hello everyone! i am so exicted that my husband and i will be traveling without our 5 kids to paris this april. we arrive fri morning and leave mon afternoon. i know it%26#39;s not much time (but hey that%26#39;s when our sitters turn into pumpkins). we may not get a chance like this again for a while (like ever) and it%26#39;s our wedding anniversary so i%26#39;m trying to be mostly planned in advance so all goes well. on the 1st 2 nights we%26#39;re staying at the arc de triomphe sofitel (my choice - hopefully a good one?). the last night we will stay at the le meridian montparnasse (my hubby is staying 2 more weeks for work picked up corporately and this is why we will move hotels.
i%26#39;ve sorted thru lots of info and guidebooks and made a list of things we want to do. the list is WAY TOO LONG!! if you would, please vote for what you would do for 3 days in paris knowing what you know now, but as if it was your first time. just as an aside about us - museums are ok, but we%26#39;re not crazy into art, churches are pretty, but we%26#39;re just so so on that too, we LOVE shopping and browsing, though we probably won%26#39;t buy too much - people and culture watching is tops for us, as is eating well. i%26#39;m big into the cheese/ bread/ chocolate, while he likes the finer foods. i actually don%26#39;t like french food, but perhaps i am closed minded because i%26#39;ve never had good french food. i%26#39;m open to trying it all again! (more of a meat and potatoes gal, but when in paris.... ) also since it is the 1st time in like 10 years we%26#39;re been alone away from the kids, we are VERY interested in doing dancing, clubbing, shows, entertainment - so any suggestions there would be GREATLY appreciated. we plan to play hard, walk a lot and sleep little. please check out my (not so) short list and vote for what you would do (and in what order!)
thank you everyone - this forum is AWESOME!!!
l%26#39;open tour
lourve
eiffel tower, jules verne
socre coeur and mortmarte
galerie lafayette
moulin rouge or orher night club
foire du trone (fun fair?) or shakespeare garden fest
son et lumiere
bateaux parisen dinner cruise
nightclub - entertainment
arche de la defense
place dela concorde
D%26#39;Orsay
Tuilleries garden
Champs elysees
ard de triumphe
notre dame
forem des halles
pompidou
rue di rivoli
rue briar
montparnasse cimetiere
trocadero
ave montaigne
place de la madeline
budda bar
taillevent
mariage freres
angelinas
lauduree
la maison du chocolate
boulevard hausseman
place du tertre
salvadore dali museum
place des absess and pigalle
george V
printemps
samaritaine
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Well, you%26#39;ve got very little time, and a list to keep you busy for 6 months, so I%26#39;m not sure where to start. Perhaps prioritize? Shopping vs. being entertained vs. seeing sights. Fine dining vs. authentic bistro food at a cafe/brasserie.
Pick 3 or 4 things you absolutely positively have to do. Put those at the top. Everything else will be icing on the cake. What you don%26#39;t get to will provide a good excuse to come back!
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It really depends what your interests are. For example, some people seem as if they could spend years, without air, food or water, in the Louvre or shopping. Others like seeing women dancing around, wearing nothing but feathers.
I%26#39;m surprised that you didn%26#39;t list Chateau de Versailles, especially on a weekend afternoon in April to go see the fountains turned on.
Anyway, judging from giving friends and family tons of tours, especially the women, on their first visits...
(1) Walk around on foot for miles and miles if you can. Skip the Metro. Paris is a tiny city. You%26#39;ll see more if you%26#39;re not underground. ;-)
(2) Bateaux Parisiens. Diner Croisiere. (dinner cruise). Try to get on the Diamonte boat. It has a see through roof and a raised middle deck (if you%26#39;re in the cheapo etoile class on the middle deck, you get the best views on the boat!). That%26#39;s good for going under bridges.
(3) Lunch at Jules Verne on the Eiffel Tower. Make your reservations NOW by phone. Lunch may already be booked solid. Dinner is already booked solid through October.
