On our return trip from visiting friends in Helsinki mid-May, we'll be overnighting in Paris. We land at DeGaulle at 2:20 p.m. and our flight home leaves the next day at 11:30 a.m. Our hotel is not far from Jardin du Luxembourg.
We've never been to Paris and we don't want to waste a good night there (especially since it's Saturday night). Suggestions for a VERY limited visit? Taxi in from the airport? Then what? We're not real foodies, so, because we must choose, we'd rather see sights than eat a fabulous meal.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
You'll be walking into your hotel room, roughly, not much before 5:00pm, and you'll need to be back at the airport in the morning.
So you have an evening and a breakfast in Paris.
Some of the sights (some museums, etc) will be closed before you can get to them.
And so, you'll want to focus on sights that don't close at 6pm.
How about a romantic boat ride on the Seine, and then the Eiffel Tower--that way you see Paris both from the river and then from a thousand feet up.
Posted by
Ft Collins
39 posts
David, it would help if we had an idea of your interests. However, let me take a swing at it; there are just some things you have to see and do - visit the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Couer and Notre Dame and use the Metro to get to there. The Metro is clean (relatively), safe (relatively), cheap, efficient, and fun. Buy a carnat (10 tickets) from the person at the window when you enter the Metro. You said a fancy dinner isn’t important. How about a memorable one? Picnic on Champ de Mars (the park in front of the Eiffel Tower) at sunset with the Parisians. You can get everything you need on Rue de Cler nearby. The other great option is to eat at a café in Artists Square in Monte Marte, then watch the sunset over Paris from the stairs in front of Sacre Couer. There are always street entertainment and lots of locals to watch. There are always museums. If you like Impressionism, Musee d’Orsay is a must see. Other than that, walk the same streets Benjamin Franklin walked on the Left Bank or sit at a café frequented by F. Scott Fitzgerald – enjoy!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
(from prior reply) "Musee d’Orsay is a must see."
Reading the question posted, they're going to have from about 5pm to 8am in Paris. For that reason, it may be more helpful to suggest things that are likely to be open in the evening or have a view at night. N'est-ce pas?
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
To make some slight corrections to the earlier posts:
There is no place called Artist's Square in Montmartre, if you're seaching on a map look for Place du Tertre.
The Sacre Coeur basilica is open until ten or eleven, but not really worth the time on a whirlwind tour.
The d'Orsay museum is open until ten one night a week, but is also closed all of one day each week. Additionally it's in the midst of renovations and some of it's major works are on tour somewhere in the western part of the United States.
Rue Cler is not the essence of Paris.
Kent's absolutely correct. You don't have time for much so you need to catch the highlights. Here's an idea:
Hike yourself down the hill from Lux Gardens staying on the east side of Blvd Saint Michel and angling through the Latin Quarter toward Pont au Double. Keep you eyes open for intersting places to eat, you'll come back this way later.
Cross the bridge and visit Notre Dame. When you're done, duck into the Cite metro station, study the diagram, and figure out how to get to the Charles de Gaulle/Etoile station. When you pop above ground you'll be under the Arc. Walk around, but don't bother to go up. When you're done, use the underground tunnel to get to the Champs Elysses and walk southeast to AVe George V and head downhill toward the river. After passing the Crazy Horse Saloon, you'll cross the Pont de Alma bridge.
The Eiffel Tower is off to your right. Go there and go up it. The lines shouldn't be that bad. If they are, wait and go up anyway.
When you're done, head back toward the Pont de Alma bridge, but don't go across. Walk the left (south) bank of the river until you're back close to Notre Dame. Go watch the performers in the squarte or cut back into the area you started from and find that place to eat.
That's the essential of downtown Paris without the museums.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Sunday's the best time for Montmartre, mornings the best time of Sunday, and sunrise is the best part of the morning. Make the most of it if you have time. You can ride the funicular to the top of the hill and the Gare de Nord is handy to get back to the airport.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Ed has given you a good walking route.
If you want to combine walking with a boat ride on the Seine, consider taking the Batobus. There are eight stops. The one near Notre-Dame is the closest to your hotel. You can get off at any stop, explore a bit on foot, and then get on the next boat. In May the boats run until 19:00.
If you're packing light, I suggest that you take the RER B from CDG to Luxembourg and either walk to your hotel from there or take a very short taxi ride. The fare for a single ticket is 8.50 EUR and includes transfers to the metro and/or other RER lines until you exit the system.
Be aware that the RER B line divides northeast of Paris. If you take it back to CDG, be sure to get on a train that is going there. If you leave Luxembourg on the RER B at 07:51 (07:59 from Gare du Nord), you will arrive at CDG at 08:29, a full three hours before your flight is scheduled to depart.
If you think you'll take a few rides on the metro and/or RER within central Paris, buy a ten-ticket carnet (11.60 EUR) and share the tickets. Each ticket provides unlimited transfers until you exit the system. Each ticket provides bus-to-bus transfers for up to 90 minutes after boarding the first bus. A single ticket will cover your ride one way on the Montmartre funicular.