There is almost 100% certainty that I'll be going on a business trip in about a week. Most of the time will be spent in some small Dutch town, but I'll stop at our site in Paris for one day first. Will fly into France early morning Sunday and after settling at a hotel around 10 am will have a free day. So.... How should I spend that day? I know I won't be able to see all, not even most spots, maybe 2-3 at best. What'd you suggest?
Hi RJF Is this your first trip? If yes, you definitely should do Eifel Tower. But the lines will be long so try to hit there as early as you can. Once you are done with Eifel, hop on one of the river boats and travel on Seine River. The trip should take an hour or so. Other must do's are below. Hit Arc de Triomphe and walk on Champs Elysee. An awesome street with cafes etc. If you are into Museums go to Louvre or Musee Dorsay. If you still have time try to make it to Notre Dame Cathedral. All of these can be done in a day. Enjoy Paris. It is my dream city. I try to hit Paris every few years when I go to Turkey for my summer vacation.
Brooklyn, Thank you! I was thinking Triumph Arc, then the tower, then to museum of Roden, then to Louvre. How much walking are we taking about here?
It is a short trip from Tower to Arc. Around 1.5 miles at most. Once you are at the Arc, you are basically at the starting point of Champs Elysee. Keep walking down and you will hit the park where Louvre is located. The walk between Arc and Louvre should be around 30-40 minutes depending on your walk. It is roughly 2-3 miles between the two. Roden, I have never been to. Also forgot to mention. If you catch one of those hop on hop off bus tours, you are golden. Man you will love Paris if you are someone like me.
I'm not much on painting, but love sculpture and architecture. Hence Roden, Thinker specifically. Seeing the original Thinker is one of my bucket list things. I'll be staying in Neuilly, so together with walk from hotel to the Arc the whole thing sounds like 6-8 miles walking. Chances are I'll be half-dead by the evening, but that's not a problem. Now what about the evening? Anything interesting to do?
You will end the day knowing this: you cannot see Paris in just one day. The Louvre is two days minimum. So you are better off getting to Eiffel Tower early it's quite a view. The Arc is also right there. Take a walk around,its the the most beautiful city I've ever seen. The Metro is very easy too. Don't forget Notre Dame. Buy some pastry, croissant and coffee in the AM, and the food, well you'll see lol. Paris in Springtime wow enjoy! Oh yes, at night see if you can take a dinner cruise on Seine or go to the Follies B. Hope you have a comp. acct. as things get expensive. One more thing, don't even think about walking into a shop or restaurant without saying "Bon Jour or Bon Soirée" you will instantly get dirty looks if you don't. Do this and your France experience will be memorable
Yes your welcome. You will see why it's known as the City of Lights. Remember, if you are polite and mannered the French are your friends
Dinner cruises might be boring if you want more excitement in your life. Check out Moulin Rouge on google and see if it is good for your taste. That area is good for some adult fun. I personally don't do it but if that's what you want, go there. Aside from Dinner Cruises, you can search for some good restaurants to your hotel and have an awesome dinner and enjoy a world class wine for cheap. And try creme brulee please.
RJF Stokes is banned for getting into some argument with junc who is also banned. Stokes thinks I am a pussy for giving you above advice. He is my Sensei so I will just pass along his message to you below. Enjoy Paris With love from Stokes. Two musts to tell RUJfan. Sainte-Chapelle on the Ile De La Cite...
Paris is one on my top 5 cities in the world, you're going to love it. Clearly one day isn't enough, but if that's all you've got, that's ok. Some of the very best things to see are outside anyway. Paris is a pretty large widespread city so you can't walk from major attraction to major attraction. The train/subway system is great but takes some getting used to, I'd suggest you figure out where you want to go, and take cabs from spot to spot. Don't worry about seeing the Eiffel Tour--or Tour EE-faal as the French pronounce it. It dominates the skyline and you'll see it when you are miles out heading into Paris. And you'll see it from many vantage points once in Paris. The problem is getting up in it. The line could be hours long because the first elevator only holds about 30 people at a time, and they have to let people off before more people go up. That one goes to the mid station and restaurant, then next elevator goes to the top. I'd go to the base to walk around it--very imposing--but not wait to go up--unless there is no line. Go across the river to the Tracodero or to the park a bit to the east to take pic, then move on. I think the best bang for your buck is the Ile de la Cite--the island in the Seine, that houses Notre Dame. Stunning gothic cathedral beautiful and massive inside and you can actually walk around on top of it, come face to face with gargoyles and have a great panorama of the city. But the hidden gem on the island is Sainte Chapelle right next door. Most beautiful stained glass in the world--the French took them out during WWII and put them in wooden crates and hid them in the basement for fear of them getting blown out. Stunning colors. Do not miss. My next best would be Montemarte and Sacre Coeur. Montemarte is on a hill on the northern part of the city and gives you another beautiful view and it's an area inhabited by artists and writers and bohemians--typical french douchebags being douchebacgs but it's actually pretty cool. We bought an oil painting there and had the kids pictures drawn in charcoal, while the other kids had ice cream. The basilica atop the hill is one of my favorites in the world--Sacred Heart--it is so pretty, so reverent, so dark and beautiful--it had a different feel inside. The Louvre is great but don't waste the day. It'll take hours to get in and if you can't spend hours inside, you'll be doing it a disservice as well as yourself. If you can sneak in quickly, go see the top 3 and head out. Winged Victory, Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa which is about the size of Sports Illustrated. D'Orsay and the Monet museum are mostly impressionists which is for pussies, so I'm not sure I'd spend the time there either. Rodin museum is great, as I prefer sculpture. It is a museum that may take time to get into, but still, The Thinker. Plus it's outside. Finish up at the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs de Elyesses. You have to find the tunnel under the street to get into it, climb to the top and get another cool city view and all the avenues spoked off of it. After that, just walk down the Champs. Great food, great wine, great sites. Have a great time. If I think of anything else I'll post again. _
