Ok- I need help!
I will be travelling to Paris in August (13-21) with 6 other adults all in the late twenty, to early thirty range. All of us have never been there before!
We are staying in the 15th district (we are not afraid to use the metro or walk)
So for our 7 days in Paris we thought our intinerary would look something like this:
One day reserved for the Louvre
One day reserved for Euro Disney
One day reserved to go into London.
We have intentions of visiting: Eiffel Tower, and Arc de Triomphe.
We are not thinking of taking anymore day long trips but I would appreciate any tips or suggestions that you may have. Something that you may have learned on one of your trips? Something you do if you returned?
Anything that we must see? Any hidden gems? Anything we can avoid all together?
Thanks so much!
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1. Don%26#39;t forget some walking tours. These can be self-organized and conducted, or there are many companies that conduct these. That%26#39;s how you get real glimpses into Paris, the Parisians and what makes it all special.
2. Musee D%26#39;Orsay and Musee Rodin are very rewarding if you are at all interested in Impressionism and sculpture. Orsay is my favorite museum in Paris.
3. My wife and I have made a tradition of taking a night cruise on the Seine on our last night in Paris. The lights are magical.
4. Versailles is definitely worth a trip. Many here on TA would advise you to drop Disney and see Versailles, but Disney has its fans as well.
5. The 15th is near Bois de Boulogne, so be sure to spend some time strolling or picnicking there. Go in the daytime.
6. Think about a Segway tour early in your trip. It%26#39;s a blast to ride the Segways, and their tour is a good basic intro. http://citysegwaytours.com/paris.
If you can tell us a bit more about what interests you we can provide additional suggestions. Art? History? Night life? Fine dining (although August can be pretty dead and some restaurants close for holidays). Anyway, have fun on your trip!
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Hi Amyzing
August is a great time to travel to Paris and the weather will be fabulous....if you like aircon make sure the hotel has it :-)
Although I am from the UK I spend much of my working life in Paris so here are some thoughts to build on your ideas:-
1. Skip Euro Disney: its Real Disney without the service and I think you will be disappointed.....there is FAR too much other good stuff in Paris to spend your dollars on Uncle Walt.
2. The Louvre: unless you are art historians, a full day will be exhausting. 3-4 hours will be enough. However just a stroll from there through the Tuilleries is the Jeu de Paume with a great collection of Monet
3. Personally I would skip the day trip to London (unless its to go on the checklist). London could keep you busy for a month! However, if you definitely want to do it, make absolutely sure you go to the Tower of London, then tube to Trafalgar Square (and National Art Gallery), then walk through Victory Arch, down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. From there, walk through St James%26#39; Park to the Houses of Parliament, along to Downing Street then just past there to HorseGuards Parade. I promise you will be exhausted and will see some of the most iconic places on earth so make sure you have plenty of camera memory available.
4. If you go by EuroStar from Paris to London check the first class prices: the table service (drinks and dinner) makes it all worthwhile, especially if you complete the list above. You will be ready to sit, eat, drink, SLEEP.
Back to Paris....let me assume you like culture/the arts as you mention the Louvre:-
5. Close to the Louvre in the Marais distric is the Pablo Picasso Museum: a must-do
6. Also do NOT forget: Notre Dame; St Michel (left bank distric) and a drink at the Deux Magots bistrot where Jean-Paul Sartre hung out; Trocadero and Museum of Modern Art
7. Opera distric (2nd aondissement) in the centre. Its where Phantom of the Opera story was based and a beautiful building in the heart of the shopping district
8. Walk the length of the Champs Elysees from Place de la Concorde....shop, people-watch...enjoy
9. Les Invalides: Napoleions tomb and fantastic museum
10. Make sure you have french speakers with you (at least able to manage). I%26#39;m sorry to say it, but as a fluent French-speaker with many years first-hand experience of Paris I feel you should be prepared; many Parisiens will either refuse to speak English or feign ignorance. Its just the way it is. The best way is to make an effort....they soon want to show they can speak another language too :-). Besides in August many Parisiens are away on vacation so the city is full of visitors.
