9 Days in Paris

Posted by Kamala (Australia) on 03/13/19 11:57 AM

Our first visit to Paris and France from Australia, facing a 24 hour flight. We are a couple aged 50 and not really into museums. Not into clubs. I've tried to allow plenty of time on some days to not do much at all.

Day 1 - Friday - 23 August
Plane from Australia arrives 7.30am and train from CDG and check into apartment around 10am at the Left Bank opposite Notre Dame, Rick Steve’s historic Paris walk – allow 4 hours – Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, Place Dauphine, Pont Neuf. Optional depending how tired we are - Seine river cruise at dusk – 1 hour cruise – Vedettes du Pont Neuf 4pm or 7.15pm departure Dinner and in bed by 10pm.

Day 2 - Saturday
Big walking day. Catacombs (timed entry), Montparnasse Tower, Jardin du Luxembourg, Pantheon, Rue Mouffetard exploration, dinner at Le Volcan. Night time stroll to Notre Dame.

Day 3 - Sunday
Morning Markets – which ones to go to? Not Rue Mouffetard as we would have been there the day before. Lunch cruise - Calife - boards midday and returns at 2.45pm Late afternoon? Evening ?

Day 4 – Monday
Morning - Pere Lechaise Cemetery, Afternoon – Opera Garnier, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann

Day 5 – Tuesday
Champs Elysses, Arc de Triomple, Eiffel Tower, Isles de Cygnet, Printemps

Day 6 – Wednesday
Paris by Mouth tour – Le Marais, Afternoon - Promenade Plantee, then head to Le Louvre – open til 9pm

Day 7 – Thursday
Versailles

Day 8 – Friday
Morning - ? Rest? Afternoon Montmartre, Sacre Couer, Cabaret in the evening (Moulin Rouge, Le Lido or Crazy Horse or Au Lapin Agile)

Day 9 – Saturday
Monet’s Garden – train to Giverney and walk, arrive before tour buses, back in Paris by 1pm. Afternoon ?

Day 10 – Train to CDG at 8am to pick up hire car then head to Amiens to start 19 day road trip around France.

Any comments appreciated.

Posted by janettravels44

Chicago

03/13/19 01:41 PM

8558 posts

The Auguste Blanqui market is on Sunday morning -- you go to Place d'Italie and it runs down Auguste Blanqui from there. This is quite close to, on the edge of Butte Aux Cailles. We stay on the other side and walk over the Butte to go to this market to shop. So you could go to this market and then walk up into the Butte from about halfway down the market street. This is one of the larger, better markets in Paris and less touristed so most of the people will be shopping for their own kitchens not just lookie lous.

What is your interest in markets? If you are in an apartment and cooking for yourself they are marvelous but otherwise it is not so clear what the attraction would be. Butte Aux Cailles is quite different from Montmartre and the rest of Paris. It also contains at least one 'villa' i.e. small single house enclave/neighborhood. It is a pleasant area. Use Place Verlaine which has an excellent artesian well as a target for planning your walking. You might want to get a walking tour map on line or in a walking tour book to structure your stroll through the area. Note that shops are closed in most of Paris on Sundays although cafes and some restaurants are open. Markets are morning affairs and close up around 1 or 2.

If I were you and had 9 nights/8 days in Paris, which is a great time frame for this city. I would plan at least one day trip besides Versailles to one of the many lovely chateaux or picturesque villages in the region. Don't choose Monday for that sort of trip as small picturesque towns close on Mondays. I would also add St. Denis Basilica to your list; it is reached on the 13 metro:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/confronting-mortality-at-st-denis/
I think this is the most interesting often overlooked site reached by the Paris metro.