PARIS - Suggestions please for one day in Paris with four teens

Personally, I think with what you have planned with the Eiffel Tower, boat cruise, Notre Dame,etc that is about all you will have time to do, if even that, I can't see the Louve being part of the plan, it would just eat up too much time and expense for the amount of time you have, you're going to be rushing around as it is and that would just add too much stress especially having to keep 4 teens in tow.

Do you need travel time in the 10 AM to 8 PM time frame to get to/from your tour/bus? If not, you have more than 1/2 day. Good choices for Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Seine River Cruise. They might also enjoy just running around the Champs de Mars, the park which the Tower sits on. Take a frisbee or ball to throw around and take a photo. After Notre Dame take a walk around the islands perimeter. You can also catch a river boat at the western tip of the Ile de la Cite or at the Eiffel Tower. Takes about 1 hour. Also from Notre Dame, you can take a wonderful walk through shops, food street with take out windows, cafes, food market, etc. Very fun and you can feed them quickly. Go to the Place St Michel (just across from Notre Dame), take the Rue St Andres des Arts which turns into the Rue de Buci and market at the end. Gives you a great flavor of Paris. I know it would be good to recreate your long ago trip, but I would skip the Opera part because your teens will not be interested. As hard as it is, probably the Louvre will have to go too. It is not worth it to buy a Paris Museum Pass for one day for one museum and you don't know how long the line will be. Add the Catacombs. They will love it! Unless someone is
squeamish. This will be for bragging rights for all their friends. Have fun! While you are figuring out the most efficient route to do the sights, consider taking a taxi to cut the time.

Foutains at Place d'Concorde; walk up Champs Elyzee to Arc d'Triomph. Window shop the expensive stores.

I think all teenagers would love going up the Eiffel Tower, so I would make this the first thing to do, because it does take some time. If the weather is very bad though I might re-think this and go up to the top of Notre Dame instead, or perhaps the Arch de Triomphe.
If there is time left over and good weather a boat cruise might be nice, if not perhaps the D'Orsay if they are interested in art -- it's beautiful and is easier to deal with than the Louvre. I think seeing the pyramid at the Louvre plaza and walking through the Tulleries towards Place de Concorde is a nice walk, and you could pop over to the Rue de Rivoli and have hot chocolate at Angelina's if you need a break!

Since teenagers usually have their own opinions of things, I'd suggest asking them what they want to do and then working it in. You can do a lot in PAris in one day. I've done it when people come to visit. I would recommend either the Batobus (HO/HO Boat) or Les Cars Rouge (HO/HO Bus). If you do the bus, you can take it back to the Eiffel Tower and end your day with a Seine River Cruise. Either way, start with an Eiffel Tower trip to the 2nd floor. (Don't waste your time going to the top). Pre-purchase tickets online to avoid the line. You can catch the Batobus or Cars Rouge after and get to Notre Dame. The Latin Quarter is a great place for lunch, and you'll find vendors/paintings along the Seine as you walk. Assuming you got to the Eiffel Tower at 10:30, you could be done with lunch by 2:00pm. Now you can choose to go to Opera, take in a couple hours of a museum, or do the catacombs. It is possible to see the famous paintings at the Louvre in your limited time. Go to their website and print out the "Thematic Trail" for the most famous works of art. You can get through it in an hour and a half. It will be a full day, but with a good plan (and maps, directions, etc. that go along with it) you can see/do a lot.

Took our nephew there when he was 16. He wanted to see the Catacombs because a friend had suggested it, and that was the thing he remembers best about Paris. My husband took him and I skipped it. My husband said he felt claustrophobic in there, but it did not bother my nephew. They took a mini flashlight on a key chain with them. He said you land up a few metro stops away from where they started.

I'd start by asking your teens. If I asked mine (they've been to Paris), one would probably include the Pompidou (he loves modern art), the other would say the Louvre. You can buy untimed tickets for each of those museums ahead of time, which will allow you to skip the ticket lines. You can buy tickets for the Eiffel Tower in advance, but they're timed tickets, so if the weather is bad, you'll go up at your assigned time and won't be able to see anything. But depending on the time of year you'll be in Paris, you could easily spend an hour in line just to ascend. Notre Dame and its towers are interesting and provide great views of the city, but the lines to get up the towers tend to get long, and standing in line isn't a fun way to allocate your precious time. Possibly a boat cruise - I prefer the Vedettes du Pont Neuf, which uses smaller boats and leaves from Pont Neuf, which I find to be a bit more centrally located. I would skip the Opera House too. Walking on the Champs Elysee, I don't think is worth it - it's full of chain stores that you can find in many places. If your teens like to shop, I suppose it would be worth the time.

I agree that the Champs Elysee is not the street it once was. My friends just returned and were very disappointed as it is very commercialized and does not have the high end shops. My previous recommendation for the walk from the Place Michel off the Seine and across from Notre Dame is much better because it is where the Parisians shop and eat. Also it is central to where you are going The Hop On Hop Off is probably a good idea. Another idea is the Fat Tire Bike Tour leaving from the base of the Eiffel Tower. Your kids would probably like this. More info about the Musee D'Orsay. Although it is in the midst of a major renovation, there is a Manet exhibit which should be wonderful until July 3rd. Musee without Manet is 8 Euro for adult, 5.5 Euro for 18-25, Free for 18 or under. (Confusing about 18 since it is on both.) Adults with Manet is 10 Euro, etc etc. This is a timed entry for the special exhibit so check out how you would get tickets if you want to go. Hmm. May be too difficult to pull off on your very full day.

Patty:
The suggestions from BG are good. I'd only add that going to the TOP of the Eiffel tower is not substantially more memorable than going to second level (370+ ft) stop. The panorama of the City is quite fine, less hassle than going to the top and more floor area per person. If the weather is good, I'd suggest taking the boat trip at the end of the day, at dusk. It's quite nice to be on the river as the lights come on.

Hi Patty, We took our three teens there last summer -- all of them loved the Louvre, and it's free for under 18s. The thing they all most enjoyed was the Pere LeChaise (sp?) cemetary -- very cool, but a little out of the way. They also enjoyed just wandering in the 3rd and on the Left Bank.

I think everything you have planned sounds like a fun, full day, and teens can keep up! I went with my daughter for a day when she was just a little older, 21, and we spent about 2 hours in the Louvre and I would not give that up, if possible. I think its something that would be a regret... to be so close to some of the most famous art in the world and skip it...And yes, they might come back, but they might not...life gets in the way and there are lots of other places to visit. Whatever you do it will be a great experience.