The list goes on! Do mail me direct with some ideas of the type of things you like, where you will be staying, what you want to avoid etc....I%26#39;d be more than happy to help. Give me some idea of budgets too.
Lists of restaurants?
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I agree with almost everything the others have said. Unless you have children or teenagers with you, skip Disney.
We spent about 6 hours in the Louvre and loved every minute of it. We went to the antiquities in the morning and then the Mona Lisa, etc. in the afternoon and found that the crowds weren%26#39;t too bad.
Definitely Versailles. Definitely the Eiffel Tower when it twinkles after dark.
And just walk along the Seine and enjoy the atmosphere. We enjoyed Parc Monceau and Musee Nissim Camondo and also a concert at Notre Dame.
We speak virtually no French. Everyone was so gracious. In fact, everyone spoke English or could point to someone who could. The only exception was the housekeeper at the hotel and we made do with numbers and hand signals. Do not worry about not speaking French - just be sure to say Bon Jour.
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Museum in Tuileries with Monets Waterlilies is L%26#39; Orangerie.
If you are there on the evenings the Louvre(Wed and Fri,) and the D%26#39;Orsay( Thurs) are open they are usually less crowded at night. So you could spend your daytime strolling,going to MontMartre,Luxembourg Gardens and head to museums around 6 until 9 then have a lovely dinner.
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Don%26#39;t miss Montmartre. It is full of artisits in the street painting and selling. If you are interested in seeing any castles, the Loire Valley is an easy day trip. We took the train then rented a car so we could visit the castles at our own pace. Enjoy.
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Don%26#39;t miss Montmartre. It is full of artisits in the street painting and selling. If you are interested in seeing any castles, the Loire Valley is an easy day trip. We took the train then rented a car so we could visit the castles at our own pace. Enjoy.
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%26quot;many Parisiens will either refuse to speak English or feign ignorance. Its just the way it is%26quot; this is a rather an unfair generalization! How many Londoners will break into French if stopped in the street by a lost and confused French tourist? I have gone to Paris many times with a buddy, born in Asia, who only speak a few basic sentences in French but can%26#39;t understand answers in French. I, fluent French speaker, stand back and watch. He has always been well treated, in English, so much so that he is not afraid to go to Paris on his own. Back to the OP: I agree that you should drop Disney for sure. As for London, if you haven%26#39;t been there 1 day is much too short! can%26#39;t you rework your itinerary and stay 2-3 days in London and 4-5 in Paris? how about an open jaw ticket? are you going anywhere else in Europe during this trip?
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I%26#39;d ship London and Euro Disney. I%26#39;m from L.A. and have been going to real Disneyland since around 58, back when I was a toddler. Smiles. So, I%26#39;ve been to Disneyland a lot.
I went to Euro Disney back when it first opened and was not impressed. It looks like Disneyland, but I found it lacking soul and definitely service. Disneyland is advertised as the happiest place on earth and I definitley didn%26#39;t find that happiness/friendliness element at Euro Disney. It was very robotic. I haven%26#39;t been back and I go to Paris almost annually. Others (North Americans) whom I know, who%26#39;ve been in later years, also weren%26#39;t impressed.
In Paris, there are a lot of ethnic clubs to take in..like tango dance clubs, salsa clubs, soul clubs, etc. You could do a lot of club hopping at night.
I would spend the whole week in Paris. When I go annually, I%26#39;m there for 7-8 days on average and have been going since 1976 and still find plenty to do just staying in Paris. I just got back a few weeks ago. Have a great trip. Happy Travels!
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Thank you so much for your suggestions and tips, it is greatly appreciated!
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amyzing
Forget Euro Disney your too old!!! it`s not worth the time, far better to spend it in central Paris.If your staying in paris for that long then a trip to Charters to see the finest Gotic church and stained glass windows on the planet is a must!!.Also no trip to paris would be complete without a trip to Versillies. the Lourve will prob. take you most of the day if your into art and culture.London`s fab but you`d need another 7 days to see it all.Stick to Paris and leave London for another trip
Enjoy Paris
