Would some of the more experienced Paris travellers be so kind as to review our itinerary?
I tried to take into account the attraction’s days and hours of operation, the probable duration of our visit (I got a good idea of how long we might be at an attraction from www.homeandabroad.com), the (hopefully) expedient entry offered by the Museum Pass, Métro/Bus routes (from www.ratp.fr) and walking whenever possible. We of course want to see the typical attractions (Louvre, Tour Eiffel, Arc de Triomphe) but are probably more interested in the smaller museums and gardens.
I plan this way for efficiency’s sake, but I know stuff happens. This is our ideal itinerary; we may not necessarily do everything on each day’s list, but we’ll try. Don’t let the lack of restaurants on the list worry you; we’ll take time to eat somewhere in there. Do our plans sound reasonable? (FYI—I have a hard time “doing nothing” for very long and must be reading, learning, observing, or doing something almost all the time. Thankfully there is an abundant supply of material for me in Paris!)
Day 1 (Fri): Arrive at CDG 7am (2 May)
Franprix near apartment for groceries
Père-Lachaise (close to apartment)
Day 2 (Sat): Musée de Moyen âge
Panthéon
Jardin du Luxembourg
Palais du Luxembourg (for exterior pix)
Day 3 (Sun): Parc Zoologique de Paris
Bois de Vincennes
Aquarium Tropical de la Port Dorée
Promenade Plantée
Day 4 (Mon): Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes
Gallerie de Minéralogie, Géologie
Musée d’Histoire Naturelle
Jardin des Plantes
Day 5 (Tue): Musée Cognacq-Jay
Musée Carnavalet
Place des Vosges
Maison de Victor Hugo
Place de la Bastille (yes I know it’s just a huge traffic circle, but we’ve never seen one so it’s something we’d like to witness)
Day 6 (Wed): Musée du Louvre
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Musée de la Mode et du Textile
Jardin du Palais-Royal
La Samartine (for Art Nouveau details)
Day 7 (Thu): Parc Monceau
Musée Nissim de Camondo
Chapelle Expiatoire
Opéra de Paris Garnier (just to look, no tour)
Musée Gustave Moreau
Printemps (to see the exterior and stained glass cupola in Café Flo)
Day 8 (Fri): Palais de la Découverte
Grand Palais
Place de la Concorde
Musée de l’Orangerie des Tuileries
Jardin des Tuileries
Day 9 (Sat): Musée d’Orsay
Musée Rodin
Jardin des Invalides
Day 10 (Sun): Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie
Canal Saint-Martin
Musée des Arts et Métiers
Day 11 (Mon): Sainte-Chapelle
Conciergerie
Notre-Dame
Ile Saint-Louis (ice cream!!)
Day 12 (Tues): Arc de Triomphe
Champs-Elysées
Musée Galliera (I realise this may not be open)
Tour Eiffel (just to see it, not to go up)
Day 13 (Weds): Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil
Bois de Boulogne
Parc Bagatelle (if time)
Day 14 (Thurs): Versailles? Maybe something we had to postpone?
Day 15 (Fri): Depart for home (16 May)
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I think you have read some of my posts (smile!) While you in Le Jardin du Luxembourg, you might check out whether the Archimboldo exhibit is still playing (at the Palais I think. There are two buildings next to each other. This is the one next to where the Senate meets.) Anyway, it is a great Exhibit.
The Opera Garnier is a self-tour. You just walk around and look at the inside of the place. I know I read one person talked about going on an actual tour. I don%26#39;t know about one of those. The building is so magnificent though that all you need to do is walk around with your mouth hanging open. Also walk around the entire outside of the building. It is just majestic!
I think you have a good balance to your schedule. Your days aren%26#39;t overly full. I think your schedule will work out just fine. It looks like fun.
Have a great time!
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You have obviously done some thorough research. I would love to do this itinerary. You may not be able to visit every item, but you%26#39;ve already acknowledged that, so it%26#39;s fine. It%26#39;s impeccable.
The Paris Museum Pass is only sold in 2, 4, and 6 day increments. You will need to purchase more than one.
For transportation, I would recommend the Carte Orange weekly pass. You will need to purchase two of these foe each week. They span from Monday to Sunday. Use individual tickets for your first weekend.
Bon voyage!
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Day 6 is a little heavy on the museums. You could spend a week in just the Louvre.
You might also want to check out Musee de Cluny (day 2), and places like the Square du Vert Galant (day 11), Pont des Arts (day 11), and the Pont Alexandre III (day 8 or 9). Even though it is touristy, you should check out Montmarte. I would skip Place de la Bastille and just explore the Marais district.
I have been to Paris 5 times, and spent a semester of college there, and you have places on your list that I never got around to visiting...(like your day 4), but you have all of the places I went to over and over because I loved them, like the Jardin des Tuileries, the Place des Vosges, and the Jardin du Luxembourg.
You have really done a great job researching for your trip. Just don%26#39;t ruin your experience by trying to see everyting the first time. Some of my best memories are when things %26quot;slowed down%26quot;, such as a bottle of wine and some cheese on the riverbank on the tip of the Ile de la Cite, a sunset at the Pont Alexandre III, or people watching at a sidewalk cafe.
