hi everyone-
my husband and I are coming to Paris in September as the first leg of a Paris, Venice, Florence trip and I would like to get some input on our initial itinerary and any suggestions you have.
We are in our late 20%26#39;s and enjoy good food and wine, a mix of sight seeing with and without tours, and are OK with splurging on this trip. I have been to Paris before, husband hasn%26#39;t.
Saturday- flight lands at 10AM from US. We are staying at hotel britannique- what is the best way to get to the hotel?
After showering and lunch, we are planning to walk around to stay up and plan to see the Arc (likely go up it), Eiffel Tower and maybe walk the Champs. We are OK with a simple dinner this night.
I am considering taking a Seine cruise but worried we might be tired.
Sunday- Sacre Couer in the morning; Louvre in the afternoon
Are most restaurants open Sunday evening? Any suggestions for a nice romantic place?
Monday- Loire Valley Tour- still need to pick which one
Tuesday- Notre Dame (we definitely want to go to the top too): go up the eiffel tower; another nice dinner- any suggestions?
Wednesday- We have a 615PM flight to Venice- what time do we need to be to CDG? Any suggestions for our last day?
I think I have left a lot of free time to add things in. Let me know what recommendations you have.
Thanks so much!
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I%26#39;m not even gonna let my wife read your post. She had SO wanted to get to Venice this year but airfare has been outrageous. We ended up cashing in FF miles for roundtrip tkts MIA-CDG for this Sept.
This will be our 1st trip to Paris and plan on seeing what we can without being rushed. We booked an apt on the 6th (across street from Saint Sulpice). Will follow your post to keep eye on the responses.
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When you see Notre Dame go to Sainte Chapelle. It is just around the corner and you will not be disappointed by the stained glss. It is very, very beautiful. I will tell you the two favorite things we did last time are go to the Rodin Museum, not far form Napoleon%26#39;s Tomb and to the Orangerie in the Tuileries Gardens after you leave the Louvre. We leave again next Wednesday and we are going back to those tow. My husband liked them both so much he wants to go back.
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Stay up as late as possible. I would eat after 8 so you get the full flavor of France. It is up to you but to me going to the top of the Arc isn%26#39;t that big a deal. The Eiffel Tower is much higher and gives you such a good view but personal perference always takes top billing. For the view of course, you want to be there in daytime but for romance, go to the Trocadero at night. It is very dark. It overlooks the Champs du Mars and Eiffel Tower. You will see the Eiffel tower all lit up. It is very romantic. At some point, we were there from 7:40 to after 8,the tower starts twinkling. It was 8 for us but I don%26#39;t know how often it happens. You can walk from the Trocadero to the Champs. We did it along Avenue Kleber. We found a little Portuguese restaurant to eat at but there are many all over the area. Walking the Champs is always interesting.
You might want to switch the Louvre to first thing in the morning as it gets so crowded later. If you are there the first Sunday of the month the place is free and packed by tourists and locals so maybe you want to switch days. I think it is closed Tuesdays. If you can, walk up to Sacre Coeur through the neighborhoods, the back way so to speak. You pass a lot of shops and some windmills and come out by Place Tetre (sp?). It is sort of a tourist trap but still very charming. There are artists and tons of shops and restaurants/cafes. Then you are at the top and can go into Sacre Coeur. If it is a clear day,the site is gorgeous. Walk down the steps in front and explore the neighborhood. Be aware of the scammers - gold ring, bracelet. Just keep walking and don%26#39;t engage.
I would also try to go to Saint Chappelle, close to ND. It is a beautiful church with stained glasses. I would pay to get the English tour. You learn so much. Musee Cluny off St. Michel is also a gem. It is fairly close to Notre Dame. Walking across and along the Seine and to the Latin Quarter and St. Germain des Pres is a lot of fun. There are tons of young people (I am middle aged) with great cafes, restaurants, etc. Just sitting at an outdoor cafe drinking cafe or wine is great people watching. Rue de Bac has a lot of good,fun restaurants and shops to choose from. A walk around this area can also get you the the Luxembourg Gardens, the Pantheon, Rue Mouffetard (great market street - get there earlier in the morning to get the full experience. There are a lot of restaurants/cafes before you get to the market area too.
There is so much more to do. Put in an itinerary search on TripAdvisor and you will see a lot of comments on itineraries.
As for CDG, you should get there a couple hours in advance. Have a great time.
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Have a look at my trip report, may give you some ideas :-
tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k23648…
Enjoy your stay!
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