Paris, Too much to see.!

My top 3:

1. Walk to Notre Dame and revel in the beauty of it. Then walk to Ille d' San Louis to visit the famous Berthilon ice cream parlor.
2. Go to the Eiffel Tower approaching from Troacdero at night. It is an experience you'll never forget.
3. Go to the Louvre but make yourself leave after a couple hours so as not to overload.

ENJOY!

My husband and I will be there for 3 days. So far we have planned to see the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Arch de Triumph, and take a day trip to the palace of Versilles. There will be time for more I think, so we will probably also take some kind of bus or walking tour and visit a few more museums. The best way to figure out what to do is to look at a good guide book and read all the descriptions then decide what you want to see most.
Bon Voyage!

Both the above are good suggestions. Two things I enjoyed when I was there was the Baton Mouche cruise down the Seine. You get a great overview of the city and the Rodin museum. Magnificent home set if beautiful gardens with all his sculptures around the gardens and in the home. To me well worth the visit. Try to go to Notre Dame when it opens to avoid the crowds. It is such a wonderful cathedral and is a great experience to enjoy it with out the hordes. I haven't been for some time but when I did you could go up to the front of the cathedral for private prayer and reflection. I did this and ended up joining early morning mass which, even though I didn't understand much, was a memorable experience.

I agree with the suggestion that you got, to just walk around. I did that my first day there. I was amazed how much I was able to see on foot. It really allowed me to take it all in plus get my bearings for the next few days. Even now when I think of Paris, I most readily picture the neighborhoods that I walked through that day.

I agree with many of the previous suggestions, and that there is a TON to do in Paris!

This is what I would do:

• Notre Dame and Rick Steve's Historic Core of Paris Walk - this is a great 1st day activity and orientation
• Eiffel Tower
• Seine Boat Cruise - you can pick one up near the Eiffel Tower, sunset is a great time
• Day Trip to Versailles
• Rodin Museum if you like sculpture
• Louvre if you feel you "must go" and love crowds ;-)
• Walk along the Seine and check out the book vendors
• Sacre Coeur

The best thing about Paris to me is just being in Paris, relaxing outside of a cafe and people-watching, walking around the city and stumbling upon lovely neighborhoods. There's so much to see and do, but take the time to relax and enjoy too! Have fun!

Four days in Paris is better than no days! Don't fee bad about this.
Anything you do will be wonderful -- all of the above suggestions are perfect.
I might recommend if the Louvre is too daunting for you, go to the D'Orsay instead.

Thanks guys for your replies.
I'm love art,I paint whenever I can get the time,so i guess the museums are going to be my main attraction.I plan to just spend a couple of hours in The Louvre though,Musee D'Orsay and Musee Rodin I definitely am going to go to montmartre.I think the eifell tower the boat cruise along the seine. Anyone been to the catacombs?Do you have a guide there or are you on your own?My 15 year old daughter will be with me so was wondering are there barains to be had in Paris or are the clothes shops just for the super-rich .My daughter would love to buy some clothes just to say they are from Paris.
also , as you've probably guessed we'll be travelling on a budget so wheres the best place to buy some souvenirs?

I have kind of the same question. I'm 15 and love art and shopping. any store recommendations?

Along the rue du Rivoli from approximately the Hotel de Ville to the Louvre or Place de Concorde are lots of stores. H&M, Zara and other inexpensive, young style clothing stores, and others. Most very reasonable. I shop there every time I go to Paris. right in the center of town, you really can't miss it. If you want some chic-er one of a kind shops, stroll over to the Marais.

Just returned from 9 days in Paris - awesome! My recommendations would be to get comfortable with the metro system and USE IT! Save your legs for the places you must walk. Must sees: 1. The Louvre, but pay the extra 5 euros for a guided tour of the best sights, then decide what area you want to spend extra time in on your own. 2. The Musee D'Orsay - enjoyed this museum more than the Louvre. It's smaller than the Louvre so you can see most everything...amazing place. 3. Walk up the Champs d'Elysées toward the Arc de Triomphe and imagine the history that has marched this exact route. Walk to the top of the Arc and check out the view...the queue is nothing compared to the Tour Eiffel and the view is still spectacular. Have creme café and French cheeses at Vesuvio cafe in the shadow of the Arc - how francaise!! 4. Visit the 2 little islands in the Seine - Isle de Cité and Isle St. Louis and visit Notre Dame. 5. The Bateux Parisienne boat tour of the Seine - touristy but informative.

