Help me plan a week in Paris!

Parent Cafe
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<p>The Monmartre walk was by classicwalksparis. It runs @ 12 euros. Well worth it. We also went through a really neat looking art market just before we got to Sacre Coeur that I wish we had had time to go back to see (one of our party wanted to get to another site before it closed). They leave you at Sacre Coeur to wend your way back down which is fun in itself.</p>

<p>A good idea for a souvenir is a painting or charcoal drawing. My daughter got a charcoal drawing in Venice and a small painting in Paris that she just had framed (2 years after we returned). She says that is what she plans to do on future trips.</p>

<p>Oh and if you do the Monmartre walk the place where you meet the guide is right by a little crepe stand so you can snack while you wait. The Grand Marnier crepe is good (if you like Grand Marnier).</p>

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<p>I took my daughter and wife for their first trip to Paris this summer and it was a huge success… We had 5 days and nights so had to jam a lot in there… </p>

<p>The best guide book for us was the eyewitness top 10 Paris book - really boiled things down to the essentials.</p>

<p>We also used the Zagat guide extensively in picking restaurants - lots of great food places in there.</p>

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<p>If you only have a week, I also recommend the “Top Ten” book. You really do need to see all of the classic “touristy” places on your first trip. The reason they are so famous is because they are so fabulous. Then each time you go back (believe me, you will want to return), add a couple of new places to see that might be a bit off the beaten path.</p>

<p>There are plenty of charming budget restaurants to be found without having to subsist on crepes and pizza. </p>

<p>Do a search on CC. There was a great thread on tourist scams that you absolutely MUST read to help you avoid getting taken. I posted on that thread if you want to look it up that way.</p>

<p>As a day trip, Versailles is a great one. Take the whole day; the place is massive, but each area is well worth seeing. There are restaurants on site to help you break up the day.</p>

<p>Have a wonderful trip. Paris is my favorite city in the world.</p>

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<p>If you can, go to Versailles on a day when they have the fountains going. Everyone goes to Notre Dame, but if you can look at the Roman ruins underneath it. Personally I like Saint Chapelle a little jewel of stain glass on the other island (the Ile St. Louis) and while you are there you HAVE to have ice cream at Berthillon. [Maison</a> Berthillon : la qualité est notre passion](<a href=“http://www.berthillon.fr/]Maison”>http://www.berthillon.fr/) A day trip to see Chartres is worth considering though there is plenty to keep you busy in Paris.</p>

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<p>I suggest the Fodor’s and the Rick Steves books; Frommer’s if you can’t find the above two.</p>

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<p>I would second the trip to Chartre as suggested by Mathmom. Also jump on the metro and take the 15 minute ride to the cathedral of St Denis. A fascinating place overlooked by most tourists. The Parisians are wonderful people. My French is pathetic, but I always give the standard formal greetings in a deferential manner. It also helps that I have what has been described as a VERY amusing accent–so my efforts in French are always met with a smile. ENJOY!</p>

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<p>Sacre Coeur. Get off at the Abbesse stop and walk up, admiring the mural on the way. Arrive at Sacre Coeur for the daily noon mass, sung by the resident nuns, who have beautiful voices. </p>

<p>Notre Dame. Go for evening mass Saturday, so that you can walk out through the big doors under the rose window.</p>

<p>(Although I’m an atheist, I love going to church services.)</p>

<p>Oh, and whenever you go into a shop or restaurant in France, it is polite to greet the proprietor: Bon Jour! Then, as you leave, you say “Merci!” One reason Americans are considering boorish is that we don’t customarily do this.</p>

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<p>I’ll second the Saint Chapelle recommendation - we went late in the afternoon and the stain glass literally stopped me in my tracks… Unreal - I have never seen anything like it.</p>

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<p>You are in for a treat. Paris is arguably the most special city on earth. You will have a week days, so expect time to fly by. There is just too much to do in a city as big as Paris.</p>

<p>Here is a breakdown of the things to see and do in Paris:</p>

<p>HOLY SITES:
-Notre Dame: The name says it all doesn’t it?
-Sainte Chapelle: Arguably the most beautiful church. The upstairs chamber is breathtaking. Grab one of the laminated instruction guides to your right as you come out of the stairs as they explain what each window represents. Those windows are divine…quite literaly.
-Sacre Coeur: Walking up to the church is a pain, but once up there, the views of Paris and the church itself are more than worth the effort.</p>

<p>MUSEUMS:
-Louvre: Don’t miss the Venus de Milo or the Mona Lisa. The great hall of 14th-18th century European art is also a must see.
-Musee D’Orsay: One of the most amazing Impressionist art collections.</p>

