Paris 3 day Itinerary PLEASE HELP! :-)

Um,, I can see one issue. You have basically two and half days and you have 10 or 11 sites listed. You may have to elimanate a few things. I can group a few sites for you.. Notre Dame and Saint Chapelle. The Eiffel Tower and Invalids. Arc De Triompe and Champs Elysees. I would visit the Louvre, then walk up through Tuilleries Gardens , up Champs, to Arc, then perhaps ET that evening. Next day, perhaps ND( if you want to go up Towers there go before it opens , lines move slow for Towers( line at side of building) , then visit the Church part( line up front looks long but moves steadily) , then Saint Chapelle( where lines can be long, but you can eat a crepe while standing in line and that can be lunch) , then Sacre Couer and Montemarte OR you can walk over to the Latin Quarter . You are going to have to choose to miss a few sites. The Catacombes are fun,, but not near any other sites. Where is daytrip to,, maybe you can do something that evening if not too tired. Orsay and Louvre do have evening hours on some nights.

Day trip is to Amsterdam so nope...no time that day :-) So...You would suggest cutting the Catacombes. We're staying in the 13th so it's actually not too far from where we are staying. What about Les Invalides? Is is worth it or should I cut it. I'm sad that I had to cut Pere Lachaise as well but just not enough time :-(

Hi Rebecca. After Paris, are you going anywhere near Amsterdam? The reason I ask is because Amsterdam is kind of a long daytrip from Paris. I think your time would be better spent if you stayed in Paris or went to a nearby destination for a day, like Versailles or Chartres. It might be a good idea to save Amsterdam for your next trip (like everyone on this board says, "You'll return to Europe!").

I would eliminate Montmartre, Catacombs and Les Invalids. I assume you like art, so see at least some of the Louvre, D'Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, St. Chappelle and of course the Eiffel Tower at night, which is spectacular. Don't need to walk the entire Champs Elysees. And most importantly don't stress over it. When you hit Paris it will all come together. Whatever you decide to do there will be great I'm sure. I've been there 8 times and it's always been great. You should get and read the latest Rick Steves' Paris guidebook if you don't have it.

Rebecca, seriously, you need help. Is this a vacation or a race?. I wish I could be of more help, but I have only been to Paris a few times and still have not packed in what you intend to fly by and see. I am sure that you will get that advice here. I would be stressed too if I had to see all of those in one quick trip. Please have a Crepe Grand Marnier while you stand in line and savour the flavour and try to stress a bit less. I would take a bus tour that includes all or most of those sites.

In my not-many-people-care opinion, I'd cut Champs-Élysées (loud, busy boulevard full of tacky tourist junk), Arc de Triompe, 'Latin Quartier' (too broad a category), Montmartre (see that while walking to/from Sacré-Coeur) and Catacombs (unless that's a burning desire...) Stick the Eiffel Tower in on 'Amsterdam Day'. Get up, bright-eyed and bushytailed, and hit the 'sites' that don't require an entrance (nor entrance hours...) - Arc de Triompe, Latin Quartier and Champs-Éylsées if necessary, etc. Rank your sites in order of most importance - make them the priority. I've been to Paris 6 or so times - I've never made it to the Catacombs, 'Latin Quartier' (or any other 'quartier' that one should see), the top of the Arc de Triompe etc. - you just have to save some things for the next trip - and there'll be a next trip! Don't stress; take a deep breath and PRIORITIZE! Please leave some time to just wander a bit and enjoy the city...sit in the little gardens that you come across, have a drink at the café at the top of the d'Orsay, take a little time here and there to enjoy the city. The Latin Quartier isn't so unique from the rest of Paris that you'll be missing a huge chunk of the Paris experience, for example. People go to Paris for Her ;-) (OK - and the crêpes!)

Tuesday: walk around the Marais, then take a cab over to the Eiffel Tower for evening viewing and dinner in that area (your time is so limited, don't waste it trying to figure out public transportation unless you are on a strict budget). You might ask the cab driver to go by the Arc de Triomphe on the way if you wish. Wednesday or Friday: Notre Dame towers first thing, then enter Notre Dame, on to St. Chappelle, walk around the Latin Quarter, especially near the Pantheon, Louvre open late both nights The other day: D'Orsay, nearby Rodin Gardens if interested, Le Printemps for view (the domeless building) and lunch under the stained glass dome (middle building), Opera Garnier (I think they give an English tour on Wednesdays-it is a fascinating building to visit), then take a cab to Montmartre for the evening if you wish. Please don't worry about "fashionable" shoes; to see the maximum in your 2.5 days, you will need to do a lot of walking and you need solid walking shoes. Visit someplace like REI and ask for recommendations for suitable shoes for walking all day on concrete sidewalks and cobblestones.