Hello,
This is my first post on this forum, but have been reading %26amp; searching out info for the past 2 months on a daily basis. I would like to thank experts %26amp; regular posters- thanks to you I%26#39;ve already learned a ton about Paris and how to plan an itinerary. I%26#39;m hoping my plans look %26#39;polished%26#39; to you all, but we%26#39;ll see!
We (husband %26amp; myself) are staying in Montmartre- not ideal for a first trip, I know, but we%26#39;re early risers and fine with lots of walking.
Day 1:
Arrive at hotel in early evening.
Explore area around hotel a bit. Maybe purchase water, wine, snacks etc.
Early night.
Day 2:
Morning:
Montmartre- walk around, explore, Sacre Coeur, rue des Abbesses, etc.
Purchase metro tickets- I was planning to buy the carnets of 10 tickets? Unless anyone feels strongly otherwise...
Also, can you buy tickets at all, or at least most, metro stops?
Early afternoon:
Metro to Jardin des Tuileries. Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysees.
Definitely wanting to buy 4 day museum passes- was thinking maybe at FNAC on Champs Elysees. Good idea?
Arc de Triomphe
Evening:
Trocadero for view of ET, walk along Seine, maybe river cruise
Day 3
Morning:
Notre Dame, Ste. Chapelle, Conciergerie
Afternoon:
Walk through Il St. Louis and over to Latin Quarter- explore, relax, Pantheon maybe.
Late Afternoon/Evening:
Louvre (this is a Wed., so open until 10pm)
I have a list of my top 8 things I%26#39;d like to see in the Louvre, so am thinking 5 hours or so may be enough, if not we can come back on our last day.
Day 4
Morning:
Eifell Tower, Hotel des Invalides, Napoleon%26#39;s Tomb.
Afternoon:
St. Germain- explore, relax, Jardin du luxembourg
Late afternoon/Evening
D%26#39;Orsay
Day 5
Versailles.
Depending on how day unfolds, maybe exploring Marais later on, or a later visit to Pompidou
Day 5
Explore Passages, les Halles, Palais Royale, Opera Garnier
Later- Marais if did not get there on Day 5- Place des Vosges, place de la Bastille,
Opera Bastille, etc.
Day 6
Catacombs.
Later, St. Ouen market? Or, hang out in Montmartre
Day 7
Anything we%26#39;ve missed or want more of- perhaps Louvre, La defense/La Grande Arche, Marais.
As mentioned, we plan to get an early start each morning, use the metro lots, and walk lots.
I would love feedback of any kind- concerns, suggestions, anything I%26#39;ve missed, etc.
Thanks very much everyone.
Jenny.
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I like Montmartre; I%26#39;d happily stay there.
As you arrive on a Monday for a week the Navigo is almost certainly going to be a better deal for you.
Day 4 morning is over-enthusiastic. I wouldn%26#39;t be surprised if the Tour Eiffel took all morning (then some).
I liked the self-guide at the Louvre, %26quot;Masterpieces of the Louvre%26quot; - http://tinyurl.com/ma6gjs
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Thank-you.
Would you happen to know where I could purchase the Navigo pass in Montmartre?
Thanks for tips on Louvre %26amp; ET.
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Sorry, I don;t. But I%26#39;m sure someone who does will be along shortly to tell you how/where to do it.
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Day 4 doable morning if you arrive at Eiffel before opening, Do you intend to do all the Army stuff at L%26#39;Invalides? If not you may want to cross the street to the Rodin Musee and do the garden(1 euro?) and have a snack at the little cafe in garden. Many of Rodins sculptures are displayed in the garden.
Day 3 you may want to add the Cluny Musee when in Latin Quarter.
I especially like doing the big museums in the evening hours.
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Hi,
The gardens at the Rodin Museum sounds like a great addition to the day, thank you. No, I%26#39;m not wanting to spend a long time doing all the army stuff at Invalides.
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you can get the navigo decouvert at most metro stops e.g. you could buy it at the Caulaincourt/Lamarck station -- and probably others -- with the amount of travel you plan, it is probably the best deal -- you may like to walk but you are not going to walk into town from Montmartre, at least more than once
bring photos to make the card (computer print outs are fine -- just cut out your head) -- a bit smaller than passport photos
I just brought 3 and used the one that fit best
unless you are going to the opera at Opera Bastille, I would not bother going there --
the Pantheon is not really worth a visit either IMHO unless you have already seen the 100 most interesting site in Paris
Les Halles is an extremely ugly shopping center -- in a sort of seedy area -- not worth visiting if you can avoid it
you have plenty of time for a couple of nice walking tours -- get a guide book with such tours, pick one or two that sound charming to you (we usually build them around a park and perhaps a small museum) and then head for that metro and follow the guide -- there are several nice parks that make nice anchors for a pleasant afternoon e.g. musee Albert Kahn gardens, parc Monceau, Butte Chaumont -- and of course the Tuilleries is a good spot for coffee and relaxing after the Louvre
I find la Defense tedious -- my husband found the architecture fascinating but there isn%26#39;t much there there -- so don%26#39;t plan on a long visit -- go see the arch and get back to town
One spot people often neglect that we found truly nifty was St. Denis where the Kings of France are buried -- or were until they were scooped up and dumped into the Seine during the revolution -- but their tombs are interesting nevertheless
Pere Lachaise is also an interesting afternoon
Climbing the tower of Notre Dame is a must once in your life IMHO -- I don%26#39;t feel the same way about the Eiffel Tower although you may -- but perhaps that is because I already did it years ago -- it is cool to see at night -- but the climb is underwhelming
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Thanks graceh9.
Appreciate the tips and suggestions on things to skip.
Definitely want to do the Towers at Notre Dame and would love to do some guided walking tours.
Also, thanks for the Navigo tips.
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I really liked the Pantheon. I like La Défense (I chose to stay there when in Paris) but I%26#39;m not sure it holds much interest for the visitor unless you have a specific interest in the architecture or something.
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Agree with the comment about skipping Les Halles; even my 16 year old daughter that it was a waste of time.
Make sure you get to the Catacombs 1/2 hour before opening. The Catacombs had the biggest line of any place we went in Paris (July 7 - 14 of this year).
While at the Effiel tower, walk over to Rue Cler (a street with no cars) but with lots of cafes, bakeries, etc. It is in Rick Steves book on Paris and I am sure some people would turn their nose up at it as being touristy but I thought it was wonderful and we had a great lunch at the Cafe du Marche.
Maybe I missed it on your list but the Museum Orangerie is really nice (and quite small and not time consuming); it contains Monet%26#39;s waterlily paintings (and other).
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you really don%26#39;t need to join guided walking tours -- there are dozens of guide books that include such tours -- which you can follow -- but also step out of to visit a small museum or whatever
of course, you may enjoy a guided walk -- but there are many resources to manage them yourselves (which then means you can sit down and drink coffee and watch the world go by -- or take time to sit in a park etc etc)
the key IMHO to enjoying Paris is to vary what you do -- with lots of space to just enjoy being there
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