We%26#39;re arriving into Paris Nord for two nights staying on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré (moving onwards afterwards) at 13:53 and hoping to cover on the day of arrival :
Eifel tower
Notre Dame
Musée d%26#39;Orsay or quick views at Louvre.
Too much?
Best done by taking hop on/off bus?
We%26#39;ve been to Paris before, but never with such a limited time.
Next day we%26#39;ve been held to ransom with Disney by our children - so really a write off.
We%26#39;re hoping to spend one of the two evenings at Montmatre, and having a meal in one of the restaurants behind Sacre Couer.
Any advice?
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I think it%26#39;s too much, but.... You could start at Notre Dame, onto d%26#39;Orsay or Louvre. Usually I would have the museum pass, but with only two sites covered by the pass on your list it doesn%26#39;t make financial sense. So, you will be standing in the ticket line as well as the security line which will slow you down a bit. You could spend the evening at the Eiffel Tower. If the line is too long you would at least be able to see it sparkle at the top of the hour (starting at 9 p.m. I think). You might picnic in the park. I%26#39;ve heard that the lines can be less for the tower later in the evening so you may get your chance to go up.
Another idea would be to take one of the boat tours at night when everything is in lights.
I%26#39;m not sure about the bus, I haven%26#39;t done it so I%26#39;m not sure how much time it will save over a fast paced walk between sites. Good luck!!
Linda
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Which day will you be there. I think the Louvre is open late one or two nights per week and the D%26#39;Orsay is open late on Thursday. So, you could go to Notre Dame and then head over to whichever of the two museums will be open late. After you view the museum you could head to the Eiffel Tower. It isn%26#39;t too much.
You don%26#39;t need a museum pass for the Louvre regarding standing in line. Enter on Rue de Rivoli where you see the vertical red and white banner which says %26quot;Carousel%26quot;. Go down the escalator, pass the shops on both sides and you end up in a large open area. There are ticket machines there to purchase your entrance ticket for the Louvre. Usually there is little or no wait. Then just decide which wing of the Louvre you wish to enter and go through that short security line and off you go.
The other thing you could do for the D%26#39;Orsay is purchase your ticket in advance through fnac.com (online--type in Paris and then click on %26quot;spectacle%26quot;). You print out the page and take it to one of the many fnac stores in Paris to get your actual ticket. I usually go to the store on the bottom level of Les Halles. I don%26#39;t know if this process will take more or less time than just standing in the line of the D%26#39;Orsay. Possibly more time.
If you don%26#39;t have enough time for the Louvre or the D%26#39;Orsay, you could always go to L%26#39;Orangerie next to the Tuilleries by Place de la Concorde. It is a lovely small museum which has a room specially made to show Monet%26#39;s Water Lilies. It is a great museum. It might have a line too but it isn%26#39;t terribly long.
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Metro to the Eiffel Tower, run up the stairs to at least the first platform (avoids the long queue), and take the elevator down.
Metro to D%26#39;Orsay or Louvre. Would your children enjoy the work of the Impressionist Painters on the 3rd floor of the D%26#39;Orsay, or the giant Delacroix%26#39;s at the Louvre (Napoleon and other Generals on horseback)? They could take a quick peek at the Mona Lisa on the way to the Delacroixs%26#39;.
Notre Dame can be a relatively quick tour if you skip the roof, yet very memorable for your kids.
Metro from Notre Dame to Pigalle or Abbesses station to get to Place du Tertre. It might give you time for dinner after 20:00 and no matter how busy the restaurants are they usually have room for another 4 people. Chez La Mere Catherine at 6 place du Tertre was the first Bistro in France, according to the Russian soldiers who took over the city in 1870%26#39;s. Bistro bistro, faster, faster. No reservation needed.
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I think the answer partly depends on what you mean to do. For instance, when you say %26quot;Eiffel Tower%26quot; do you mean you just want to walk up and look at it, or that you want to go up? The former could be done in 20 minutes, and the latter could take two or three hours (and isn%26#39;t worth it, IMO - for a comparable view over Paris, go to the Arc de Triomphe, which never has really long lines in my experience, and go up to the top where you can have a fabulous view including over to the ET).
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Linda - thank you, some really useful ideas, and the evening cruise is something that had slipped my mind. Great for a summer evening. In two minds as to starting point from replies below now to start at Eiffel (express certainly) or Notre Dame.
ILWP. As usual, a mine of great information. We arrive (always forget to mention it) August 3rd (sunday) and leave August 5th - itinerary partly sparked by use of the Eurostar.
