Paris Itenerary

[lennon5387]

What do you thinkof my Paris itenerary? My family is very active and loves to walk so as this may seen very busy, we are used to this type of itenerary. My wife and I ahve been to Paris many times, but this is our daughters first time, so we are keeping the museums to a minimun.

Paris:
Day 1
Arrive Paris 1pm Tue. 12/11 (Metro B Aeroport Charles De Gaulle to St-Michel Notre Dame)

Check-in to Hotel de Suez -to- (Metro 4 St-Michel to Cite - or walk)

Ile de la Cite -
Sainte Chapele, Place Dauphine, Conciergerie, Palais de Justice -to-
Notre Dame, Ancien Cloitre Quartier -to-

Ile St-Louis -
Hotel Lazun -to-
Along the streets and river banks of Ile St-Louis from E. to W. to Pont St. Louis -to-

Paris “floodlit at night” taxi ride (see below) -to- (Metro 4 Cite to St-Michel - or walk)

Hotel de Suez

Day 2 Wed. 12/12: Start at Hotel de Suez -to-

Montmartre Walk- (Metro 4 St-Michel to Barbes Rochechouart, Metro 2 to Anvers)
Sacre Coeur, Place de Tetre -to-
Rue des Abbesses, Rue Tholoze -to-
Moulin de la Galette, Moulin Rouge -to-
(Metro 12 Lamarck Caulaincourt to Marcadet Poissonniers, Metro 4 to Strasbourg St-Denis, Metro 8 to Republique)

Le Marais Walk-
Quartier du Temple, (Metro 8 Filles du Calvaire to Bastille) -to-
Pl. de la Bastille, Rue St-Antoine, Place des Vosges -to-
Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, Rue des Rosiers, Rue de Rivoli -to-

Latin Quarter Walk- (Metro 1 St-Paul to Chatelet, Metro 4 to St-Germain des-Pres)
Boulevard St. Germain, Rue de Buci, Maubert-Mutualite Metro Stop area -to-
Musee de Cluny (Medieval Art) -or- Jardin & Palais de Luxembourg -to-
St. Sulpice -to- (Metro 4 St-Sulpice to Denfert Rochereau)
Les Catacombs -to- (Metro 4 Denfert Rochereau to St-Michel)
Hotel de Suez

Day 3 Thu. 12/13: Start at Hotel de Suez -to-

Seine Walk-
Across Pont Neuf -to-
Walk along the Seine by Palais du Louvre -to-
Across Pont Royal -to-
Musee D’Orsay (Impressionist Art), across Pont de la Concorde -to-
Place de la Concorde (Obelisque) -to-

West up Champs Elysees -to- (Metro 1 Concorde to Charles de Gaulle Etoile)

Arc de Triumphe -to-
Walk east down Champs Elysees -to-
Avenue Winston Churchill, across Pont Alexandre III -to- (Metro 8 Invalides to Ecole Militaire)

Rue Cler walk -to- (Metro 8 Ecole Militaire to La Motte-Picquet Grenelle, Metro 6 to Trocadero)

Tour Eiffel -to- (Metro 6 Trocadero to La Motte Piquet Grenelle, Metro 10 to Cluny La Sorbonne)

Hotel de Suez

Day 4 Fri 12/14: Check-out of Hotel de Suez -to-
(Metro 4 St-Michel to Gare de l’Est [drop luggage], Metro 5 to Republique, Metro 3 to Pere Lachaise)

Cimetiere Pere Lachaise -to-
(Metro 3 Pere Lachaise to Republique, Metro 5 to Gare de l’Est [pick-up luggage])

Gare de l’Est (Train to Strasbourg)

[me]

never been to Paris, can't comment on the content of your plan. but, to plan a late evening "Paris “floodlit at night” taxi ride" on the day you get there might be a bit much for jet lagged travelers.

i'm assuming you'll come from North America. might not be a good assumption, though.

[pointofnoreturn]

Some thoughts:

Day 1
- If You are planning to go to Notre Dame, keep in mind that the towers close around 5:30 despite what the guidebooks say (usually 1-2 hours off the mark).
-Conciergie is NOT worth it. I'm a huge French Revolution fan (i.e. Napoleonic era) and I was let down tremendously. It's just a building - that's it. There are mannequins for a "life-like" effect. Skip it - you'll thank me later.
- I think you have too much planned in this particular day. You'll have to wait quite a bit to get your bags and go through customs at CDG then you have to get to Paris using RER B. On our first day, we landed around 9 AM, checked into our hotel, slept, and only went to the Eiffel Tower in the evening.

Day 2
- That is WAY too much walking! The catacombs were fascinating and should entertain your daughters, that is, if they're not claustophobic.

Day 3
- This will be a nice walk. I couldn't tell if you're planning to visit the Louvre but for your daughters, no visit to Paris is complete without a visit there!
- Nice to see that you ended the day with a visit to the Eiffel Tower. This is the best day to visit it - during sunset when you get an awesome view!
- Would recommend Musee d'Orsay. It was one of my favourite museums and I like how you opted for this one.

Overall Thoughts
- I'm not sure about this... Has your daughters told you what they would like to see? Are they the museum-kind of girls? Or do they enjoy nature/wildlife? You might want to include Jardin des Plantes which is near Denfert-Rochereau and there's a cool zoo with fascinating animals.
- I just really think there's too much walking LOL. Maybe I'm not a walking person but it's your trip, your ideas

[WillTravel]

If you visit the Louvre on the night that it's open late, you may be lucky enough to have an almost-empty museum. That's what happened to us in February. I think the night is Wednesday, but double-check.

