planning an itinerary

hi guys!

apologies in advance!!..... i know this isnt the most exciting of posts, but im having a bit of trouble planning a loose itinerary for my long weekend in paris, im still having trouble getting to grips with arrondisments etc!

i want to begin my itinerary fri morn and end sun night, the things id like to see are the obvious as in ET, montmarte, notredame,latin quarter, louvre, champs elysees etc, i think i have plenty of time to fit them and more in but was wondering in what order would you do them all in to make it easier.

ideally id like to do ET and maybe louvre in the evenings has anyone any prices etc and opening times also?

again sorry for being a pain and hope my post isnt too vague

much thanks!

nat

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ps if it is of any use we will be staying in arr 20 nr pere lechaise.

thanks

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No info on the area you are staying but I have been told that the Louvre is open late Friday night and is free at 5

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Apply a little logic to the problem. First, look at a good street map of Paris and find the locations of the places and attractions that interest you most. Then try to %26#39;..divide..%26#39; Paris into manageable %26#39;..sections..%26#39; You can use the Seine as your north/south boundry and use a line runing through Place de la Concorde as an east/west divider.

On the Right Bank %26#39;segments%26#39; could be Arc de Triomphe-Champs Élysees; Madeleine/Grand Magazins/ Opera; Louvre/Tuileries/lower-Marais, upper-Marais; Canal Saint Martin/Republique/Bastille; Montmartre. On the Left Bank %26#39;segments%26#39; could be Îles; Latin Quarter; Saint Grmain des Prés; Invalides/Ecole Militaire/Eiffel Tower; Montparnasse.

Place the things you want to do and the places you want to visit into these %26#39;segments%26#39;. Then you can move about the city with a ready reference of your own priorities list at hand. While you%26#39;re within a %26#39;segment%26#39; you can decide to do this, that or something else instead. I%26#39;ve found that it%26#39;s usuall better to say, %26quot;..Nah...let%26#39;s do something else instead..%26quot; then....than %26quot;..Damn...if we%26#39;d only known that it was just %26#39;round the corner...%26quot; later. Your %26#39;..itinerary..%26#39; then takes on an entirely flexible nature...and you begin to use your PRECIOUS TIME a bit more efficiently...without really trying.

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Nat- 1.I%26#39;d allow a wait time for the ET, even in the evening.

2. If you schedule the Louvre for the evening, you%26#39;ll probably shortchange yourself. Go early, see as much as you can. (for my money, Musee d%26#39;Orsay and the L%26#39;Orangerie are better museums, more compact, doable on short time. check hours, both close perhaps by 500pm?)

3. Schedule a meal time for the Champs Elysees. Eat at one of the outdoor offerings, perhaps Fouquet%26#39;s or someplace that the street is known for. People watching is the greatest sport.

4. If you walk through Pere Lachaise cemeterie, start up top (Gambetta metro stop) and walk downhill towards the main entrance. Much easier. Maps available at the flower shop, for 2-3 euros.

5. Have fun

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I%26#39;ve been checking all the museum hours as well for my upcoming trip and have everything in a handy grid.

Lourvre - Opened until 10pm Wednesdays and Fridays and cost is reduced from 9E to 6E after 6pm. Other days 9-6pm. Closed Tuesdays. There are other reduced rates, check website.

www.louvre.fr/llv/pratique/tarifs.jsp…

Musee d%26#39;Orsay - Not on your list but a must see. You won%26#39;t be able to take advantage of the late hours (9:45pm) since it is only on Thursdays. Other days 9:30 to 6pm. Closed Mondays. Permanent collection 9.50E. Again, reduced rates may apply to you, check website.

musee-orsay.fr/en/…admission-fees.html

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I stayed in the 20th when I went to Paris in Sept-Oct %26#39;07. I agree that if you go to Pere Lachaise Cemetery, enter from the Gambetta entrance (about 1-2 blocks from the roundabout at the Metro station exit) and %26quot;yes%26quot; you must have a map or you won%26#39;t find anything in the cemetery. You can get that a the flower shop outside the entrance to the cemetery.

I enjoyed a little Italian restaurant called Il Pinocchio, 115 av. Gambetta, Metro: Pelleport. I ate there my first night in Paris and my last night in Paris.

If you like yummy desserts, you might want to try Sucrecacao, 89 av. Gambetta. I had my first ever macarons here and they are famous for their great truffles and pistachio raspberry cake. Their hours are Tues-Sat 9am-7:30pm and Sun 9am-6:30pm

I wouldn%26#39;t eat on the Champs-Elysees, except perhaps to have a snack at Laduree. You will pay more and I don%26#39;t think it is necessarily the best people-watching location. If you want a nice but not too expensive restaurant in that area, I suggest l%26#39;Appart, 9-11 rue du Colisee, Metro: Franklin D. Roosevelt. You need a reservation: 01 53 75 42 00. Formule @25-32E; A la Carte @29-39E. Good food.

I suggest walking up the Champs-Elysees toward the Arc de Triomphe so you can see it as you walk, rather than walking down that street.

If you like Impressionist art, I would visit the D%26#39;Orsay rather than the Louvre. I also love the L%26#39;Orangerie at the opposite end of the Tuillerie Gardens from the Louvre. It has a room specially made to house Monet%26#39;s Water Lily paintings. Also, it is a small museum and doesn%26#39;t take long to see. If visiting the D%26#39;Orsay, start on the top floor as that is where the famous Impressionist paintings are in large part. Amazing!

Start one of your days at Notre Dame early before it opens. Then head to Sainte-Chapelle to see the beautiful stained glass windows. Then visit Ile St. Louis to wander the streets, visit the cute shops and have lunch somewhere. From there you could head either to the Latin Quarter or to the Louvre or to the other parts of the Marais District. Ile St. Louis is very centrally located and a quaint little island.

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