Good afternoon, we are going in august with our 14 year old teenager to Paris. It is our first trip to Europe.

We will be in paris for 4 days in addition to the travel day where we arrive the day before at noon.

I would be grateful for feedbank on the itineray - in particular to day 4 as based on what I have read I am leaning towards skipping versailles. Thanks!Paris

Day 1

Eiffel Tower, Pantheon, Arc De Triumph, Lunch on Champes D’Elyees, Afternoon at Ile de Siene or the Tulleries Gardens/Place de la Concord (We might go to the gardens the day we arrive depending on the jet lag)

Day 2

Montmartre & Secrets tour – Chocolate/Pastries, Sacre Coeur

Return to Hotel at 2 & ?? - Probably go to the Opera Hours (since not near other atttractions)



Day 3

Left Bank – Stain German De Pres, Jardin Du Luxembourg,

After Lunch Musee Dorsay

Early Dinner & AURA INVALIDES night-time show at the Invalides



Day 4

Le Marais/Paris or Versailles

This is the day of the bastille market in the marais, leaning to do that and skip Versailles.

What are your daughter's interests? The interests of you and whoever else is taking this trip? I would think we could provide better feedback if we have some idea....

On Day 1, the Pantheon is really out of the way compared to everything else. It is a lot closer to Jardin du Luxembourg. Also, for your research, there is no Ile de Seine. I assume you mean either IIe de la Cite (which would include Notre Dame) or Ile St. Louis?

My daughter likes seeing sites, culture and art. She is not big into museums which is why we are skipping the louvre. I think she will like the d;orsay more yet it will probably be an express visit. She is into pop culture and taylor swift. She loves sweets which is why we will do a pastrys & chocolate food tour in Monmatre
As a family, we like to see shops and outdoor/farmers markets which is why I was thinking of checking out the bastille market in the Marais.

yes the Ile de la City - Notre Dame & Sainte Chapelle

Even if your daughter isn't overly fond of museums, you might consider visiting the L'Orangerie. It's relatively small, and the Monet lily panels are truly breathtaking IMO.

A boat ride along the Seine, particularly at sunset, would seem worth considering.

Move the Pantheon to Day 3. If you are going to Les Invalides, you are close by the small Rodin Museum and the lovely gardens.
Musee D'Orsay is outstanding and interesting but also pretty large, depending also on what the special exhibits might be.
One of my favorite places in Paris is St Chapelle, close by the Ile de la Cite. Not planning to visit Notre Dame itself?
If you are going to Montmartre you should visit Sacre Coeur, pretty remarkable and a panoramic view.
Versailles is almost a full day trip from Paris as the grounds are large plus getting there and back. It is something to see at least once in your life but I would suggest doing it early in the day.

I second the recs for Saint Chapelle and L’Orangerie. Both small and jewel like and a great place to bring a teenager. I also love the Picasso museum. It’s very doable and located in a lovely building in the upper Marais. In the Marais you can also check out the Marche des Enfant rouges, an indoor market with lots of good food options, the Place Des Vosges for a lovely spot for a picnic lunch, Rue des Rosiers for great Fallafels and if anyone likes shopping, Merci is a great store also in the Marais on Blvd Beaumarchais. The canal st Martin between the 3rd and 11th is also very scenic and the 11th is full of hip stores and restaurants. Have fun and when we had teenagers with us we tried to pace ourselves and not overwhelm with sights. Maybe 2 hours of sightseeing and then we made stops for food and gelato and downtime. Enjoy.

Again, if anyone likes shopping just going into and admiring the interiors of Le Bon Marche in the 7th and Galleries Lafayette near the opera are fun quick activities.

great feedback. Thanks

Quite Frankly, I don't like your itinerary. I would dump most of it.

If you learn nothing else from reading this: if you see pastries that look like they could exist in the US, run.

This is what a pastry shop should look like:

https://jeffreycagnes.fr/collections/patisserie

Well, thank goodness it isn't your trip!

I certainly wouldn't dump most - or much of any - of it. If the Pantheon is a must for you -- definitely move it from Day 1 to Day 3 when you will already be 'in the neighborhood' so to speak. There are two changes you might want to consider. Lunch on the Champes D’Elyees - not al that great an experience and maybe choose another/nicer place for lunch.. And possibly ditch the Pantheon all together. It is massive and 'interesting' but is one of my least favorite 'sites' in all pf Paris. I find it cold (I don't mean temperature - though that too) and a bit off putting. You have such a short time in the city -- I wouldn't try to squeeze it in. There are so many other / lovelier sites in Paris.

The OP is only guessing at what might work for the family and is looking for insight. When I took my teens we went to plenty of museums because that's where they wanted to go. They were raised to love art and going to the Louvre, etc was their idea and the reason why the wanted to go to Paris in the first place.