As with most trips I have taken, you probably will not get to every place on your list, but you will have a great time.
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It looks doable and I am a little jealous of your 2 weeks in Paris! If you like to keep busy, go to Paris Walks (http://www.paris-walks.com/) and print out the May walks before you leave. You don%26#39;t need reservations, so if the moment strikes you, you can take one.
I also have a couple suggestions on Thursday.
Go to the Musée Nissim de Camondo first, after walk around the corner and visit the Musée Cernuschi. From there you are at one of the entrances to the Parc Monceau. Walk through and enjoy and then head to Musee Jacquemart-Andre to see the museum and have a bit at its great cafe before heading to Chapelle Expiatoire. All 3 are great smaller museums.
Enjoy
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Whether your schedule is %26quot;doable%26quot; or not would depend on whether the %26quot;doer%26quot; is a person who likes to hang out in cafes, etc. drinking anything from juice, cafe creme, wine, beer, etc. or whether you prefer to be on the go and just stop and rest briefly for meals and an occasional %26quot;people watching.%26quot; From your description, you sound like you prefer to be on the go.
When I went to Paris in Sept-Oct. %26#39;07, I had a schedule for each day. I knew where I was going and what I was doing and the sequence in which it was planned. By the end of my trip, I had done everything except 2 or 3 things (I was there for 26 days). I prefer to be busy too. Someone looking at the schedule might have thought there were too many activities in a day but for me, it was PERFECT!
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Nice job!
I would discourage you from buying museum passes since you have places included on them so spread out. Saved admissions will not offset the price. And, have a list handy of the free museums/monuments.
The only place the museum pass is really useful for skipping the ticket line is Musee d%26#39;Orsay, and you can just buy an advance ticket at FNAC.
Last I heard, La Samaritaine is still closed?
But, if you enjoy Art Nouveau, you really should plan to wander around the 16th, especially, for the beautiful buildings. I posted a very long list of Art Nouveau buildings/restaurants a while back - do a search here for it.
Also notice you have a mix of indoor/outdoor activities every day, outdoor only some days. You never know about the weather, and, of course, it%26#39;s best to go indoors when it%26#39;s raining or really chilly, so you should be prepared to shift your activities around.
That%26#39;s a lot of gardens, so be advised that May is re-planting time, so many may not have much in bloom.
You should included days open/closed on your itinerary for the museums, so if you have to do some switching you%26#39;ll know when they%26#39;re closed. Also handy to know for days you have lots of time left over (especially the free ones).
Since you%26#39;re staying in an apartment for two weeks, I%26#39;m surprised you haven%26#39;t listed a single market or market street! The markets and market streets are amazing and well worth setting aside a couple of hours in the morning. Though, you%26#39;d probably have to plan on returning to the apartment with your purchases. You can enjoy this and that for breakfast/lunch while shopping for dinner. Also, if you plan to eat a lot of meals in your apartment, wander around your neighborhood for wonderful take-away places, patisseries, boulangeries, and other specialty shops. Some shops have amazing pre-prepared foods for reheating in your microwave. Highly recommend a rotisserie chicken with those potatoes roasted underneath. Awesome! And, find the nearest Picard in your neighborhood. Incredible frozen food emporium, not what you%26#39;d think.
Change Place de la Bastille for a Sunday or Thursday for the Richard Lenoir market, or make a special trip.
I would save Pere LaChaise for later on...some days you%26#39;ll be %26quot;finished%26quot; a lot earlier than you expect. No matter how much I plan, we always seems to have lots of time left over every day. And, be sure to enter from Gambetta, so you%26#39;re exploring Pere LaChaise downhill. Recommend picking up a detailed map from one of the florist shops on the way.
Not to be missed is Galeries Lafayette - for the gorgeous interior and the magnificent views from the roof. Across the street, be sure to wander into Societe Generale (a bank at 72 boulevard Haussmann). Absolutely stunning!
Is there some reason you%26#39;re not going to Montmartre? Though some declare it %26quot;just too touristy%26quot;, we do not think so and go there at least once or twice on every visit. Worth the treck just for the views of Paris from those steps! And, there%26#39;s terrific %26quot;traditional%26quot; live music all over.
Highly recommend picking up a good walking tour guide for self-guided tours. Also handy to have along should you run out of things to do. Not to mention chock full of beautiful streets/buildings not listed in all the tour guides or on the websites. Totally agree with the advice to print the walking tour schedule. The history is fascinating. And, they take you inside courtyards and passages and other places you%26#39;d walk right past and not even notice, or are steps away.
If you%26#39;re going to go to Versailles, go there before visiting the Conciergerie. The contrast between Louis %26amp; Marie Antoinette%26#39;s %26quot;living quarters%26quot; is astonishing (of course). (And, so very tragic.)
There%26#39;s a place behind Opera Garnier called Paris Story - a small theater with an amazing multi-media presentation.
The Petit Palais, across the street from the Grand Palais, is exquisite, inside and out.
