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Old 03-06-2018, 07:10 PM
 
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My daughter, a young adult, and I are in the beginning stages- let's say the thought phase- of taking a 5-7 day trip to Paris in June of this year. It will be her first visit and my second as I vacationed there over 20 years ago.

I am wondering, do we just buy our tickets with hotel, and go or do one of those planned tour trips. What do we do while there?
We are Both super excited about the trip, but can't figure out where to begin.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.
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Old 03-06-2018, 08:30 PM
 
Location: Henderson, NV
4,039 posts, read 2,897,641 times
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Like you, I'd been to Paris many years ago, interestingly enough with MY daughter, so I had a bit of an idea what I wanted to see and do. I had some very specific art museums and an international art show I wanted to visit, but I also wanted to explore some places I hadn't visited the first time.

I've traveled in Europe independently and with tour groups. This time, after pricing air and hotel independently, I decided to go with Globus/Monograms tours for the following reasons:

-- Air was comparable to anything I could book on my own AND, they picked me up from the airport and took me to my hotel. At the end of my trip, they picked me up from my hotel and took me to the airport.

-- I had a choice of three hotels and chose the one closest to the things I knew I wanted to visit.

-- I booked a side trip to Giverny and Versailles through them and they had other offerings that I didn't look into.

-- A coach tour of the city was included on my first day, with pick-up/drop-off at my hotel. The tour hit the highlights, with a couple of stops -- Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame -- and a longer tour of the Louvre.

-- They provided me with a local "host" in my hotel each morning, who could answer any questions I had and helped me learn to negotiate the Metro which I used for travel in the city on the three days I planned myself. The only time I took a cab was at the end of my trip when I wanted to visit Montmartre and Sacre Cour and I would have to make a couple of Metro transfers. By then, I was pooped and the cab was convenient.

I did buy several museum admission tickets before I left the US to avoid long lines at the Musee D'Orsay and L'Orangerrie and for the art show at the Petite Palais and the Grand Palais. I was glad I did since the general admission lines were very long.

This was a happy medium between traveling completely independently and going with a full tour.

Hope this is helpful. Enjoy!
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Old 03-06-2018, 09:18 PM
 
14,354 posts, read 14,169,669 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by prettygreeneyes View Post
My daughter, a young adult, and I are in the beginning stages- let's say the thought phase- of taking a 5-7 day trip to Paris in June of this year. It will be her first visit and my second as I vacationed there over 20 years ago.

I am wondering, do we just buy our tickets with hotel, and go or do one of those planned tour trips. What do we do while there?
We are Both super excited about the trip, but can't figure out where to begin.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.
I'm doing something similar in two months. Just adding Normandy to five days in Paris. Here's what we plan to do in Paris:

1. Eiffel Tower
2. Notre Dame Cathedral
3. St. Chapel Cathedral
4. Walk down the Champ Elysees
5. Arc de Triumph
6. Orsay Art Museum.
7. Le Orangerie (another art museum)
8. Napoleon's Tomb and French Military Museum
9. Rue Cler (open air street market)
10. Versailles (just outside Paris)
11. Fontainbleu (also just outside Paris)
12. Giverny (mentioned in the post before mine)

If I were going for the first time to Paris, I'd do things a little differently.

I'd make sure that I saw the Louvre Museum and I'd make sure that I saw Sacre Couer in Mont Martre.

It costs a fortune to do it, but you might consider dinner at Maxim's. You only go around once in life, huh?

I wouldn't go on an organized tour. Get Rick Steve's book "Paris" and read it carefully. Wise use of the excellent Paris metro system will get you to all these sights. Use of the RER will get you to Versailles.

Last edited by markg91359; 03-06-2018 at 09:48 PM..
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Old 03-07-2018, 08:27 AM
 
Location: NYC
5,237 posts, read 3,580,396 times
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The hotel concierge will always have tickets to tours & things of interest to visitors or can point you to what to do. I would start by using google to map out walking tours of points of interest around the city. I would research getting a local sim card for a smart phone to reduce charges & keep your tour info, etc., handy on your device.

Have your "big" meal at lunch to reduce costs; I love just walking streets aimlessly too if in a interesting arrondissement like Marais, Monmartre, etc; there are some boat tours on the Seine, perhaps at dusk or night could be interesting; Paris also has some interesting small museums in addition to Louvre & Pompidou which can be crowded. Find out when/where the "Flea Market" is.
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Old 03-07-2018, 08:59 AM
 
Location: Nantahala National Forest, NC
27,074 posts, read 11,752,029 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markg91359 View Post
I'm doing something similar in two months. Just adding Normandy to five days in Paris. Here's what we plan to do in Paris:

1. Eiffel Tower
2. Notre Dame Cathedral
3. St. Chapel Cathedral
4. Walk down the Champ Elysees
5. Arc de Triumph
6. Orsay Art Museum.
7. Le Orangerie (another art museum)
8. Napoleon's Tomb and French Military Museum
9. Rue Cler (open air street market)
10. Versailles (just outside Paris)
11. Fontainbleu (also just outside Paris)
12. Giverny (mentioned in the post before mine)

If I were going for the first time to Paris, I'd do things a little differently.

