Hello all,
My wife and I arrive for the first part of our Honeymoon Monday August 20th and stay until Friday August 24th in the morning.
I have planned out the following sights to see on the following days, I am not sure of the geographic location of these sights so I may have planned incorrectly or may be wasting a lot of time travelling. If this is the case could you please point this out:
Monday August 20th - Arc De Triomphe, Champs, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tour and in the evening a Seine Reiver Cruise
Tuesday August 21st - Musee Orsay, Rodin Museum, Sacre Coeur, Saint Chappelle, St. Sulpice, Napolean%26#39;s Tomb.
Wednesday August 22nd - Picasso Museum, Louvre, in the evning a show at the Moulin Rouge.
Thursday August 23rd - 1/2 day morning trip to Versailles, Pompidou Centre and a late night stop at the eiffel tour.
Have I planned these sights well according to their proximity to each other? Is there anything really important that I have left off?
Also, for the trip to Versaille, should I book with a tour company ahead of time that provides transportation and the tour etc. Or should I just go about it myself? If a tour company which one would you recommend - Guidatours.com ???
Also any suggestions for nightime entertainment - ie. Jazz clubs, shows to see (opera, ballet etc.)
Thanks so much in advance and sorry for the long post.
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What time of day are you arriving on the Monday? You seem to be trying to pack a lot of things into each day. You need to take into account that for the likes of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame and St Chappelle especialy the queues could be quite long at almost any time of day. I am guessing that since you are on your honeymoon you won%26#39;t want to be getting up at the crack of dawn every day which is often what you need to do to beat the queues especially at the Eiffel Tower. My knowledge of the exact locations of all the sites is not precise so I will leave someone else to comment on that aspect. What I do know is that St Chapelle is quite near to Notre Dame so could be done one after the other queues allowing. Happy honeymoon and I hope you take some time to relax:-)
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You are trying to do too much.
Paris rewards you more if you take your time and try to stroll the city and take in the atmosphere as well as the sights.
Leave some of these for another time as you will definately want to come again.
For instance the Louvre would need more than a day on it%26#39;s own.
Versailles really needs a day put aside.
You can go quite easily without needing a tour by RER to Versailles Rive Gauche on Line C of the RER.
Your Tuesday itinerary is very busy - The museums are very time consuming so I would really prioritise a lot more.
If the weather is lovely you will not want to be inside - unless it is very hot then an air conditioned museum might be a welcome relief!!
I really think that when you actually arrive any itinerary will go out of the window and you will just enjoy exploring the city.
You will have a great time but don%26#39;t over plan the trip.
Leave time for some long Paris lunches.
Neal
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Don%26#39;t do too many museums on any given day...and do more walking on your first day to get your %26#39;jet-lag%26#39; acclimated... Did you look at a map? You were %26#39;geographically challenged%26#39; for your first itinerary...!
%26lt;%26gt; Monday August 20th -
Arc De Triomphe / Champs Elysees
Notre Dame
Sainte Chapelle
St. Sulpice
%26lt;%26gt; Tuesday August 21st -
Eiffel Tour
Napolean%26#39;s Tomb
Rodin Museum (closed on Mon)
Musee d%26#39;Orsay (closed on Mon)
evening - Seine Reiver Cruise
%26lt;%26gt; Wednesday August 22nd -
Louvre (closed on Tues)
Picasso Museum (closed on Tues)
Sacre Coeur
evning - show at the Moulin Rouge
%26lt;%26gt; Thursday August 23rd -
1/2 day morning trip to Versailles
Pompidou Centre (closed on Tues)
late night stop at the Eiffel tower
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Gosh, this is your honeymoon.
90% of the romance of a honeymoon in Paris is about long, leisurely walks along the banks of the Seine, lazy time in the Jardin Luxembourg, time-spent people watching at an outdoor cafe in Place St. Michel, etc.
Don%26#39;t spend so much time in museums. I%26#39;d urge you to skip Napoleon%26#39;s Tomb, skip the dreadful Picasso Museum unless you REALLY love Picasso and everything about him (including his lesser works found here), skip the Pompidou Centre, skip the Moulin Rouge show.
When you go to the Rodin, make sure it%26#39;s a beautiful sunny warm day and spend most (if not all) of your time in the gorgeous gardens outside, where his most famous works are located anyway, rather than inside the building museum itself. It%26#39;s more interesting outside, and you can pay just to see the museum gardens at a lower price.
If you are looking for last-minute tickets to shows of all types, try this website, I%26#39;ve used this agency, and they are reliable:
http://www.cheque-theatre.com/
Bon voyage!
