Hello nice Fodor's People
I've been looking in various postings and guidebooks getting ready for my first trip to Paris, and it seems quite a bit is closed on Sunday/Monday. (museums, shops...) As I am planning out my week in Paris, what would you suggest as good use of those 2 days? (I'd prefer not to double back to a section of town to visit a "site" during it's operational hours.)
Any ideas would be much appreciated!! (I'm going 21 Oct to 29 Oct)
Thanks
-s

HI--I suggest you check the websites for the museums you are interested in...I just randomly checked the Louvre--typed Louvre hours into Google--and found it is open Sun, Mon and closed on Tue. Hope this helps...I use Google for everything and the more words you type in, the more it is narrowed down to exactly the info you want/need.

Some Paris museums are not only open but also free of charge on one Sunday a month--so factor that into your planning. The Louvre is open open every Sunday but closed on Tuesday, while the Orsay is open on Tuesday but closed on Monday. Large department stores and many small ones will be open on Monday.

Yes, swalker, I think you'll find many museums open on Sunday. Many are open on Monday, too. Sunday is a great day to just walk the Champs Elysees. It's also a nice day to go to the Luxemborg Garden and walk around Saint Germain des Pres. Paris is great in October - have a wonderful time.

On Sunday morning, don't miss the many many markets on <b>Rue Mouffetard</b> in the Latin Quarter. It's a great experience.

If you walk north to south, you can catch a metro to the Louvre at the &quot;end&quot; of the markets.

In addition to visiting a museum you could also go over to the bird market on the Ile de la Cit&eacute; near Notre Dame. Last I knew it was open from 9 - 7, but there could be different hours for the fall. Maybe stroll through for a half hour?

Sunday activities:
1. The Marais section is truly alive on Sundays.
2. Stroll in any park and join Parisian families enjoying the day together.
3. Stroll the aforementioned Rue Mouffetard.
4. Visit the aforementioned bird market.
5. Sit in an outdoor cafe and watch the Parisian street scene.
6. Stroll anywhere in Paris!!!!!!!

Well, just the opportunity to get to know something outside the regular dross that guide books offer. For Sunday, I'd suggest lunch at the main Mosque, a truly wonderful spot, then what about a wander around the Sephadic Jewish areas on Monday? These days could surely be the highlight of any Paris trip.
Nicky Gardner
editor - hidden europe magazine

The Jacquemart-Andre Museum, near the Champs Elysee (One Metro stop away, as I remember),is open on Mondays.It is a two story Italianate mansion that was donated to France by two art collectors of the late 19th century. Nice Italian art. Rent the &quot;wand&quot; to get the full effect.

It is a very nice place to have lunch as well.

My understanding is that city museums in Paris are closed on Mondays and national ones are closed on Tuesdays. Either way, most are open on Sundays.

This is what I did in Paris on a Sunday just a couple of weeks ago. I started with 10:00 Mass at Notre Dame to hear the Gregorian Chants. I'm Catholic but not a churchgoer. I have to admit that I got a little verklemped at the start of the service. The bells, the organ, the sense of history were moving.

From there, I had a pain au chocolat and coffee at a cafe. Then I walked over to the Tuilerie (sp?)Gardens over by the Louvre. It was a nice day so everybody was out enjoying the sun. I sat near the fountain and read for a while. Then I went on a walking tour on the occupation and liberation of Paris offered by Paris Walks. On the walk, I happened to meet a young French woman who had recently moved to Paris. She and I had a nice chat and ended up meeting a couple of times during the rest of my stay.

After the tour ended, I ran back to my hotel and grabbed dinner before running back to the Eiffle Tour to take nighttime bike tour with Mike's Fat Tire Bike Company. The ride was great and ended with a fun (but chilly) boat ride. We all drank a little too much wine and ended up feeling no pain!

After the tour ended (and it was very late by then), some of us grabbed a crepe at a stand in the 6eme and then gladly went back to our respective hotels to fall into bed. I got &quot;home&quot; after 1 a.m.!

Most of my days in Paris weren't quite that busy, but hopefully that gives you some sense of just how much you can do in the city, even on a Sunday. Between the markets, parks, shopping, eating, museums, tours, people watching, and walking, you shouldn't have trouble finding things to do.

Happy travels,

Kate

We recently spent a perfectly marvelous Sunday afternoon at Pere Lachaise cemetery. I've wanted to go there for years and it lived up to my expectations, and then some. Quite picturesque and not at all spooky. The tombs and crypts are genuine works of art. Probably the most UNDERwhelming burial place in the whole cemetery is Jim Morrison's. What was his family thinking? Anyway, it's a really cool place and a great photo opportunity.

It's a little off the beaten path but easily accessible by metro.

We took a Segway tour two Sundays ago. Wonderful in itself, but with all of the families in the park it was something special.

Hi-
My husband and I spent a week in Paris last March. On of the things we did on Sunday was go to the weekly Organ recital at St. Eustache church at 5:30 PM (www.st-eustache.org). It's free and lasts about a half hour. It was incredible to sit in a 700 year old church and listen to the organ music. The rest of the time we mostly walked around, sat in cafes, drank wine and ate fois gras. It was fabulous!
If you want to see my travelogue and photos, go to http://www.wired2theworld.com.
Have a fantastic trip!

In case you've gotten the impression that Paris is hard to visit on Sundays and Mondays, well, that's not the case. You've been given plenty of specific instructions for what is open and what is not. DO have brunch at the Jaquemart-Andr&eacute; museum if you can - it's wonderful (both the brunch and the museum).

Just wander around. There will be things aplenty to attract you. It's not as though Paris closes down.

Kristina - WOW! Your travelogue and photos are wonderful, thanks for posting the link. The detailed information is very helpful and I really enjoyed the photos.

From a trip I planned a few years ago:
Sunday--Hotel de Ville, Deportation Memorial, Ile St. Louis, Places de Voges and Marais, Bastille with New Opera, Open air sculpture garden along the Seine
Monday--Notre Dame, St. Chappelle, St. Eustache church, Les Halles area, Pompideau Center, Champs Elysses, Arc du Triomphe, Ave. Montaigne and hopping, Diana Memorial near Place d'Alma.

Hiddeneurope, I am curious about the sephardic Jewish areas. Where are they?

Hi sw,

You might want to stroll through the Park Monceau in the late morning, walk over to the Jacquemart-Andre' museum for Sunday brunch, visit the museum, walk over to the Arch de Triomphe, stroll down the Champs Elysee to the Pl Concorde, the Tuileries gardens and the Louvre.

(Remember to take some time out for sitting at a cafe and people watching.)

You could also take a ride on the Batobus (www.batobus.com).

We had a tour guide with us on a Monday and these are the things we did

1. Tour the Louvre(try to get there when it opens because it does get crowded)
2. Ate lunch at a brasserie
3. Took a walking tour of the Marais-many shops and little restaurants were open
4. Walked through Palais Royal gardens and Place des Vosges
5. Visited some churces including ST. Etienne in the Latin Quarter.
6. Walked around GAllerie Viviennes( There is a brasserie in this beautiful shopping area that was featured in Something's Got to Give- Le Grande Colbert. It too was open but we did not eat there.
7. Walking tour of the Latin Quarter
8. Finally, one of the most beautiful free sites in Paris- walked through Luxembourg Gardens.

There is plenty to do in Paris on a Monday!

Great information. Thanks!