paris in January!

To each his or her own, but I'd put a higher priority on St Chapelle rather than the catacombs. Don't forget to spend time just enjoying a glass of wine in a café--or a coffee if it's too early--and enjoying the ambience!

Those 4 days may seem like a lot, but they'll easily fill up quickly. Where are you arriving from? Will you be jetlagged? That might slow you down a bit and you might be better off not planning a day trip out of the city.

In January, hope for a clear day to go up the Eiffel Tower. There's also a good view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe. I agree with Darcy, St Chapelle is better. You can go to an evening concert, get there early and have lots of time to walk around and enjoy the stained glass, take photos, then enjoy the concert and continue to admire the windows. If you can, visit the Louvre on Wednesday or Friday late afternoon to evening. Those are the days that it's open late and you're likely to be almost alone. One of my favorite museums is the Carnavalet in the Marais Quarter. It's a museum of the history of Paris, pretty interesting stuff, and it's free. The Marais is a great place to wander, it's a eclectic mixture. It is the old Jewish quarter so there are religious Jews there and a few kosher restaurants (mainly felafal) and bakeries, it's one of the oldest parts of Paris so you can spot half-timbered buildings that are 500-600 years old. In recent years, a lot of trendy boutiques have opened, lots of restaurants, bistros, and the beautiful Place des Vosges. If you want to see how the rich lived 100 years ago, go to the Nissim de Camondo museum. He was wealthy and a collector. When he died, he left his mansion to the State to turned into a museum.

If it's not raining, the best thing to do in Paris is simply walk. At dusk the lights go on and until around midnight all the beautiful old buildings and bridges are illuminated. A one-hour cruise on the Seine is a good idea. A really fun thing to do is the Fat Tire segway tour in the evening, or one of their bike tours (less expensive than the segways).

Don't eat at the big restaurants near the major tourist sights. They cater to tourists who are one-time customers. Instead eat where the locals do, in small usually family-run restaurants. They may not look like much, but the prices are usually reasonable and the food excellent. House wines are almost always good and about the same price as bottled water.

If you really want a day trip, a good fit for you may be Reims, in the heart of champagne country. There's a beautiful cathedral and it's a charming town. You have to make reservations to tour the wineries - and don't expect much in the way of free tastings.

I will second Darcy's note - I have repeatedly been awed by St. Chapelle on several visits to Paris, but have yet to make it to the catacombs. Other tall things to climb for good views without advance reservations include the Centre Pompidou (with museum entrance or museum pass), Institut du Monde Arabe (need not buy museum ticket to access cafe), Montparnasse Tower, and others listed on p. 84 of Rick's Paris guidebook.

I agree about the Ste-Chappelle. Not to be negative about the catacombs, they're fascinating, but thousands of skulls staring at me isn't one of the romantic memories I'd treasure. For a January alternative to the Eiffel Tower, consider the shorter and much uglier (but invisible from its top) Tour Montparnasse -- less crowded, shorter or no lines, view from behind big windows out of the wind. The clearest viewing days are likely to be the coldest!

Leave plenty of time for strolling, café stops, people-watching. Take a river cruise (not worth it for dinner). Ride buses as well as Metro so you can see the streets. All the day trips mentioned are worthwhile, but with only four days I'd stick to the big city. Have fun!

This is your first trip to Paris. Everyone is going to tell you something different and everyone has their favorites and that is the good thing about this forum. You get a lot of ideas and need to sort them out. Now, you are going to go in January, which will be great but it will be cold and you only have four days. Paris is an amazing city and you will not be able to see it all. But you will make a good dent in seeing this beautiful city with the best museums and food! I would look at a map and see what sites and museums are near each other to plan your days. I don't think you should leave Paris as there is so much to see and do just in Paris itself, since this is your first time. If you were there before or staying longer, then I would leave Paris. Do go to the Lourve ( pick a wing and see it as it is huge). The Orangerie is near the Lourve and houses the Monet paintings. The Orsay museum is my favorite museum. Right there will take a good part of the four days. Notre Dame is a wonderful church. Take a walk down the Champs-Elysees and at the top is the Arc de Triomphe. Versailles is amazing, but would be better enjoyed on a warm day as the grounds and gardens are beautiful in the spring, fall and summer. And it can be very windy and cold as there is a lot of open space. You will also have nice long lunches, dinners, drinks out, walks behind Notre Dame, is Ile Saint-Louis ( great shops and restaurants) and the Eiffel Tower, near by is the Rodin Museum and across the street is Invalides ( where Napoleon is buried). And I agree go to Saint-Chapelle! There are covered boats that go down the Seine River day or night and that can be very nice and relaxing and a great way to see the beautiful buildings including Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower and the bridges all lit up! Have a great time.

Now I have not been to these places, but there was a whole article about where to go in the winter in Paris. It was the top 10 shopping passages in Paris. Not just shops but very pretty places to have a drink or to have a meal. Just google shopping passages in Paris and there are several articles. You can also see photos ( images) of the passages and they look stunning! So there are places to walk and window browse and have a drink or dinner or lunch and be inside. ( We went to a passage while in Istanbul and it was very nice). Do make sure you get the Rick Steves Paris book as it will be very helpful. Look at the RS Paris week long tour as they have in detail what the tour does every day. ( I took the tour twice and loved it). If you have any more questions, pm and I will try to help. Make sure ( if you feel it worth while) to get the museum pass, it is not just for museums, it lets you into other things. Check it out! Wear warm clothing, layer and wear comfortable shoes, lots of walking. Get a metro pass too! And you did not say where your staying, but hopefully it will be by a metro as it is easy to get around by metro. The Rick Steves book may give you more ideas as to where to go that are not museums.

