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I appreciate the awesome advice. Kind of a compromise with the wifey if no TA ensure I can book tours and so forth.
Kind have a tentative plan in mind...
Day 1: Arrive in the morning...Seine River Dinner Cruise in the Evening.
Day 2: The*Louvre. Candlelight Romantic Dinner.
Day 3: Versailles and Giverny tour for a day.
Day 4: Tour of the*Basilica du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre*and a food tour in the*Latin Quarter.
Day 5: Visit Notre' Dame and*Musee d'Orsay. Cabaret show and dinner at Lido.
Day 6: Visit the Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triomphe. Cheese and Wine Tasting at The Louvre.
Day 7: Open Day.
Day 8: Return Home
Sooo much in France itself to see. Have to make another trip after this one some day!
A few tips from my time in Paris:
Use the Porte des Lions to enter the Louvre. It's on the south end of the building in the courtyard. You will see a huge line of people entering at the glass pyramid. Do not join them. There will be no line at the Porte des Lions. You will enter, and inside you will purchase your entry ticket and begin exploring the museum. You will walk through a section that many visitors miss, which has a Moai statue from Easter Island.
The Orsay: this is a phenomenal museum. If you are like me, overload at busy museums will hit. Start out on the 2nd floor, which has the best of the Orsay's Impressionists & post-Impressionists.
The Paris metro is a fast and efficient way to get around the city while saving your feet. You will have a much better time if you make use of it.
You seem to have open time day 1 before dinner, day 2 between the Louvre & dinner, the night of day 3, chunks of days 4, and day 7. This is good. Paris is a city of great neighborhoods, and I strongly urge you to take some of your open time to walk those neighborhoods, checking out shops & cafes and experiencing the street life. My personal favorite areas are the outer 3rd & 4th out to the 10th & 11th--Le Marais, Republique, Canal St. Martin. Paris has some lovely parks, and Le Marais has my personal favorite: the Place des Vosges.
Arriving at the airport: it will probably be cheaper and faster to get to your hotel taking the RER train as opposed to a taxi.
Have a fantastic time!
During my last stay, I booked a place near Oberkampf station, right near the borders of the 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th. It was easy and fast to cross the city by metro, and the location was great for dining and having some separation from the crowds around the very center of Paris.
If you decide to take your open day away from Paris, I can't emphasize enough how great it is to visit Champagne on a day trip. Reims is just 45 minutes away by train, and Epernay about an hour and a quarter.
Lots of great advice in this thread. Agree to ditch the travel agent and DIY. Trip Advisor is a good site for many things (I don’t rely on their restaurant reviews but do look at hotels and tours.) It has an forum section for Paris and you’ll get lots of responses for regular posters and “destination experts.”
Second not planning a fancy or special dinner in the first night. Your goal upon arrival is check in, unpack, shower and get outside in the sunlight. Stay up as long as you can, preferably until your usual bedtime but on Paris time. You will be tired! Daylight helps the body recalibrate to a new time zone. A boat ride on the Seine could be a good activity but I would not do a dinner cruise that night.
Also agree with not over-scheduling and allowing time to stroll, stop in a cafe for a coffee or glass of wine, and watch the world go by.
La Marais especially Place des Vosges is a favorite of ours as well. We also like the Jardin du Luxembourg, Rodin’s sculpture garden and Pere Lachaise cemetery. You will likely come across a street market or two during your stay. A favorite iconic building is the Palais Garnier, the opera house where the Phantom of the Opera story was set. The Chagall ceiling is spectacular.
We don't like other people arranging our touring schedules. We do our research and plan our own trips. One of the best resources we've found is Trip Advisor, an online site with many mavens quite knowledgeable about virtually anyplace on Earth. We read hours of reviews, concentrating on those who have hundreds of helpful reviews at the site.
Doing this and following one gentleman's advice, we stayed at a lovely, independent hotel in a part of Amsterdam that was comfortable and picturesque. He also supplied us with a tip of where to dine. This little restaurant in Copenhagen is Michelin rated and we had the finest meal in our lives there.
