First Day in Paris

A few questions:

Where are you flying from?
When do you arrive?
How old are the people in your group and how fit?
Have you been to Europe before? If so, how does jet lag affect you?

We are 2 females (50 and 67) both fairly fit.
Yes, I've been to Europe several times, but haven't been in decades. When I was younger jet lag wasn't too bad. I don't remember it being a huge problem. We get in early afternoon the day before from Los Angeles.

Ok, that is helpful info.

No, I don’t think this is realistic. Maybe for a certain age group who is just racing from place to place to get a picture for Instagram. But realistically, as a Day 1 after a flight from the west coast, no. You have to take into consideration the time to get from place to place, stopping for meals, waiting in line, etc.

I would do the river cruise on the evening of your arrival day. It’s a leisurely introduction to the sights, and especially beautiful after dark. You’ll see the Eiffel Tower twinkling as you go by. I like the 1 hour cruises that leave from Pont Neuf: https://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/cruises/

Then the next day, schedule the Tower for late morning and the Louvre for late afternoon (check closing time and reverse the order if needed). Two hours is enough for me at any museum, but some could be there for days. Keep in mind that the Louvre is massive (over 650,000 sq. Feet) so plan accordingly. You’ll be walking a lot. If you happen to wake up early enough to get to the Arc on the way to the Tower, go for it. If you just want to see the Arc, not go up, you could take the metro over after the Louvre and see it lit up beautifully.

travel4fun -- Thank you so much for your thoughtful response. I agree, this sounds much more doable.

IMHO it's doable; you say you are fairly fit. You may want to walk daily and practice a lot of stairs to be able to get the most out of your limited time in Paris.

Of your four days in Paris, the Louvre is closed two of them, both Tuesdays. However, I'd reverse the order: get Louvre tickets for the earliest opening hour possible. The Museum gets crowded and backed up by 11 am. Spend the morning on your own, with a private guide, or join an English language intro to the Louvre tour, which begins at 11 and takes you to all the highlights: https://www.louvre.fr/en/what-s-on/guided-tours/welcome-to-the-louvre That would leave you time to wander on your own before.

After that, it doesn't matter too much what order you do the three other things. The Vedettes de Paris, which uses smaller boats and a live speaker, is at the base of the Eiffel Tower. There's a second company there, too, but it uses large boats and a recorded description in multiple languages.

Yes, the bus tours get caught in traffic.

Hi,

I agree 100% with Bets. My friend and I, both in our late 50s, were there in November 2023 and did almost the same schedule. We started at the Louvre with a 9:00 ticket and finished at the Eiffel. This was my 7th or 8th time in Paris (and 4th or 5th time at the Louvre) over the last 31 years and at that time of day and year, I had never been so close to the Mona Lisa - we got right up to the barrier. Good luck.

April 1, Easter Monday the Lourve might be closed and then of course closed on Tuesday, April 2. Check out RS Paris as there are public buses that give you almost as much as a Bus Tour for the price of a metro ticket, Bus # 69, 87, 24, 63 and 73.

Hi. Something to remember is the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. There are so many fabulous museums in Paris if you miss the Louvre it will be ok. Also as someone who visited Paris at 69 and in good shape, jet lag is very real. We stayed outside as much as we could on the first day there and that helped a lot. Enjoy whatever you get to do. It is all wonderful! It’s Paris!

Louvre doesn't close for Easter. It closes only for January 1, May 1, and December 25.. a huge family holiday in France.

Here is a link to the Louvre site where you can download their map, https://www.louvre.fr/en/visit/map-entrances-directions#museum-map, that way you can get an idea of the layout and maybe plan your attack on what you want to see.

The museum is divided into 3 Wings / 5 Levels and the "Big or Well Known" exhibits usually have banners above & signs posted at eye level guiding you towards them.

Enjoy.

brushtim -- thank you!