The St. Denis Basilica where French kings are entombed, can be reached by metro and is worth the trip.

As someone said, there are a million places and a million opinions but if I were young and wanted a romantic stay in Paris, I'd be sure to walk around, stop for a glass of wine and enjoy being there. The stained glass at Ste. Chapelle is outstanding but you need to be there in daylight. If you go at night for a concert (which is also great), you may not see how spectacular it is (and it'll get dark earlier in January). The best restaurant splurge I had recently was 6 Paul Bert. Even if you're not museum people, the Musee d'Orsay is most appealing, easy to enjoy, and easy to maneuver (start at the top). Do a cruise on the Seine, maybe a chocolate tour through Paris Walks (the guide is wonderful and takes you to the best chocolate shops for a sample). The produce at street markets is wonderful - get some fruit, a bottle of wine, some pastry (at Gerard Mulot), and you 've got a fabulous, fairly cheap, and memorable meal. Assume you'll come back and don't try to do too much.

There is a lot of great advice on this thread. I would do what strikes you as romantic. For me, the Catacombs would not qualify. Maybe the Archaeological Crypt (right near Notre Dame) would be better. I think you may want to focus on good food, and I agree that there's nothing special about the tourist-oriented place. Look at the Rick Steve's guide and you'll see restaurant suggestions. You might want to do his walking tour through the Marais, which features shopping as well as history.

I would suggest the Orsay over the Louvre if you have limited time. Try to go late in the afternoon on a day when it will be open late. Most people love Impressionism more than old masters. If you do go to the Louvre, follow the RS tour. No matter how late you go, there will be a fair number of people.

The prime thing is to do things that you know you will enjoy. After all, you want your honeymoon to be perfect.

p.s. sorry, I now realize this is not a honeymoon! But you want to have good memories nonetheless.

Sorry, but I am afraid that January is the worst month to visit Paris... Days are short, it will be cold, and you will not be able to sit at street-side cafes!!!

It may be cold in January, but that is the time they are going. It will be a lot less crowded and they will be able to plan to go to places that are inside. Many people still go in January to Paris and have a great time. They just need to plan accordingly, ( that is why I said use a map and plan your sites that are near to each other, use the metro and go to some museums for a few hours), have long lunches and walk around if the weather permits. Also, layer and dress warmly. There is plenty to do inside. Have a great time.

Awesome advice all around! Well except for the "dont go" hahaha. I know its going to be cold but we would rather a cold, less crowded trip than a tourist circus. We have our bullet train tickets to Brussels and are going to take the local from Brussels to Amsterdam after wr have looked around a bit! Definitely looking forward to long lunches and cocktails and really want to ice skate at the Eiffel tower!

If there are any specific restaurants or bars that might be hidden away a bit - ie we might not find on our own, I would love the names! Thanks everyone!

Many cafes have heaters and/or plastic enclosures for the sidewalk tables, or sit inside by a window. Yes, it will get dark sooner and the Ste-Chappelle glass is best seen in daylight (sunshine is even better if available). And don't forget to learn a few romantic French phrases to murmur over that wine under that heater! :-)

I was just in Paris this past Oct. I ate a few times at the Cafe Panis, across from Notre Dame. Enjoyed the food, the staff and The Lady. They have inside and outside seating. Twice I sat at the window facing Notre Dame for dinner. I'm already planning my return in 2016. Enjoy your time.

We were just in Paris (mid-December) and it was "winter, when it drizzles" but when on ONE afternoon the skies cleared we dropped museum plans and hopped on a boat for an hour ride in the brilliant sunshine.

The rest of the time -- rain jackets, misty days, and what is more romantic than being in Paris together?

January is cold and nasty but it has its benefits. If you want to go to the Catacombs, you are likely to find no line at all. The line is often 2 hours or more in summer. We went in late November and had some trouble locating it as there was no line outside. There were maybe a dozen other people underground.

I second St. Denis; this is IMHO the most undervisited major site in Paris. It can be reached on the metro and is one of the best things in Paris (well it is just over the border, but it is on the metro -- stop St. Denis Basilique. You can see my snapshots of the catacombs and of St. Denis in my photo journal www.janettravels.wordpress.com Look in the 'Paris' category -- St. Denis is also in the 'day trips from Paris category.

You may be able to sit outside at a sidewalk cafe; many have heaters. If it is an otherwise lovely day the heaters make it worth trying. Paris is a great winter city -- there is so much to do indoors from cultural events, special exhibits, museums, restaurants, the passages someone mentioned earlier and you can do the Seine cruise if you like under glass (I am not a big fan of these any time of year as Paris is best enjoyed walking and not riding down in the ditch, but they are set up for winter days.) This is also a time of year when lines for most places tend to be non-existent including the Orsay where in season lines can take hours and a pre-purchased ticket becomes pretty much a necessity. Even the Eiffel Tower lines are fairly short.