I'd make sure that I saw the Louvre Museum and I'd make sure that I saw Sacre Couer in Mont Martre.

It costs a fortune to do it, but you might consider dinner at Maxim's. You only go around once in life, huh?

I wouldn't go on an organized tour. Get Rick Steve's book "Paris" and read it carefully. Wise use of the excellent Paris metro system will get you to all these sights. Use of the RER will get you to Versailles.

I too saw Paris and also avoided any organized tours. We planned well ahead what to do and on what day...the above list is a great place to start...depending on your interests. Give yourself time to just wander the west bank, eating street foods or at cafes, stroll along the Seine, where books and other items are sold outdoors...There is a lovely park and zoo at the Jardin des Plantes for a nice change and rest. The flea mrkt on the east side of the Seine, near the cathedral is a fun place to find mementos.

While tours get you to the sites, they are very restrictive and you have no choice than to follow their timeline...no staying longer at one place due to their planned itinerary.

We bought several travel books on Paris months prior to trip...there are suggested hotels, restaurants etc in all price ranges. Included are maps you can study to find easy routes to get around, you'll be familiar prior to trip.

Wish you lots of fun...

Last edited by greatblueheron; 03-07-2018 at 09:14 AM..
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Old 03-07-2018, 09:36 AM
 
Location: The Triad
34,090 posts, read 82,639,942 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by prettygreeneyes View Post
...taking a 5-7 day trip to Paris in June of this year.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-rea...aris-itinerary



Planning Your Time in Paris: Paris in One to Seven Days
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Old 03-07-2018, 10:12 AM
 
Location: Odessa, FL
2,218 posts, read 4,357,751 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KiwiKate View Post
I did buy several museum admission tickets before I left the US to avoid long lines at the Musee D'Orsay and L'Orangerrie and for the art show at the Petite Palais and the Grand Palais. I was glad I did since the general admission lines were very long.
If you are planning to visit museums and monuments, get the Paris Museum pass (called the Carte Musée when we last visited). It is well worth the price. It gets you in to most of the museums and monuments without having to wait in line.

Paris Museum Pass | Official Website

If you want to avoid spending a fortune on dinners, go to the cafés and brasseries. Less formal and not nearly as expensive as the restaurants. And most every place in Paris has good food.

It would also be helpful to get a book that explains local customs and behavior. If you make a little bit of effort to be polite to Parisiens on their standards, they will (usually) be very nice to you.
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Old 03-07-2018, 11:21 AM
 
Location: Niceville, FL
13,258 posts, read 22,726,291 times
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1. Buying Eiffel Tower tickets online is like buying concert tickets- they release a new block of dates every few weeks , and the good stuff can get snapped up in less than an hour. You can buy tickets at the Tower itself, but that can involve waiting in line for an hour or two, so I'd try for the online tickets in the name of maximizing fun.

2. The Paris Pass (note- Eiffel Tower NOT included) is awesome for letting you bypass the ticket-buying line in long wait places like the Louvre or the top of the Arc de Triumphe. It does NOT let you bypass the line for the security/bag checkpoint, which is mandatory at many major European attractions. Expect to have a polite but firm security guard wanting to be able to see all the way to the bottom of the bag. I you don't buy it online, pick a lower profile location to stop first to buy it on site. I think we waited only about five minutes in line at the Orangerie to get ours.

3. A cross body bag is a good option. Many museums ban backpacks because people are not aware of the mass on their backs and tend to whack other people or things in close quarters. A similar-sized shoulder bag just gets waived through. And petty crime and pickpocketing is an issue in Paris where crowds gather, so you can easily put an arm over the bag and get some extra security for your things without going the full money belt of neck wallet route.

4. A lot of stuff is right along the Seine and you can walk from place to place rather than getting back and forth onto the Metro. So be fit beforehand so you can enjoy the view.

5. Agree with doing a crash course in French manners and memorizing a handful of courtesy phrases in French. Be nice and the Parisians will likely be nice back to you.
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Old 03-07-2018, 12:16 PM
 
28,803 posts, read 47,560,140 times
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Thank you everyone. We are going to end up in Paris, probably in 2019. 2018 is Italy.

Found this site, which is interesting.

https://www.parisperfect.com/apartme...is/vougeot.php
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Old 03-07-2018, 12:40 PM
 
Location: Raleigh
8,168 posts, read 8,481,550 times
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Follow the suggestions of KiwiKate. Based on other trips I've taken, a tour group that gives you days off is the best idea.
My trip was personally guided by my dad who was in the military there. You will do much better with a tour guide.
Get a 3D viewer and a headset for your phone and take a Paris tour with that first. You will be better prepared for reality.
Online French lessons will be a special benefit. I had two years in High school at that point and it was great to be able to talk to people. Understanding them was more difficult.
Viewed the July 14th Bastille Day parade , featuring Charles De Gaulle. Only historical figure I ever saw! But best avoided by tourists.
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