<p>DS is flying into Paris for a business trip and has one (actually less than one) Saturday of free time. He will, to further complicate matters, be jet-lagged as he will have taken a red-eye to get there. After Saturday, he has literally no free time; it is a very short trip.</p>
<p>He will be staying at the Marriott at the airport, probably not the ideal… but meeting business contacts there so no choice.</p>
<p>Who can suggest how to spend the day? He might be too tired for a lot of walking. Should he hire taxi to show him around? He hears that the Louvre has long lines to get in and wouldn’t want to waste that kind of time, if it is true. He wants to see the Eiffel Tower. He’d love to eat nicely (not Michelin 3 star, lol), but also find a “hole in wall” type bakery for croissant or whatever. I’ve heard that a lot of brasseries are really chains now… would want to avoid that.</p>
<p>He’ll be solo, so would like to go places where a single would be comfortable.</p>
<p>Please, encourage him to tackle the Louvre!</p>
<p>The walk to the Mona Lisa will provide him with extraordinary glimpses of breathtaking architecture and art.</p>
<p>He can buy a ticket to the Louvre online, and avoid the lines. There are three different entrances for those not holding a ticket, and a separate one for those with pre-purchased tickets.</p>
<p>The Musee d’Orsay is a great alternative, especially if he prefers Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting. He will stumble upon many patisseries in the area where he can lunch on croissants, quiches, and croques-monsieurs. Ah, yum!</p>
<p>He should just ignore the jet-lag and head into the center of Paris and go see the Eiffel tower because anyone going to Paris needs to see it. From there he could walk or take a cab to the Louvre and see if he can reasonably get in and see some of it. If not, he might just want to walk by it. The path from the Eiffel tower to the Louvre is a pretty nice one along the river. He could just find any cafe along the way that looks decent and try it for perhaps some local flavor. He could also walk up to the Arc De Triumph and/or walk to Notre Dame. It’s all relatively close. </p>
<p>When I fly to Europe from the west coast the flights usually fly all night and land in the morning. Although for those who don’t sleep on airplanes (i.e. me) they’re pretty tired, I recommend not taking a nap right away on arrival as this can completely mess up one’s body clock for the duration (I know from experience!). For me, I’m better off forcing myself to stay up until a reasonable local bedtime. A good way to do this is to head to the hotel, drop off the suitcases, etc., preferably in the room if they’ll allow it, then immediately heading out to go do some sightseeing. But I can stay awake and interested very easily.</p>
<p>It’s well worth it for him to spend the day or part of the day seeing what he can even if he’s tired. Later on he’ll have memories of what he saw and experienced and forget about how tired he was or some of the hassles he might have gone through.</p>
<p>This past summer, while returning home from Rome, we missed our connection in Paris and were “forced” to spend the night. We were put up at one of the airport hotels. While not the most economical decision, we decided to cab it into the city, instead of figuring out the train. We asked to be dropped off at Notre Dame, from there you can see the cathedral, walk around the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens, along the Seine- seeing the Bouquinistes, or maybe take a boat ride. Ste. Chappelle would be another option in the area. The Mus</p>
<p>I am of a different mind set. I always make my dinner and lunch plans first and THEN find a museum nearby. Even though I have my masters degree in Art History, I like to think that I have my priorities straight. ;)</p>
<p>ALL the museums are great. Not ALL the restaurants.</p>
<p>That’s why I recommend the restaurants in classic 19th century settings. Why not eat IN a museum?</p>
<p>and jet lagged in the Louvre?..nah, save it for later</p>
<p>If I had only 1 meal in Paris it would be at Bofinger near the Opera house. It’s a classic French Brasserie equally loved by the French and tourists.</p>
<p>What else he does depends if he wants to see the tourist attractions or get a real feel for Paris. Drive by the Eiffel Tower to see it, waiting on line to go up is probably not worth it. Take a taxi down the Champs Elysees and see the Arc. I’d then walk a great Paris neighborhood like the 6th or the Marais to get a feel for the city and the French.</p>
<p>There’s no way I’d suggest hiring a cab to ferry him around. He’d probably fall asleep in it.</p>
