Paris Itinerary

This looks doable, but days 4 and 5 seem more scattered geographically than necessary. Of course I don't know where you're staying so I don't know where your days will start and end.

Assuming you want to go up the ET first thing on day 4 to reduce waiting time, why not go from there to Trocadero, then to Marmottan which is a few stops west (La Muette) on Metro Line 9, then return eastward on Line 9 to St-Phillippe du Roule, a few blocks south of Jacquemart-Andre? That's two smaller museums in a day, seems manageable. Save Notre-Dame and Ile St-Louis for day 5 (is the tour really going to Ste-Chappelle but not N-D?), then up to Montmartre on Metro Line 4 north to Barbes-Rochechouart and Line 2 west to Pigalle for the base of the funicular.

Unless you want to spend a lot of time at Pere Lachaise and/or whatever passages you have in mind, you could probably work something else into day 3.

What strikes me as missing from this itinerary is the Marais, and particularly the beautiful Place des Vosges, one of my favorites. But if you've been to Carnavalet you've probably been here too.

No doubt you'll get other suggestions, and a lot depends on your daily starting and ending point. Have fun!

Thank you for your help, the tour is going to Notre Dame ( and I have also been there) but I want to walk around the streets and shops near by and the tours do not always give you much time in Notre Dame. I do plan to spend a long while in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery as I have never been there. From what I read it is large and there is a lot to see. Plus if I have time then I can always find something else to do. Trying to make the days somewhat flexible. Never know how long you want to stay or what is nearby that you see and want to go to. I will take into consideration where every thing is to tighten up the days and see things that are closer together. I appreciate you pointing that out. That is why I planed out day one as they are all in walking distance of each other. I am not sure where I am staying yet in Paris.

Day 2 looks pretty light to me, but that may be because you're anticipating jetlag. The Champs Elysees is truly not worth the time. Just take the metro from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe. I like to go up the Arc de Triomphe a little before sunset and get to see Paris in daylight and then watch as the lights go on.

The Picasso Museum has just reopened. You can avoid long lines by buying a timed-entry ticket in advance on their website. I enjoyed the Nissim de Camondo Museum, Les Invalides and the Pantheon also.

My friend wants to walk up the Champs-Eysees and I know that I will spend some time taking photos of all the places in day one. I also understand that if we finish up early, I could add more to the day. I have been to the Pantheon and don't feel it's worth taking my friend. Thank you for your help and I will consider the Picasso museum.

If your friend wants to stroll the Champs Élysées then she should. It will be disappointing for her ... It used to be described as the most beautiful street in Europe but that was then. However, there is a large Monoprix half way along which will make a nice stop, and if you like mussels & fries, a Leon de Bruxelles restaurant, probably the only restaurant you will encounter along the way that does not screw the tourist.

I will check out the Musee Nissim de Camondo as this museum looks very interesting. It seems like it may be similar ( yet I am sure different) to the Jacquemart-Andre museum. Both I have never been to. Thank you for that suggestion.

ann:

As you are there for five days before the tour, wouldn't the best bang for your buck be the four-day Museum Pass (unless there is a longer option that I am unaware of)? And if that is what you decide to purchase, I would suggest moving your Day Three itinerary to Day One or Day Five. The pass needs to be used on continuous days, and I don't think it is required for either the Cemetery or the Shopping Street.

Maybe you can do a 'best of' with respect to the Champs Elysees and walk just a third (or two-thirds) of it - there are two metrostops between the two ends (Arc de Triomphe and Concorde).

Porcupyn

Thank you for your suggestion to walk part of the way up the Champs-Elysees and then take the subway to the Arc de Triomphe. That is a good idea if we are tired of walking. I will keep that in mind. The days of what I plan to do are not set in stone nor are they in any real order. I can move things around. I am trying to figure how and what to do each day. Room for changes. Do I need the museum pass as the Orangerie Museum is the only museum the pass covers that is in my list? The museums at the very top, I do not plan to go to as I have been there already. Just what I list in the four days. It looks like I will be there for five, but the first day is to rest and walk around as I will have jet lag and will not be in the mood to go to a museum. See how it goes that day. That is why I started with day two. We will get a pass when we go on the tour for other museums.

Hmmm ... you are right. For some reason, my mind defaults to Museum Pass ;-).

