I have been reading everyone%26#39;s posts and trying to put together an itinerary for 6 nights in Paris. My husband and I are going for our 10th anniversary. If I am missing anything please help me. We will be there February 3-9 (on the 9th in the morning we are going to London on the Eurostar).
Feb 3 (Tues)
-arrive CDG at 10:45. We will not have checked baggage, only carry on, so hopefully we can be out of the airport quicker
-go to apartment, staying by Montparnasse station in the 14th
-walk around neighborhood we are staying in to see shops, restaurants, bakeries, etc around us
-Rue Cler
-Eiffel Tower (probably just to see it, not go up)
Feb 4 (Wed)
-Louvre
-Jardin des Tuileries
-Musee de L Orangerie
-Place de la Concorde
-Champs Elysees
-Arc de Triumphe
Should we start at the Louvre and work our way to the Arc de Triumphe or should we do it the opposite way and start at the Arc? We will be going to the Louvre another day again to see more.
Feb 5 (Thurs)
-Louvre (be there before it opens)
-Ile de la Cite, Square du Vert Galant, Conciergerie, St. Chapelle, Notre Dame
-Ile of Louis, get ice cream here at Berthillion%26#39;s
Feb 6 (Fri)
-Rue Mouffetard Market
-Pantheon
-Jardin du Luxembourg
-Musee de Luxembourg
-St. Sulpice (maybe)
-Ballet at Opera Garnier (7:30pm)
-dinner somewhere after the Ballet
Fri will be our anniversary so we are looking for somewhere romantic for dinner.
Feb 7 (Sat)
-Versaille
-Pere Lachaise cemetary
-Orsay
-Seine cruise
Feb 8 (Sun)
-Eiffel Tower
-Rue Cler
-Invalides
-Napoleon%26#39;s Tomb
-Rodin
Feb 9 (Mon)
We leave in the morning via Eurostar for London
We are planning to get a museum pass and will buy it at our first museum stop. Any suggestions/changes we should make are definately appreciated. Did I miss any must sees. We always stay busy when we are on vacation and like full days. I%26#39;m not sure if each day includes too much or too little. I know everyone says that itineraries don%26#39;t work in Paris and you will not do everything as planned. I just want to have a list of the things we would like to do and if we don%26#39;t stick to plan exactly it%26#39;s ok. Thanks for your help. Everyone%26#39;s posts have been so helpful with getting ready for our first Paris trip. I have gotten so much useful information here. I always love trip advisor!!
|||
Without telling you HOW to make your changes, I will say several things:
1. Try to get to r. Mouffetard on Sunday morning. There is a delightful spectacle in front of St. Medard%26#39;s with an accordionist and dancing. It%26#39;s fun.
2. The concensus seems to be that the Conciergerie is highly overrated and not worth the trip.
3. Versaille and Pere Lachaise are both at least half-day trips. Tho the gardens at Versaille may make the trip shorter, it%26#39;s still a half day with the travel involved. They are in completely different directions and, even if you could do both, you definitely can%26#39;t add the d%26#39;Orsay to the mix.
4. Once you%26#39;ve been down r. Cler once, you may not feel the need to get back there a second time.
5. You can see the Sq du Vert Galant when you are boarding the Vedettes du Pont Neuf. That%26#39;s where the point of embarkment is. Instead, add in a side trip to Place des Vosges. That or Place Dauphine. Arguably two of the lovliest parts of the city for a first-time visitor.
6. You can print out a discount coupon for the Vedettes du Pont Neuf at vedettesdupontneuf.com
7. Relax and have fun!
|||
Re: #3
What I mean is that in the winter, with the gardens not in bloom you may choose not to spend as much time at Versaille as you otherwise would.
|||
I agree with HappyGoin regarding
rue Cler... we were there in August and it was nothing special. It is likely much less special in February!
Ditto the Luxembourg Gardens....
The Conciergerie is mostly just an old basement. ;^( You won%26#39;t miss much if you skip it.
Re the plan for Feb 4... I don%26#39;t think it really matters which direction you go... start at Arc
end and it%26#39;s a downhill walk.
If you are close to the Montparnasse Tower and you get a clear day go up!
Wonderful view and most likely no lines!
You seem to have really done some planning but things really seem packed in... don%26#39;t forget to take the time to sit in a cafe with a coffee or glass of wine and enjoy the passing parade of Paris!
Bon voyage and Happy Anniversary!
Rob
|||
Hi Erin29, Happy Anniversary !!
Maybe this is a suggestion that could come in handy. Everytime we fly overnight to a city in Europe, we usually low key a short train ride to a place we would like to see. We%26#39;ve done this twice in Paris, going once to Versailles and once to Chartres. It allows you to sightsee while your body adjusts. Hope this helps. With your plans and energy a Museum Pass would be great. Enjoy yourselves.
|||
Happygoin... Thanks for all the great info. We will make sure to do R. Mouffetard Sun morning instead. We will skip conciergerie. We were wanting to go to Normandy for a day but decided Feb is not a good time to go. So, we just decided to do the things we hadn%26#39;t planned on other days (Versaille, Pere Lechaise, and Orsay). We will leave one of these out. Also, thanks for the info on the coupon. I%26#39;ll be sure to print it out. You are most helpful.
|||
I know I%26#39;ll probably get filleted for saying this, but if I were doing it, I%26#39;d skip Versaille this trip. There is enough in the city proper to keep a first-time visitor enthralled for that amount of time (and then some :)
Save Versaille for your next trip (knowing there will be one) when nicer weather will allow you to enjoy the gardens.
|||
I assume that you%26#39;re planning to buy cartes musees. They%26#39;ll save you money and get you around entry lines at some of your destinations (Louvre, St. Chapelle,...)
|||
We will definately get the cartes musees and get the carte orange. I read that we will need a passport size photo for the carte orange. Can someone tell me if the background of the photo has to be a certain color (ie: white)? Thanks.
Happygoing...I was thinking about skipping Versailles. There is just so much to see in Paris. What would you recommend? Should we do Pere Lachaise during the morning and Orsay later that day? Thanks.
|||
It%26#39;s an ambitious day but it can be done. The thing is that, once in Paris, itineraries sort of go out the window. For example, you%26#39;re so interested in the cemetary, you just can%26#39;t make yourself leave to go to the d%26#39;Orsay. Things like that happen a LOT in Paris :) Just so you%26#39;re forewarned.
|||
And for the Navigo Découverte (formerly the Carte Orange) you only need a head shot about an inch square. Print it off your home computer if you like, it%26#39;s the least expensive, most convenient way. It can be black and white. Doesn%26#39;t matter.
For really good info, see parisbytrain.com
No comments:
Post a Comment