Opinions on My Parisian Itinerary

FYI, the Pompidou is covered by the Paris Museum Pass. On the pass Web site it's listed as Centre Pompidou - Musee national d'Art moderne.

The Luxembourg Gardens are one of my favorite places in Paris and always worth going to, anytime of the year.

I agree about seeing Notre Dame and I'd also suggest walking around the two islands: Ile Saint Louis and Ile de la Cite.

Looks like you've done your homework.

Answering only one of your questions:

Re your Sunday, Nov. 22: arrival 8:30am, check-in to hotel. Your hotel may not permit check-in before a certain time, often in the early afternoon; you may want to check this out, if you haven't already, i.e., what time is check in time and, if it doesn't match up with your time for arriving at the hotel, will they store your luggage for you.

The itenary looks great. I also had Notre Dame, Sacre Cour and Moulin Rouge and a trip to a church where all the french royalty is buried- forget the name

If you can fit it in, Sainte Chappelle is not to be missed. It is the most beautiful church I have ever been in. It is near Notre Dame.

Another garden/area that is really pretty is the Place du Voge (sp?).

And there is a vineyard, may not be much to see in the winter though, in the middle of Montmatre. Rick links to an article about it in the New York Times if you check on European headlines on the home page.

Sorry, I wasn't very clear. The "Historic Core walk" I listed on Sun, Nov 22 would include Notre Dame, St Chapelle, the two islands and anything else included in RS's walking tour.

Suggestions:

Mon - start at the Orangerie when they open, to see the huge Monet paintings before the rooms fill up, then on to the Louvre. If you are walking to the Arc de Triomphe, are you planning to go up? Entrance is included in the pass. You can save time by using the elevator, but you have to ask for it (not obvious). Pop in to the Invalides as long as you are at the Army Museum.

Tue - Since the Eiffel Tower isn't covered by the pass, move it to Sun or Fri (not clear if you want to go up in daylight or dark)

Pompidou - open til 9 pm every day (closed Tues). Maybe good to do after Versailles (and resting on the train back to Paris).

"and a trip to a church where all the french royalty is buried- forget the name"

That would be St-Denis, a bit north of Paris.

Jake: If you want to do a bicycle tour, check out Bike About Tours at www.bikeabaouttours.com. We just got back from 2+ weeks in France and our bike tour with them was an absolute highlight. We loved the fact that they take only small groups...the day we went, there was one group of 8 and another group of 7 (our group). And they assume you've either seen or are going to see the "heavy hitter" sites; they take you into the back streets and village-like neighborhoods of Paris. Recommend you do this on your 2nd day in Paris to give you ideas for the remainder of your visit. Rather than having me go on and on, please check out their reviews on Tripadvisor. And e-mail me if you want further information.

Concur with the poster about Ste. Chappelle. We toured the church and loved it so much we came back that night to hear a stringed quartet perform. It was an amazing evening.

I wouldn't do the Marais on the first day when you will be tired. We are really good at reading maps and it is the area of the city where we managed to get rather lost. Not too seriously--just walk towards the Seine if you get lost--but the streets there twist a lot. I'd explore the two Seine islands the first day--save the Marais for a more "wide awake" day.

On the first day, I would plan for only the Historic Walk. That area is beautiful and you'll be tired and want to stop for a meal, etc. You could easily spend a whole day in the immediate vicinity even if you're not tired.

I would then do the Marais and Carnavalet on the same day you do the Pompidou. The RS Marais walk ends at the Pompidou and Marais is otherwise a bit out of the way so I would plan to just go to that area once. I would probably swap your Wednesday and Thursday to accommodate this. If you were planning to use the museum pass at Versailles, you could get a Versailles passport at the train station (RS mentions this) that includes the train ride, the tour, and an audio guide.

When I was there, the Pompidou was included in the museum pass but there were some special exhibits that required an extra fee.

Also since you're staying in the Champs-Elysees area on your second leg, I'd probably wait to do the Arc until then instead of on Monday.

I think you've got a good plan overall. I have a few comments:

1) It doesn't seem like you are getting your money's worth from the museum pass. You may want to consider paying at each museum.

2) I think you've got too much walking for your first day, but if you get tired, you can just quit and save what you missed for Thursday or Friday.

3) The Cluny was my favorite museum in Paris. You could do that when you explore the Left Bank. Of course, I love all things medieval. If you don't, you may want to pass on it.

4) I believe the Versailles combo ticket with the train is no longer offered.

Have a great trip!