Sightseeing Paris

1. Buy 2 packets of carnets to take the Metro. Day 1: Jardin du Tullieres (right next to Louve) Museum Orsay, Rodin Museum Day 2: Notre Dame, and park right behind Notre Dame. Take the Batobus boat on the Seine. All day pass s you off at major points. (11euro) Day 3: Jardin du Luxembourg, Pantheon, and walk down St. Germain. Day 4: Picasso Museum, Bastille Metro stop. At the Bastille Metro stop, look for Cafe Francais = good pastries. At this metro stop, you'll see the Hippo restaurant. Walk 3 blocks down Beaumarchais and you will see a Boulangerie on the Right = really good. For french bistro dinner = Chez Paul, rue de la Charonne http://hilton.org.uk/pppp.phtml (check out this website) On Sunday, at the Bastille Metro stop,a few steps away is: Richard Lenoir Open Market on Richard Lenoir. 10-1pm Day 5: Take the metro to Eiffel Tower & Champs Elysees. Day 6: Louve (if you like art, split this viewing in 2 days, b/c you will get sick of looking at art after 2 hours.) Day 7: If you are into Falafels, go to Rue de Rosiers (@ Ferdinand du Val) - King Falafel is where Lenny Kravitz gets his falafels. It's also a Jewish bakery area. Use viamichelin.co.uk/viamichelin/...Maps (to find what is cross street to particular places)

Be sure to check out all the links on tomsguidetoparis.com He has a lot of great ideas. I have followed his directions for excursions and have never been disappointed. I recommend the Orsay Museum. You can easily do it all in a reasonable time period.

Buy a guidebook and read about the possibilities, then choose the things that are of interest to you. When are you going? Do you like art, churches, gardens, shopping? Trying to make suggestions is impossible without knowing your interests. Please give us a little more information.

Roger no can make or suggest the perfect itinerary for you, for instance I have been to Paris many many times,and have never gone to the Picasso Museum and never will, as I do not like his work.. So all I can do is offer a few ideas of places that my 13 yr old son enjoyed. He found out about the Catacombs(I expect my kids to do their own holiday research, its their contribution to the vacation , I suggest you get your son doing it too, even my 11 yr old did) , the Catacombs are very unique and you do need to arrive at them before they open to avoid waiting in long line. The Invalids Army Museum, its great, not too crowded , covers weapons from battle axes, swords, muskets, horse armour, right up to modern day stuff (WWI and WWII) .. we spent hours in there. Fat Tire Bike tour, this is a great thing to do , its easy enough for anyone ( no hills and peddling is easy) , my favorite tour was the Paris by Night Tour and the Tour to Giverny ( Monets Gardens) loved riding in the country having a picnic by the river etc.. Really consider doing this, your son will have a hoot. I suggest you all write down your top three must sees , so you will have 9 things ,, then plan one big site a day with maybe a smaller site , google for a map of tourist sites in Paris ( there are tons of maps like that ) and arrange your days by area . I wouldn't bother will too many formal tours, but the walking tours are VERY popular and well reviewed I know Paris Walks does them but there are

Another idea... I don't know the dates of your stay in Paris, but 'Paris Plages 2013' takes place from July 20 to August 18. Some areas along the Seine are literally turned into beaches (plages) with tons of trucked-in sand, complete with beach chairs, ice cream vendors, beach volleyball, etc. Google 'Paris Plages 2013' for several sites with more info. One website has a little video and there are maps showing the exact locations. This is right in the center of Paris, so not a place you would have to travel to. Also, about a two-hour drive (46 km) from Paris, in Burgundy, is 'Guédelon' - the site where a 13th-Century castle is currently being built using authentic techniques and materials that were used in the Middle Ages - 'living history' in the true sense of the term. Google 'Guédelon' for more info. You could get reasonably close via train, but not sure how you might be able to get from the station to the actual site. A car would be best. Finally, I don't know for sure if this is still happening, but there used to be an incredible inline street skating thing on Friday nights called 'Pari Roller'. It's for experienced skaters because the pace is intense, but it would be fun to be a spectator, if it's not far from where you're staying.

Great suggestions so far. A boat ride is great. I am enamoured by the bridges. I also love to walk by the river and over the bridges. There is a wee green space at the tip of one of the Islands, that might be a good spot for a picnic, rest and watch the boats and people. There are some houseboats, Highlander style, which he is probably much too young to recall that tv show. Maybe go to the store FNAC, music, electronics. If you google, you may find it. There is a Renault museum along the Champs Elysses. I enjoyed that myself. I think there was another car showroom along there too, and a huge Nike store. I love the food markets, some of the grittier ones, near the Bastille, Ledru Rollin, are packed with sellers from many cultures, North Africa, Asia, a real eye opener. Even in the tamer markets,there will pig heads, chickens with head and feet, and of course,great food for picnicking,cheese, bread, fruit, yummmmmmm I like the idea of your son searching online and in books from the library to find some sights he might like. Have a great trip.

In Brussels I stumbled into the midst of some teenage boys at the museum devoted to the work of Belgian surrealist René Magritte. They seemed to be really enjoying themselves discussing the meaning of his paintings and drawings, which are very strange (IMO). Your son might enjoy 'Espace Dalí Montmartre', devoted to the equally unusual work of Salvatore Dalí. It's in 11 rue Poulbot on Place du Tertre, which in itself might interest your son, though it's rather touristy. There are artists at work, etc. Also, teens like to hang, and there's perhaps no better place to hang than on the steps leading up to Sacré-Coeur. He'll see young people there from all over the world. If he's not afraid to mingle, he might meet others his age and have an interesting conversation that will expand his world view.

Pay homage to Jim Morrison at Pere LaChaise Cemetery. Actually, the whole cemetery is a very interesting visit.

Be sure to go to Notre Dame at night, the area in front has lots of street entertainers including roller bladers that do amazing tricks. My son enjoys watching them (so do I). He has loved Paris since he was 11, he's 23 now and has been many, many times since, for long periods of time, and it's still his favorite place. He likes everything about Paris... cafes, walking, Hop-On Hop-Off bus, Seine boat cruises, the Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysees (I don't), the Metro, the busses, crepes, baguette sandwiches and pastries, outdoor markets, the Luxembourg Gardens, all the possible day trips, Invalides Army museum, the Louvre, the Orsay, renting bikes or Fat Tire bike tours, watching World Cup soccer at Trocadero on big screens w/lots of fans, Tour de France on the Champs-Elysee, clothes shopping... and now, dance clubs ;)

Roger The other suggestions for places to go and things to see are very good, so I won't be redundant. I suggest you do as we did and get a 48 hour Hop On Hop Off Bus ticket. You can buy it on line before you leave the US. You will find that it stops at virtually all of the big sites and you can get off at anything that looks interesting. We rode the entire route first, about two hours, in which you can get a big picture view of the city. That will help you decide what you want to see on the next cycle. You will have earphones in several languages including English that will tell you what you're looking at as you pass it. The busses run about every 15 minutes, so its easy to get back on and head to the next site. You will also find that there are restaurants, theater and other entertainment close to these attractions and the busses serve as good transportation that will save you taxi fare. One other thing, purchase tickets in advance to places that require tickets to avoid standing in long lines to buy them. Jim