We are going to Paris next month (wow, I can%26#39;t believe it%26#39;s next month!!). And I%26#39;ve been on these boards and researching as much as I can and I%26#39;ve read Rick Steve%26#39;s guidebook...but it is still so overwhelming! Any help with creating itinerary would be great! Obviously I don%26#39;t expect anyone to actually create an itinerary for me (although if you%26#39;ve got the time and are up for it be my guest!). I was just hoping for maybe a little guidance.
We will be arriving in Paris at CDG at 9:45pm after our 4 day trip to Rome. So question number one...(and yes, I%26#39;ve read the sticky), would an Air France shuttle be a good option to get from CDG to our hotel on rue du Champ de Mars at this hour?
Below are some of the places that we would like to see, pass by, visit, etc. Do you think it%26#39;s feasible in 4 days? Also, given these places, what passes do you think we should get for our 4 days(museums and metro)
Tulieres Gardens
Louvre (just for the main touristy attractions)
Possibly the Orangerie if we have time
Notre Dame including the tower
Eiffel tower (climb and view from Trocadero Sq)
Invalides
Pantheon
Luxembourg Gardens
Champs Elysees
Arc de Triomphe
Sacre Coeur %26amp; Montmarte
Versailles
Maybe head down Avenue Montaigne
Tacky I know, but I%26#39;d like to at least stop at the Hard Rock Cafe
Boat ride on the Seine (should this be done day or night or both?)
Since I have such a sweet tooth I%26#39;d like to stop at Laduree, but other than that I think we%26#39;re just going to eat wherever we are at the time that we get hungry (but not in touristy places).
Is it too much? Everything just sounds so great! I can%26#39;t wait!!!
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It depends on how long you spend in certain places. The Louvre could easily be an all day site as can Versailles.
I would get a map, photocopy it and mark all the sites you want to see or visit. Then you can group them by location so you aren%26#39;t back tracking.
I would also %26quot;loosely%26quot; do an itinerary so you know approx what you are doing but can change it according to weather or mood (ie change the Louvre/Orangerie day from Wed to Friday if need be). Also keep in mind days that Museums are closed.
I would take the Seine cruise at night. I did that with my mom the second to last time I was in Paris and she said it was one of the highlights of her trip.
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I too would take the Seine boat ride at night.... we did it during the day, and because the river is lower than the roads, you don%26#39;t really get a good perspective of things but night time with the lights would be very romantic. We did the hop on/off bus as soon as we arrived in Paris - we had 3 days - and fitted in most of the things you have on your list, plus shopping time. We didn%26#39;t really have an itinerary, we would just get off the bus when we decided we wanted to see more of something eg the Louvre, wandered around, and when we had had enough, got back on the bus to the next place of interest. On our second day, we did a bit more walking than bus, and the boat trip. We also had my elderly parents with us, which dictated less walking, but as I mentioned in 3 days we still managed to fit in most of your listed places - maybe not loads of time in each place, but enough to satisfy. (Didn%26#39;t do Invalides, Sacre Coeur %26amp; Versaille - when you are doing a long trip as we did (4 1/2 weeks of sightseeing) you do overdose a bit on looking at things, and tend to want to chill out at times but we could have fitted them in timewise). Have a great time. LS
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i think the shuttle would be easier for you, but the train system runs in paris until around midnight...i think all of the things you have listed are fantastic...i would add going to the catcombes to your list. it%26#39;s a great sight to see and something a lot of people don%26#39;t know about. don%26#39;t worry about the hard rock cafe. the one in paris isn%26#39;t that great. i would recommend checking out les halles which is a great mall in paris. i always have fun there people watching and it%26#39;s in a great area....paris is fantastic!!! one of my favorite cities! i%26#39;m lucky enough to have my sister live there so i always have an excuse to go!
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I had a first visit a few weeks ago and did many of the things you mentioned. L%26#39;Orangerie is really a great museum-try to see it if you can. Laduree is a must visit and if you have a sweet tooth, you must go to Angelina%26#39;s for the famous hot chocolate. If you search on this forum for it, you will see many raves!
Notr Dame is awesome, really long lines thougn, especially for the tower-buy in advance if you can.
Champs Elysees is on the way to Arc de Tromphe-
I loved Sacre Coeur and Montmarte-we spent all day there and it was just great.
I hope I don%26#39;t offend you-but there are so many wonderful and unique things to do in a short time, seriously reconsider Hard Rock Cafe. I don%26#39;t think you%26#39;ll regret having the extra time.
Enjoy!
Veggie
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Heres our itinerary for 2 and a half days, very hectic but all more or less grouped into areas and very flexible (more of a note to remind us of stuff), we are staying near to your hotel area so feel free to adapt ours to your stay. We have been before though so pretty much know our way around.
