advice for free time during Paris and Heart of France tour 6/6-6/16

We took this tour (and stayed at that same hotel) in May, 2017. For our pre-tour day-and-a-half, we went to Versailles, took a Seine River cruise, and, of course, went to the Eiffel Tower. We also did a lot of walking to familiarize ourselves with Paris since it was our first time there, as well. We visited Cimetière du Père-Lachaise after the tour ended, but it’s something you can do pre-tour.

If you're too jet lagged to go far, you can go up the nearby Tour de Montparnasse (tower). The Rue de Montparnasse is a small side street just west and across the street from the hotel where there are several good crêperies. While we were there, there was an open air art market a few blocks west. But Versailles would be a priority.

thank you both!

brenda,
I would think twice about visiting Versailles after a plane ride from the US. IMO Versailles needs a full day (at least 6-8 hours for the chateau and grounds) and requires lots of walking, as well as train time to and from there via Gare St. Lazare (about 1 hour each way). It sounds a bit exhausting. If you go on the day the tour begins, you will not have as long there as you might prefer. Of course, many people only visit the chateau and many visit only the grounds, so that is doable on either of your days.
Arrival day is problematic for most of us arriving from the US, especially the West Coast. Unless you are a good sleeper on a flight, you may want to pick something less ambitious than Versailles. And as tempting as it sounds, Seine boat rides (one of my favorite things!) may put you to sleep as jet lag kicks in. So something not too tiring, but not soporific either.

I would go through the things your tour covers in Paris, and pick a couple of things that aren't included. Notre Dame? Ste. Chapelle?
Opera Garnier? Luxembourg Gardens?

Have a wonderful trip! You will fall in love with Paris!

Thank Judy! We have looked at Versailles and agree will do when come back from tour as spending a week with plans not yet defined (but hoping to meet up friends in Greece) so thinking the 16th June would be the day for Versailles. Brenda

It would help if you would give us an idea of what your interests are. I second the idea of trying one of the creperies around Tour Montparnasse since you are staying there. be sure to try the cider. Peter

thanks everyone! We love to walk, take in neighborhood sites, visit museums (to a point!), enjoy local non touristy places, churches--pretty much anything!

brenda,
One thing I always look forward to is strolling along the Seine, across from Notre Dame, and checking out the bouquinistes' stalls for interesting souvenirs. Then stop for a coffee or aperitif to just relish being in Paris and watch the world go by.

Just a thought.

brenda,
Another thought...take the metro to Basilica de St. Denis. It is where many, many French kings and queens are interred. An often overlooked experience by Americans. Beautiful church also. Good for an afternoon or morning (about 1 hour to explore).

thanks Judy! :)

We signed up for a Fat Tire bike tour that included the Eiffel Tower and a boat ride on the Seine; the boat ride we could take at any time. We thoroughly enjoyed that introduction to Paris. Two other favorites during our pre-tour visit were a tour of the Palais Garnier, which is the opulent opera house, and the Musee D'Orsay.
We loved the whole tour. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!

We also stayed at the Lenox Montparnasse before our RS heart of France tour in 2023.

We flew in 4 days early, so had more time to explore on our own, so here are some of the things we enjoyed. (caveat: This was our third time visiting Paris, and we have done all the touristy things like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame (visited before the fire,} the Arch de Triomphe, and the Champs Elysee, the Rodin Museum, the D'Orsay museum, on previous trips)

we took the Metro everywhere, except for one rainy evening, we took an uber from the Montmartre area because walking down the steep hills was too slippery and wet for us to walk safely. Uber works just fine.

We asked the hotel concierge for a dinner recommendation nearby and he suggested Auberge de Venise, which is across the street from the hotel. This was a great suggestion for our first night here as we were jet lagged. See the reviews on TripAdvisor.

We took a morning food tour of the Marais district with Devour Tours.
https://devourtours.com/tours/paris-ultimate-food-tour/

We visited the Paris Opera house and took the tour.

A dinner cruise. There are several companies. we went with Bateux Parisians, with a dock near the Eiffel tour.

We visited the Dior Galerie. https://www.galeriedior.com/en

We did a dinner show at the Moulin Rouge. https://www.moulinrouge.fr

We also visited the Pere Lachaise cemetery and used Rick's audio guide.

We visited the Paris Catacombs and the Paris sewers, but this is skippable if you only have one day prior to the tour. I'd save these for a return or third trip to Paris.

On one of our free evenings after the tour started, we ate dinner at La Coupole, which is a short walk from the Lenox Montparnasse hotel. https://www.lacoupole-paris.com//?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=GMB&utm_campaign=COU&y_source=1_MTE2NjUxODQtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU=
You can read on Wikipedia about it's history.

On one free evening, we did a free walking tour of Montmartre. (we knew in advance that our tour would NOT visit here)
and we ate dinner at La Maison Rose after the tour. (reservations a must)

And after visiting the Louvre in the AM with the tour group, we took the metro out to Saint Denis. The RS tour gives you tickets to the Louvre that gets you in, but then you are on your own. If this is your first time, take the Highlights tour. RS does not include a guided tour.

Our tour l visited St. Chappelle and ended in the Latin Quarter, where you will be left on your own. We visited the Latin Quarter and walked into the St Germain des Prés neighborhood.

As we this was our third time to Paris, we had already visited the D'Orsay, which you should do on your own. We like that museum better than the Louvre.

Versaille is an all day trip, so I suggest you visit that after the tour.

The tour doesn't visit the Eiffel Tower, so if this is something on your bucket list, plan and get tickets ahead of time. You can visit on one of your free afternoons or evenings.

Notre Dame was still closed when we were there, but now that's it's open, I wonder if the RS tour includes Notre Dame? if not, use a free afternoon to tour this.

Lots of things to do, but you don't have a lot of time before the tour begins. Bon Voyage!

In the evening as the lights come on, head to the Trocadero, walk across the bridge towards the Eiffel Tower for another viewing, then take a left along the Seine at lower river level or above street level and head towards Pont Alexandre III bridge, cross over and head towards Place de la Concorde (enjoy the fountain & obelisk).

Walk along the Jardin Tuileries (Quai des Tuileries), the garden may be closed by time you do this, heading towards The Louvre, enjoying Musee d'Orsay lit up to your right across the river. Then stroll past the pyramid of The Louvre out the back, take a right towards the river and a left along the river towards Pont Neuf.

Cross over Pont Neuf and take a left along the river on heading towards Fontaine Saint-Michel. Continue on along the river past the bookstands and end up at Notre Dame.

You can catch Metro Line 4 at Saint Michel - Notre Dame RER/Metro Stop back to Vavin Metro Stop, just around the corner from your hotel. Or reverse the walk and start at Notre Dame. This walk takes me just over an hour. I always do this walk my last night in Paris.

Thank you everyone all these recommendations are wonderful! We have decided to spend 2 days after the end of the tour to ensure we fit everything in!
Merci!! Brenda