The Eiffel tower in the evening is starting to look like a good option, and we%26#39;ll definately take your advice re that escalator for the tickets for Louvre, and I think I might go with your online idea with D%26#39;Orsay. L%26#39;Orangerie - yes, a great alternative - thank you. My wife loves the water lilies, so if out itinerary goes off, it will be a way of getting an art fix, and as our children%26#39;s limited attention span is still quite limited, it might just do the trick. (Just reminded me of that Dali museum in Montmatre.)
Oldworldtravellers
Good idea - and agree, it%26#39;s one less queue that we could all do without, so we%26#39;ll take a micro visit.
D%26#39;Orsay - we%26#39;ve exposed them more to the impressionists, so that would be the focus, and the main reason for the visit.
We had planned a quick tour of Notre Dame - but you%26#39;re right, we have never taken them inside, and it would be very memorable. Would this be time consuming?
I have not been inside in - far too long.
Chez La Mere Catherine sounds exactly like our sort of place - perfect!
Berkleytravellers
Yes, the more I read the replies, the less Eiffel is needed to sap time for this short trip - and with Triomphe so close to our hotel, that would make alot more sense - and true about the views of Eiffel, it%26#39;s often cited that an advantage to TOTR in Manhattan is that you can see the Empire State building, something you cannot see from ESB itself :)
Thanks everyone, you%26#39;ve given me alot to think about, and put some kind of form on this brief visit.
I think the Notre Dame, those water lillies, Triomphe %26amp; Musee D%26#39;Orsay will take the priority - we%26#39;ll take them up the Eiffel on an off season trip.
Thanks again, you%26#39;ve given me enough to piece this together - also with great advice on transportation.
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Linda - thank you, some really useful ideas, and the evening cruise is something that had slipped my mind. Great for a summer evening. In two minds as to starting point from replies below now to start at Eiffel (express certainly) or Notre Dame.
ILWP. As usual, a mine of great information. We arrive (always forget to mention it) August 3rd (sunday) and leave August 5th - itinerary partly sparked by use of the Eurostar.
The Eiffel tower in the evening is starting to look like a good option, and we%26#39;ll definately take your advice re that escalator for the tickets for Louvre, and I think I might go with your online idea with D%26#39;Orsay. L%26#39;Orangerie - yes, a great alternative - thank you. My wife loves the water lilies, so if our itinerary goes off, it will be a way of getting an art fix, and as our children%26#39;s limited attention span is still quite limited, it might just do the trick. (Just reminded me of that Dali museum in Montmatre.)
Oldworldtravellers
Good idea - and agree, it%26#39;s one less queue that we could all do without, so we%26#39;ll take a micro visit.
D%26#39;Orsay - we%26#39;ve exposed them more to the impressionists, so that would be the focus, and the main reason for the visit.
We had planned a quick tour of Notre Dame - but you%26#39;re right, we have never taken them inside, and it would be very memorable. Would this be time consuming?
I have not been inside in - far too long.
Chez La Mere Catherine sounds exactly like our sort of place - perfect!
Berkleytravellers
Yes, the more I read the replies, the less Eiffel is needed to sap time for this short trip - and with Triomphe so close to our hotel, that would make alot more sense - and true about the views of Eiffel, it%26#39;s often cited that an advantage to TOTR in Manhattan is that you can see the Empire State building, something you cannot see from ESB itself :)
Thanks everyone, you%26#39;ve given me alot to think about, and put some kind of form on this brief visit.
I think the Notre Dame, those water lillies, Triomphe %26amp; Musee D%26#39;Orsay will take the priority - we%26#39;ll take them up the Eiffel on an off season trip.
Thanks again, you%26#39;ve given me enough to piece this together - also with great advice on transportation.
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%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;We had planned a quick tour of Notre Dame - but you%26#39;re right, we have never taken them inside, and it would be very memorable. Would this be time consuming?%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;
No. No matter how long the line it moves very quickly, yet it can move at your pace if you see things inside that capture your attention. You enter the church in front on the right side, work your way down the right aisle, around the back of the Nave and than out the left side to the front door.
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Sorry about that !
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OWT3 - fantastic - time to dust off the old Victor Hugo collection, and bring it back to life:)
Thanks!
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I don%26#39;t think it is too ambitious. But between Musée d%26#39;Orsay and Louvre for your schedule, I would choose Musée d%26#39;Orsay. Louvre is too big for a short visit. Save it for next time.
Have a good trip!
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