Another reviewer recommended a private tour guide who surpassed our expectations.
Plan ahead, do your homework, take your time, and you'll be rewarded with not only a great sightseeing trip, but a memorable honeymoon.
Best of wishes to you and your fiancee. Bon voyage!
Hi, so my wife and I have decided to do our honeymoon in Paris.
We have the dates set and met with a travel agent earlier in the week.
With that said a lot of people who I talked to whom been to Paris recommend ditching the TA.
After finding Viator felt confident until read up on going through a middle man.
Was able to find tours directly from tour groups online.
Found a few hotels.
Just curious what is your thoughts on a TA? Good bad choice???
Seeking feedback!
Thanks!
I would book with a AAA (USA) CAA (Canada) travel agent for a trip with a tour guide. You don't have to worry about hotels, restaurants or the hassle of driving around looking for the attractions, or deciding on what sights to see. All of that is done for you within the package. You also have the benefit of a translator and someone who knows first hand the best places to visit and eat. You also have the opportunity to design your own escapades. And you have you time to look around on your own. I think you would be more relaxed and spend time with each other without any worries.
Skip the travel agent. Paris is very easy to get around by metro and RER.
Map out your own itinerary that includes the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, arc de Triumphe, walk down the Champ Elysees, Mont Martre, Sacre Coeur Cathedral, Louvre, Orsay, Le Orangerie, day trip to Versailles, day trip to Fountainbleau, day trip to Giverny, Rodin Museum. Napoleon's Tomb. French Army Museum, Rue Cler, and St. Chapelle.
I appreciate the awesome advice. Kind of a compromise with the wifey if no TA ensure I can book tours and so forth.
Kind have a tentative plan in mind...
Day 1: Arrive in the morning...Seine River Dinner Cruise in the Evening.
Day 2: The*Louvre. Candlelight Romantic Dinner.
Day 3: Versailles and Giverny tour for a day.
Day 4: Tour of the*Basilica du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre*and a food tour in the*Latin Quarter.
Day 5: Visit Notre' Dame and*Musee d'Orsay. Cabaret show and dinner at Lido.
Day 6: Visit the Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triomphe. Cheese and Wine Tasting at The Louvre.
Day 7: Open Day.
Day 8: Return Home
Sooo much in France itself to see. Have to make another trip after this one some day!
Seems like a fairly reasonable and leisurely itinerary. There are of course a ton of things to see and do here.
The Tuileries (a park) is right by the Louvre and worth exploring after your museum visit.
Sacre-Coeur is not bad. I would include a stroll through nearby Montmartre here.
Definitely go to Saint-Chapelle on your Notre Dame day. It's right close by and gorgeous inside. You could also fit in a visit to the nearby Conciergerie if semi-creepy Paris history is of interest.
The suggestion to spend your free day at Pere Lachaise Cemetery is a good one. Alternately, you could explore museums such as the Picasso Museum, Musee Carnavalet (historical Paris artifacts), or Pompidou Center (for modern art). I would definitely include the Musee de l'Orangerie at some point, which has a small but amazing collection featuring some of Monet's huge water lily canvases -- it fits in easily alongside other options.
You could also use your free day on a day trip to Chartres to see the cathedral. Best one I've ever seen anywhere, and that's saying something.
I appreciate the awesome advice. Kind of a compromise with the wifey if no TA ensure I can book tours and so forth.
Kind have a tentative plan in mind...
Day 1: Arrive in the morning...Seine River Dinner Cruise in the Evening.
We went on Bateaux Parisiens. The food was excellent and the views were awesome. When you make your reservation ask for a table by the window.
Quote:
Day 3: Versailles and Giverny tour for a day.
You will want an entire day to explore Versailles. Doing both of these in one day would be very ambitious.
Get a Museum Pass. Not only will it save you money, but it will let you avoid long lines at the museums.
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We went on Bateaux Parisiens. The food was excellent and the views were awesome. When you make your reservation ask for a table by the window.
