RS Best of Paris in 7 days - considering what additional activities to do

Hello! My adult daughter and I are hoping to do this trip next April as well and want to plan some extra activities. I am interested to see your replies. Which week have you booked? We are considering March 30- April 6th. We’ve had 3 days there together several years ago and did a couple of bike tours which were fantastic. We also would like to do a food tour.
Happy planning!
Janet

Fontainebleau is a beautiful chateau and not crowded like Versailles. I really enjoyed my visit there much more than Versailles. But it does that a while to get there and involves a few transfers. First you have to take the metro or taxi to Gare de Lyon train station in Paris. Then at Gare de Lyon you will take the train towards Montargis, Montereau, or Laroche-Migennes and get off at the Fontainebleau-Avon station. From there, you will take the #1 bus heading towards Les Lilas and get off at the the Château stop. If you are not comofortable with public transportation, the chateau's website recommends "PARISCityVISION organises tours of the Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte castles from Paris, departing from the agency located at 2 rue des Pyramides 75001 Paris." I looked it and the duration is 9 hours, which means you probably can't doing during any of the tour days. But you can try it on one of the days you will be in Paris pre-tour.

https://www.pariscityvision.com/fr/paris/environs/chateau-de-fontainebleau

I would definitely do the Fountainbleau day on a non-tour day, maybe on the Saturday before the tour starts. TBH, the Paris City Vision tour looks pretty easy - both Fountainbleau AND Vaux le Vicomte.

This is going to be SUCH a wonderful time for you two! I loved the Best of Paris tour. Mine did not stay at the Hotel Londres Eiffel which I am guessing is where yours is staying. I love that area and over to Rue Cler. The real downside is it taught me so much about Paris that I fell in love and just can't visit enough,lol!!

Are you interested in Art Nouveau architecture? Something to do the arrival afternoon if this sounds like fun, is to see some of the buildings right in that hotel neighborhood.

https://www.parisperfect.com/blog/2011/03/art-nouveau-7th-arrondissement/
http://parisadele.com/portfolio/lavirotte-building-and-square-rapp/?fbclid=IwAR0ewCFJJSQ-dsJpEx6Ax4gVPAx9adU-k00kFVJLAhHRTngXax8Tb3R7n6Q

And here is a Cory Frye youtube video that starts at the Lavriotte Building on Avenue Rapp. If you watch this walking tour, when at 9:50 there is a street going off to the right, your hotel is the first on the left. You can't quite see it with his camera work. Just gives you an idea of the neighborhood!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAY8vsAbpFs

I loved Giverny (though I went there in September when the flowers were full on), and I think having seen that made the water lilies more meaningful for my 12yoa son when I took him to the Orangerie later. When we went, there was a joint admission ticket (you don't have to use both tickets on the same day). Giverny is an easy day trip that loads of people do and probably also available as an organized bus tour. Orangerie is a short visit.
In regard to getting around, I encourage you to enlist your daughter's help with directions and transfers. Make that phone useful for once, eh? Especially for Napoleon-related places that you might not otherwise take an interest in.

pbscd,
If Giverny is open, I would definitely go there. April should have lots of tulips in bloom. In my opinion spring has the most impressive flower show. It can be a slightly -over half day trip by train, and on return the Orangerie would match well with Giverny.
The Rodin Museum is one of my favorites (I go there every time I visit Paris). It, the Invalides and the Eiffel Tower are close enough to group them together for a day's excursion. (This does not include going up the Tower, just around the base, the Champs de Mars, etc.)...Eiffel Tower, then the Invalides, then the Rodin Museum, with lunch at the cafe there (good food, good prices, fits well time-wise after the Tower, Invalides, and before a good hour at the Musee Rodin. You would still have the latter part of the afternoon to walk or take a metro to other sights you have mentioned not covered by the tour. If you get a reservation to go up the Eiffel Tower, try to make it fit as the first thing you do, or later in the afternoon after the other two things. This is just to avoid backtracking. And this may limit your opportunity to see something else that day. (As if those three things weren't enough!!!)
Sundays at, I believe, 11:00 a.m. is when you could attend a mass at St.Sulpice to hear the organ, and most times, there will be organ music the hour before mass as well, so that gives you time before your meeting for a visit to one or two of the other places you mentioned before your meeting.
I hope you have a wonderful trip. The hard part is narrowing things down to see. What a problem to have! Bon voyage!

