Walking Paris

We are staying in Rue Sommerard, which we understand is close to St. Michel and about a ten minute walk to Notre Dame. I%26#39;ve tried looking at maps to try and see how many sites we%26#39;ll be able to visit on foot.

Web sites seem to differ in the distances they quote from one place to another.

We really don%26#39;t have a problem walking and feel this will be the best way to see the city.

Any ideas how far it would be from say Notre Dame to the Arc de Triumphe or the Eiffel Tower?

Also we can see that Montmarte is quite a way out and will probably resort to getting the Metro. We would definately like to see the Sacre Coer with the beautiful view over the city so which would be the nearest metro station?

Thanks

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www.parisinconnu.com/promenades/index_us.htm

This is a good site to look at.

Paris can easily be visited by foot if you are a good walker and pace yourself.

Notre Dame to Arc de Triomphe can be done is 1 hour or so.

Montmartre is also accessible by foot but plan your route smartly or you will be walking through a few not so interesting neighborhoods (even though they are also Paris!).

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Hi valleygirl --

Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower is a bit of a walk...in my opinion, your best option is to take the metro and get off at Trocadero, for example. The walk to the Arc is not impossible (nor is the one to the Eiffel, for that matter, but it is longer)...it allows you to walk along the Seine and then through the Tuileries Gardens and by the Louvre pyramids, if you wish. But again...it%26#39;s a bit more than a short jaunt. But as you so rightly said, walking is absolutely the best way to get to know this city, and I reccommend you do as much of it as possible.

As for Montmartre, Abbesses (line 12) or Anvers (line 2) are the best metro stops for climbing up to Montmartre. Anvers plops you right by the Moulin Rouge and gives a more urban look at the Pigalle district, and you%26#39;ll see tons of tourist traps on the way up to Sacre-Coeur). Abbesses is a bit of a quiter and more aside stop...it is actually a great starting place for seeing all of the cobblestoned charm of the Montmartre area. BUT BEWARE: TAKE THE ELEVATOR if you take this metro stop! the stairs are NEVERENDING!

Have a wonderful trip.

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Walking from Notre Dame down to the Arc or Eiffel probably would work best as the backbone of an all-day itinerary, stopping to see various sites/shops/cafes along the way.

For instance, on the Eiffel side of the Seine, you likely would want to walk the length of boulevard Saint Germain and jog over to visit the Musee d%26#39;Orsay. On the Arc side, you would want to walk through the Tuilleries and visit l%26#39;Orangerie (the Louvre also is on that side, but you likely would want to make it a full morning or afternoon, not just a short stop). Whether you want to walk the length of the CE depends on your personal preference - likely you would want to see it at least on your first trip (people tend to either love it or hate it, but you won%26#39;t know your own preference until you see it!).

Have a great time, and don%26#39;t forget that at any point you can hop on the Metro and skip over a long stretch of walking if you%26#39;re tired.

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Thanks for your replies - think I found myself being too optimistic of where we can get around in just a couple of days.

Haven%26#39;t been to Paris in about eighteen years - can%26#39;t wait!

Will certainly check out the web site suggested.

thanks again!

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Unless you are walking for the excercise, why not save a bit of time and take the metro to your longest destination? We tended to do that and then walk back. The kids enjoyed the metro as much as walking, and it was a good respite in the afternoon (esp. after a long walk like touring the Louvre!)

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Valleygirl,

I see you are staying at the Best Western Le Jardin De Cluny. My sister and I stayed there for 9 nights last September. We enjoyed our stay there.

The one thing that we seemed to do alot was that we would walk down to Notre Dame and then continue on across the island and back over the river to the Hotel de Ville. There is a metro stop there on line 1 and that would get us up to the Louvre and further up to the Arc. It%26#39;s not a long walk from the Arc down to the Trocadero.

Or we would do the reverse coming back at night. Nothing like walking in front of Notre Dame at night.

Also close by your hotel is the Maubert Mutualite metro stop which was also convenient to getting to the Eiffel Tower. Just had to transfer once to line 6 and that would get you to the Eiffel or stay on and it would also take you to the Arc. We did this once and then were able to walk back via the Champs Elysees. And then hopped a metro back to the Hotel De Ville.

You can also walk to all of these but as others have said they would be long walks and with you having such a short time in Paris, the metro makes for some quick trips between sights. If you don%26#39;t think you will ride the metro alot, a carnet(10) of tickets is a good way to go and makes it easy to just find a metro stop and hop on it to take you to the next place you want to see. This way you could visit one area, hop on the metro and then go visit another area. You may miss seeing some of the things in between but with such a short time I would rather see more of the major sights.

Enjoy your stay in Paris!

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Since you%26#39;re staying for only a couple of days, choose four or five different areas you wish to visit. Hop on the metro for each, then discover that area on foot.

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I%26#39;m a keen walker too, but one thing I have found (though perhaps this is just me getting older) is that it%26#39;s wise to do slightly less walking than intended during the daytime to make sure you have the energy for the evening. The last time I was with some friends in Paris we were on our feet all day, and after our evening meal we never got round to doing our planned evening activities. We just sat in the restaurant and ordered another bottle of wine, then it was a couple of beers in a bar on the way back to our hotel. I must say, we did not really object to this arrangement, but we had all seen Paris before so we had no particular desire to wander far at night. Others, however, may wish to conserve a little of their energy for the evening. The fatigue can creep up on you (and your legs) and take you by surprise.

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Thanks for all your feedback. Think I have come to the conclusion that the metro might be the answer. Thought originally that we%26#39;d miss a lot by using the underground but if we want to fit in as much as possible then this should work well.

Thanks for the tips on the metro stations Travelingval and glad to hear you enoyed your stay at the Jardin de Cluny.

Can%26#39;t wait for the weekend to come.

Thanks a lot!

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Hi Valley Girl,

Mrs. Fried and I felt that one of our best investments was the Metro pass. I say that married to a woman that in one day dragged this old guy up the stairs to the second level of the Eiffel, up the stairs to the top of the Arc, up the stairs to the top of Notre Dame and finally up the stairs to Sacre Coeur in one crazy day. Fortunately I was able to resuscitate myself with a very large beer (actually two) in Montmartre after all of this while she went and bought the art work that we thought we could do without the day before. My point is, the Metro pass gives you the freedom to go where you want when you want, very efficiently and allows you to pace yourself somewhat. We must have walked 10 miles a day and still got more than our money%26#39;s worth from the Metro pass.

Have a great trip. I wish I was going back soon. Lost 6 pounds in 10 days while enjoying the high life.