I have begun a very vague itinerary. I would appreciate any comments or advice. (days are not in any order) <BR><BR>1 Day:<BR>Ile de la Cite/Il St. Louis<BR>Notre Dame + St. Chapelle<BR>catacombs<BR>lunch in Montparnasse<BR>explore Latin Quarter/St. Germain?<BR>evening:<BR><BR>2 Day:<BR>Right Bank<BR>morning - Louvre<BR>Tuileries Gardens<BR>Place de la Concorde<BR>Champs-Elys&eacute;es<BR>Arc Triomphe<BR>Place Vendome<BR>Opera<BR>lunch on Right Bank (8th, 1st, or 16th)<BR>Eiffel Tower?<BR>evening:<BR><BR>3 Day:<BR>Day Trip outside of city<BR>undecided: Versailles, Fountainebleau, Chartres, Giverny, Vaux-le-Vicomte, Senlis/Chantilly?????<BR>evening:<BR><BR>4 Day:<BR>Mus&eacute;e d'Orsay<BR>Montmartre <BR>schedule walking tour of Montmartre?<BR>Sacre Coeur<BR>Moulin Rouge<BR>Place du Tertre<BR>lunch in Montmartre<BR>Rodin Museum or Invalides?<BR>Eiffel Tower?<BR>evening:<BR><BR>5 Day:<BR>Marais <BR>schedule morning walking tour of Marais?<BR>Picasso Museum???<BR>lunch in Marais<BR>Pere Lachaise??<BR>afternoon: Latin Quarter/St. Germain<BR>evening:<BR><BR>6 Day:<BR>Left Bank<BR>Latin Quarter/St. Germain <BR>lunch in 5th, 6th, 7th<BR>Rue Jacob<BR>Rue Cler<BR>walk Seine<BR>afternoon: Eiffel Tower?<BR>evening:<BR><BR><BR>(need to add in Miusse Marmottan (Monet) - location?) 75-minute Seine River cruise?

It's good to have an itinerary, but be prepared to throw it out the window. Some of the best experiences are spontaneous. Walking and ending up wherever, with that feeling of discovery can bring the best memories of a trip.

You've scheduled too much on some of the days. But, since you call it a &quot;vague itinerary,&quot; you seem to be moving in the right direction with your planning.<BR>You'ved included too much on some of the days. For example, on Day 1, just exploring the Latin Quarter and St. Germain alone could take a day or more. (I know you listed this area on another day, but that day is also a busy one.) On Day 2, you'll never be able to cover everything listed in one day and do the items justice.<BR>Further, as the previous poster hinted, don't overplan and expect to keep to a rigid schedule.<BR>In general, you've listed more than you can probably see AND APPRECIATE each day.<BR>For sites like the Louvre, Pere Lachaise and d'Orsay (and probably others) you probably should devote about a half day, perhaps more.<BR>I make these comments as an encouragement to refine your schedule.<BR>

ttt

Cara, I think it's great to have an itinerary. We had a very detailed one when we went to Paris, although I knew we wouldn't get to everything, and that would be OK. But an itinerary prevents you showing up at a museum on the day it's closed and can prevent a lot of backtracking and wasted time. That said, I don't think you can get to anywhere near all the things you have listed. My itineraries had less than what you have listed and we still didn't get to everything. For instance, on your first day, are the catacombs in Montparnasse? If not, it seems out of the way to go there for lunch compared to the rest of the day's itinerary. Have fun figuring out what is most important to you!

Hello Cara,<BR><BR>Knowing what may be interesting to visit and where that site is located is a super way to prepare for a visit to Paris. Unfortunately rarely does one have the time to see everything. <BR><BR>Paris tends to lead one astray from the best laid plans. But that is part of the charm of Paris.<BR><BR>I would suggest you complete your list of places of interest and then prioritize your top interests leaving room to adjust.<BR><BR>My wife and I have been to Paris a half dozen times and have never actually made it to the Louvre (a second tier interest); but we have assisted the city staff in refurbishing a Wallace fountain (never on anyones list, but an opportunistic adventure we could not pass up).<BR><BR>The bottom line is we always have something left to see on the next visit.<BR><BR>Have a super trip.

I agree with everyone about your itinerary being super-ambitious. One piece of info that we found helpful- have a restaurant guide with you so that wherever you wind up the day, you will know where to have a great meal. We used Cheap Eats in Paris- and had some wonderful meals where the locals ate at great savings.

