Your First time in Paris

A nighttime boat cruise on the Seine. The Orsay. Notre Dame. Brunch at Le Flore en L'Ile, which is a short walk across the Seine and faces the back of Notre Dame. Sits at the tip of Ile St. Louis.

I’ve taken 3 diff groups of people to Paris for their first time so I try to mix activities to repeat things I don’t mind doing again with activities I have never done. After all, it’s your trip as well and she has never been before so everything will be novel to her. The Eiffel Tower from Trocadero is a definite must, I agree. I suggest the Seine boat ride, walking the Tuilleries from the Louvre to Orangerie, meandering along the Seine and checking out the Bouquinistes and ending up at Shakespeare and Co, Notre Dame and Ile St. Louis. Also have her watch Rick’s shows or read his books so she can pick what she wants to do. Have a great time!

Hard to pick, but a stroll after dark around Ile Saint-Louis. It can be mobbed during the day, but after dark some streets have buzzy cafes and gelato fueled scenes while just around the corner it is quiet and all yours to discover. It made for some of the most memorable walking we enjoyed in our trip to Paris.

Agree the Eiffel Tower during the evening when lights come on is a definite must. A Seine boat ride (preferably at night), Luxembourg Gardens, strolling along the Seine, and Notre Dame and Ile St. Louis are also great for first timers.

Montparnasse Tower and or Arc de Triomphe in the evening. Great views of the city lit up w/the Eiffel Tower in the view.

Cathedral Sainte-Chapelle is my #1 site. #2 is the nightly task of finding a good restaurant - we don't go to specific places, just look for a dining location, and look at menus. Away from the main streets, of course. Ask at your hotel where such areas are. You go around and check and use your French at whatever level to pretend not to be tourist. I also enjoy history, so Les Invalides with the tomb of Napoleon is a must-see. Also on the 4th floor are miniature models of French cities from 400 years ago; these were studied by Peter the Great, Czar of all the Russias, when he was in disguise as a common seaman. Of course, the museums and the Touleries. Sacre Coeur is worth a stop. It just depends on the interests of your friend. There are plenty of stops we have not made, after 3 trips there.

Never been there in November. It should be fun, but of course you will have only a short day. You need lots of indoor activities.

Being on top of Notre Dame with the Gargoyles and walking around Ile St Louis at night were great for me. And of course the food. November was great for an early sunset from Eiffel tower then a stroll to the Trocadero and dinner after and not as many people at sites.

I flubbed my French and stated confidently, "je suis un pomme."

BANANE!! Je suis une banane.

Sainte Chapelle is my favorite! The windows are a wonder. I also enjoyed exploring the Marais because once you're off the main streets, it's nice and quiet---hard to believe you're in the same city as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and all the tourists.

Have her review a guidebook (DK is good for the pictures, but too heavy to take along) and make her choices of "sights." Try to keep it to one major sight a day, and maybe a "lesser" one nearby. Leave plenty of time for that strolling and discovery. Include the Trocadero view, preferably at night, and a river cruise. Stay somewhere close enough to the center that you can walk to interesting places and explore.

The outstanding memory from my first trip (1963) is tromping through the Catacombs with a candle in my hand, looking at thousands of medieval skulls staring back at me. Left a strong impression. Now I understand it's lit electrically, and I'm old enough to prefer being above ground a while longer. I wouldn't recommend it for a first trip when the city has so much more to offer -- unless she's really into that sort of thing.

Would Versailles be important to her?

Wandering around Montmartre neighborhoods, climbing the Notre Dame tower for that iconic view of Paris with a gargoyle right there, watching the ET sparkle from the top of the Arc d'Triomphe, and a nighttime cruise on the Seine when the monuments are lit up.

I would only advise going to Sainte-Chapelle on a sunny day, around 1 PM, because all the stained glass will be lost on you, otherwise.