My husband and I will be going to Paris in September. We will be arriving in the morning and once we get our bags and drop them off at the hotel we will hit the pavement. We are planning on following, as best we can, the RS suggestions on what to do in so many days. Our hotel is near the Notre Dame, so we were planning on doing the Historic Paris Walk, first thing...realizing we probably won't get started till mid-morning, early afternoon. We will be arriving on a Monday, so I already know the Deportation Museum and the Archeological Crypt will be closed (which means we could see at a later time). I guess I'm concerned that when we visit the Notre Dame/Tower Climb and the Sainte Chappel, will these places be too crowded to visit by the time we get to them in the afternoon? Would it be better to save this Paris Walk Tour for Tuesday and maybe visit West Paris instead, on this first afternoon???
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area
5697 posts
I can't address the tower climb (I'm not a fan of stairs) but we saw Ste Chapelle last October and crowd was not overwhelming in the afternoon. Since you will be close by, you could eyeball the lines at ND and Ste C and decide then whether to queue up or come back when it's less crowded. We were by both several times, with varying lines. Tower line always looked long.
There's nothing wrong with just walking along the Seine on your first day, or taking a boat ride -- see how you feel. Paris is enchanting.
Posted by
OP
Conway, AR
71 posts
Thanks for the info. It would be nice to walk around our hotel area, which is near the Notre Dame. I know we will be short on sleep but want to try and see as much we can on our Day 1. Until we get there, it is hard to know how easy and how much time it will take us to get from point A to point B. Can't wait!
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7158 posts
Just from my own personal experience, which was in August (not Sept), the ND tower line is always long and moves slowly. They only let 25 people in at a time every 10-15 mins so if there's 100 people in line ahead of you the wait will be about 40-50 mins. From what I saw there's usually way more than 100 in line. On someone else's advice I went over 45 mins before they opened in the morning (10:00) and there were already about 20 people in line so I waited over an hour even then. Brought my breakfast crepe and drink with me so it wasn't too bad. You can walk by when you get there late morning or early afternoon and count the people in line and you'll have a rough estimate of how long you'd have to wait and then decide if it's worth it.
EDIT: I have to add that the wait in line and the climb (387 steps) was most definitely worth it. One of my best experiences in Paris.
Posted by
OP
Conway, AR
71 posts
Reminds me of when we visited the duomo in Florence. I guess all these places will have lines and waits. We will just have to see how our time is and go from there. We will be there four nights, and we are staying very close. It is helpful to hear info. Thanks.
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2296 posts
I don't have my RS Paris book close at hand, but does he mention the Memorial de la Shoah? It's not too far from you, it's fascinating, free and pretty quiet. Plus, it will give a better perspective for the Deportation Museum.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
I think the best times to enter Ste. Chapelle will be either right when they open, or during lunchtime. Another staffer here went about 2:00 p.m. last September and found that the line moved pretty fast. If you can climb stairs with jet lag, then the jet lag will be officially conquered.
Posted by
OP
Conway, AR
71 posts
I have not read about the Memorial de la Shoah. ...and thanks for the heads up regarding the Sainte Chappell.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
Not much waiting time to get into Notre Dame Cathedral itself, and well worthwhile. Eyeball the line for the towers to see if it's worth it, if not come back early in another day. Likewise the Ste-Chappelle. The crypt is well worthwhile if you can get back there when it's open. Another worthwhile site on the Ile de la Cite is the Conciergerie, where you can see Marie Antoinette's cell, and then maybe go out for some cake! ;)
Posted by
OP
Conway, AR
71 posts
Thanks for the responses! ... and YUM!!!
Posted by
2081 posts
Diane,
i was in Paris in a mid March so the lines/tourist crowds will probably be different and its been a couple years too.
but Sainte Chappel was going thru some remodeling/construction so the lines were slow and long.
Notre Dame the was easy and no lines at all. i missed/forgot the tower climb so cant comment.
if it was me, since youre so close to Notre dame and St. Chappel, i would do them first if there isnt any lines or short lines. If the lines are long, i would just head out to the other sights. Then once youre done and on your way back, if needed pickup what you missed.
happy trails.