Go to a tiny little romantic bistro like La Rose de France in the exquisite quiet oasis of Place Dauphine (on the Ile de la Cite near Pont Neuf) or Le P%26#39;tit Troquet near the Eiffel Tower.
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Thanks for all the replies thus far, they have been really helpful.
We are both very active travellers, hence the full list of things to do. Don%26#39;t worry I do not imagine everything on the list/schedule will get done, there is no doubt that time spent relaxing, eating and talking will take up a lot of time. I just like to have a plan. Plus we are then spending three relaxing days in Nice and one in Lyons before we fly out.
As for skipping the Moulin Rouge show, I think this is a must for her. THis entire honeymoon is a complete surprise, she has no idea where she is going and she will not find out until we get on the plane. That being said should I book the Moulin Rouge in advance or should I wait until I get there? Is booking two to three days in advance sufficient?
Cheers
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Please, I beg of you, do not see the Moulin Rouge show! By all means, go there in the daytime (on the same day that you will visit the Sacre Couer) to take the requisite pictures.
Seine river cruise on the first night is a wonderful idea. It%26#39;s a romantic introduction to the city.
I wouldn%26#39;t climb all three - Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tour, and Notre Dame. Pick one or two. My choice would be the latter two.
Notre Dame and St. Chappelle should be done same day as they are in close proximity.
Skip Hotel Invalides.
If you have time after the Louvre, visit the Musee de%26#39;l Orangerie, which houses panoramic Monets (if you or your wife-to-be enjoys Impressionism).
We used ParisVisions (through Expedia) for Versailles. The benefit is the private transportation and live commentary. In hindsight, I would%26#39;ve probably not used a tour guide.
Have a wonderful time! You can never go wrong with Paris!
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My advice would be do two things each day, and one thing in the evening. It%26#39;s perfectly possible to do everything in one day but you won%26#39;t have time to enjoy anything and will constantly be rushing around. For Versaille, especially in the summer months, I would allow a whole day, 1/2 day for the house, and 1/2 day for the gardens and other features. Even then you will miss lots of stuff out.
Of course, you can do what my husband and I do on each visit to Paris, and that is make a list of where we still need to go or where we want to return to on our next visit. That way we always have an excuse to come back.
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Hiya - I think you%26#39;ll drop from exhaustion if you try to cover all that you%26#39;ve listed.
Monday looks doable
Tuesday - be aware that you need to queue to get into St Chappelle and Musee D%26#39;Orsay, at least. I think you%26#39;ll need to halve the plans for that day - leave Sacre Coeur til tomorrow night.
Wed - doable - but forget the Moulin Rouge. Have a leisurley dinner in Montmartre, visit Sacre Coeur in the night....enjoy the views..
Thursday - get to Versaille early, allow for a rest in the arvo. Late night shopping and wandering the streets is delightful...a last night look at the ET as she twinkles is unforgettable.
VERY comfortable walking shoes. Water. Light hand bags, etc.
You just may survive! (or you%26#39;ll at least die with a smile on your face!!)
here%26#39;s a useful website....
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=paris@117%26amp;cur_section=din%26amp;sort=price%26amp;review=full%26amp;pg=1
lots of detail and has a %26#39;best in 5 days%26#39; that may be helpful....
here%26#39;s another way to get around without wearing your shoes out....and there%26#39;s a useful map to help you understand distances etc..
http://www.paris-opentour.com/
You can get a 2 day pass and be driven around to the sites - which is better than travelling underground where you don%26#39;t get to see much...free earplugs and recorded messages help you to appreciate the sites...
And a Paris Illuninations tour is a good way to finish your trip..a bus tour in the night, where all of the sites are lit up - magic! I like www.viator.com. You can buy your tix online and then just present them at the office prior to getting on the bus....
Enjoy, enjoy....
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Thanks a lot for all your help guys . . . .
I will leave the Moulin ROuge to her discretion once we land.
In terms of late night activities - ie. Jazz clubs or hangouts is there anything that I should not miss?
Also can someone recommend some nice places for dinner - around 70-80 euros for the both of us.
Thanks again, only 5 days away, getting really excited.
Cheers
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Le P%26#39;tit Troquet on rue de la Exposition, not far from the Eiffel Tower is well-known for its very romantic atmosphere, good food and reasonable prices, a family-run tiny little bistro. Call in advance for reservations, though, it%26#39;s very popular...
Tel : 01 47 05 80 39
Fax : 01 47 05 80 39
Subway : Ecole Militaire
Closed on Sundays....Madame Vessiere speaks English, so that won%26#39;t be an issue if you call.
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