I agree with PONR about Musee d'Orsay. I haven't been to Conciergerie, so can't comment on that. But in the same area is Sainte-Chappelle, and that's quite worth seeing:
www.paris.org/Monuments/Sainte.Chapelle/
Maybe consider splurging and going to a concert there one evening, if that's available during your visit.

Otherwise, all the places you have in mind sound great. It just might be that you decide to do things in a different order, or you don't get done as much as you planned, etc. but don't let that bother you. Be sure to allow enough time to rest, have drinks, etc. - nothing like a forced march to ruin the vacation feeling .

I really like the Centre Pompidou, in the Marais area. I unfortunately missed the Orangerie.

[lennon5387]

Thank you all for your comments.

On Day 1 our plan is just the islands and the taxi ride. Our hotel is on rue St-Michel so we are very close. We aren't too worried about jet lag. My wife and I have been to Europe about 6 times and have avoiding jet lag down to a science. Our daughters have been to Europe twice before and curiously thay don't seem to be affected by jetl ag at all - at least so far. We will of course modify our itenerary if needed.

I realize Day 2 seems like a huge amount of walking, but we love that type of thing and we are taking the metro between distant areas. Again, if it is too much we will modify our plans.

On Day 3 we are not planning on going to the Louvre, just walking by it. My wife and I have been inside 4 times before and we are opting for Musee D'Orsay instead, more kid friendly I think.
Also, we are only walking by the Conciergerie to see the Egyptian Obelisque. The kids really want to see it. We are thinking of going to Jardin Des Plantes, but we will be there in December and have pretty much counted out any gardens as they will be pretty bare that time of the year.

Also, I thought Sainte Chappell was near Notre Dame on Ile de la Cite, not near the Conciergerie - am I mistaken?

Thanks again for the comments and ideas. Much appreciated. ;D

[WillTravel]

I'm not sure exactly how far the two are apart - you are no doubt correct, but I seem to recall it is pretty easy walking distance between Sainte Chappelle and the Conciergerie.

[madamtrashheap]

lennon5387, a few points to add to the comments of the others:

Although you've been to Paris before, have you thought of taking a boat ride at night on the Seine instead of the taxi ride? It offers an alternative view to Paris and uses spotlights to highlight major sights, etc. As you'll be there in December, the days will be shorter (gets dark around 4.30pm), but no doubt you've accounted for this..and Paris is the City of Light (all lights!).

I'd walk from St Michel to Ille de la Cite if you're feeling fine. It's a great route and you get to walk through the little cobbled streets between St Michel and the Seine, plus it's through the Left Bank/Latin Quartier! In fact, you could take your Latin Quarter walk from day 2 and move it hear, in terms of geographical proximity. See if you have time to drop into Shakespeare & Co bookstore, just opposite the Notre Dame (actually, the statue of Charlemange is directly over the river from it) if you want something a little quirky.

Musee d'Orsay is one of my favourite museums in Europe, but your girls might like a quick jaunt through the Louvre (Renaissance rooms, Egyptian section, Greek antiquities...) as well. Great views from the top of Musee d'Orsay too!

Conciergerie - not sure that it's worth a visit inside, unless you're really into French history and in particular Marie Antoinette. And I see that you're planning to walk past rather than go it, so while you're at it, look to the right bank and you'll go past the rather spectacular town hall. With any luck the ice skating rink they construct every year will be in front by that time of the year.

Sainte Chapelle - if it's a sunny day, make sure you go inside (entrance is through the law courts (Palais de Justice), signs are small) as the interior glows light blue through the stained glass).

And yes, both of the above are quite close, about 3mins apart once on the street (walk out of the Palais de Justice, turn left and go past the flower stalls before turning left again on the corner).

The Montmartre walk will be great, just make sure the weather is good. And as you walk up to Sacre Coeur form Metro stop Anvers, just watch the pickpockets at the bottom (and at the top for that matter) as they've come back to this area of late. Make sure once you're up at Montmartre you take time to wander through the small streets that are off to the left of Sacre Coeur, past the artists and shops, and to the Montmartre Cemetery. Sound gruesome, but it's just a pretty as Pere Lachaise as is known as the "artists cemetery". As you wind back down the hill towards Pigalle and Moulin Rouge, just take the time to look down the stairs and into the shops - this is an area for up and coming designers and interesting cafes.

The Marais walk - am I right in thinkign you are going to walk from Republique to Le Marais? I know you like walking, but it's a long one. Will leave it with you to adjust if necessary and perhaps stroll through Marais once you've metro'd to, say, Rambuteau then walk past the George Pompidou centre (as WT suggests), through Le Marais and across the river towards St Michel again. Or rather jump on the RER B line from St Michel-Notre Dam and go straigth to Denfert-Rochereau for the Catacombes before making your way back to the centre.

Day 3 walk - a long one, but good route. The only thing I'd think of doing is moving the Pere Lachaise visit to day 2 (if you move your Latin Quarter walk) so you don't have to worry about storing luggage - totally up to you though.

Although it's Winter, I find the gardens in Paris to still have a certain charm, leaves or no leaves! Jardin des Luxembourg in particular, although I'm also a fan of Rodin's Museum gardens in winter too. PONR's call on the Jardin des Plantes is a good suggestion too.

Happy strolling!

[lennon5387]

Madam Trashheap,

Thank you for your very helpful tips to make my itenerary more efficient. I have noted your suggestions and tweaked my itenerary accordingly.

[Eagle]

MTH, once again, I'm amazed by your depth of knowledge concerning travel matters!

BTW, how was your holiday in Firenze earlier this year?

Cheers!

[madamtrashheap]

lennon5387, you're more than welcome! I hope the trip is fantastic and you and your family enjoy yourselves.

Eagle, didn't make it to Firenze at the time planned, but heading back in a month!