I%26#39;m leaving on Wednesday for a week in Paris with my sister and 12 year old niece. It will be their first trip to Europe. I%26#39;ve been to Paris several times, but not since 2000. I%26#39;ve been worrying about our itinerary. This is what I%26#39;ve come up with -
Thursday – Arrive CDG at 11:00, taxi to apartment, lunch, buy museum pass, take the L’open hop-on, hop-off bus, dinner at the apartment, possibly from Bon Marche Grand Epicerie.
Friday – morning at Musee d’Orsay with lunch at the museum. Fashion show at Galleries Lafayette at 3:30. Will try to fit in touring the Opera.
Saturday – early morning at Vanves flea market; then Meeting the French bakery tour at 11:00. Afternoon at the Louvre, focusing on the Louvre as a palace with highlights of the art collection.
Sunday – Versailles
Monday – Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle and the Musee Cluny in the morning. Arc de Triumph, Champs-Elysees and Jacquemart-Andre museum in the afternoon. Dinner at the Eiffel Tower (Altitude 95)
Tuesday – Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, including the cemetery and fabric shops, and then the Marmottan museum.
Wednesday - Pompidou Center, the Marais, Musee de la Mode and l’Orangerie
I would like to fit in the Rodin Museum and maybe the sewer tour. Also I would like to do a river cruise one evening. I%26#39;m trying to space out the museums, so I%26#39;m planning to get the six day museum pass. My niece enjoys touring historic homes, but has limited interest in art museums.
I would love any suggestions or comments. Have I left enough time for shopping and pastry eating? I think I need to add some parks. What else have I left out? I know that we can%26#39;t see it all, but I%26#39;m not sure that I have convinced my sister. Thanks for your help.
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WHOA there, I mean have you ever travelled with a kid before. Sure, they have lots of energy, but you have not taken into account that the Bataan Death March can produce the sulky cranky grumpy syndrome.. LOL
Day one ( arrival day) is not bad, although I would be hesitant to buy an L%26#39;Open tour ticket, I mean by the time you get to the apartment, have lunch etc, it will be at least 2 pm. and the buses stop around 5:30 -6, so thats alot of money for a few hours use. Why not just wander around Luxembourg Park( I am not sure where you are staying?) or your neighborhood, maybe a cruise on the Seine and a nice easy dinner in a cafe, a little more walk and then an early bedtime( you will all be tired).
Friday, Sat and Sun look fine. I am glad you are taking a day for Versailles, its worth not rushing through it , the grounds are so extensive to see everything it takes time. You will still have time to wander around Paris that evening.
Mondays dinner at Alitude 95 looks great( you have reservations already I assume) but that day it pretty site heavy so I guess play it abit by ear re seeing all those other sites.
Also, instead of Sewer Tour I would put in Catacombs, but only if there is time, which I kind of doubt as you are really seeing alot in your week already.
Have fun, I am sure you will. I see you have an interest ( by your screen name) and are putting in some sites related to it, which I think is great.
Remember to stop for ice cream.
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This is actually a really good itinerary. You have time to wander and shop and eat pastries and, at the same time, are seeing some wonderful sites.
Unless you love the Pompidou Center, I would just view the outside and the Stravinsky fountains next door. Then I would visit the Nissan-Commando Museum
and see a house exactly as it was when it belonged to a wealthy pre WWII family who collected magnificent furniture and art from prior centuries. The family is gone, all killed in WWII (they were Turkish Jews), but the legacy remains and is open to the public.
If your neice would like to go to the doll museum (Musee de la Poupee) it is 1/2 block from the Pompidou Musee on a little deadend street. That museum has a permanent collection of dolls from around the world as well as a temporary exhibit which changes regularly. You can look it up on their website. In addition, just next door to the doll museum is a small Anne Frank garden which is supposed to have the plants that she looked at from her attic window--this is a teaching moment for sure.
I am so pleased that you are visiting the Marmottan museum--my favorite museum in Paris! The Jacquemart-Andre is wonderful too and has a lovely restaurant for lunch or dessert/tea. And of course the Opera Garnier is magnificent!
I am afraid you just won%26#39;t be able to fit everything in. I%26#39;d recommend the catacombs before the sewer tour. They are both below ground. Some people complain that it smells bad on the sewer tour (although it didn%26#39;t both me and my 15-year old son). The catacombs is just fascinating!
When you go up to Montmartre, walk behind Place du Tertre to see the vineyard--it is the only one in Paris. There is a sign on the fence in front of the vineyard (in French) which tells a story about how the wine is a diaretic and that for every pint you drink, you pee 4 pints. (I think I have that mostly right from memory.) Don%26#39;t ask me why it says that--I am just relaying what it says.
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First, you can pick up your Museum Passes at CDG (which we find easiest). Use the “Points of sale” link on the www.parismuseumpass.com site and go to “At the Airports” for locations.
