pm. You don't have to spend a fortune on dinner, but where else are you going to go after 7pm? And it's the French way...

Right, it was "the English guy" whose tours I took. See http://www.cathedrale-chartres.org/f...ticle-254.html

I think 10 days in any city without day trips is a bit much.

I don't agree that the metro is only good for distant places, it is often quicker than buses due to no traffic (and metros usually run more frequently, also, some buses only stop once every half hour, and in the evening, you have to make sure it's a bus that runs at night). If you have plenty of time, it can be more enjoyable to see something and not go down into the tunnels, of course (unless it's raining and you want to get out of it). I think buses are mainly recommended for people who have trouble walking a lot or with stairs, of course. I take the bus when the bus stop is near where I am and it's going where I want without any changes. But I tend to avoid it in the very center as it can be so slow (ie, around Hotel de Ville). Depends how much time I have to spend on that.

I don't see how you could see so many things to make a museum pass worthwhile as much as you intend to buy one. Especially the consideration of buying a second one for two days after you've had one for four days. SOme worthwhile museums are completely free, you know (like the Petit Palais or Carnavalet). A 2-day museum pass is 42 euro!!!

As for gardens, there are nice ones at Fontainebleau, Chantilly and Versailles, outside Paris, and Giverny, of course. Within Paris, Luxembourg Gardens is okay and the Tuileries, of course. To really see special gardens, I think going out west to the Bois to Boulogne would do-- the rose garden out there is very nice. With 10 days, you definitely have the time. http://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum...is-de-Boulogne
http://www.parisdigest.com/menus/takingarest.htm

Lots of great suggestions here - thanks!

I expect all of the Paris buffs here have read it, but we are both reading How Paris Became Paris - a wonderful book on the history of Paris. In addition to giving us the history, it has given us lots of ideas on places to see.

Much of what we do in Paris will be "play it by ear" depending on the weather and our inclinations. right now we are not planning on any trips outside the city, but if we decide to do a day trip, I you you've hit on our top few - Giverny, Chartres, Versailles. And I have read of Malcolm Miller, so if we go to Chartes, we'll certainly take his tour.

What about live classical music in Paris? I've always gone to a concert in St. Martins in the Field while in London. What is similar in Paris? I'd be especially interested in concerts in the churches and cathedrals.

Sainte Chapelle hosts concerts at night. Very intimate..we got our tix online before we left. Many other churchs offer concerts, as well. I believe the church at St Germain may also offer concerts.

I also really love the ratp site... I was able to figure out how to get anywhere in the city with just the simple click of a mouse... and I don't have the best sense of direction!

I've been to Paris 5 times and still find more than enough new stuff to do... I disagree 10 days is too much without considering day trips.. especially if you have a super long list of museums to see.

I've done a chocolate tour and was disappointed... you can easily look up a list of the top 10 shops and visit yourself. Don't miss Patrick Roger's window display, always very impressive! 2 of my best discoveries have been Hugo et Victor on Blvd Raspail (near the market) in the 7th, very close to La Grande Épicerie, and not far from there is the wonderful La Pâtisserie des rêves, on rue du Bac, also in the 7th. Le St-Honoré is to die for!!

I'm very jealous! Paris in May is very lovely...

Thanks, I thought Sainte Chappelle had concerts. I'll look into it.

Ruby, I am with you. I see no reason to do a chocolate tour. I know a lot about chocolate-making, could likely do that lecture myself. Thanks for some names to add to my list. I will have to try Pierre Marcolini again for sure and Patrick Roger has been recommended to me by others.

Here is a self guided circular city tour of Paris using 4 bus lines. We're starting at Opera.

Walk down the Ave. de l’Opera and left on rue du Quatre Septembre [second street] and board the 29 bus [direction Gare du Nord]. You will pass the Bourse, Place des Victoires, Centre Pompidou...into the Marais...passing Musees Cognacq Jay, Picasso & Carnavalet; and the Place des Vosges.

Get off at Bastille [the stop after Bastille-Beaumarchais], walk a few steps to the next stop, and take the 69 [direction Champ de Mars]. This is the best of all the bus routes.

