Help Planning a trip

My two cents worth: the picnic is probably going to be very, very chilly and probably wet (for average temps and weather check out http://www.wunderground.com/travelplanner/index.asp, plug in Paris, and select your travel dates). If you've never been to Paris before, make sure your planning includes figuring out transportation between sights before you go to economize sightseeing. Perhaps a hop on hop off bus would be an option, though I have no personal experience with that.

Thank you. I'm not opposed to doing organized tours if that's what you are suggesting is a better option. Any suggestions for tours?
Thanks!

Let the girls go on a Fat Tire Bike tour of Paris, they will enjoy not spending every minute with you and they will get a fun light tour of central |Paris, VERY safe, run completly by Americans, look up the website. The day bike tour meets at the foot of the Eiffel Tower , twice a day, no need to reserve so just go if weather is decent. The picnic idea is a bit of a fantasy for the winter, bring a warm rain jacket and gloves.
Moulin Rouge is overated area, mostly tacky sex shops and strip bars, I don't think I would bother , its not particularily dangerous but it is tacky and a bit seedy , once again I think their fantasys are ruling. They need to get a guide book and do some reading I think. Paris is very safe for girls to go do their own thing, and at their ages they should do their own planning, I made both mty 13 yr old ad 11 yr old do research and come up with three things they wanted to see. What do you and other adults want to do, musuems, shops, galleries, churches?

Tours, well many people rave about walking tours, but I would suggest you not do a big bus tour, you just drive by stuff and they are costly for 5 people. There are HOHO bus tours ( hop on and off at will, buses circulate a four set routes and pass by all major sites ) , if weather is nice they are good to sit up top and get a birds eye view of city, plus you can visit sites as you wish. A two day ticket is only a few euros more then the one day pass. I have used L"Open Tour ( bright green and yellow buses) you pay when you board, so not prebooking is needed and you can board them anywhere they have stops by all sites, ( look on map on website to see closest stop to your hotel).

Libby, you've been given some good advise......but let us know where you are staying so the board can offer better advise/options. How healthy is your Senior? What do they want to see? I presume you've looked through Rick Steve's guidebooks?

First, pick up a Rick Steves Paris guide and at least one other guidebook that looks good to you (everyone likes different ones). They will have "if you have two days in Paris" suggested itineraries. Look at these, and see if they appeal. If they are missing something you consider essential, then adjust accordingly. Second, accept that you will only get a small taste of the city, and that you will have to be ruthlessly selec-tive. You will also have to compromise; with 5 people, everyone will probably have to miss something they had their heart set on seeing. Make this clear to everyone now, so there's no whining once you're there. Third, if you want specific recommendations, we'll need specific interests. It doesn't help for me to tell you my favorite museums if you want to shop for shoes instead. There is nothing wrong with any particular interest, either; if you really do want to go shoe-shopping, don't let anyone tell you that you "shouldn't" do this and should be seeing the Louvre instead. I can't imagine why the college girls want to see the Moulin Rouge area (particularly with such a short time in Paris). It's grungy, and you can just look at a picture of the famous windmill instead. Use the time saved getting there (it's not near most other attractions) to see things that are more worthwhile. As for a place to eat, unless you really are celebrating a special occasion and want to make reservations and pay a lot, I'd just find places as you are sightseeing. If still want restaurant recommendations, we'll need to know your budget, the area(s) you'll be in, the cuisine(s) you had in mind, and just what you mean by "satisfy all" (just what do you envision in a restaurant? "Best" means different things to different people).

Libby, I'd have to give this some thought, but one point that stands out is that having a picnic on the grass in front of La Tour Eiffel on Dec. 1 or 2 may be a cold and wet experience. Might be a good idea to work out a "backup plan" in case that's not possible. Although there shouldn't be many queues to contend with, a Paris Museum Pass may be worthwhile (depending on which places you plan to visit)? If you're planning to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, you may want to reserve tickets on-line. I'll try and offer more suggestions later. Cheers!

I was in Paris 6 weeks ago and the lawns in front of the Eiffel Tower were all fenced off. You can still have a picnic on the grounds but you'll have to sit on benches. If you ever want to grab some food on the go, there are plenty of grocery stores such as Monoprix where you can buy ready-made sandwiches or pastries for a few euros each.

Look into the Paris Greeter tours. Reserve 2-3 wks before you leave, choose the area, walk is about 2hrs, FREE, but please tip your guide. Paris is one of my favorite cities. Will be returning next Sept. with my 2 daughters. The hop on off bus is a good value if you have limited time.
Have fun!!

The Paris Greeter program is great and is well worth the time. I did my online application about a month before my trip. We ended up doing a tour of the Marais with a man who was raised there. One note - this program is free, but donations are accepted to keep the program going. Tipping the guide is not allowed. We did take our guide out for a drink after our tour, which lasted about 3-4 hours. If our time had been tighter we could have cut it short, but our guide was more than willing to take as long as we wanted.

Eat at the Eiffel Tower restaurant. I'm told it was good.

If the picnic doesn't work out, I'd say the best way to view the Eiffel Tower is from the Bateaux Mouches on the Seine at night! Fun for all ages, and its the City of Light after all. I have looked into the Moulin Rouge before, as my friend recommends the 11 pm champagne show, but it is very expensive!! Unless you all love museums and consider the Mona Lisa a must-see, the Louvre will take up a lot of time, and I prefer the L'Orangerie (Monet!!!) or the Orsay. You must see Saint Chappelle, and the St. Germaine area is my favorite for shopping. If there is a concert (we saw Bach) at Saint Chappelle, even better. I recommend finding a creperie or brasserie when wandering the Latin Quarter.