PARIS ITINERARY
Thursday Afternoon ---------
Get some lunch before going out
grab any supplies needed
walk down champs de mar
maybe go up 1st level of tower
walk across to pont d%26#39;alma
walk across to champs elysee
walk up to laduree, get macaroons
grab something for tea
walk up to arc d%26#39;triomphe
Thursday Evening ------------
Walk down to trocadero
watch the tower twinkle
take a cruise down the river
slow walk back
Friday Morning ---------------
Metro to concorde
walk through garden tuilleries
go in the louvre
walk around to angelinas for hot chocolate
walk to place vendome
Friday afternoon/evening --
Metro from concorde to chatelet
walk to ille st louis
grab some berthillon ice cream
walk around latin quarter
have evening meal
visit st chapelle and notre dame
metro back to hotel
Saturday Morning ------------
metro to pigalle, sacre cour and mont martre
walk around and get some lunch
Saturday afternoon -----------
metro to pantheon
jardin du luxembourg
walk around st germain du pres
get something to eat
Saturday Evening ------------
one last walk down champs de mar to say goodbye!
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Just a quick question -- because it would make helping you with an itinerary so much easier: what days of the week will you be in Paris? As I%26#39;m sure you know from scouring guide books, museums are closed on certain days, and sometimes it is best to avoid certain other museums that are open on those days because of the crowds.
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You just like another poster today who posted their itinerary, sound like you reseached and know what you would like to see on your trip to Paris.
I recommend that you try to map the areas and see what is in each area instead of backtracking.
Use your plan as a guide.
Have a wonderful trip!
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Ah! A %26quot;Rick-nik%26quot;, can I assume you are staying at the Hotel Champs du Mars on Rue Champs du Mars?
I think that by the time you retrieve your baggage you can still catch the RER B line from CDG to Gare du Nord and transfer to the Metro line 4, transfer via Strassbourg-St. Denis station to line 6 to Ecole Militaire which looks 2-3 blocks from your hotel (if it%26#39;s the Hotel Champs du Mars).
The last %26quot;Roissybus%26quot; leaves CDG at 11:00 PM to %26quot;Opera%26quot;. it says 45-60 minutes. The Metro closes at 12:30 althogh some stations may close earlier.
Here%26#39;s the website for RATP www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/aeroports.php#
Since you%26#39;re staying close to the Eiffel Tower, to avoid a long line, go early. Also use this same logic for the tower at Notre Dame and the %26quot;greatest hits%26quot; at the Louvre. I%26#39;d start any of day 1, 2, or 3 visiting any of these sights due to the lines. You can get in %26amp; out of the Louvre (Mona) pretty quickly. Louvre opens at 9:00 but is closed Tuesday.
As previously suggested, group the sights you want to see by marking them on a map and try to cover each of them on one trip so you don%26#39;t keep going back to the same area. Since you read Rick, page 43 of his 2006 Paris guidebook gives a breakdown of sights by neighborhood. His day by day suggested itineraries also work well since you seem comfortable w/ Rick. I%26#39;ve used them, no shame in that, and they do give you a good structure as to how to see most (if not all) the sights you want to see.
The Pantheon does nothing for me, but I was surprised at your omission of the impressionist collection at the Musee D%26#39;Orsay or the gothic beauty of St. Chappelle. Orsay has a much larger collection than Orangerie and St. Chappelle is very convenient to Notre Dame - also easy to combine churches into one trip. The Rodin Museum is literally across the street from Invalides
Versailles might be a bit of a stretch. For me, it%26#39;s difficult to get out to Versaille and back before 2:00-3:00 PM. It%26#39;s pretty much the bulk of one full day because so many other sights close at 6:00 PM (It%26#39;s also a LOT of walking, so you might not feel like a lot more walking when you get back into Paris). Although the Louvre is open until 9:45 on Wed/Fri and Orsay is open until 9:45 on Thur.
4 consecutive day Museum pass is 45 Euro. It covers most sights except Eiffel Tower, Picasso Museum and the Boat tours on the Seine. For the Metro, just buy a Carnet for each of you. You probably won%26#39;t need more than 10 Metro tickets for a 4 day visit.
The actual day of your arrival will determine which sites are open on day 1, 2, 3, etc, so your itinerary will change accordingly.
Finally, if you REALLY want to go to the Hard Rock, go ahead. I haven%26#39;t been to the one in Paris, but on my trip to Sydney, we had to make a stop for t-shirts for our friends back home. I wouldn%26#39;t go, but hey! It%26#39;s your trip.
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I agree with the last poster that the Pantheon can be left out. The musee D%26#39;Orsay is a must. Also, a vote for the l%26#39;Orangerie and Sainte Chapelle. Sainte Chapelle is a short walk from Notre Dame. By the way, the museum pass does cover the Picasso museum just not the Eiffel Tower or the Seine boat cruise. We also stayed in the 7th last March at the Hotel du Champ de Mars because Rick Steves recommended it. But, for our second trip last November, I have become much more sure of myself and my research and rented an apartment for my family. We did like the Hotel Champ de Mars though. Less than 100 euros a night. Very hard to beat that. There is a restaurant right down the street by Cafe du March that we loved called Tribeca. Wonderful Italian food and a good staff that really tries to help. We ended every night by walking down to the Champ du Mars park and waiting for the Eiffel Tower to twinkle. For a first time visitor to Paris it was just magical.
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