What to do for our first weekend?

When we took an evening cruise on the Seine last May, we noticed many youths picnicking by the side of the river. That is what I would do if I were you.

Maybe a fat tire bike tour - day or night - would be fun. They also have a tour that goes out to Versailles where you buy a picnic at the market and then ride through the gardens, and I believe, one to Giverny, but I have not done that one. Or walking and window shopping the Champs Elysees.

Walk, walk, walk. . . . stopping at a cafe (not the ones next to the major tourist sites) for a coffee or a glass of wine. Walk along the Seine after dark (which will be pretty late) - the classic buildings and bridges are illuminated from dusk (10 p.m.) till about midnight.

The Marais quarter is great on the weekends (and near the 11th). You'll see a combination of tourists and (mostly) locals out and about. Some of the upscale boutiques will be open and some of the major streets are closed to vehicles, so all are out strolling, enjoying the outdoor cafes and lolling on the grass. If you want a little culture, stop in at the Carnavalet Museum there. It's free and very interesting, lovely building too.

A Fat-Tire bike tour (or really fun but pricey Segway tour) is a great idea.

being young, fit and adventurous I would do the Catacombs for a thrill. Wanted to do them on my last trip but we had my 70 year old mother with us and hubby has a bad knee.......

Agree whole heartedly with Chani -- walk, walk, walk. No better way to start to get to know the city. And the parks are great places on the weekend.

I'm with Chani and TC...walk, walk, walk!

Near the Louvre are some very cool Covered Passages that you can walk thru. Many are filled with shops and restaurants, so it's great if the day is wet. Here are some links:

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/mar/02/paris-hidden-passages-shopping-shops
http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/france/paris/experiences/pariss-covered-arcades-53789250
http://www.aviewoncities.com/paris/passages.htm

If you happen to have a Streetwise laminated map of Paris, you can see them on there. They are outlined in blue. Otherwise I can pick some of them out on googlemaps but you have to know where to look. From the Louvre, go north to where you see Galerie Vivienne.

If any of you are interested in Art Nouveau, do this walk after you go see the Eiffel Tower.

http://www.parisperfect.com/blog/2011/03/art-nouveau-7th-arrondissement/

Last time I was in Paris I tried to see how many times I could pick out the Eiffel Tower from various places in Paris. It's amazing how often you can see it! My favorite is how many times you can look out the windows at the Louvre and get a glimpse.

I'm old so these may not appeal to you but there is plenty to do!

Also, get Rick's Paris guide book (does well on an iPad) and do some of his walks in there.

Have a wonderful, wonderful time!

PS Really, you need to go to the Eiffel Tower your first weekend. Not to go up in it, but get off at Ecole Militaire metro stop. Walk the couple of blocks to the Champs de Mars then along it to the Eiffel Tower (being very wary of any young women with petitions that ask you if you speak English or are pretending to be deaf and mute....just hold on to your purses and walk on).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champ_de_Mars

In addition to the above excellent suggestions, go to the Trocadero to see the Eiffel Tower - by day and by night, it's a great view, and it's free.

Rick has a great Historic Paris Walk, which is a wonderful thing to do on your arrival day if you're up to it. Don't plan to go inside anything - just do the walk to get a sense of the city. https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/paris

Since you may want to buy essential supplies for your stay on that first weekend, do it Saturday since many stores do not open on Sunday. For small purchases the Monoprix chain, which you can find on-line, is a young traveller's friend, stocking everything from cosmetics and clothes to groceries and paper goods, depending on the size of the outlet.