Day in Paris

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Whiskey

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My wife and I will spend 2 nights in Paris next week.
We arrive late on Tuesday, and leave fairly early Thursday.

So it's just Wednesday really.
We're staying near the Sacre Coeur (near the Metro stop barbes rochechouart)

We just want a very simple schedule of what to do in the day, and the sequence we can do it in, and the metro stops we need to use.

We don't mind a little walking (in fact I love walking), but the missus refuses to wear comfortable walking shoes, she will be wearing something fashionable and impractical (it's always style over practicality with my missus, and no compromise).

Neither of us have been to Paris before.

We just want the main tourist places (5 or 6 things is enough).

Could we squeeze in Versailles, how long does it take to get there and is it on the metro ? Is Versailles worth a visit ?
 
Buy a guide book! The Dorling Kindersley one gives suggested itineraries/walking routes. It all depends on what you are interested in. Versailles is fabulous but is a bit out of the city so would take up a whole day. If you are interested in art galleries, try the Musee D'Orsay or the Orangerie rather than the Louvre if pressed for time. Go into one of the famous bistros and have Onion Soup. Don't bother shopping but if you must go to Galleries Lafayette - fabulous building. Don't bother going out to the Eiffel Tower - you can see it from everywhere! If you go down the Champs Elysees and have coffee in one of the many cafes, don't moan about the price - look where you are and at what is passing outside! You could be paying just as much for a cup of coffee at Heuston Station.
 

Cheers Milly

You have given me some nice suggestions, and I will actually adhere to them.
We are not the type of tourist that tries to see everything, we just want to chill out, see a few things, and then go home to the Irish Champs Elysees (O'Connell Street)
 
Maybe squeeze in a glimpse of the outside of the Louvre? And Notre Dame?
Tour of city by bus? All will give you reasons to return.
 
Whiskey

If your wife is going to be wearing the heels, I'd recommend the open top bus tour. Have done before in Paris and it's a great way to catch all of the major sights, and you can decide then which ones take your fancy and hop off. I'm a heel lover myself, but Paris really is a fantastic city to walk around so maybe you could convince her to buy a nice pair of flat shoes and stroll instead! You'll easily pick up one of the open top buses from Sacre Coeur.

Place Madeleine, close to the opera, has some nice cafes to watch the world go by. If you wanted, you could walk from there over to Place de La Concorde,which is at the bottom of the Champs Elysee. would take about 10 minutes. From there you can go through Tuileries up to the Louvre from the left hand side, or take the right up the Champs Elysee.

Versailles is a bit outside the city and would take most of your day, if it's your first time staying within the city is better.
 
I would suggest you plead with/beg/bribe your wife to ditch the heels for the day. I love heels but Paris is a walkers city, especially in the Metro stations and heels would seriously affect your enjoyment of the wonderful city.

Buy a "carte Mobilis pour Zone un et deux" for around €6 in the metro station and that's your transport covered for the day.

A lot of people have suggested the open top bus, personally I prefer the Bateaux Mouches and the view from the river. Nearest RER is Pont d'Alma. Wrap up warm as the breeze on the river can be cold. Less than €10 for an hour and well worth it.

Versailles and/or the Louvre are both full day trips to enjoy properly, similarly one of my favourite places in Paris, Pere LaChaise cemetary. Save these for further trips.

Sacre Couer and Notre Dame are both worth a visit. They are so different and so beautiful. I'm not religious but love visiting both.

Like another poster said, I wouldn't go up the Eiffel tower as your visit is so short. Instead wait til dark (either the night you arrive or the main night) and hop on the RER to Trocadero. The view of the tower all lit up is breathtaking from Place Trocadero.

If you want to see the Pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre, as in The Da Vinci Code...metro stop is Pyramides.

Also worth a visit if you're into beautiful buildings is the Opera Garnier...setting for Phantom. It's stunning inside. Metro stop Opera (!) It's also close to Galeries Lafayette if department stores are your thing.

For the ultimate Parisien dining experience you have to try Chartier. Take metro 8 or 9 to Grands Boulevards. Chartier is on Rue de Faubourg de Montmartre...I think its number seven...its on the left hand side of the street. You enter through a courtyard. Its a big traditional style brasserie...food is very inexpensive and the atmosphere is great. You cant get reservations. The waiters are rude and the food is plain enough but it’s the experience. Don’t expect to get a table for 2, unless you’re very lucky they’ll put 2 others on the table with you. A bit daunting but if you want you can ignore them, don’t let that put you off going.

Just some of my favourite things to do. For lunch and some shopping I like Boulevard St Michel (RER St Michel).
 

Absolute minimum for Versailles would be 4 hrs. 2hrs spent getting there and back and 2hrs to look around. Since you only have 1 day, I think you should leave it for another visit.
 
Cheers for the answers

I've got some fantastic advice here, and I will adhere to it. No Versailles, no going to the top of the Eiffel, and I'll try to get the missus to bring her trainers (so that we can walk as much as possible), and if she agrees I'll take her to the Galleries Lafayette for shopping, and later buy her some French Onion soup in Chartier on Rue de Faubourg de Montmartre!
 
Whiskey said:
I'll try to get the missus to bring her trainers (so that we can walk as much as possible) . .
Click to expand...
Buy her a pair of FitFlops to resolve the walking issue. Can I second the boat trip (from Pont Neuf) and walking down to the Eiffel Tower from Trocadero (metro station).
 
michaelm said:
Buy her a pair of FitFlops to resolve the walking issue. Can I second the boat trip (from Pont Neuf) and walking down to the Eiffel Tower from Trocadero (metro station).
Click to expand...


Would you like you declare your commercial interest in FitFlops ?
I'm joking of course.

FotFlops may be the answer to by wifes problems.
 
How about a trip to the Moulin Rouge in the evening? I did that a few years ago and it was a fantastic night out.
 
i'd been in paris a couple of times before but really enjoyed the boat trip, gives you a different perspective on the city. if you are going to head to the musee d'orsay book ahead [broken link removed]
as the queues can be mental
 
Dereko, I'll second that.
The queue was a mile long when I went to the Musee Dorsay. It's well worth a visit though & much quicker to get around than the Louvre.

You can just go on the Bateaubus down the Seine. It gives you great views of the Eiffel tower & Notre Dam etc while relaxing at the same time.
 
I went to the Dorsay 6 weeks ago on a friday morning around 9am, and there was a 5 min wait at most!
 
Hop on top of the tour bus with a coffee and roll and sit back and relax and enjoy the view.
 
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