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Itinerary Rough Draft for Paris - I would appreciate your input! :)

Hello All!

We are 4 adults (mom, dad, daughter, and husband) going to Paris for 5 days on Thursday, July 23rd and then on a Viking River Cruise. I have been so involved with Paris that I haven't even looked at the river cruise!

Ok, here goes!

Thursday
Arrive at our hotel (by the Louvre) about 10 am (We will try and sleep on the plane)
TI - buy Carnet and Passport for Versailles. Possibly buy a Museum Pass (how many days??), HOHO Bus - L'Open Bus?

Possible Ideas for the rest of the day
Walk off the Jet Lag and/or HOHO Bus – L’Open Bus
Enjoy Tuilleries
Walk along the Seine – is the sandy beach there in July?
RS Historic walk including Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, Conciergerie, Place Dauphine, and Shakespeare and Company.

I think this is our best day for the following museums?
Orangerie
Rodin
Musee d'Orsay Open until 9:45 pm
Jacques Genin – for hot chocolate and Mille-feuille.

Early dinner suggestions? (l’Ange 20?)

Friday
An all day adventure in Disneyland Paris – Special request from dd so we will make a great time of it!

Saturday
10 am - 3 hour Bike tour of Paris with Bike About – this tour includes riding by the major sites and some out of the way favorites.

Afternoon Ideas
St. Ouen Flea Market - request of dd
Suggestions on dining in that area?

Evening Ideas
Night River Cruise Les Vedettes Du Pont Neuf
Notre Dame – open until 11:00 (Does the museum pass work for everything at Notre Dame?)
Trocadero to see Eiffel Tower at night

Sunday
Before 9am – Louvre to see the highlights (we can come back later if we have a MP)
1:15 - We are eating lunch at the Eiffel Tower
Afternoon Ideas
Luxembourg Gardens
Pompidou

Evening – Maybe Montmarte to see Paris light up and Arc de Triomphe and Ladurée for macarons and pastries.

Monday
Check out of our hotel but spend the day in Paris until 5 pm

Ideas
My daughter LOVES to Shop!
Tour the Opéra Garnier
Bon Marche, Galleries Lafayette, and Printemps with a rooftop lunch?**
Souvenir shops on rue du Rivoli, near the Louvre

Other Options that I'm working on
What are your Must Do's from this list?
Invalides
Cluny
Bus 69
Pere Lachaise
Montmartre
Pantheon
Musee Picasso
Catacombs
Find cafes and stairway in Midnight in Paris

5pm - Taxi to Le Pecq (overnight on the boat)

Tuesday
Shuttle from Le Pecq to Paris and enjoy the day – see things we missed or want to go back to.

Ideas
Pere Lachaise, Opera House, Pantheon

Evening – start the cruise down the Seine

Viking has organized tours of the areas in the morning and then we are free to venture out on our own – any must do’s would be appreciated!!
Wednesday - Giverny and Vernon (My babies Anniversary!)

Thursday - Rouen

Friday - Normandy Beaches – SO EXCITED!!

Saturday - Les Andelys and Conflans

Sunday - Le Pecq
9:30 am - Versailles King’s private apartment tour at 9:30am. Enjoy Chateau, gardens, bike ride out to Trianons and Hamlet and have a picnic at the (far end?) of the grand canal.

Monday - Fly home :-( Until we can come back again!

Thank you for reading this and please offer any advice you have – it all helps!!
Kelly

Posted by
2030 posts

Hi,
You have listed about everything there is to do in Paris, for your 5 days there. It's good that you have ideas but of course you will not be able to do it all. Here are just a few suggestions/comments.
Day 1. If you have booked the Versailles king's apartment tour, (must reserve) you don't need the Versailles passport. The tour ticket will give you access to all of the chateau, grounds, etc. the museum pass is for consecutive days, so since you are going to euro Disney on Friday, you should get a 2 or 3 day pass (Sat, Sun, maybe Mon?) I've seen the Paris Story, not sure I'd recommend doing it if time is tight.
I think an open bus tour is good for the first day, if weather is good and you can sit on upper deck. You did not say when you are going to Paris.
Walk along the Seine & Tulleries is good. (beach is there for limited time) Arch de Triomphe not close, save for another day.
Since you are going to Disneyland on Friday, I would take it easy on Thursday.
Saturday: if you take the bike tour in the morning, don't do St. Ouen in afternoon. Flea markets are morning events.