I apologize that I don't know how to multi-quote, and I was away for a few days but I do appreciate all of the comments and help here!

We booked the tour for April 6-12. My daughter actually doesn't have a phone, and I need to contact RS to see how we will do the tour at the Louvre because it says tour on smartphone. I have one, she doesn't.

Oh I love love love the idea of hiring a tour company to take us from Paris. I am so intimidated by multiple stops and transfers.

I may need to further extend our trip/ arrive a day earlier. We haven't purchased airplane tickets yet, it was just the general idea that we'd leave the US on Wednesday so that we could adjust and have some extra fun and time to explore. She and I did a tour of Italy this year and I was amazed at how exhausted I was for our welcome dinner but the truth is, we flew in that morning and didn't sleep a moment on the airplane.
Yes, Hotel Londres Eiffel is where we were told we're staying.
Thank you for the Art Noveau idea!

Maybe of minor point, but is it complicated to get to the Arc de Triomphe? I saw on a video advice to not use the roundabout, that would be deadly (I believe that's a busy area for cars) and we need to walk down somewhere then we turn up on the other side able to see it? Also, do you think we'll have decent success in finding other tour members who want to do some afternoon non-scheduled activities with us? I'm fine with being on our own, too, but sometimes it's nice having more people to help reassure that we're in the right spot, you know?

is it possible I would connect with other people on our tour and we'd do some of these things together?

If you ask around for people who want to go to some site and then head your separate ways once there you might find more takers, although that means you'll still need to get back on your own. Many people want to visit at their own pace and it can be a bit uncomfortable to be with a couple who wants to look at a painting for 10 seconds and then move on if you want to gaze for a while, and vice versa.

Smartphones have been a game-changer for getting around. I remember the days of poring over the tiny print on a "Streetwise Paris" map and trying to figure out how to get somewhere. Now Google Maps or a bunch of other apps will tell you what bus or metro line(s) to take. Although I still like to look at the map to get a general sense of where I am and are trying to go. And as a last resort if you're really feeling flustered you could take a taxi back to the hotel.

We've been on 3 Rick Steves tours, and we always arrive a day or two early, and often stay a day or two later. You definitely can't count on others in your group to align with your independent plans, though it often happens organically within the tour setting, when people make a connection with others and they may say hey we are going here on our free time, would you like to join us. It happens but you can't count on it, and unlikely before or after the tour. There were probably 8 couples on our most recent tour to extended their stay by a couple of days and everyone of us had a different agenda.

The Rodin Museum is definitely something you can do on your own in your free time while on the tour. The gardens are absolutely delightful. We never made it inside the museum as we arrived late in the day, and just enjoyed the sculptures and gardens so much that we skipped inside.

We went to St Suplice before mass on a Sunday morning to listen to the organ. Quite impressive. You can definitely do that on the Sunday your tour begins. (Check their website for the schedule.) Then walk (5 min) before or after to Maison Mulot for a delicious pastry.

The G7 official Paris taxi app is the best thing you can do for yourself. Easy, user friendly and always have a way to get a taxi right where you are.

Definitely easy and fun to do the Arc de T. Yes there is an underground pedestrian way to cross the craziness. I still remember being on top with my daughter watching all the traffic many years ago. Going to see Napoleon’s tomb would be easy and close to do as well. Paris is walkable but you’ll learn how to use the metro on the tour, you’ll get a pass and before you know it you’ll figure it out. Have a great trip! And, READ the RS Paris guidebook, full of practical how to info.

