Well, we%26#39;ve finally decided on the itinerary for our (anticipated) first trip to Paris. Any suggestions/comments are welcome. We have purposely left a large amount of free time so as to wander around and just experience Paris.
So, here goes:
Day 1
Arrive at hotel approximately 5:00 pm – check in – dinner in the neighborhood – early to bed
Day 2
Pere-Lachaise Cemetery
Pompidou Center
Notre Dame
Saint Chapelle
Day 3
Louvre
Vedettes Pont Neuf Seine Cruise (evening)
Day 4
Musee d’Orsay
Musee Rodin
Lunch at Altitude 95 – Tour d’Eiffel
Montparnasse Tower
Day 5
Louvre
Day 6
Versailles
Day 7
Louvre
Thanks in advance to everyone.
SoundDiva
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Too much on day 2 and too much Louvre.
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TPXB:
We figured Day 2 would be OK since Notre Dame and Saint Chapelle are in close proximity to each other. Perhaps you can give us some suggestions as to how much time we should budget for each item.
As far as the Louvre, we both LOVE museums and from what we%26#39;ve researched, the Louvre is far too big to be taken in during one visit. At least for us ...
But I do appreciate your comments.
SoundDiva
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I would move the Pompidou to one of the Louvre days (instead of the Louvre for a 3rd time) and add an exploration of le Marais to go with it..
ricksteves.com/plan/…marais.htm
I would add a late afternoon trip up to Montmartre to people/tourist watch and meander around the little side streets leading off from Place du Tertre (look out for a couple of %26#39;windmills%26#39; besides Moulin Rouge)... Paris%26#39; only vineyard... the infamous Lapin Agile..
http://www.vangogh-paris.com/pdf/MapWalk1.pdf
Where are the gardens? You can easily incorporate some of these between your sights..
- Jardin de Tuileries (by the Louvre)
- Jardin de Luxembourg (between Rodin and Tour Montparnasse)
- Square Jean XXIII (behind Notre Dame)
- Square du Vert-Galant (tip of Ile de Cite, by the Vendettes)
Where is your exploration of the Latin Quarter?
ricksteves.com/plan/…paris2.htm
also, for your Notre Dame visit:
ricksteves.com/plan/…paris1.htm
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Cut short one of your Louvre days and go to the l%26#39;Orangerie. If you love museums you will love this one. It is small and can be done in an hour or two and it is superb.
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This is why I like this forum. I%26#39;ve gotten some information on things to do that I wasn%26#39;t really aware of.
Will sit down with hubby and incorporate some things that look good.
Thanks.
P.S. Hadn%26#39;t really thought about the gardens -- guess we were focusing in on the attractions.
Great things to think about.
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Our time at Pere Lachaise in 2002 was a highlight of the trip! When it was suggested to me, I thought the person was totally weird! However, it was a gorgeous early fall day, the place is beautiful with the huge trees and winding paths, and all the intricately designed grave markers and crypts. (Obviously!), it is a very peaceful oasis in Paris. It was very interesting to see how old many of the graves are. Make sure you have alot of memory (or film) in your camera as there are many, many interesting photo ops.
You%26#39;ll probably spend more time there than you expect you will!
Enjoy!
joy/luvparee
P.S. Don%26#39;t forget to %26quot;schedule%26quot; in down time where just sit in a cafe with a glass of wine and people watch, or walk along the Seine looking at all the wonderful buildings.. Let Paris open herself up to you -- that way, you won%26#39;t %26quot;see it all%26quot; and you%26#39;ll have an excuse to come back (and back, and back!)
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I never have a daily itinerary, just a list of things I want to do. I try to impress upon anyone I meet that one should build an itinerary around the sun and rain on the day you wake up. If you want to go to the Louvre, go on a day you wake up and it%26#39;s raining. If you%26#39;re blessed with sunshine when you pull open the curtains, head to Pere Lachaise, or get on the train and go to Versailles. A simple list vs. activities assigned to a day will also give you far more flexibility. Load your must sees at the front of your trip and try to knock them out if you can, which will free you up to explore things you discover while you%26#39;re there, without tough decisions between something new and exciting and an absolute %26quot;must see%26quot; on your last day. You%26#39;ll have a much better time if you allow for far more flexibility than you%26#39;ve posted. If you visit the Louvre on day three and it%26#39;s briliantly warm and sunny outside and then it rains on day six while your walking the grounds at Versailles, you%26#39;ll wish you done things in reverse. Weather is very unpredicatable.
Always plan for more time than you think. A direct point-to-point 15 minute walk in Paris will always take you 45 minutes. On day two, you will most likely not have enough time to see Pere Lachaise and the Beaubourg and arrive at Sainte-Chapelle before it closes, unless you plan to just skim the surface of both those places.
I don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s a bad thing that you%26#39;ve planned three days at the Louvre. You will discover on your own after the first two visits (or maybe just the first) that it%26#39;s too much, and then you%26#39;ll have a free day to do something completely different that you weren%26#39;t anticipating, like heading to Montmartre, exploring the Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, any one of the other 100 or so musuems you didn%26#39;t list, or taking a short day trip. The Louvre is filled with all different kinds of art, works of art, periods, etc., etc. I believe that most people find that they will linger over the things that interest them, and then move quickly past those things that don%26#39;t. It is true that you could spend a week there studying it all, but the bigger question is whether or not you have enough of an interest in ALL of the art to actually %26quot;study%26quot; it. It is more like 10 musuems in one. I%26#39;m no fan of any of the Egyptian artifacts, for instance, so while one person might spend several hours there, I only see what I fly by on my way to the masters. You may or may not find it the same with you.
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One way to incorporate the gardens is to have a picnic there for lunch.
I also agree that a visit to Montmarte and Sacre Coeur would be a good addition to your trip. You might want to schedule dinner around there. The Latin Quarter and Marais can be visited with scheduling dinner in those areas as well.
I completely understand the desire to see La Louvre if you love art, especially as I am a PhD student in the field, but one of the best ways to get the culture and see the city as art is to walk around the neighborhoods. How about taking a stroll down the Champs Elysee and seeing the Arc De Triomphe?
Have a good trip!
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If you love museums, you should absolutely visit the Musée du Quai Branly. The architecture and museography are extraordinary, and the african, asian, oceanian and american itineraries are beaufiful!
http://www.quaibranly.fr/
You can have lunch there, there is a café in the garden. You may go the day you go to Orsay and to the Tour Eiffel, it is in the same neighborhood. But you will not able to go to Montparnasse the same day, I guess you%26#39;ll have one of your day 5 or 7 dedicated to the left bank.
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Agree with the others that three full days at the Louvre is too much. Make those half days and you will be fine. For as fantastic as it all is, I found that after a couple of hours, I became brain dead and just couldn%26#39;t take it anymore.
I%26#39;d suggest maybe throwing Notre Dame and Saint Chapelle in with one of those Louvre days, and replacing them on Day 2 with the Picasso Museum and a walk around Place Voges and the Marais - all of which is right near the Pompideau.
PS - Based on your itinerary - it might be worthwhile to consider the Museum pass, if you haven%26#39;t already. It%26#39;s worth the cost alone just for the amount of time you%26#39;ll save in line ups at the Louvre and D%26#39;Orsay.
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