I prefer the Vanves flea market. Based on your bike tour of the city, you should have ideas for places you want to re-visit later in the day?
Do an evening river cruise any night that's convenient. Perhaps do Montmartre.
There is no admission to the Notre Dame cathedral, but if you want to climb to the roof, I believe the museum pass covers it.
Sunday: The Berthillon ice cream parlor may be closed on Sunday, but there are usually take away stands on the same street selling this ice cream. Where are you planning to eat lunch on the Eiffel Tower? I recommend walking a little way to the rue st. Dominique and going to Cafe Constant, Les Cocottes, or Fountaine du Mars. The first 2 are popular and very small, but you have a decent shot at getting a table for late lunch.(can make reservations too) Fountaine is a bit more pricey, but very quaint & highly regarded. There are several more restos in this area. (I recommend checking TripAdvisor for restaurant info for all the area you will be in in Paris)
See Arch de Triomphe and walk down the Champs Elysee a block or 2. Don't waste precious time walking all the way to Concorde.
You may want to hit Laudree a couple blocks down, it is usually very crowded though (in peak tourist season). There is another branch but too difficult for you to try to get to. You can go into the shop and buy macarons and pastries though!
Monday: shopping at any of the department stores you mention is good, as well as the souvenir shops on rue du Rivoli, near the Louvre. The Marais is a wonderful area for strolling, shopping too. If you shop at these stores, the Luxembourg Garden is across town and not that convenient to get to.
Of the other places you list as possible things to do, here are my suggestions ranked by my own personal preference, and your hotel location and time.
Musee Picasso
Centre Pompidou
Invalids
Luxemborg Gardens
Pantheon (is undergoing restoration and dome may be surrounded by scaffolding) The stairway in Midnight in Paris is part of a church right next door.
Cluny
Opera House (tour inside)
Probably not doable:
Catacombs - recently heard the line to get in runs 3 hours -- in summer now. I would skip this in any case.
Pere Lachaise will take a lot of time and energy too.
I hope this helps and is not too confusing -- you listed so much! Since you have been there you may have a good idea of what's doable, but perhaps things have changed. Whatever you get to see and do, I'm sure it will be great.

Posted by
2030 posts

Also, The Rick Steves Paris guidebook (which I hope you have) lists optimal sites to see for 1, 2, 3, 4 days, etc. I would take his recommendations -- over my, or any other suggestions --- you will not go wrong.

Posted by
7175 posts

I am having trouble reconciling this ...
An all day adventure in Disneyland Paris – gotta be honest – we are pretty excited! And yes, I know it will be different.

with this ...
Other things we would like to do but don’t know how to fit it in. (Am I missing anything??)
Invalides / Cluny / Pere Lachaise / Montmartre / Opera House / Pantheon / Centre Pompidou / Musee Picasso / Catacombs

Why leave so much potentially 'undone' whilst you include a visit to Disneyland?
I know the Magic Kingdom is for children of all ages, but in all reality it's a confected world of American artifice.
Excuse me for being so abrupt. Of course, in the end you must do what you want to do.
Lots to like elsewhere in your plans - have fun.

Oh, and definitely buy a 6 day Paris Museum Pass for use Thursday to Tuesday - at 69 euro it works out at US$12.60 /day.

Posted by
9436 posts

BG gave good advice... My only 2 cents (sorry Betty!) is do not miss the Luxembourg Gardens (1-2 hrs)... my favorite place in Paris. It's a Must See in my book.

Posted by
191 posts

Paris Disneyland is fantastic! Plan to spend the whole day and be ready to stay late into the evening to see the fireworks show. It made for a late night but was worth it.

Posted by
2161 posts

Hi Kelsea, I second BG's suggestion to take a look at Rick's itinerary for a few days in Paris. You've listed just about everything there is to do in Paris so you'll need to prioritize. Get a map and group your activities so you don't waste time back-tracking.

Get a Paris Museum Pass. It's great because you can pop in for an hour or two, get a cup of coffee, or use the restroom at any of the 60+ covered museums. Note that Versailles is also included in the Museum Pass.

Even if you sleep on the plane, you will be tired the day you arrive, so take it easy and explore the neighborhood around your hotel. Get your metro tickets and Museum Pass. Visit some of the smaller museums (Rodin?) and walk through the gardens. A short bus tour might be a good idea to get an overview of the city, but don't fall asleep on the bus!

I've been to Paris eight times and haven't done Disney yet, but that's your choice. If you do both Disney and Versailles, you're down to about two days in Paris. Have a great time and plan to return!

Posted by
71 posts

Thank You So Much To All Who Have Replied!

BG, thank you for the indepth advice.

We will be in Paris on July 23rd, 2015.

Does it matter what day we go to Notre Dame? Thursday or Sunday? I'm thinking Thursday would be better.

I need to look at a map and group these better - then I'm sure I can see more :)

BTW, I tried talking dd out of Disneyland Paris and that is actually her number 1 must do so we will make it a great time!

Thanks again!

Kelly