<p>The train from the airport to the city (the RER) is very convenient. Then, I strongly recommend walking as one of the best ways to get over jet lag. The last time I was at the Louvre, there weren’t any lines (truth!), but if he’s too tired to walk, he’s too tired for museums.</p>
<p>Going by the Louvre and deciding whether or not to go, then mapping out a walk, as someone suggested above, is a great idea for one day (part of a day) in Paris.</p>
<p>No Louvre. Too hard to know what to focus on. The Sainte Chapel. Walk in. Be blown away by visual impact. Go have ice cream on the Isle St. Louis.</p>
<p>Buy a day pass for one of the many boats (or “bateau-bus”) that circle up and down the Seine. Spectacular way to see the city (especially if you’re jet-lagged) and you can hop on and off at any stop all day. There are stops for the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, etc. Takes a little over an hour to make the full loop and even if you never get off it’s worth the price of the ticket just to sit by the window and see the city pass by.</p>
<p>Are you guys kidding me – I’m like ‘Museum Girl’, and I would never suggest a first-time visitor with less than one jet-lagged day tackle the Louvre, d’Orsay or Sainte-Chappelle. </p>
<p>Mais non! Forget all that – he will go back when he has more time! </p>
<p>How to get there. He can either take a taxi, or he can take the shuttle from Orly to Pont de Rungis and get the RER C (commuter train) to Champ de Mars/Tour Eiffel.
[Paris</a> RER C Schedule | Paris by Train](<a href=“http://parisbytrain.com/paris-rer-c-schedule]Paris”>Paris RER C Schedule - Paris by Train)
This is a lot quicker and more efficient than it sounds. He can buy the tickets at the airport, but please urge him to get Euro coins for the ticket machines, or he will stand on an interminable line.</p>
<p>He can dine in peace and with an amazing view. If he has time afterwards a stroll down the Champ de Mars is fun if the weather holds. Little French kids playing soccer, older people sitting on benches, it’s nice. If he wants a croissant or other bakery things (or cheese or wine), he should hang a left on the rue Saint Dominique or the rue de Grenelle and look for the street market at rue Cler. That part of the 7th Arrondissement has some of the most spectacular examples of Art Nouveau facades in Paris. Once you get down those streets away from the Eiffel Tower, it is not touristy, it is just a very nice area with a lot of real Parisians.</p>
<p>Please make sure he has a reservation for the Jules Verne!</p>
<p>Bon Voyage et Bon Appetit!</p>
<p>(musica2, I can’t believe you recommended Laduree …mmmm…les macarons de Laduree. And Le Procope – I used to go there for the Onion Soup. It is packed now, though.)</p>
<p>I totally endorse the ice cream (and had also been thinking of it myself–perfect location, perfect activity). But a college-aged kid eating at Jules Verne by himself? Not a good fit, to use CC-speak.</p>
<p>But maybe I’m the one who is off, because I wouldn’t even advise the taxis, not for a college student or even for me. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t advise going up in the Eiffel Tower when a walk along the river or other places with great views of the Eiffel Tower are available for free. (Just to be clear, it’s not the money I’m thinking about.)</p>
<p>But back to practical advice: As for getting RER tickets at the airport–the machines take credit cards fine. And he can use that RER ticket when he gets off, if he wants to transfer to the Metro. No new ticket needed.</p>
<p>With only part of a day, and jet-lag, I would not recommend doing any museums. The best way to see Paris is a combination of walking and Metro. Twice, I’ve done “Paris in a day” on business trips - exhausting, but exhillerating. Yes, mostly tourist stuff - but if you have one day, why not be a tourist? I considered these “scouting trips” for a longer visit a few years later.</p>
<p>If this is his first time in Paris, I strongly recommend taking the green line to Trocadero station. For one’s first actual view of the Eiffel tower, this location is tops! Then, he can walk down to the tower, dine at Jules Verne if he wants (I think it’s outrageously expensive!), and then take the train or boat over to Notre Dame, where he can also stroll along the Seine and see the Left Bank book stands. Wrap up the day with a view of the Paris lights from either an evening boat ride, the Arc de Triomphe (lots of stairs but WORTH it on a clear night), or Montemartre.</p>
<p>We developed a very bad (daily) Laduree macaroon habit this summer. I actually had a box sent Fed Ex for the holidays - they looked beautiful on the table.</p>