Second, it’s easy to get into Paris on the RER – and much cheaper. Maybe worth looking into. The trip planning site is www.ratp.fr.
I agree with joan1 – the hop on/off bus will be a waste of money given your arrival time. I don’t much like them anyway – you tend to go past things without really seeing them. Much better go for a nice walk, find an attractive looking café or bistro for lunch and then have another stroll. I assume you are staying in the 6th as you mention picking up dinner provisions from La Grande Epicerie.
I’m planning to try the Restaurant les Bouquinistes (53 Quai des Grands Augustins in the 6th) on my next trip to Paris. It does a €29 3-course or €26 2-course lunch overlooking Notre Dame and the Seine. May be a nice intro to Paris. If you choose this restaurant, please report back.
As joan1 suggested, you could then go to the Jardin du Luxembourg, grab something to make a salad or something light for dinner – La Grande Epicerie is an Aladdin’s cave for foodies – and have an early night.
I personally didn’t like Versailles much – possibly because it was undergoing serious construction/renovation work when we were there. You might want to check that out. In any event, there are heaps of things I’d rather do in a 6 day trip to Paris – for instance, I think your niece will like the Tombeau de Napoleon if she likes old stuff. It’s mind-blowingly ornate.
Think about scheduling your Arc de Triomphe visit for the evening – it’s open till about 11pm in summer.
By the way – is your niece the one who is dog-obsessed? I hope she has a great time in my favourite city. If I could take my dogs and bring them back to Australia without a long stay in quarantine – it would be perfect.
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Thanks for the input. It just seems that no matter how long you%26#39;re in Paris, it still isn%26#39;t enough time. Originally we were going to be there five days, but I added a day and thought we would have plenty of time. Now I need another day. I%26#39;ve taken several trips with my niece and she%26#39;s a good traveler for her age. Last year we did 4 days in New York and saw a lot. My sister is making her walk two miles every morning to get ready for Paris. After walking the same two miles in her neighborhood walking in Paris should be enchanting. And yes she%26#39;s the one who%26#39;s dog obsessed.
I%26#39;ve struggled with the cost of the L%26#39;Open tour given what time we will start. The idea of substituting the boat cruise may work. I know that my sister and niece will want to see, but not visit, some major monuments immediately on arrival.
I%26#39;ve never been to the Catacombs, but there%26#39;s no way we can get my sister underground with all those bones. She just has a thing against it.
Thanks for the suggestion for the Nissan-Commando Museum. That%26#39;s just the kind of place I would like to add. One of the reasons I enjoy the Marmottan and added it to the list is that it%26#39;s a little out of the way. I really enjoy the walk from the Passy metro down a more neighborhood shopping area.
I hope that we%26#39;ll get to most of the places on the itinerary. I%26#39;ve been to most of them and my sister doesn%26#39;t linger at art museums, so perhaps there%26#39;s hope.
Thanks
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If your sister and niece are keen to see a some of the major sites straight away, why not go for a walk to the Parc du Champs de Mars and then up to the Arc de Triomphe, finding a lunch hook on the way. The Café du Marche on the corner of the rue Cler market street and the rue du Champ du Mars could work.
Then you could see to Tour Eiffel and then on to the Arc de Triomphe…
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You might want to head to Musee Marmottan (not included on the museum pass, by the way) first on Tuesday. Note that Parc Ranelagh nearby is a terrific place to see people walking all those cute little dogs!
Then, head to Montmartre...because it%26#39;s just so beautiful there (and the views over Paris below) at night, and there%26#39;s lots of music all about Place du Tertre.
You%26#39;ve included a LOT of museums.
We really enjoy L%26#39;Opentour for the views from seats on the open air upper deck. If the weather is favorable, we buy tickets for our last two days in Paris. It%26#39;s wonderful for a %26quot;last look%26quot; all around before heading home.
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You might also want to consider taking some bicycle tours. I took a bike tour of Versailles, and it was fantastic. There were several families on my tour, and the kids seemed to really enjoy. I didn%26#39;t take a bike tour of Paris, but I did see some groups of riders and it looked like a blast. (And I%26#39;m sure more fun than hop on - hop off).
You may want to check out www.fattirebiketoursparis.com
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Molly, I think your itinerary looks fine. You%26#39;ve obviously put a lot of time into it. On Monday, I wouldn%26#39;t plan on climbing both Notre Dame and Arc de Triomphe. Just one will do for a panoramic view of Paris, especially since you%26#39;ll be having dinner at Altitude 95.
I%26#39;d really like to hear about your bakery tour when you get back. Don%26#39;t forgot Mon Bon Chien. It%26#39;ll probably fit on Tuesday after you go to the Marmottan.
Have a great time!
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