<p>MONUMENTS:
-Eiffel Tower
-Arc De Triomph</p>

<p>HISTORIC BUILDINGS:
-Pantheon: The tombs of Voltaire, Rousseau, Hugo, Dumas etc… Gorgeous building with amazing interiors.
-Les Invalides: Military museum is awesome. Napoleon’s tomb is impressive.
-Conciergerie: Impressive building where most of the French nobility awaited their trials and beheadings during the French revolution. Marie Antoinette’s cell has been preserved.
-L’Opera: One of the most beautiful Opera houses on Earth. </p>

<p>You can visit Notre Dame, the Palais de Justice, the Conciergerie and la Sainte Chapelle in the same day. They are all within a 5 minute walk of each other. </p>

<p>GREAT VIEWS:
-Trocadero: For new year’s eve, I recommend going there. It will be crowded as hell, but the views of the Eiffel Tower will be mind boggling.
-Sacree Coeur: Awesome views of Paris
-Eiffel Tower: Duh!
-Arc de Triomph: Climb to the top and enjoy the views of downtown Paris. Do not forget to pay your respects to the tomb of the unknown soldier.</p>

<p>SHOWS:
-Lido
-Crazy Horse
Either one of those would do. Both are excellent. Lido tends to be a little more artistic, Crazy horse, as the name would suggest, is a little “crazier”. They tend to be expensive (like 150 euros per person), but they are fun. Remember that the entertainers (primarily women) perform mainly in the nude, so it may not be appropriate entertainment by American standards. In France, this is considered family entertainment. Only children under the age of four are denied entry because of content! Like a five year old is any more capable of handling the “content”. LOL! Those crazy Frogs.</p>

<p>SHOPPING:
Paris is an amazing shopping for city. I recommned the following:
-Galleries Lafayette (France’s Sachs Fifth Avenue…only better!)
-Printemps (similar to Galleries Lafayette)
-Rue St Honoree (and entire street loaded with the biggest brand names and primarily for the very wealthy, but fun to walk around just the same). </p>

<p>CAF</p>

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<p>Most here have better advice than I could give except to add that we loved the L’Orangerie museum which is a very short distance from the Louvre. Wonderful small museum with an outstanding collection of late 19th century French art.</p>

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<p>Alexandre, your post should be bookmarked for posterity!</p>

<p>Twinmom, since your child is living there, you might want to ask him/her for recommendations for an itinerary. Does your child speak French at least fairly well? No matter. Bring along a pocket phrase book just in case. In my experience, you’ll use it a lot.</p>

<p>What part of the city are you staying in? You might want to start there and venture further out as the days pass and you get over the jet lag.</p>

<p>Since you have a week, I would recommend you save day trips or overnights for later in the week. My faves are the Loire Valley (definitely visit at least one of the chateaux), Chartres, and Versailles. I adore Paris, but you’ll get a better “feel” for France if you get out of Paris at least once, I think. Is someone in your family a World War II buff? You might want to consider an overnight to the Normandy coast, including Mont St-Michel. For something a little different, consider Strasbourg.</p>

<p>Definitely use the Metro.</p>

<p>Definitely use any polite French you know, always use Bonjour, etc., and if you don’t understand something remember to say “Comment?”</p>

<p>Love the walking tour suggestion. Also agree with the Bateau Mouche; that’s a great suggestion. Do your research ahead of time so that you know the general layout of the city. Paris is an easy city to get around and understand because it’s laid out so well.</p>

<p>Do be cautious of pickpockets.</p>

<p>Food: I’ve made it a general rule to try to eat what the locals eat while traveling and to avoid most meat products unless it’s in a very good restaurant or a local specialty like rabbit or duck in France. Seafood in France is universally wonderful. And, of course, you should sample daily the wares of any patisserie you find anywhere in France. :)</p>

<p>Loved this: “Cheap and fun is to get a quiche or ‘un sandwich’ or a baguette and some cheeses, and have lunch or dinner in a public place to people watch.” The whole point of Paris is people-watching and atmosphere. Stop at sidewalk cafes often for a glass of wine or a cafe au lait. Relax and just let yourself fall in love with one of the world’s great cities.</p>

<p>Momentos: I love the suggestion of buying some of the street artists’ work in Montmartre. We have done this in all of the notable cities we’ve visited. My DH started this tradition quite by accident, so I leave that to him. I have a small but cherished collection of themed Limoges porcelain boxes; so that would be worth an overnight trip to Limoges for me. We’ve met people traveling who collect things like local Christmas ornaments for their children; small and easy to pack in a suitcase is the key. Enjoy!</p>

