I would love to hear suggestions on how to approach this wonderful city. We will land early morning on a Monday and leave afternoon/evening on Sunday...so almost a full week. Obviously we won%26#39;t be able to see all of Paris in that time, so I%26#39;d love to hear how people have planned itineraries, esp. for a first-time visit. There are definite %26quot;must dos%26quot; on our list, but we want to have time to just wander as well. AND, we%26#39;d like to take at least 1/2 day (if not a full day) away to see Versailles and/or Giverny.
We%26#39;ll be staying on Ile St. Louis so I figured our first day would be spent leisurely exploring that island and perhaps the Ile de la Cite...Notre Dame, etc. But after that, the city is wide open to us and it feels a bit overwhelming looking at the map and trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our days. (Obviously we aren%26#39;t experienced world travelers...yet!)
I know everyone is different and has different approaches, but I%26#39;d love to hear various ideas to help spark our own.
Thank you,
Nina
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One thing about Paris is that it has something for everyone, no mattter your tastes, or budget.
I don%26#39;t know how much research you have done (are you just getting started?), but the %26quot;usual suspects%26quot; come to mind for a first-timer.
The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the d%26#39;Orsay, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Ste Chapelle, Opera Garnier, Sacre Coeur, a cruise on the Seine.
I%26#39;ve never been to Giverny- do you know that none of Monet%26#39;s original works are there? For originial works you need to go to d%26#39;Orsay or the Musee Marmottan. Still many people love going to Giverny, maybe I%26#39;ll get there myself one day. I%26#39;ve been to Versailles twice, and I still didn%26#39;t see the whole place. It%26#39;s huge.
I think you have picked a good location. But my bet is that you will definitely venture off the Ile on your first day, it is pretty small. The Notre Dame will beckon you, no doubt, to cross the Pont St. Louis.
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Nina~
When will you be going on vacation? I am going in July and have started planning our itenerary~ After buying a million books, reading a million article and checking out all of the wonderful info on this site. I have a poster board set up in my computer room I organized it by dates and each date has a location: for example I set it up the following way:
Le Marias and Bastille
Louvre to Arc de triomphe
Effiel tower to St. Germain
Latin Quater and the islands
Put one location in each day spot and took sticky paper with all of the things we want to do and experiance and started putting them in the days locations~ We just planned our arrival day and the second day so far~ I would be happy to share our itenerary with you if you like~ We are traving 7 females~
Sue
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First, pick up a good Paris guidebook and a good Paris street map. For general touring and planning purposes , we%26#39;ve always found the STREETWISE PARIS map to be excellent. For guidebooks you need to block out some time, take yourself down to your local Borders or B %26amp; N as scan through the Travel stacks there to find one or two Paris guide books which %26#39;..resonate..%26#39; with your own personal travel preferences, priorities, special needs and budget. As an example, if you are on a 2-star hotel budget, a guide that is heavy on Michelin-starred restaurants and shopping on the rue Faubourg-aint Honore probably won%26#39;t offer you a whole lot. Among the better guides to scan through will be (among others):
MICHELIN Green Guide PARIS
BAEDECKER%26#39;s PARIS
ACCESS PARIS (our personal favorite)
D %26amp; K EYEWITNESS PARIS
LET%26#39;S GO PARIS
RICK STEVE%26#39;S PARIS
INSIDER%26#39;S PARIS
ROUGH GUIDE PARIS
While you%26#39;re at it, you should also check the %26#39;remaindered%26#39;/bargain tables for slightly out-of-date guides to use as %26#39;filler%26#39;.
Based on this, do some personal research. Decide which sights and attractions are most important, important, somewhat important to you and then find their locations on the map and their relative location to your hotel. After a little while of doing this, you will begin to learn a lot about what Paris has the offer which interests you and where it is. This is VERY useful. As an example it will become clear that planning a day which includes the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur may not be the most productive use of your time...better the Eiffel Tower, the rue Cler market and Musee d%26#39;Orsay or Sacre Coeur, upper Marais, Musee Carnavalet, Musee Picasso, Place des Vosges. Another day could be Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, Louvre
It%26#39;s your trip. Do some personal research, orient yourself to the city and where things are within it. Establish priorities based on your own personal preferences and interests. Make the most of what YOU want from it....otherwise..%26quot;..just take the tour..everybody loves %26#39;em..%26quot;.