If you love art, don't skip the Musee d'Orsay, it's my favorite! If you enjoy modern art, the Pompidou is excellent as well, and there's the Marmottan if you enjoy Monet. If Monet's your thing, consider a day trip to Giverny, where his house and gardens are.
As for cheap chic for your 15 year old, as mentioned above, H&M has some really great prices for fun clothes, and Zara is a step up, but also has some great deals. I found lots of cheap clothes in Paris. I think there's an H&M and a Zara at the Les Halles mall, which is near the Pomidou, and not too far from Notre Dame. It's a big mall, lots of stores to check out. My friend found a killer prom dress for 80 euros at a store there. Also, try to find a flea market. I found some great corduroy jackets (one's a knock-off and one's from Zara but from a previous season) for less than 15 euors at flea markets. And don't miss Sephora for cosmetics on the Champs-Elysees; it's the main location.
Have fun!

Forgot to mention this in my previous post.
My absolute favorite Paris sight is the Louvre at night. It's lit up in the most romantic way, and it reflects on the Seine, and it's stunning. I don't think I've seen this mentioned anywhere in guide books, but for me, this is a must-see. The Eiffel Tower twinkling is beautiful, but I don't think you can beat the Louvre all lit.

Thanks so much for the shopping advice. I'll remember it when I'm in Paris

Oh, one question:Does anyone know anything about Chantilly castle? I have this beautiful picture I drew of it from a calendar and I would really like to go there for more pix, but is it worth going there for anything other than that? Also, has any one been to asterix theme park?

Don't miss Musee Marmottan and Musee de Moyen Age (Cluny Museum). I agree w/ other posters that just walking around and soaking up the ambience is great; Luxumbourg Gardens great for relaxing and people watching.

Zara's for shopping

I just went to the Chantilly chateau and the exterior is indeed quite picturesque. It's quite a quiet and peaceful place compared to Paris. The gardens are quiet large. There's also a horse museum nearby.

Inside are some furnished rooms and most of them are full of paintings. Personally, I didn't find the interior that spectacular, but we probably didn't get the full appreciation since the guided tour was only in French.

It really takes half a day because of the train there and back, so for that reason, it might not be a "must-see" if you only have 4 days.

The BEST thing you can do in Paris is walk and walk and walk!! Then sit in a Cafe and have a cafe! Then walk some more. The whole city is a museum! GORGEOUS! Poetic. Go to Pere Larchaise. It's a cemetery that holds some of the most important literary and musical figures of the 19th and 20th century (including Jim Morrison of The Doors!). Go to the flea market. Very big! Don't get caught in the tourist traps!!! I don't know if you can speak French or not but as long as you can say hello,please, thank you and forgive me I don't speak French, do you speak English, you'll do fine. I've never had ANYONE be rude to me in Paris!! GO to the Eiffel Tower at night when the lights are on. Bring a picnic and a bottle of wine and sit on the grass and watch the lights sparkle on the City of Lights!
Enjoy! Enjoy!!!

Ellen, Don't forget the Sorbonne area in the 5th district. Where there are college students, there are inexpensive everything, from food to clothes. There are also a couple of good museums like the Cluny.

Not to bring down your mood, but two thing that will ruin your stay is: 1. Trying to cram so much in that you spend more time in the metro than seeing the city; and 2. Overloading on art and churches (or whatever your interest is) Ice cream is great, unless you try eating 2 gallons a day. After a week in Europe, couldn't care less about seeing another church, and I surely didn't appreciate most of what I saw after that (Until St. Peters shook me out of it) Vary your sites, take what you love in small delectable doses, and never undervalue the small moments like a walk, Paris at night, or a caffe at a cafe.