My family (2 adults, 2 teenage girls (16 & 19), will be visiting Paris from Wednesday afternoon until Sunday in mid-July. We're coming over on the Eurostar from London. Since we only have 3 1/2 days, what are the "have to" places to visit, and then what can we do to get a feel of what Paris is all about, so that we come home with a better understanding and picture of that beautiful city. Thanks for your suggestions since this is our first time visiting Europe.

Purchase some guide books and read all day as well as clicking on the "destinations" buttom on top to the Paris section.

Start by clicking on "destinations". There is a lot there to get you started. There is a 5-day itinerary suggestion. You don't have that much time but it gives you an idea what is doable.

Then read over some of the MANY threads already on here. Then we can help w/ specific questions.

Where are you staying?

we were posting at the same time - same <b>great</b> advice

Hi

Getting a guidebook is a must in my opinion. It is always great to read a bit about history and try to get an idea of what you want to see and do since you have limited time in the city. My wife and I went there for a week in April and I have posted a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/Paris_France.htm . Maybe you can start there to get some idea of what to see and do.

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

We are staying at the Hotel Le Regent in St. Germainne (sp?). It was recommended on this site previously. I didn't know what the &quot;destinations&quot; button meant above - I'm so excited to find something new to research! Gard, I will go to your link and read. What I'm trying to do is not spend all our time visiting the &quot;tourist&quot; places, but trying to blend with the city so that my daughters feel like they got to know Paris, not just the sites that everyone visits. Is it worth going in and up the Eiffel Tower vs. just visiting it at night? I found some &quot;Degas Walks&quot; that I&quot;m going to look over as it might help with my itinerary. Thanks for the replies and I welcome more suggestions.

We just returned from a six day trip to Paris with our twenty year old daughter. We went to Paris briefly with her when she was 13.

The highlights for her seemed to be a tour of the Opera House and the Orsay. We also hired a guide to take us on a DaVinci code tour--which included a two hour tour of the Louvre works that were not in the DaVinci Code. We prepared for the trip by watching DVDs about European art, reading guide books, searching the internet.

We also benefitted from a river cruise that left around 8:15 p.m. and arrived at the Eiffel Tower just as the light show started around 10 p.m. It also orients one to the city somewhat.

We stood in line to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower for 3 hours--that was in May! We also ate lunch in the Jules Verne room at the Eiffel Tower and that was very good--beautiful views.

Museum passes--entrance to most museums and monuments (excluding Eiffel Tower)as well as avoiding lines; metro passes; and the hop on/hop off tour bus with headphones were some of our best uses of money and time.

There are free fashion shows at Galeries Lafayette and Printemps if your girls are interested, too.

Have a great experience!

Cindy

Scrolling thru the hundreds of Paris posts should tell you what you want to know. Hopefully you have an idea of why you want to go there in the first place, ie. museums, parks, architecture, cafes, whatever...

Hi M,

See Paris Superthread
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34519236

100 Great Things to Do in Paris
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...mp;tid=1277898

Degas’s Paris Walks
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34712768

Jacquemart-Andre’ Museum http://tinyurl.com/p9pol

missatlanta,
My suggestion would be to take the batobus, as it lets you off in the main areas, but you can fit in some not so touristy places too.

http://batobus.com

For example, one of the stops on the batobus is the Jardin des Plantes and the nearby Arenes de Lutece:

http://tinyurl.com/jgzx9
http://tinyurl.com/gh29z

Also nearby, is the rue Mouffetard. The best day to go there is on Sunday,as there's music then, but you may find it interesting anyway, with its little shops.

http://tinyurl.com/jx4cr

We like to stop at the Pain Quotidien, located at 138 rue Mouffetard, for breakfast and walk down to Eglise Saint Medard.

http://tinyurl.com/jp33c

We really enjoy the Musee Cluny, in the 5th. It's a little far to walk from Jardin de Plantes, but you can take the #63 bus from Saint Germain des Pres.

http://www.musee-moyenage.fr/

I know you didn't ask about restaurants, but you may like Cosi, located at 54 rue Seine. Also, nearby Amorino, located at 4, rue de Buci for wonderful gelato. Have a wonderful trip!

Sandy

Thanks to all your suggestions. Drmike, I appreciate your comments since your children are about the same age. I will check into your suggestions. Will also check out the threads. And yes, any restaurant suggestions, esp. in St. Germain, are more than welcome!

Aththe top of this page (in orange tool bar) is 'Destinations' button and it will give you a good Fodor plan for seeing Paris. Once you look at that and identify what you'd like to do, we can help you craft a possible itinerary. You'll also benefit from a good map, I like the Michelin Blue book, but there are several other good ones.