I think you would need tickets (or the pass) for climbing up Arc de Triomphe or the towers of Notre Dame. We did the former but not the latter (were not in time for it).

BTW, I don't think I saw about when you are going there, but right now, the Christmas Market is in full swing on Champs Elysees close to Place de la Concorde, so if you walk along it, you might not even notice your tiredness ...

Porcupyn

Hi will most likely go in Sept 2015. Never climbed the Arc de Triomphe. Hate lots of stairs. Is there a lot of stairs and is there an elevator? Not sure I would like to go to top of Notre Dame, due to stairs.

Just went to the rooftop of Arc de Triomphe this week -- guy at entrance looked at me and asked if I wanted to use the elevator (being 70 has its perks) so I only needed to climb the last set of about 27 stairs.

ann,

I maybe off base here, but if you're on a tour, aren't you on their schedule?

in any case, what i did was to use a map of Paris and plot out where i wanted to go/do/see things. Then i grouped them into areas. For me it save my legs by not having to run back and forth across some city. if i remember correctly Ricks book on Paris had estimated times for some attractions. I used those number for "estimates" and if i liked what was there, i would pad the time +/-.

Note that there are some things you may want to head to first thing in the AM or do later in the day or night if they happen to be open.

When i was in Paris in a March, the Orsay was busy with people waiting to get tickets. The security line wasnt too bad. The Louve the same way and if you can do first thing in the AM thats not bad. Also using the underground entrance from the RER was nice. i havent done the late wednesday? night entrance, but i think some people have.

I did the Louve > Champs-Elysee > Arc de Triomphe walk since it was nice out and it was easy.

I did an "Passage/Architecture" tour and saw several of them.

The Pantheon and Napoleons Tomb wasnt crowded when i was there.

The Eiffel Tower will be crowded to use the lifts up & down so expect to wait if you decide to go to the top. Lines for bathrooms too.

Sainte- Chappelle and Notra Dame could be done together. Note that Chappelle had a loooong security line. Notra Dame i just walked in, no lines.

happy trails.

ann:

I believe folks there told us that Arc de Triomphe has 284 (give or take a few for my inaccuracy) steps. My wife and under-10 kid were dead tired - it was about 9 pm on our day 2 of 2 in Paris - and so decided to not walk up. My teenager and I were game for it and had a nice time (though we did not count). Champs Elysees was all lit up and the ferris wheel at the end added to the color and glamour. Though it was a cloudy evening - and we had a few light drizzles when we were up there - we were able to easily spot the Sacre Coeur and of course, the Eiffel Tower with its circling beam of light.

Laura:

Hmmm. That was nice of them. We were informed that the elevators are for the disabled, and though I wanted to ask if we could have the two of them ride up the elevator as they were really tired, wife was OK to stay on firm ground :-)

Ray:

She has a few days before the tour begins. When I first read the original post, for a few minutes, I wondered whether the 11 was some Rick Steves tour# that I was unaware of (to be honest, I don't really follow Rick Steves, though I have heard his name, of course!) ;-)

I did the Louve > Champs-Elysee > Arc de Triomphe walk since it was
nice out and it was easy.

Did you like a specific portion of it more than the rest? I believe the part closer to the Arc has more shops etc, right?

Also, we visited Orsay, Louvre, Notre Dame (the cathedral not the tower), and the Arc in the evening/night - plus Versailles at about 11 in the morning - and there were no lines anywhere. I was really really surprised both at Louvre and Versailles - I asked the security guys "Are we inside already now?"

Porcupyn

Hi Ann. I recently rode up the elevator at the Arc du Triomphe and walked down. I had to ask where the entrance of the elevator was, no one asked me a question why.

I do like your idea of spending time on the islands and more time at the Notre Dame. Try to visit early morning if there is bright sun, great light through the windows. The islands are lovely.

I also suggest the Rodin museum if you have not been, the gardens are stunning and the sculptures in the garden setting is fabulous. You could then walk past the Invalides, the Army museum to the Eiffel tower. In my last visit, I left the Rodin at dusk, saw the stunning lights on the Invalides and then to the bright Eiffel tower.

If you can, do the sunset at the Trocadero, go before sunset to capture the descending light. And watch the Eiffel Tower light at dusk, the best!

Do enjoy, Paris is my favourite cit.