I would recommend getting a map of Paris and highlighters in several colors. Highlight those places you definitely do not want to miss in one color, those you'd like to fit in as well in another, and those you'll see if time permits. Then, you can easily see which places are in the same areas.<BR>For example Invalides (do you mean Napoleon's tomb, which is at Eglise du Dome?), Musee Rodin and Musee d'Orsay are in the same area, you can walk from one to another, and all are included on the Carte Musees et Monuments (essential for skipping the long lines at Orsay). <BR><BR>You must also make note of days the museums are closed (most either Monday or Tuesday). <BR><BR>And, since the Tour Eiffel is open seven days early to late, you can do that when the skies are clear and you find yourself with extra time. Same with the boat tour. The rue Cler area is a short walk away.<BR><BR>If this is your first trip, I would skip the walking tours because they are scheduled and then you have to plan the rest of your day around them...(those we've done were more standing than walking, and not all that interesting in that you can learn much more with the Access Guide or any walking tour guide book).<BR><BR>And, it's best to do your neighborhood exploring early or late (before/after the museums open/close). <BR><BR>With an ambitious itinerary, it's also best to ride whenever possible (get a bus map!) or you'll be more exhausted and get to fewer places with each passing day. Remember, once you arrive at some of the larger museums, there are miles and miles of hallways, and lots of stairs.<BR><BR>A two day l'Opentour bus pass is a very efficient way to get from one tourist destination to another (without lengthy metro trips requiring transfers). For example, one stop is right at the foot of the finicular at Sacre Coeur, whereas the nearest metro stop is a bit of a hike (uphill). <BR><BR>Musee Marmottan is in the 16th, a nice stroll from the Tour Eiffel, where you can hop on a tour boat (here, they're smaller and nicer than the huge Bateaux Mouches at Pont de l'Alma). Since none of these are included on the Carte, obviously they would be good destinations before/after days you're using your Carte.

You're a planner! For Monmartre, I would recommend a Paris Walks tour. They are oly 10 Euros, the guide is wonderful and you'll see parts of Monmartre and learn things you wouldn't have otherwise. They are on certain days of the week starting at 10 at the Place d'Abesses Metro and end at the top in front of Sacre Cour. There's a website and info in Pariscope. The tours last 2 hours.

It's way too ambitious, but I can appreciate the fervor of a first-time visitor's perspective in it. You won't make it to everything you've outlined simply because you haven't allowed any time at all for the wandering, meandering, lost-in-Paris escapades that should be part of anyone's first trip to Paris. Also, I don't think you've consulted a map, as you have some rather bizarre detours to distant parts of the city interspersed with some routine ambles around major places like Montparnasse. I think you need to get a big, comprehensive map of Paris and mark it up with places using different color highlighters - those places you know you have to visit, those places you'd like to visit, and those places you'd visit if time an everything else permitted. Three tiers - three colors. Then you can plan how to get from one place to the next, and don't overlook the bus system, which is every bit as good as the m&eacute;tro but which has the advantage of being above ground so you can see tout Paris! <BR><BR>And as a general comment, an itinerary is a great thing, but it works better for a trip involving moving around a large country or moving from country to country, than it does for a city. I have never planned an itinerary for a city that I ended up following, though I have followed my own itineraries for countries and groups of countries religiously. In a city, things change too fast and there are too many options for changing venues to stick to an itinerary. <BR><BR>Let your itinerary serve as a loose guide. Pick a bunch of places within one or two arrondissements to visit within a day and allow lots of time for strolling in between. <BR><BR>Check out Pariscope and other local guides to entertainment and current exhibitions, and plan around them. I never plan anything in Paris until I get there and check out what's going on. I realize that's not useful for the visitor who may never be back, but still, check out the current happenings and plan accordingly. <BR><BR>Don't be uptight - don't plan to stick to a plan - Paris is the ultimate city for wandering in - the French have a verb for it that describes it perfectly - fl&acirc;ner. Just be a fl&acirc;neur and enjoy your time there.

I would also suggest that you are trying to do too much and Paris is a city where you need to go with the flow / mood. I found that both the Louvre and the Mus&eacute;e d'Orsay have English guided tours a few times a week...they helped us to see the highlights in 2-3 hour timeframe. We went to Versaille (in the winter on a rainy day) and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. My feeling...one room looks like the next and the grounds can be beautiful, but exploring the parks in Paris are just as nice. Have fun!

I'd take your itinerary and divide into two lists: &quot;things to do on a rainy day&quot; and &quot;things to do on nice day.&quot; Then prioritize each list of what you really want to do. Is wandering Montmartre really important? Make it number one on your nice day list. The Louvre? Make it number one on your rainy day list.<BR><BR>Each day when you wake up, determine the weather, check your list and do what's next. It let's you dream to your heart's content, but helps determine what you want to do. <BR><BR>My dream list for Paris alone is pages long, and I will make it through the list someday. Maybe, I keep adding to it.

