Five days in Paris-must see/must do??
 

We're thinking about going to Paris in November for five days. Is that sufficient time to savor the city's offerings? For those of you who have seen and done it all there, what suggestions would you have for newbies like us?

Sorry...thought I was in Europe forum. Please disregard this question unless you can answer it.

Paris is an easy city in which to get around (great metro rail) and the major attractions are easily accessed. You can draft a detailed itinerary, listing all the things you want to see, then fill in a time grid, or you can havea general idea of a few must-see's then wing it the rest of the time.
I'm in the latter group, and in 2 visits have seen most of the things I consider important, but I've not spent 5 consecutive days there either.
That's plenty of time to see the major sights, and you may even want to consider a side trip to Versailles for a change of pace.
Paris is very walkable, the main areas are quite safe (a few unsavory areas to be avoided at night, but pretty obvious as you look at your surroundings).
So much to do and see.
You need to first sift through a few websites or guidebooks to cull out the things you think you'd like to do and see, then construct an itinerary.

I was there for the first time 2 years ago. My best advice is to NOT try to get to all the must-dos, but spend some time just walking around, hanging out in parks, shopping, eating in cafes, etc. It's not worth going to some attraction because it's the thing to do. We made the mistake of going to a couple of places just because we knew people would give us a hard time if we hadn't gone (e.g. the Louvre when we didn't have enough time to appreciate it).

I think 5 days is okay, but a week would be much better, given the time spent in transit..

The best part of Paris *is* the walking around. It's a beautiful city, from within, not just looking at a skyline. The gardens and parks are wonderful. Don't rush around too much - give yourself the time to stop and dwell, in a garden or at a cafe, and just watch the people. Get a decent map before you go, then don't be afraid to get lost.

Don't rent a car - the Metro is very easy to use and get you everywhere you need to go in the core. I recommend getting one of the multi-day passes so you can use it as often as you wish.

Andrew

We spent five days in Paris. We got to see exactly what we wanted to, including a trip to Versailles, outside the city. We were lucky enough to have a car & driver for one day, who took us to all the "tourist" places. We returned to the ones we wanted to explore further and found places we loved on our own. Five days was fine.

Hi

There's a Red bus you can take around Paris where you can get off and spend as much time in an area as you'd like (i.e. Notre Dame) and then get a later Red Bus and head to the next attraction. It's not expensive and a good idea instead of worrying about cabs, or subways. We walked and walked and took the Red Bus too!!!

bon jour

went to paris for 2 1/2 days last oct. it was great. yes, take the red double decker bus. it will take you to all the top tourist spots. must see are the lourve, d'orsay, notre dame cathederal, and the eiffel tower. watch out for pickpockets. i was a victum. do you know what a pickpocket looks like? i thought i was on guard, looking out for all the sleazy looking guys. well......my pickpocket pickers were 7 little girls(ages 7-10) who clustered aroung me as i boarded the metro at trocadero station(eiffel tower) and ran off the train with my wallet just before the doors closed. the loss did not ruin my trip. i told my wife, now i can relax, as i have nothing left to pickpocket. we loved paris, and can't wait to go back. au revoir and enjoy paris.