Oh yes, if you can go another day earlier, I'd do so! There is SO MUCH to see and do in Paris, the more time the better.

On the Louvre...I guess that means no tour guide if they are having you use the RS audio tour of the Louvre. There are audio guides available from the Louvre. Let me check to see if you can reserve/pay for them without purchasing a ticket. The Louvre ticketing website is currently giving me fits...so remind me next February, hahaha!! I will be there in October so will try to check then in person as well.

Sometimes, if you are feeling anxious about a particular slightly complex transit route, it's just easier to pay someone to take you there, as in the Fountainbleau City Visions tour. For Giverny, this one really is easy and yes, you can do it on your own. After you take the train to Vernon, you get off and there are buses waiting to shuttle you to Giverny. They are painted with Impressionist water lilies so are easy to notice PLUS the herd from the train will all be headed in that direction.

The time to see if anyone wants to go to a certain place with you is as you are all forming up for the day or at a meal. Once the guide sets you off on your own, everyone will disappear!

Definitely download the apps for CityMapper (getting around Paris) and the G7 taxis. IF you are pooped this is a good way to get back home. As soon as you get to Hotel Londres Eiffel, both of you tuck a business card from the front desk into your wallets/purses, etc. It's so easy if you are flagging down a taxi (yes, you can do this!) to just show them the address on the business card.

BTW, I used the app Timeshifter for jet lag last August after having the worst jet lag in my life in Spring 2023. I do not know what I did then to get my circadian rhythm SO screwed up that it too a week to get me unscrewed! Using Timeshifter I had no jet lag either going or coming back home. The first round trip is free.

Can you tell the whole forum is excited for you guys?

No, it's not complicated to get to the Arc de Triomphe. There is an underground tunnel so you won't have to cross any streets and deal with cars.

Watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buOobuqZ5RU

Thank you, all! We are excited! I asked my daughter this summer after we had recovered from Italy if there was anywhere she could go, where would it be. And she did not hesitate to say Paris. She loves art, history, and literature and we both got so much out of our Italy tour.

I will look into adjusting my circadian rhythm. Unfortunately we just couldn't sleep on the plane. Whenever I'd start to relax, the man behind me would (I'm sure accidentally) bump my seat enough to jar me fully awake.

I will get those city mapper and G7 apps. I do definitely plan to take a taxi to/from airport. I am wondering if it'd be most valuable to stay a couple of days later/save the more adventurous solo (duo) places for after we've gotten comfortable with the metro.

I bought the France guidebook and have been reading that. I love the idea of these day trips but it also looks like there are basically limitless things for us to enjoy inside of Paris as well.

"I am wondering if it'd be most valuable to stay a couple of days later/save the more adventurous solo (duo) places for after we've gotten comfortable with the metro."

This is a good plan as well because the RS guides work with their group members on Metro and RER (train to Versailles is an RER) skills...where to stand to not annoy Parisians, what to look for, how to navigate.

I'd still want to arrive a day or 2 early if you can and then if you can add extra time at the end, do so. IF you think that might be a possibility and want to stay at Londres Eiffel, go ahead and book a refundable rate. That way you've got your room locked in...it's easier to cancel than book later.

IF you want to change hotels afterward but be close enough to walk easily with your suitcases I'm happy to tell you the other hotels in the area I use.

My daughter actually doesn't have a phone, and I need to contact RS to see how we will do the tour at the Louvre because it says tour on smartphone. I have one, she doesn't.

I'm not sure about other smartphones, but if you both have Apple Beats Flex wireless headphones you can connect and listen to the same iphone. They're about $50 per set. They're rechargeable, might need recharging every three days or so depending on the hours of use you give them.

Since the RS tour doesn’t include Musee Marmottan or l’Orangerie, My favorites in Paris, I encourage you to visit them on your own.