What do you think of this Paris itinerary?

Sorry, the formatting turned out really bad. =(

If you're considering going to the Musee de l'Orangerie, I assume you want to see Monet's water lilies. Another museum that has an excellent collection of Monet water lilies is the Musee Marmottan. The Orangerie was closed for renovation when I was in Paris in 2005 so I went to to Marmottan. Based on how wonderful that experience was, I strongly encourage you to visit at least one of the two.

Jennifer, if you haven't already done so, we suggest you find a copy of "Pariswalks" by Alison and Sonia Landes. This would nicely supplement your RS book. bon voyage ! P.

Sounds great. Just to let you know that Versailles will take at least a half day. I was there in OCtober of last year and it is well worth going to see. The gardens aren't blooming but still expansive and beautiful. There is a beautiful farm and guest house in the back of the property behind the lake that I just loved. They now rent golf carts so you can really see everything if you are pressed for time. We found another american couple in line and we split it with them. It was worth the extra money sincewe did not know when we could return! Good Luck

We did both L'Orangie and Mussee Marmotton in 2006. Definitely suggest L'Orangie for Water lillies.

Jennifer, I think your Monday is a little packed. I don't remember what RS has for a Champs Elysees walk but it can't be worth 3 hours. I'd see the Arc D'Triomphe and then take the Metro to Place Concorde to go to the Orangerie for Monet.

Allowing only an hour for the Pompidou center seems too short - if you're going to go there, allow more time to see it.

As others have commented here, Versailles is going to take you most of a day. By the way, the farm on the grounds is L'Hameau, Marie Antoinette's refuge from the royal court. It's fun to see.

Jennifer,
Just remember to save some time to relax at a sidewalk cafe and let the world pass by. You'll love the Orsay and the view from the top of Notre Dame (as well as the Eiffel Tower) is worth the wait in line. I think doing Versailles and the walk are too much for one day. You might also enjoy the Rodin Museum, which has beautiful gardens with his scultures scattered around. A wonderful stroll. I had to go to the Louvre so I could see Mona, but there's so much more. It was well worth the effort and Rick gives some good insights on how to get in there through the Metro stop. Enjoy. Paris is absolutely wonderful. The food, wine, art, and people are the best!

I agree with previous posters regarding the Versailles trip and timing. And that is assuming that the good folks from RER are not on strike.

Part of this depends on what you like. For me the Champs-Elysees is worth a good 15 minutes, and I would rather spend a bit more time in the Orsay.

Or for a bit of local flavor, head out to the Les Puces de Saint-Ouen (big flea market), well worth a quick metro trip and wander around. Or head to one of the neighborhoods.

Cheers

Even being a very fast walker (when in my home city), I find the estimated times for those walks impossible. There are just so many interesting distractions that it would take at least double those times to fully enjoy most of the museums and neighborhoods that you mentioned. With less than 72 hours, I'd skip Versailles, Champs Elysees, and even the Louvre (it's fabulous but takes a whole day to even just scratch the surface), and pick just a few places to see at a more leisurely pace.

Many museums are open late one evening per week-- take advantage of that so you can save more day-time hours for outdoor sightseeing.

What is your hotel. The Rue Cler is a great place to have lunch -- either at a restaurant or from the market and eat at the Eiffel -- 10 min walk remember a cork screw should be handy.

Enjoy!

Craig

You might want to start Tuesday off with the climb up Notre Dame then do the Historic Paris Walk in case there's a lineup to the tower. October should be better but in the summer, the line is extremely long.

I didn't find the Champs-Elysees Walk that interesting, but that's because I don't like shopping much, and many of the shops are the familiar ones from the US. It would probably take less than 3 hours.

The Marais walk is nice. I actually quite liked the Carnavalet (Paris) museum which was free... Victor Hugo's house was less interesting.

The Montmartre walk will likely take more than 2 hours... I personally got lost, but I didn't follow the instructions exactly and tried to visit the places out of order.

Versailles does tend to take a whole day if you've never visited it before.

Please allow for some more wandering time. My favorite thing to do in Paris is to walk around the city stopping randomly at cafes and looking at sights. Oh, and you didn't allow enough time for the Louvre. Min. visit there should be about 3 hours.

I agree with Jared re: Champs-Elysees. It was, to me, overrated and over priced. 90% of the stores we have here in the States, or at least you know you will find them in NY or LA.

3 hours is more than enough time to roam Champs-Elysees, even with shopping.

I would even suggest swapping the Louvre for Champs-Elysees.

And... do give yourself some wandering and stroll time. Give yourself time to breathe and take it all in.

Jennifer, Slow down. You'll doing too many things. 1 museum /day. Take the Metro if you have to. To get the overall sights, take the river cruise. Eat lunch outside at a cafe for an hour or so. I'll assume you have some money. Ask your hotel to make dinner reservations at a nice and very French restaurant (let them choose!). Or check out Pudlo Paris by French food critic, Gilles Pudlowski. Enjoy walking to the restaurant hand-in-hand with your husband. It's Paris, be romantic and by all means slow down!

