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Odds n' Ends..! |
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| ADMINISTRATION |
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Following is a sample itinerary for 3 days in Paris. If you have any special interests or 'must do' sights, (art, gardens, museums etc), drop us a
chatty email for obligation and cost free suggestions.
As this is a guide for visitors with limited time this sample includes many of the popular 'must dos'. No trip to Paris is ever complete, no matter
how long, but no one should visit without seeing the main attractions in this sample itinerary - and we've also included a couple of quirky ones.
One of the tricky things with Paris is timing. You could spend a week in the Louvre and not see everything but any longer than an hour or so up the
Eiffel Tower would be overkill. But that's a great place to start, so let's start...
DAY 1
Plan a day of walking, exploration and orientation. Head to the Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower) around 9:00 - 9:30am. If there are huge queues for the
lift and you're feeling fit, take the stairs to the public levels, however the stairs do not take you to the top of the tower - this is by
lift only. Be warned, the lift rises quickly and as it goes up the floor seems to drop away and if you are a little bit apprehensive about
heights, it can take some getting used to. Once at the mid level of the tower, (or go to the very top of the tower - worth the wait in the
queue at the mid level for the top tower lift - the view is awesome!), and looking down on Paris, you will get a bearing on the city and your
day ahead - the Seine, the Statue of Liberty, the Palais de Chaillot, the Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde and Notre Dame.
Back down, soak in the atmosphere of the Champ-de-Mars before heading across Pont de l'Alma towards the Arc de Triomphe.
Perhaps take time to check out the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Avenue du Président Wilson, even if only from the outside as there will surely
be some interesting exterior exhibit.
After checking out the Napoleonic Arc de Triomphe, head down the Avenue de Champs-Elysées. It's about now you should start to feel decidedly
'French'. Most guidebooks will tell you to avoid cafés and restaurants here because they are pricey and there are better ones just a
croissants throw away but, hey, surely it's worth a leisurely half hour at a sidewalk café to observe the passing parade on arguably the
world's most famous boulevard?
By now, it is late morning, but remember the French eat a little later than in other parts of the world. To get into the swing - breakfast
(petit déjeuner) around 8:00am, coffee and a snack late morning, lunch around 2:00 - 3:00pm (many French make this the main meal of the day,
with wine) and dinner from 8:30pm onwards.
After your café au lait, continue down to Place de la Concorde and skim past the Jardin des Tuileries (you'll be back here tomorrow!).
Cross the Seine at Pont de la Concorde and head left to Musée d'Orsay (if art is your thing), or right to Hôtel des Invalides (Napoleon's
tomb and Musée de l'Armée) with the magnificent Musée Rodin nearby.
From here, the destination is Notre Dame on the Ile de la Cité, but you may like to detour to Montparnasse for a bite to eat first.
Cross the delightful Pont Neuf to the Ile de la Cité. Apart from Notre Dame, you'll also find Saint Chapelle (exquisite 13th Century stained
glass) and the Conciergerie (former Royal Palace, prison and torture chamber). There are lovely spots for a picnic here - perhaps a plan for
Day 3 - a baguette, some fruit, a bottle of vin rouge ordinaire and a sit by the Seine? Allow a couple of hours for Notre Dame, inside and out.
Evening falls (Notre Dame usually closes 6:45pm weekdays and 7:45pm on weekends). Head back across the Seine to the Latin Quarter.
Incidentally, it was named Quartier Latin because professors and students communicated entirely in Latin here before the revolution.
It's still a 'student' area and is home to the Sorbonne University. For a meal, head to Rue Mouffetard for lively atmosphere and plenty
of choice. Alternatively, if your budget runs to somewhere special, the famous La Tour d'Argent may beckon, opposite Pont de la Tournelle
to Ile Saint Louis. (Note: Bookings are usually required up to 3 weeks in advance!)
DAY 2
You may not know a lot about art, but you are sure to find something you like! There's more art than you can point a brush in the Musée du Louvre
and yes, it will probably be crowded, but for good reason. Day tickets allow you to come and go as you please so, if the crowds get a bit
daunting, head out the Jardin des Tuileries and perhaps the also rewarding galleries, l'Orangerie and Jeu de Paume. In the Louvre you may
find the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo a bit disappointing (after all, you've seen countless pictures of them) but there is so much more.
A day really isn't enough, so the tip is to choose a period of art you like, or one section of the building and don't worry about what
you have missed out on, (think of the tree falling in the forest - if a painting is hung in a room you don't enter, does it really exist?).
And to the evening - what about some more culture - depending on your taste, either the Opera or a traditional high-kicking cabaret to look up
a few local lasses, so to speak. There are a number of cabaret choices - not cheap, but highly memorable.
DAY 3
By now you'll be wishing there was a Day 4 - but today's goal should be to capture some real personal memories to make the
folks at home jealous!
In the morning, head up to Montmartre for the views and the atmosphere (a very different atmosphere by day, if you happened to sample the
Moulin Rouge last night). The Basilique de Sacre Cœur is a tad gloomy but the view from the dome is worth the visit alone. Fans of
Surrealism should visit Espace Montmartre Salvador Dali.
In the afternoon - perhaps something a little different?
Musee Picasso...
The Bastille...
Musee des Egouts de Paris (the Paris Sewers)...
Musee de l'Erotisme (erotic art, ancient and modern)...
Or, for the more macabre
Cimetière Père Lachaise (tombs of the rich and famous) or the Catacombes (resting place of the not so rich or famous)?
Ahhh Paris - there are only a few hundred other attractions, not to mention day excursions like Disneyland, Versailles or Chateau de
Fontainebleau - but they'll have to wait till next time... n'est pas?
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