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Snavaro comments are really on the nail. From your long list I would cross Moulin Rouge, Defense, Halles, and Jules Verne, cimetiere Montmarthe et Pigalle.
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I agree with LuckyLuc and would add to strike foire du throne. Its interesting but is basically a midway and state fair like rides. Something you can easily find in the US. I would change montparnasse cemetary to Pere Lachaise.
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Like this person I will be in Paris for 3 days from April 20-23rd (we fly home real early on the 23rd). I have never travelled in Europe and we will be coming from Switzerland. I really have no idea where to go when we get to the train stop in Paris!!! Where should we go from there, and where should we stay? We can%26#39;t afford anything extravagent but don%26#39;t want to stay in hostels. I imagine to stay close to the main sites you are paying crazy prices. Can you please recommend some low-mid range places for us to stay? There will be 2 of us travelling together.
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IN looking at your %26#39;wish list%26#39; you%26#39;ve got a little something from just about every part of Paris and a bit beyond. Perhaps what you need to to is look a a goof Paris Map and orient yourself to the city and its layout, find the locations of your hotels and relative locations of the sites and attractions which interest you most . Then organize them into %26#39;..sectors..%26#39;. As an example Pigalle, Place du Tetre, Place de Abbesses, Espace Salvator Dali, Cimetiere Pere-Lachaise, Basilique du Sacre Coeur could all be placed in a single MONTMARTRE %26#39;sector%26#39;
For other %26#39;sectors%26#39;, you could group: Place de la Concorde, Angelina%26#39;s rue de Rivoli, Jardin des Tuileries, Louvre, the rooftop observation deck of La Samaritaine, Sainte-Chapelle, Notre Dame, Ile Saint Louis, Berthillon...OR...Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysees, Laudree%26#39;s, Fouquet%26#39;s, Hotel George V, Maison du Chocolat, Ave,. Montaigne, Arc de Triumph, Palais de Chaillot, Jardin de Trocadero, Eiffel Tower...OR..Eiffel Towr, Ecole Militaire, Musee Rodin, Invalides, Musee d%26#39;Orsay...OR..Hotel de Ville, Les Halles, Fountain Igor Stravinski, Saint Eustache, Centre Pompidou, Place des Vosges Musee Picasso, Marais in general.
However it suits you best, begin by orienting youself to the city and its layout, where things are located and daily itineraries will probably just fall into natural order. In addition to this, knowing where things are relative to where you are, makes it must easier for you to alter plans as you go. I%26#39;ve always found that it%26#39;s much better to find myself saying, %26quot;..Nah...let%26#39;s do something else instead..%26quot; then; than %26quot;..Darned...If we%26#39;d only known..%26quot; later. as you begin to understand the city, finding your way around begins to make more %26#39;sense, and becomes quicker, easier and more %26#39;intuitive%26#39;.
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Oh. Seeing that you%26#39;re from Illinois, do avoid the common mistake of people from the US Midwest.
Versailles is pronounced close to %26quot;Vehr-sigh,%26quot; and not at all like %26quot;Ver-sales.%26quot; The French will have no idea what you%26#39;re trying to say if you said the latter, much like Americans would have no idea what you%26#39;re saying if you actually pronounced Los Angeles or Detoit correctly.
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I know it%26#39;s not on your list but...
Since it%26#39;s your 2nd honeymoon and all, I%26#39;d suggest the Musee Rodin.
When I was in college and visiting, I wished I was there with a significant other.
When I returned 10 years later on MY honeymoon, it was an essential destination.
Now it%26#39;s 17 years later, and we%26#39;re headed back again.
There%26#39;s just something about the way Rodin represents the human form twisting around itself... I just think it%26#39;s very romantic and palpitating...if you know what I mean...
...just a thought...
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Wow! It isn%26#39;t a lot of time, but you can make it work for you.
