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First Day in Paris; Sightseeing Logistics

Posted by (Hartland, Mi) on

My wife and I will be traveling to France, for the first time, in early June, and our itinerary has us in Paris for only 3 nights, 6/8 to 6/10.
We have already booked an apartment in Le Marais on the Rue des Rosiers, and we have developed a "very fluid" plan for sightseeing.
I have quite a few questions I'd like to pose in this forum for your input and advice, but I'll start with one at a time.

We will be arriving in Paris at Gare de Lyon, from Dijon, approximately 1:30 in the afternoon on June 8th, Saturday.
Assuming we could navigate to our apartment , check in, and start our adventure by 3:00 - 3:30pm, is it reasonable to think we could visit the Arc de Triomphe, with a possible climb with timed ticket,(question on that to follow), After that, walk or take the metro to Place du Trocadero to view the Eiffel Tower from that perspective, then cross to the Champ-de-Mars for a different tower view. Allowing time for photos and time to appreciate what we're finally seeing at these locations, find our way back to Le Marais for dinner at a nearby bistro?
Doable or too ambitious for perhaps 4 to 5 hours?

And secondly, How far in advance can one purchase timed tickets to climb the Arc de Triomphe, and what is the best web site to do so?
Thanks in Advance.

Posted by
8063 posts

I don't see why you couldn't do this. Being outside that first day is a good way to reset your clock. three nights is only two days, so making use of that arrival afternoon makes a lot of sense.

Posted by
6522 posts

Here's the website for tickets to the top of the Arc, a 284-step climb. I hadn't realized they had gone to timed entry, and you might consider skipping that climb because of that. The Arc itself is well worth seeing, and free from the street level, but it would be risky to pick a climb time with the uncertainties of your arrival. The train will likely be on time, and a taxi to your apartment shouldn't take too long, but getting into your apartment and dealing with any orientation or formalities that involves might take an unknown amount of time.

Apart from that issue, your first-day plan seems quite doable if you're willing to forego the Arc climb. There are many other viewpoints in Paris. (The Tour Montparnasse is much easier than the Eiffel.)

Posted by
13952 posts

Here are your sunrise/sunset times for June 8 (from www.sunrisesunset.com ).

Twi: 5:06am
Sunrise: 5:48am
Sunset: 9:51pm
Twi: 10:33pm

Since you're coming from Dijon you won't have jet lag to contend with so if you've got the energy it can be done. You've got about 6+ hours of full daylight then another 40+ minutes of waning twilight.

Posted by
39 posts

I find the view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe is lovely. That said, if you are elderly or handicapped, there is an elevator they will let you use. That is an option that many people don’t know about. We had to laugh last fall when I was there because my friend has let her hair go gray and they offered us a trip up in the elevator. I think I’ve been alone I would’ve been offered the stairs.

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