I'll be going on my first trip to Europe this Sept./Oct. I'll be doing the RS London 7 Day tour and then taking the Eurostar over to Paris for a couple of days. I've got a rough idea of what my itinerary might look like, but would love some advice. Here's what I'm thinking: Sat. October 1: -Board Eurostar in London (probably the 9am local time train) -Arrive in Paris around 12:30 LT -Metro to hotel and drop baggage. I'm staying at Hotel de Londres Eiffel near the Eiffel Tower. -Spend afternoon walking around Rue Cler and Champs Elysee areas. -Climb Eiffel Tower in the evening (pre-order tickets) Sun. October 2 -Orsay Museum in the morning (arrive 30 minutes before opening). -Spend afternoon @ Notre Dame (climb tower?), Ile de la Cite, Ile de St. Louis, Latin Quarter... -Seine river cruise from Pont Neuf in the evening. Mon. October 3, 2011 -Louvre in the morning (arrive 30 minutes before opening)
-Board Eurostar back to London, probably around 2:00pm. So what do you think? Is that not enough? Too much? Did I leave out any absolute must sees/dos? On the one hand, I want to see as much as possible, but on the other hand, I want time to relax and enjoy just being in Paris! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! P.S. I know that you can by carnets in London, would I need one or two for this amount of time. It will just be me, and I'll probably combine metro with some walking.
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
Notre Dame area, Ile d'Cite, Seine bridges etc. Even if on a sunday, its great to walk them for the atmosphere , (I dont remember, but would expect Latin Quarter to be livelier), when you are near Notre dame, dont miss St chappelle- the windows are fantastic. prefer the Tuileries gardens and Place Concorde fountians over Luxembourg gardens. More compact, and easier to squeeze into a few days Also walk between sights, walk the side streets, walk. Thats how I pick up the atmosphere. champs Elysee- i always walk down it and i am not a shopper. You dont mention sacre couer an the Montmartre steps. Something i try not to miss in paris- but only if you have the time. Dont delete any of your current plans
Posted by
Lake Oswego, Oregon
1329 posts
I assume this is your first trip to Paris but unless you are really curious about the Champs Elysees, I would skip it. You might add the Rodin museum which is near Rue Cler. I'd also add the Luxembourg Gardens and if you like museums, the Orangerie, Marmatton, Cluny, or Jacquemart Andre. You'll probably be fine with one carnet.
Posted by
Fontainebleau, France
893 posts
I also place the Champs-Elysées low on the list, but if you really want to do it, then don't miss the car dealerships. One huge caveat on your plan: Sunday is free museum day and you are going to find a huge line at the Orsay even 1/2 hour before entrance. And mobs of people while you're there. If you can spare a few extra €'s, I'd suggest doing the Orsay Saturday afternoon. The stores on the Champs are open on Sunday if you wanted to switch those two. Depending on how much you want to do/see, you could squeeze more in to your Sunday if you put the Orsay on Saturday and did a HO/HO bus. You've also definitely got time for a drink from a café and a visit or two to a patisserie - don't skip those LOL!
Posted by
OP
Burgaw, NC
13 posts
Thanks for the info Grier & Dina. I guess the CE isn't all it's cracked up to be. I'll probably pop in to see the Arch, but i won't linger. That's a good idea regarding the Orsay. I knew that it was a free day, but it just didn't register how crowded that would make it. That would give me all of Sunday to just explore the Il de la Cite and maybe add the Luxembourg Gardens. One more thing...will the Il de la Cite, Latin Quarter, etc. be dead on a Sunday, or is there enough open to be worth it?