Agree will all, good idea for itinerary but some days sound like the will end like the Magic Kingdom Jungle cruise &quot; we will see some wild and exotic plants, there's one, there's one, there's another. We made a spread sheet and listed the site, the arrondissment, the guide book recommended times and the time we thought we woudl like to spend and the last column we listed nearby attractions. Then you do not end up trying to see everything on the ilse and the catacombs (which are miles and miles away from the isle) in the same day.<BR>Your start is good and the idea is correct but the plan neeeds fleshing out. Have a wonderful time. By the way, you may have meant the crypt vice the catacombs. the Crypt is located on the isle in front of Notre Dame in the 4th while the catacombs are located a considerable distance away. Do not miss either!

I think some of this itinerary is okay, others is too much, and some may be okay as long as you know you are the kind of person who doesn't like spending more than an hour or two in a museum. I did note some things would be impossible if they were in the order you stated, but perhaps you don't necessary mean the order. If you do mean it, I think you should re-think days 1 and 4 in particular because you can't do the lunch in the order position you put it. <BR><BR>For example, on day 1 if you don't like to linger at all, you could be finished with the Ile by noon, I suppse, and then have lunch in Montparnasse on the way to the catacombs, which you could visit in the afternoon and then maybe have a little time in late afternoon for the exploration. But you could do the Ile and the catacombs before lunch (unless you lunch very very late).<BR><BR>Day 4 might be do-able if you just leave off the Rodin Museum/Invalides (and the lunch couldn't be after all the stuff in front of it)--ie, Orsay in morning, Montmartre in afternoon.<BR><BR>Aside from there being too much, I think you are doing okay in sort of grouping things together that are generally in the same area.<BR><BR>Perhaps you have a lot more energy than I, but some days have an awful lot of walking that I don't think I could do--well, I could but wouldn't want to in order to enjoy myself (eg, a walking tour of the Marais following by walking around Pere Lachaise). Maybe that's not too bad as long as you relax somewhere for time periods, which means I don't think you can also explore the Latin Qtr/St Germain on that same day.

I very much appreciate everyone's input. I do not follow a strict itinerary, but want to have some sort of general guide/plan and most importantly, to know what the sights are in the area I am in. Several people commented that I have some things in the wrong vicinity. As I have done quite a bit of research and did try to put things together in terms of proximity, could you please tell me exactly/specifically what I have that is too far or in the wrong area? Again, I really appreciate the input! Thanks!

Cara,<BR> I srongly suggest on the first day you take the bus tour,We liked the yellow but there isthe red on/off.You need to get your bearings first.Distances can be deceiving.We bought the two- day pass and it was worth it,esecially on a rainy day!You then will get a better idea of which places you actually want to spend more time at or will driving by on the bus be enough.For example,driving by Moulin Rouge was enough as was the street where alot of the fashion house are located but oviously we got off at the Notre Dame,signed up for the tour andhopped on the bus again!

I notice that everyone talks quite a bit about the metro and the bus. What about taxis? Is there a reason, other than being more expensive, that no one mentions them as much as a mode of transportation?

Cara:<BR><BR>I hardly ever use taxis in Paris except to get to or from the airport. The m&eacute;tro and bus systems are so much easier to use, and obviously cheaper. Besides, in Paris you can't just waive down a cab. You have to go to a taxi stand - and taxi stands just never seem to materialize when you need a taxi.

I find taxis in Paris to be generally inconvenient. You can't flag them down on the streets like you can in most other cities. You have to find the closest official taxi stand and get one there. It seems like every time I look for a taxi stand I pass a Metro entrance first.

I know Paris pretty well and I thought you grouped things together well geographically. Perhaps some people thought because you had several agendas for a day in two different areas that you thought they were in the same place, but I didn't take it that way--I sort of took it like a morning vs. afternoon thing. Also, someone above didn't know where the catacombs were, but they are at the bottom of Montparnasse so your itinerary makes sense. I don't understand the comment that your itinerary was bizarre in terms of logistics. The only thing that looks odd is the Rodin Museum at the end of the Montmartre day, but I think that may be because you were thinking you would do the Orsay Museum, tour Montmartre and then be back in the 7th to see the Rodin Museum and/or Invalides and the Eiffel Tower in the afternoon. I don't think you'll do that. You could probably get to the Eiffel Tower at end of day of course, even into but can't do a museum on top of that (and the Rodin isn't right next to the Tower, but you probably know that). I would put the Rodin/Invalides into your day 6 which isn't as heavy as the others and already is on the Left Bank and has some 7th arr. items.