Pick Apart My Paris Itinerary

Oh, and I should mention that I haven't been since 1998, when I was in high school, so I really have no idea about the pacing and where everything is in relation to each other besides what I've tried to ascertain from books.

Don't miss the Luxembourg Gardens in the 5th, my favorite place in Paris. My favorite walk is through Ile St. Louis (little island east of Notre Dame), through Ile de la Cite (where Notre Dame is), along the river to Pace de la Concorde, across the bridge and back to Notre Dame. At night, your son will love the entertainers at Notre Dame and during the day on the pedestrian bridge behind Notre Dame leading to Ile St. Louis.

pick, pick, pick . . . June 4 - or go straight to the Marais and have lunch at one of the trendy places there - or a falafel. June 6 - 3 art museums in one day!!! How about going to the Orangerie on Monday afternoon instead? You could easily head to the Marais this afternoon - Metro Line 1 links the Louvre and the Marais (St Paul). June 7 (Thursday :-) - I would skip the Champs Elysees, there's really not much to see or do, except the Arc de Triomphe - which is open until about 10 p.m. Much better than a taxi tour is to do the Fat Tire Segway night tour. (I just checked their website, minimum age 12.) You could also do a bike tour, but maybe after all those museums your son deserves a treat.

I agree with Chani on the museum issue on June 6th. That's a lot to take in! And I would guess a 13-year-old will not be thrilled to museum hop. Since the Louvre is open late that night, you might be able to fit the Luxembourg Garden in that afternoon. You'll technically be back-tracking to get back to the Louvre, but a nice break would be worth it in my opinion. St. Sulpice cathedral is over there, as well, and you can peek in there. So, I would make my way over there after seeing Musee d'Orsay and get lunch to take into in the gardens before heading back to the Louvre. Be careful to see what's important to you in the Louvre early in your visit: they start closing galleries before the museum closes. Or, you could take in one of the museums on Tuesday afternoon since you'll be near the Notre Dame in the morning (are you planning on climbing to the top? We did and loved it, though our legs complained for several days after! Seeing the gargoyles was a highlight for us.). Then go see the Eiffel Tower area on Wednesday. You could do it in the morning and then still have an afternoon activity (maybe the Luxembourg Gardens) before visiting the Louvre in the evening. Lots of bouncing around, but sometimes it's worth it for a balanced day, especially with a teenager I would guess. Have fun!

If you want to climb the stairs to go to the top of Notre Dame, as Becca mentioned and I recommend (you're son will love it), be sure to get there and in line by 8:45 am. That's when you'll have the shortest wait. Otherwise, you could be waiting in line a very long time.

Yeah, the museum day stuck out to me too. I think that would be exhausting, I love Museums but I get "museum fatigue" after a few hours, all day would be exhausting. Since you only have 3 full days in Paris, I'd personally skip Versailles and spend more time in Paris. Unless you're specifically very much into the history or architecture of Versailles, there's so much to do and see and enjoy in Paris that taking time away from the city when you've only got 3 days isn't the best use of your time, in my opinion. Not sure about seeing a movie - do you speak/understand french? Only a couple of theaters show movies with English subtitles. And you're on vacation, even if you want to see a specific French movie, with the Internet it's easy to get foreign films at home, and sitting in a movie theater in another country is not that different than it is at home.

I agree with Sarah on Versailes, as well. Give yourself the time to slow down and savor Paris. You'll enjoy it more.

I can see your point about the three art museums in one day :) I was kind of expecting that. I'm going to try to shuffle things around a bit. Maybe we can go to the Louvre on our first afternoon, or switch the Notre Dame-Musee D'Orsay mornings (although I understand Musee D'Orsay is busy on Tuesdays with the Louvre being closed). Good point on skipping Versailles. My husband is the history nut, and I was under the impression he really wants to see it, but last night he indicated his mind could be changed. I've been there before and found it unbearably crowded. I am all for eating well and hanging out in the gardens. The movie is probably a bad idea, it seems like a waste, plus we would at least need English subtitles.

I still like the idea of going to the Louvre in the evening. It is much less crowded - in fact can be relatively empty.