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Rick Steve%26#39;s website has the itinerary that they have planned for their tours of Paris, it is a pretty good list, hitting all of the %26quot;must sees%26quot; yet leaving plenty of time to get lost on your own. (I am meremy recommending the itinerary, not the tour)
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Sue,
My husband and I going in June for our 20th anniversary. :) I like your idea of putting things up on a bulletin board. I, too, have bought a zillion books and spend all of my free time reading them and surfing the net for info. I probably have TOO much information now. So it%26#39;s time to put things down on paper and see if it%26#39;s all doable.
Everyone,
Thanks for your good suggestions!!!
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A guide book is a must and I loved Access Paris. Basically, because it%26#39;s so easy to get sidetracked, lost, etc., we picked one touristy spot each day in the morning to head for, be it a museum or a landmark, and then just explored the area around that spot as much as we wanted. Often you%26#39;re able to take in more than 1, but at least you get in that 1 thing for the day. A day-trip to Senlis is really fun--the whole town is an historial monument.
What really helped us with our planning was to organize as much as possible before we got there. I would type up a list of the arrondisements, and then list the highlights/restaurants, shops, etc., that we wanted to see those areas. It was a very handy little chart to have, and the Access Paris book is arranged pretty much like that with all the information you need.
Enjoy the trip and the planning.
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Found the DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides (for paris in particular) invaluable in planning itineraries. Would be less than twenty US$ to buy. Has almost everything you need to know to get you started and give you the confidence you will need to set your own sightseeing plan very quickly.
The Paris Vision web site or, I think, Cityrama site, will have tours that you can buy over the internet. These are the main two I think and would definitely have Versailles. The half day escorted trip with no queuing (very important for all tours) is called VRS with Paris Vision.
If museum minded, obtain a museum pass for yourself because it will cut down queuing time considerably. Queuing can waste so much time and mar your enjoyment
Good luck!
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Dear Nina,
Enjoying Paris is like a glass of fine wine--let it unfold. pay attention to surprising, subtle nuances and slowly savor. I know this might feel too loose of a suggestion but Paris is experienced when you are with it, not planning it. So, although all of the advice heretofore is, I feel excellent and helpful ( I certainly have my own stuffed shelf of travel guides for Paris). Allow yourself the time to just sit, order a nice Bordeaux and savor the beauty of a timeless city. Then each memory, even the seemingly silliest, become exquisite. Slowness is what I feel we all crave...and this city provides some relief from the pressure to race.
Margaux
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; I probably have TOO much information now. So it%26#39;s time to put things down on paper and see if it%26#39;s all doable%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with having too many, well researched things (names, addresses, locations notes, etc) on your %26#39;..wish list..%26#39; of things to do....just so long as you don%26#39;t feel compelled to try to do EVERYTHING. It%26#39;s good to have options and alternatives. We%26#39;ve always found it%26#39;s infinitely better to say %26quot;..Nah...Let%26#39;s do something else instead..%26quot; then; than %26quot;..Darn..If we%26#39;d only known...%26quot; later.
For myself, I break Paris down into general areas (i.e Louvre/Tuilleries; lower Marias/Iles; Latin Quarter; Saint Germain des Pres, Montparnasse; Invalides/Ecole Militaire/Eiffel Tower; Ars de Triumph/Champs Elysees; Madeleine/Grand Boulevards/Opera; Montmartre; Republique/Bastille--or whatever %26#39;system%26#39; works best for you) and then list the places/things of interest and details in each general area. That way when you%26#39;re out and about, you can remind yourself of what%26#39;s caught your attention and to some extent why. Then decide as you go. Sometimes, taking one street rather than another from here to there will take you past something on your list (a shop you heard of that sells table linens, a restaurant or cafe recommended to you, a nieghborhood park/garden that your read about, etc) that%26#39;s not really a priority but..........
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If you%26#39;re a gardener, take the time to go to Giverny. Now my vegetable garden has nasturiums too!
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