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<p>I have found the Batobus to be a great way to travel to some of the most famous sites in Paris. </p>

<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.batobus.com/english/index.htm]///”>http://www.batobus.com/english/index.htm]///</a> NAVETTES BATOBUS PARIS /// Promenade et Transport en bateau sur la Seine, croisi</p>

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<p>I haven’t read all the responses so I apologize if I’m repeating. The Louvre is free the first Sunday of each month, plus the queue to get in moves very quickly - amazing when money/credit cards don’t have to change hands! It’s a big enough place that even with the large crowds, it didn’t feel crowded at all (except around the Mona Lisa who always draws a crowd).</p>

<p>[url=<a href=“404”>404]Tarifs</a> Exon</p>

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<p>“Oh, and whenever you go into a shop or restaurant in France, it is polite to greet the proprietor: Bon Jour! Then, as you leave, you say “Merci!” One reason Americans are considering boorish is that we don’t customarily do this.”</p>

<p>Yes, yes, yes! This will add immeasurably to your experience, even if they figure out you don’t speak French.</p>

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<p>And even better, “Bonjour/merci, madame” or “Bonjour/merci, monsieur.”</p>

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<p>So many good suggestions so I don’t want to repeat.</p>

<p>I would be heartbroken to go to France and not see Giverny. Might not be feasible, depending on vegetation in fall, but I bet still pretty spectacular. And we drove to see the countryside of Normandy. </p>

<p>On the Champs Elysee, right across a small street from Ladurie (already mentioned for macaroons) on Rue Lincoln is a tiny, wonderful, elegant English language movie theater. A life saver for tired feet and then hot chocolate at Ladurie. (As good as the macaroons.)</p>

<p>Just steps from Notre Dame is Paris’ Holocaust museum. I found it an amazing contrast to walk from the Gothic beauty of Notre Dame to the modern starkness of the Holocaust museum. I still remember the feelings I had.</p>

<p>Musee Cluny for the tapestries (unicorn tapestries from the same set as at the Cloisters) and the Roman ruins there.</p>

<p>Enjoy. You deserve it!!! Why should the kids have all the fun? I adore Paris.</p>

<p>Oh, I’ve been three times and never have been able to budget the time for Chartres, something I really regret.</p>

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<p>Chartres is wonderful. We visited before and after the big clean-up. The “bleu de Chartres” turned out to be the result of centuries of dirt build-up.
Be sure to go to the crypt. The Underground Madonna–a pagan goddess of fertility-- is the real goddess at Chartres by the number of the candles lit to her, as opposed to the Virgin Mary.
If you head out to Giverny, you might as well go all the way to the coast to Deauville and Honfleur. My brother drove me and my then 3-year old there and we sat outside eating mussels and frites (or rather, my 3-year old discovered mussels and left me with the French fries).
If your budget does not extend to going to the restaurants recommended by Alexandre, seek out some of the Morrocan and Vietnamese restaurants for something different and not too expensive.</p>

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<p>I love seeking out classic Art Nouveau restaurants and bistros. They are generally pretty reasonable at lunch time. We like to do our occasional splurge at lunch and save our penny pinching for dinner. One great spot I would recommend for a classic french lunch is Le Train Bleu at the Gare de Lyon. You can see a picture of it on Wikipedia and they have their own website so you can check out the menu and make a reserve. Its been in several films, since the spectacular turn of the century decorations make it the penultimate Parisian Belle Epoque setting. (example “La Femme Nikita”)</p>

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<p>The dessert cafe at Musee d’Orsay is not to be missed. Just cafe au lait is fine, but the ice cream and pastries are divine (or so my family told me. I was dieting. However, the setting was a feast for my eyes and very rewarding.)</p>

<p>Another reasonable food alternative is a Belgian creperie in Montparnasse. It was the only place we found in Paris where English was not spoken at all! I got to show off to my kids.</p>

<p>Speaking of that (a little linguistic humor) I found the four hours I paid for with Berlitz well worth the money in polishing up my French. The tutor they sent became a friend, and she did not allow me to speak any English for my contracted four hours. Listening and speaking primed the French pump, so to speak, and had me fairly fluent for my vacation. It gave my H, who does not speak a word of French, great peace of mind and motivated my D to keep up with French in college.</p>

<p>Of course, twinmom will have her D, a French speaker, around so maybe it is not requisite for her. I loved the experience.</p>

<p>The cafe across the plaza from the Louvre is another wonderful place to sit.</p>

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<p>Monet’s site in Giverny closes for the season Oct 31.</p>