Also highly recommend spending two days on L%26#39;Opentour when the weather is nice. The views from seats on the open air upper deck are magnificent and you get to see all the neighborhoods! Great photo ops too, and ideas for spending more time in areas you may not have known about or planned on. We were really glad to have done this early on during our first visit. Now, we usually do this our last two days, if the weather if favorable, just for another look all over.
And, here%26#39;s another huge recommendation for Carte Orange. For one thing, you don%26#39;t have to keep track of used and unused tickets, or worry about using them up versus walking. You%26#39;d probably buy a carnet upon arrival for Fri-Sun, anyway. By Sunday, you may decide that riding is much more efficient for getting around than trying to walk as much as possible. You%26#39;ll do more walking than you can possibly imagine, anyway. And, once you arrive, at even the smaller museums, there%26#39;s miles of more walking and plenty of stairs to wear you out.
Be sure to print out the Tourist Bus Map on the RATP website. It%26#39;s great fun just to hop on a route and ride to the end and back for the scenery. You can hop off whenever you see appealing shops, cafes, etc., then continue on later.
You should also include some places to be on a day of brilliant sunshine at dusk, when there will be a beautiful sunset. And, have a list handy of all those places that are SO beautiful at night!
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You have seen huge traffic circles. Its called making a left turn on 28th ST. at aboout 4:30!
sb
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gosh.. this is a well thought out itinerary! I%26#39;m going to be in Paris for the month of September and hope you won%26#39;t mind if I print this out and take it with me! :) I agree about the markets... it%26#39;s so wonderful to just browse thru them and you get to meet some real parisians there too.. just wonderful!
bon chance!
Roniece
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Museums and art are high on your agenda, so I am surprised that you have not considered the Musee Marmottan where you can enjoy at least 67 Monets in a small compact gallery!!
Your itinerary is fine, but be prepared for the unexpected to divert you elsewhere. Paris is about museums and art, and a whole range of historical sites, but you will soon realise that it is also about just relaxing in a sidewalk cafe and taking in the scenery - a coffee, maybe a glass of wine or two - and your plans are changed. You have a great plan, but prepare to be flexible and let your heart direct you when confronted with agenda diverters.
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Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful suggestions!
In Love w/ Paris, my husband is definitely not the lounging-around-in-a-café type, but I made sure he agreed with our itinerary during the planning process because sometimes I require a lot of keeping up with!
Djk, you would probably laugh if you saw the excel spreadsheet I have with the arr., attraction, address, days and hours of operation, cost, and a notes area for my comments. Then I have a spreadsheet for getting from place to place, printouts of the bus and métro routes and a wonderful detailed little book-map of Paris. Not one to leave any stone unturned, I also created an extensive packing checklist (we are taking only carry-on bags) based on examples I%26#39;d seen on some of the myriad websites visited during the research/planning process. I am a very thorough planner! Of course, I%26#39;ve had two years to do it as well two years to save every bonus, refund, windfall, etc to help fund our little adventure. Too bad the exchange rate has gone south since then (it was something like $1.30 when we started)...
As for the outdoor gardens, I%26#39;m not so much in it for the flowers as the evergreens and layout. English garden-type stuff. However, I do love flowers and hope to see some while we%26#39;re there. Should the weather be inclement, I figure that would be an excellent opportunity to do some impromptu exploring.
The reason we%26#39;re not going to Montmartre is there is only so much we can do in 14 days and there were so many things we wanted to see/do! I have read plenty of horrible things about it, but one of the gals I work with was there and loved it. If we have time we%26#39;ll check it out, but if not at least we%26#39;ll have something to put on our itinerary for next time (because I%26#39;m sure we%26#39;ll want to return!).
Silversage, thank you so much for the Thursday suggestion! It sounds great. We had thought about a walking tour as well and visited Paris Walks%26#39; website. They have some excellent tours.
France-maniac, I had thoroughly researched the Carte Orange and museum pass and planned on using those. Economical and a time saver, for sure. Excellent suggestion.
MarkinSTL, we do realise the Louvre is ENORMOUS but since there is so much we wanted to do we figured we would spend 3 or 4 hours there this time and if we really wanted to see more, we%26#39;d plan an entire day (or two) for our next visit. Just another reason to return to Paris! We%26#39;re not terribly interested in art, though; I think I will be more interested in the architecture. We do like the Impressionists and are therefore looking very forward to the d%26#39;Orsay--me, mostly because it%26#39;s a former train station (I love trains)!
Susan055, that%26#39;s funny!! Yes, 28th Street would definitely scare any non-local, but since I%26#39;ve lived here all my life and work just off of it (albeit in Cascade), I%26#39;m completely bored with it. Alpine has surpassed 28th and would probably be much more comparable to a huge, scary traffic circle. I avoid it whenever possible.
Roniece, please feel free to use my itinerary to help with your planning. You%26#39;re welcome to the spreadsheets as well, if you%26#39;d like them. I also have a ton of websites bookmarked that I found very helpful; I have visited the TA Paris forum the most, by far!
Thank you all again for sharing your helpful suggestions with me! I look forward to reading any others.
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