I liked the Rick Steves Champs Elysee walk, particularly the part that took me to the Avenue Montaigne where all the designer shops are. It's not necessary to stroll much down the Champs Elysee itself ---except of course to see the Arch de Triomhe and go a couple of blocks down to Laudree for lunch. I tried to do the Montmartre walk last year but found it a bit hard to follow -- though it was very cold when I did it and I was not motivated to stick with it.

I agree with all other posters who recommend slowing down and perparing for lots of stopping at cafes, shopping, browsing along the way -- these walks aren't intended to take you from point to point with no stopping.

I also personally would skip going into the Pompidou and just see the building & hang out in the plaza for a while. -- unless you are an avid modern art fan. I like the art, but if pressed for time would do the Louvre and DOrsay first.

Another alternative to Versailles is Chantilly castle. makes a nice day trip for a picnic, photos, history, and just amazing architecture. It's about a 20 minute train ride from paris.

We're just back from Paris and even my 18 year old granddaughter said the RS recommendations for the d'Orsay and Pompidou are much too short. I say 3 hours for the d'Orsay and at least 2 at the other because it is huge and badly marked so you have trouble finding things. As others have said, take down time and just wander and sit at a cafe over a coffee or wine and people watch,

Since you're only going to be in Paris from Sunday through Wednesday, I wouldn't take a trip outside the city (such as the Versaille trip). Leave yourself some time to sit in an outdoor cafe and enjoy a coffee or glass of wine and some people watching. Also, the Orsay is the most beautiful museum I've ever seen (the building itself is beautiful). My husband and I liked it much better than the Louvre. The Orsay also has a great restaurant for lunch. Be sure to allow enough time there.

If I were you, I'd explore Versailles on another day besides Tuesday. Most of the museums in Paris are closed on Tuesdays, so it seems everyone goes to Versailles. It's horribly crowded and you spend a lot of time staring at the back of the head of the person in front of you.

You can hit up the Musee d'Orsay, Rodin Museum or Picasso on Tuesday...opt for Versailles on Mon or even Sun (when the fountains are running). If you don't want to explore the gardens or Marie-Antoinette's hamlet, you'll only spend about half the day there.

The Louvre food court is a great place for a quick (and inexpensive) bite! Even for a quick pick-me-up.

I'd also add a bit extra time on the Montmartre walk if you're anything like me...great little shops. And stay away from the guys with the bracelets at the foot of Sacre-Coeur!

Jennifer, I would try to fit in both Chartres and Versailes, they can be visited on the same day. Take the train out of Gare Montparnasse to Chartres to get a taste of French small towns and countryside. Then take the train back to Paris but get off a Versailes and see the palace and gardens.

At the bottom of the gardens at Versailes there is a small manmade lake with row boats. My wife and I rowed the lake in the rowboat. What a romantic experience. It may have been the most romantic hour we spent in our 33 years of marrage. Every day we have morning coffee and breakfast using place mats from the garden resturaunt (we had them laminated) and every night I look at our picture of us in the boat on the lake (the photo is on my desktop).

Hope you have similar memories!!!

P/S Like most have stressed in the thread, strive to have quality in your sights. Regardless of where you go slow down and enjoy!!

As someone who lives outside of Paris and has the supposed "luxury" of going in when i want i tend to critique some of these "do too much in one day" suggestions. Please realize that most museums, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame involve a fair amount of standing in line...one just doesn't walk right in, even at opening time, and even with a pre-purchased ticket....And getting from the train station to your hotel will certainly take a COUPLE of MINUTES!!
The Champs Elysees is just a big street with lots of shops, best seen at sunrise before anything's open. The RS 3 hours should certainly be used for something else.
Mr FurnaceFighter suggests slowing down AND visiting Verailles and Chartres in ONE day...bit of a contradiction there..
.............In general, i feel you might be looking at your watch too much...Why wait until Belgium for the "relax" phase??

I agree that Monday is too aggressive. I personally didn't like the Champs-Elysees (I'm a left bank person) except the Arc de Triomphe, so 3 hours might be much. I also don't think you can do the Historic Paris walk and Versailles in the same day. Versailles is about 40 minutes each way by RER, and you will probably need at least 6 hours to see the main palace, 2 petit palaces, and part of the gardens. It involves a lot of walking just getting from the main palace to the others. I think the gardens are really the best part.

Also, make sure to get the Museum Pass at one of the less crowded museums so you don't get stuck in line at Versailles and the Louvre. If you are staying near Rue Cler, the Invalides or Rodin museum are good places to pick up the pass.

I have always found Rick's estimated times to be very agressive. It usually takes me 1.5 to 2 times longer to go through his walking tours or museum tours. Partly because you are stopping to read.