A better idea is to get off earlier at the Place des Vosges [stop after Payenne] and walk through, maybe stopping for a coffee at Ma Burgoyne. Proceed through the center south exit and down the street to the corner and left a few steps to the 69 bus stop on rue Saint Antoine.

Soon you’ll be on the rue de Rivoli, passing the Hotel de Ville and close to the Palais Royale before going left through the Louvre complex [between the pyramid and the Arc du Carrousel] and crossing on the Pont Royale. Now it’s past the Musee d’Orsay, through the Place des Invalides, past Rue Cler and into the Champ de Mars.

Get off at the end of the line and walk to the Eiffel Tower, then straight across the boulevard and board the 82 bus [direction Neuilly-Hopital Americain], getting off at Porte Maillot. Then walk around the corner to the right and board the 73 bus [direction Musee d’Orsay].

You will be going around the Arc d’Triomphe [thankful that you’re not driving a car] and then down the Champs Elysses. Get off at the Rond Point Champs Elysses and board then 42 [same stop].

Now it’s down down past the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais and through the Place de la Concorde. Then up Rue Royale to the Madeleine and back to Opera.

Skip the chocolat tours but maybe make it your "job" to find the best macaron or pain au chocolat. For me, Gerard Mulot for the pain au chocolat and the citrus ginger macaron at Un Dimanche a Paris.

When you arrive get a copy of Pariscope which comes out each Wednesday. You can buy one from any news kiosk. It lists all the concerts for the week.

My dessert vote is for the lemon tart from Dalloyau.

I also love Gerard Mulot but Dalloyau is better for lemon tarts.

https://modigliani.shutterfly.com/paris2007/4

Thanks, RonZ, that route sounds great.

Enjoying all the suggestions for wonderful places to buy treats.

Speaking of treats, Le Creperie, right inside the Passage des Panoramas on Blvd. Montmatre, serves elaborate ice cream sundaes and parfaits.

The Musee Grevin across the street is well worth a visit.

hi Kathies,

Lucky you having a "free" stay in Paris! i'm sure you'll make the best of it, to judge by your plans so far.

In case you haven't seen it, there is a recent thread with Adrienne's wonderful list of ideas for obscure [and not so obscure] sights to see in Paris, plus FMT's day trip tips. here it is:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ow-to-fill.cfm

beside those my tips are a bit tame, but you can put me down as a fan of the batobus after we were able to use it to get from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame in a transport strike! it's also a really easy way to get to the Jardin des Plantes as it's the last stop.

keeping to the aquatic theme, we really liked the cruise along the canal st martin - if you download the info, you can get money off, or pick up the leaflet from the quay on the pont neuf [one per person to get the full discount]. canauxrama do the same sort of thing i believe:

http://www.canauxrama.com/en/recherc...=1&pId=3&dId=0

back to the plants, something I'd like to do but haven't got to yet is the promenade plantee, which also starts at Bastille so might be combined somehow with the canal cruise:

http://www.paris.fr/english/parks-wo...230_port_18987

Have a wonderful time!

PS - any room in the luggage for an extra person?

the best chocolate shop in Paris is on the left bank just off of rue du bac. it is Le Cacaotier. It is the only location in Paris.

ooh, thanks, ann. I had seen the great list of day trips, but somehow missed Adrienne's list of in-Paris sites. I'd also like to walk the promenade plantee, And I'll check out the cruses you mention.

And Sue, I'm always glad to have another chocolate shop recommended.

Blimey, what a thread!
10 days in the capital of La Merde really ain't enough!!
Allez les bleus!!!

Another possible day trip, although really it warrants an overnight, and is a bit further, is Nancy.

See: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-5666981 and for loads of unedited photos: http://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/France-2009/Nancy password nancy.

And a couple of house museums I realy liked: http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com/
and http://www.parismuse.com/news/profilecg.shtml

Don't miss the alpine section in the Jardin des Plantes. And if you're over that way I recommend the Arab Institute - http://www.imarabe.org/