Hello, My Family and I will going to Paris in early July. We have 5 days and long list off things to do. We arrive late Monday night and leave light afternoon on Saturday. So far we only have purchased museum passes, hip-on-hop-off bus tickets, and a reservation for Eiffel Tower. Is this enough to get to complete our list. Should be get a tour for each museum or our the Audio Guides alright? We would really like to accomplish: *** Notre Dame Cathedral *** Louvre *** Sainte-Chapelle *** Osray Museum *** Eiffel Tower *** Army Museum and Napoleon's tomb *** Arc de Triomphe *** Sacre Coer and Montamarte *** Seine River Cruise *** Verasilles ** Pantheon
Is this enough time to see and visit each sight? I do realize some sight like the Louvre take a lot of time.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
If you don't camp out in the art museums or study all the armor, you can fit it all in easily in two days - - except for Versailles which is just about a full day project. You might want to do the river ride after you get back from Versailles.
Posted by
Savannah, GA
1382 posts
You really have to consider what you LIKE to do. Many people in the Louvre are there because they think they have to go. Same with Versailles. How much do you like art? How much do you like architecture? What are the most important sites for you?
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10600 posts
By my count you have 4 days plus part of a 5th day. Luckily for you it will stay light until quite late that time of year. Try to group things together geographically for time savings - Notre Dame and St. Chapelle are close to each other, etc. How much time you spend in museums is up to you. It would be easy to spend the entire visit exploring the Louvre, or you could spend a couple of hours dashing between whatever your highlights would be. Ed's suggestion of doing the river cruise the same day as Versailles is a good one. I think the river cruises are best at sundown. Are you going to climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe? I like to do that late, so you can be up there when it gets dark. It's a great place to take photos. IMO it's better than the Eiffel Tower because you get the tower in your shots. Be sure to allow some time to sit in a sidewalk cafe and relax. Watch the people going by. Paris is much more than rushing from site to site. Have a great time in my favorite city!
Posted by
San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA
98 posts
FYI..the Louvre and the Orsay are open late a couple of nights a week (I believe the Louvre is Wed. and Fri. and Orsay is Thr. and another eve). They are both open until at least 9PM on these evenings and are MUCH less crowded during these later hours. Have a wonderful trip....you will LOVE Paris!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
And, since the two museums came up, they do a Monday/Tuesday flip flop on being closed, so you'll have to check on that and plug it in.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4415 posts
Ian, I assume you're using a good guidebook; pay close attention to the various sites' and museums' hours and days of operation.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7158 posts
How important is it to you to have a dedicated/narrated cruise on the Seine? If you just want a boad ride on the river, think about using the Batobus hop-on/hop-off boats to get from one site to another. The one or two day pass can be very cost-effective. I did this for one day and rode the boat to the ET and Notre Dame. I made a complete circuit and saw everything from the boat that the cruises do, just no narration. Just a note, they don't have an upper deck so you have to try to get outside in the front or back to get good views. Overall, I think 4-1/2 days is enough to see what you have on your list as long as you plan your days' sightseeing efficiently. Study a good map of Paris and make a list of open/closed days and hours for museums.