Paris and Heart of France June 16 Suggestions from alums?

I have not been on this tour, but am going in Sept. But I have been to Paris several times, twice on the week long Paris tours and the BOE tour and the 15 day France tour ( when Paris was included, now 13 days as RS cut out Paris). It sounds like you have never been to Paris, is that correct? Are you staying in Paris before the tour? If not, you will only have two full days in Paris during the tour and a day in Paris before the tour starts. Read the guide book and look at the museums that may interest you. Also, the tour leaves you ( if you want to stay) in the Orsay on Sat. and I recommend you stay for a while and see this museum. It is a wonderful museum and has the best French Impressionists works. The tour will take you to see some highlights, but not see the whole museum. You can then stay and see more of the museum. I also recommend you do this in the Louvre too, as the tour takes you to see the highlights and then you can stay and see more. Once you get away from the crowds where the most popular works are, you can enjoy a small portion of the museum and it is less crowded. Or you could leave the Louvre and walk through the beautiful Tuuileries garden which is in front of the museum and at the end of the gardens (park) you can visit the Orangerie Museum ( you will have a museum pass) which is a small, but excellent museum with Monet's water lilies and the best paintings in the world. What is the name of your hotel and where is it? If you want to see more or not do those things PM and I will tell you more. Read the guide book section of restaurants and see what interests you and how far they are from your hotel. You could also go to see Eiffel tower, even if you don't go up and walk around and then go to either the Rodin Museum or Les Invalides to see Napoleon's tomb and the chapel there. Beautiful building inside and out. They are across the street of each other and in walking distance of the Eiffel tower.
Ask the guide for recommendations on where to eat. But if I knew where your hotel was, I could recommend a few places. Sunday nite make sure you know a place, because many restaurants are closed on a Sunday. Are you going solo or with someone? If solo, ask other tour members if you could join them for dinner. If not, go and enjoy!!!!! Have a safe and great trip! I would love to hear about it as I said, I am going on this tour in September.

Hello,
My DH and I are going. I went to paris long ago, love some of the museums you mentioned. We arrive on Sunday early morning. Tour starts Tuesday late afternoon. Now thinking of getting to hotel by 10 and walking to sr Sulpice for mass and organ recital. Will need a cafe close by for lunch. We are staying at hotel Eiffel Duquesne near rue cler. Need recommendations for cafes close by for our first jet lagged days.

Jackie,
I will follow the responses to your request for dining suggestions around Hotel Duquesne Eiffel Tower as we are staying there two nights in July.
Donna

Jackie,
If you haven't already done so, you may want to check the mileage from Rue Cler area to St. Sulpice and back to Rue Cler area, possibly it may be more walking than you want to do on day 1. You can reduce the amount of walking by taking the Metro one or both ways. A map of Paris will show you the closest Metro stations.

Kent, as usual, is spot on. Use google maps to estimate walking distances - but take into account that you will probably be walking slower (I think they use a simple formula of something like 3 mph), not to mention stopping to look along the way, and an occasional traffic light.

Hmmm, this could be a bad sign but I woke up in the night thinking about your post in relation to my Heart of France trip in Sept and of course yours in June.

I was hoping an alum would respond because what I wonder is whether on the overnight on Mont St-Michel if people just take a small bag and leave their suitcase on the bus. When I did the BOE the guide suggested this for the 2 nights in Venice and it was great. I just repacked a change of clothes and jammies into one of my small packing cubes and tucked that in to my tote along with my toiletries. It was so much easier going over the Venice bridges than trying to manage a suitcase there. From the MSM description I wonder if this is a recommendation for that overnight as well.

As I said I am going on the Paris & Heart of France in Sept and I have read on this forum to do the same as we did in Venice when I went on the 14 Day BOE, to leave the suitcase on the bus and just take one bag with you for the one night stay. Much easier and since there are a lot of stairs, the best way to handle this situation.

Thanks, Ann. I had missed that!

Hi all,
We are used to lots of hiking and want lots of exercise when we get off the plane. We usually walk or hike about 2 hours a day at home, so will feel antsy after that long flight. I did look at google maps and it appears to be under half an hour walk from hotel to St Sulpice. I will definitely keep the metro in mind if it is horrible weather or we are too tired to walk back.
Re mont St Michel
I am planning to tuck a few things in my day pack and leave everything else on the coach. I won't need much for overnight anyway. It won't kill me to wear the same clothes a couple of days in a row.