Absent that impetus, I don't see where going to the Pantheon is any better. And strolling the Champs Elysees is often listed as the biggest mistake a first time tourist makes.

If you want to see the Eiffel Tower, then the best view is to climb the spiral staircase to the rooftop of Sacre Coeur. Yes, you can walk along the rooftop, and that is far more exciting and has the Eiffel Tower IN the view. Plus, you get to work off those pastries. The view up the Eiffel Tower is often listed as a disappointment.

Montmartre is epically beautiful but will be densely packed and unpleasant in August. Go late afternoon, climb the Sacre Coeur, and when you get down most of the crowd will have dispersed. You get to see the lights turn on when Montmartre is at its most beautiful.

Go to eat at the Marche des Enfants Rouge. It's an open air market. Then go to Jacques Genin for chocolates. It looks more like a jewelry store. This is the side of Paris you should explore. Do a self-guided walking tour of the Marais. This is the beginning of Paris. Stop in shops. certainly stop in Mariage Freres, a historic tea shop on r. Bourg Tibourg. Go to a fromagerie. Ask for a cheese that is 'un peu liquide.' Get some fresh white peaches and a baguette and eat in a park. Or bring them back to your hotel room. As I mentioned on the other thread, take your daughter to a depot-vente (Consignment shop) they have such different fashions and it's not like going to one in the US. The shop keeper will approach you and help you. Marvel at the domes inside Gallerie Lafayette and Printemps. The domes will wow all three of you much more than the Pantheon ever could.

Anyway, that is my insight, FWIW.

I don't know how you "know" this "fact" about the OP's plan -- it actually seems to me that the OP has tried to take family interests into consideration! That aside, I think this description of what YOU (shelemm) think might be worthwhile is much more valuable than simpling dissing the original plan.

BTW: When I was 14, I spent ridiculous amounts of time watching a Foucault Pendulum. I can imagine that seeing the Pantheon could easily be a priority for some people!

I know the OP is guessing because this is their first rip to Paris and is asking for feedback and the itinerary sounds like it is AI generated. I, on the other hand, actually took into account what would interest the daughter and I have concluded that the Pantheon will not be more interesting than the Louvre. An educated guess.

BYH, shelemm.

@ mikei18: YOU know your daughter -- and yourself and the rest of your family. IME, Fodorites do their best to provide useful feedback and that input can be well worth taking into consideration. That said, I might add that I've often encountered posters who assume that I don't know my own interests -- and even when I'm going to a place I've never been before, I do, in fact, know something about those interests.

I hope we can be of help.

Keep in mind that there's a good chance it will be scorching hot in August - plan to dress accordingly and bring your water bottles. Also keep in mind that many places may be closed for summer vacation - the <<fermeture annuelle>>

Second the suggestion to hit the <<Marché des Enfants Rouges>> and the neighborhood around it - great place for all kinds of food. The famous <<cornet>> at Chez Alain is worth waiting in line for. Not sure if he still has a stall in the Marché but know he has a shop on nearby rue Charlot.

As for the Champs Elysees, it's a busy street packed with bland, uninteresting chain shops and tourist trap restaurants. Do stroll around the Arc de Triomphe, but ascend the Arc and have a glance down the Champs Elysees - as well as across pretty much all of Paris - and move on. From there you can stroll down Av Kleber to Trocadéro for great views of the Tour Eiffel, then cross the <<Pont d'Iéna>> bridge to get to the Tower itself.

On Montmartre, you'll be among throngs of tourists in the narrow streets passing gift shops. Most of the restaurants are pretty pedestrian but if you like onion soup try La Mère Catherine on the Place du Tetre if it is not too crowded. Absolutely do visit the basilica.

I am going to have to disagree with the recommendation of La Mere Catherine.

La Mere Catherine is atrocious. This is a cynical restaurant and the onion soup is like dishwater. They will also add a ridiculous unannounced charge for the music provided. I had reservations to eat elsewhere, but they were thwarted when my son misplaced his camera and we went on a wild search for it. So we missed our reservation and sat down at La Mere Catherine. I figured how bad can it be? This is tourist central, wall to wall tourists, and they are trapped like rats on the mountain. In general I warn people not to eat on Montmartre. It is the very definition of a tourist trap.

Aside from that, although onion soup can be found on the menu of almost all French restaurants in the US, it is a winter dish served to tourists any other time of the year. It rarely appears on restaurant menus outside of tourist areas. In general it is much better in the US.. The French tend to eat seasonally ,and it is hard for me too imagine a French person ordering hot onion soup in August.

The sandwiches and galettes at Chez Alain Miam Miam look fantastic, and this is a great area to visit in Paris. And you are correct that there will be closures. Paris is the only place I know where an ice cream parlor will close for the month of August.

I appreciate the feedback. I appreciate those that were thoughtful. A few of these rants were not as helpful.