Firstly, when you arrive, it will more than likely be in the AM so work really hard at keeping yourself up. Even if you slept on the way over you%26#39;re going to be draggin%26#39; your wagon! LOL Take a good hot shower once you%26#39;ve reached your hotel, get dressed again and get out! You%26#39;ll be less tempted to want to nap if you leave your hotel room.
You mention that you%26#39;re not much for French food - there%26#39;s lots to try. The local cafes and bistrots will have much more basic and simple fare, and the prices will be more to your liking. Be prepared for the sticker shock. I tend to find prices akin to Boston/New York prices.
While out on that first day pick up a copy of Pariscope at any news kiosk. It%26#39;s an English language listing of all the latest things going on in the city, arranged by Arrondisement. For ease you may want to stick with the things closest to your hotel, so that you%26#39;re within walking distance. The Metro stops running at 12:30 AM!
Here%26#39;s my 2 cents for the items you listed:
l%26#39;open tour
Louvre - Look at the museum map and choose a couple of galleries. There%26#39;s too much to see at once. It%26#39;s also hot and stuffy. Do this on Sunday when everything else is closed.
eiffel tower, jules verne - It%26#39;s worth going up; take a few pics and off you go!
sacre coeur and Montmartre - lovely area to explore, and great views of the city skyline from in front of the church
galerie lafayette - My fave! Excellent shoe sellection
moulin rouge or otrher night club - Moulin Rouge neighborhood can be a little rough and tumble, and I%26#39;m given to understand the show%26#39;s a bit overrated.
foire du trone (fun fair?) or shakespeare garden fest
son et lumiere
bateaux parisien dinner cruise - FABULOUS! Approx. $200.00 per person, but worth every penny if this is your anniversary. Board the one that leaves from Pont de l%26#39;Alma.
nightclub - entertainment - cave de la huchette (jazz bar at 5 rue de la huchette - Latin Quarter) Could also try the Lido on the Champs Elysees. check their website for current pricing.
arche de la defense - Worth noting on your list, but I wouldn%26#39;t cry if I missed it.
place de la concorde - Cool from an historical standpoint, since it was actually La Place de la Guillotine..... Also fun to watch the traffic free-for-all that is a rotary...
Musee D%26#39;Orsay - I would choose this one over the Louvre. Open, airy and filled with life.
Tuilleries garden/Champs Elysees/l%26#39;arc de Triomphe - all sandwiched together, you can walk the length of the Champs from the Arc to the Place de la Concorde right through the Tuilleries. It%26#39;s a good walk!
notre dame - Worth seeing. Attending Mass there is worth the hour.
forum des halles
pompidou - Modern art museum; haven%26#39;t been in myself but I love the building.
rue di rivoli - nice, near the Concorde. High-end shops
rue briar
montparnasse cimetiere - Or Pere Lachaise, near Sacre Coeur.
trocadero - cool, for interesting pics
ave montaigne
place de la madeline
budda bar
taillevent
mariage freres
angelinas
lauduree
la maison du chocolate
place du tertre - In Montmartre. If you%26#39;ve got a moment to spare, have a sketch done. I know it%26#39;s touristy and a rip off but who cares?
salvadore dali museum - great! if not there then Rodin
place des absess and pigalle - Interesting, near where the Moulin Rouge is. Red light district
george V -
printemps - ok, I prefer Galleries Lafayettes. They%26#39;re across the street from each other (boulevard hausseman)-
la samaritaine - the grande dame of department stores. Service is sketchy, but there%26#39;s a rooftop cafe that%26#39;s open in the fair weather. Great circular views of the city skyline with maps to tell you where you%26#39;re looking and what you%26#39;re seeing. It%26#39;s also situated on the Right Bank at Le Pont Neuf.
Have a great time!
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agh721: you may find %26quot;cornfellows%26quot; Just Returned review of the low
88 euro hotel Mines he stayed in .
Located in a nice area next dor to a market for daily bead, cheese, chocolate shopping.
It has a large bed and very clean bathroom ...and the staff speaks
some English and have a good attitude, which is always a bonus in a new place far from home.
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