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2 romantic nights in Paris: itinerary suggestions

Posted by (Bonn) on

Trying to build my itinerary for a trip to Paris June 9 & 10th and could use some suggestions. My husband and I will be travelling alone (our first time away from the kids) to celebrate our 10 yr anniversary. It is our first time in Paris, but will not be the last (we live a few hours away in Germany) so we are not worried about cramming everything in. The main goals are relaxation and being stress-free, keeping in mind that this may be our only chance to do some non-kid-friendly things. Not huge museum people and really not wanting to stand around in any lines during this trip. I think I have the first evening taken care of, but everything else is undecided:

Day 1: arrive Gare du nord 4:05. Accomodations close by in Montmartre area.
Drop bags in room and walk around Montmartre as time allows.

Back to room approx. 6:00 to freshen up, then metro to Montparnasse. Dinner at top of tower reserved for 7:30. After dinner spend time at tower observation deck for sunset / lights at night.

Day 2: relax in the morning, no time schedule. Breakfast in a nearby cafe.
See major Paris highlights??
Nice lunch somewhere.
5:30pm snack near Eiffel Tower and /or find picnic supplies
6:30pm Evening bike and boat tour - Fat Tire Bikes.

Day 3: depart Gare du nord 11:45. Perhaps more time walking around Montmartre after breakfast?

Posted by
3580 posts

Rue Cler, walking distance from the Eiffel Tower, is pedestrian-friendly and has numerous lunch or picnic-supply places. You could eat there or buy food for a picnic, then walk over to the Tower grounds. Another pleasant lunch location is in the Marais at Place St Catherine, near St Paul's.

Posted by
12 posts

Thanks for the replies. So something like Rick's historic walk would be a good idea?

Posted by
12 posts

Also, if we do the Montparnasse tower, am I going to regret not climbing any other towers/domes, etc.?

Posted by
9549 posts

I disagree about rue Cler too -- with one day in Paris basically, you want to do the classics -- yes, a walk along the Seine and Ile de la Cité and Ile St-Louis (I think those are all in Rick's suggested walk). To be honest, I would skip the Champs-Elysées too - to me it is a hugely overly crowded street full of chain stores and overpriced eateries. Look for the charm elsewhere.

You may not have much time for strolling Montmartre in between arrival and getting ready for dinner. I've heard of people waiting in the taxi line at Gare du Nord for 40 minutes or more. Or are you planning on taking metro to your accommodation?

The idea to do the Fat Tire Bike tour is great - from what I hear, people really enjoy those.

Posted by
12 posts

It is only a 12 minute walk to our accomodations but I was thinking of taking the metro (I think it's only about 5 minutes) just so that I can get some tickets purchased for our subsequent journeys. I also have a bad history of getting lost while walking to hotels and the metro stop is only 2 minutes from location so less chance of getting lost while carrying luggage.

Posted by
1443 posts

"Rue Cler is virtually unknown except for RS readers - no French has ever heard about it."

LOL! Except for the French who live and work there!

Posted by
8293 posts

I agree with woinparis. I think that a lot of people like it because it is dull and therefore not at all intimidating. My sister and I one year made a point of having a stroll down rue Cler and we could not fathom the attraction. We do, however, tend to stay in rather crappy hotels in double digit arrondissements as a rule, so rue Cler looked prissy and boring in comparison.

Posted by
1443 posts

Rue Cler is not an attraction. It's a neighborhood, and a nice one at that if your want a centrally-located base for your stay in Paris. RS recommends many other neighborhoods, so it's not like he's fixated on it.

This reminds me of a Yogi-ism: "No one goes there anymore - it's too crowded."

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