I%26#39;ve bought the guidebooks and the map and am panicking a bit. We%26#39;re only going to Paris for 3 days and are soooo excited, but we%26#39;re overwhelmed with the choices we need to make. Obviously we can only see a limited amount in that time but don%26#39;t want t o waste any of it. Also worried about the amount of walking we will need to do. Is it normally very warm in mid June?
Is it normal to feel like this? I hope I%26#39;m more relaxed when we arrive!
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First of all dont panic, Paris is a wonderful city and you are going to have a great time.
There is a lot to see in Paris, and I think you need to accept that in 3 days it is not going to be impossible to see everything.
I%26#39;ve been to paris on more than one occasion, but the last time I went I was with someone who hadn%26#39;t been before, so we tried to see as much of the main tourist attractions as we could. We spent 5 full days in the city and still didn%26#39;t see everything this great city has to offer.
So first thing I would do is make a list, put the places u most want to see at the top and least at the bottom, you%26#39;ll probably be able to get in 2 - 3 attractions a day. Then from your first day in Paris, start from the top of your list down, and at least that way, you know your going to get to see the things you really want to.
The places I would personally recommend as a must are : The Eiffel Tower, The Arc De Triomphe, La Lourve, The Sacre Coeur, The Notre Dame %26amp; The Seine River Cruise.
I also strongly recommend using the metro to get around the city, it will save you time and money.
I know its a lot to take in, but try not to stress %26amp; just enjoy. Paris is my favourite city in the world.
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Don%26#39;t panic !
My advice : don%26#39;t try to do everything, nobody can.
3 days means 6 half days, so identify 6 things to do (places to visit, food to eat, activity to do, things to buy, etc). With a map, try to assemble them 2 by 2 so you can do 2 of them in a day without spending your life in the metro.
And don%26#39;t overplan, it%26#39;s useless as this is holidays, not a military commando, focus on your pleasure, not on the physical achievement!
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Oh I%26#39;m so glad you posted those feelings. I%26#39;ve been dreaming of going to Paris since I was 6 years old and I%26#39;m turning 44 this summer, so that%26#39;s a lot of dreaming. We%26#39;ll be there for a week (though one day will be spent in London), and I%26#39;m feeling overwhelmed too. I just keep reminding myself that there%26#39;s no way I%26#39;m going to be able to see everything, do everything, or EAT everything I want to see, do, or taste! :) (I%26#39;m a real foodie and my list of restaurants to try is a mile long.) I am reminding myself to stay %26quot;in the moment%26quot; and try to soak up everything and just enjoy it. Deep breaths are helping. :)
Have a wonderful time!!! I leave Monday for New York and DC first with the family, then our teen boys fly back to L.A. to stay with grandparents while hubby and I fly to Paris. We leave from DC for Paris next Sunday night. I can%26#39;t believe it%26#39;s almost here!
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Please waste some of your time....For me, nothing kills the enjoyment of a vacation more than the feeling of hurriedness. The sublime fills Paris...and that is best found when stopped. Just BEING in Paris (metaphysically and physically) is special...take the time to just sit and look at it...
Benches...Parks....Squares...Bridges....I cannot recommend highly enough that these places be your lunch spots....particularly in pleasant weather.
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I think both Denys and Travlin%26#39;Prankster have given you some very good advice.
One other thought occurs to me. If you are only in Paris for a very short time, consider whether you want to spend a fair bit of that time standing in lines waiting to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower or even to visit the Louvre.
I very much doubt that this will be your only visit. Scotland is not that far away after all and the %26quot;Auld Alliance%26quot; will pull you back even if nothing else does. So if these things are not things you are absolutely dying to do, think of other things where you will not spend your time in queues. You can%26#39;t do everything anyway...
So the view of Paris from the top of La Samaritaine instead of the Eiffel Tower?
The Rodin or Marmottan or Jaquemart-Andre (or...., or....) instead of the Louvre?
And if you can only manage one of the Sainte Chapelle or Notre Dame - I%26#39;d pick the glorious beauty of the Sainte Chapelle over the gloom of Notre Dame any day...
So OK, I%26#39;m a heretic. I%26#39;m ready to be burned at the stake...
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To save you some time : don%26#39;t queue to go up the Eiffel tower during the day, or even worse during the week-ends, you will lose your precious time, go early morning (9 am) to be among the first people when it opens, or after 6 pm, there are less queues. For the LOuvre enter through the Carrousel du Louvre on rue de Rivoli, less queues than at the pyramid... Group the monuments that are close to each other : Notre-Dame/Ste Chapelle/Conciergerie/Latin Quarter (if they are on your list), it will save you time.But relax, 3 days in PAris is not much, but one day only in London is worse, as London is much bigger than Paris...Relax and have a walk from the Ile de la cit�� to Pont Neuf along the quays ...
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You have received excellent advice from all, particularly
IrishRovr and raphy.
Let me add this - On your good map, indicate the places
that are high on your list. Check their hours and whether
any of them are closed on the day you want to see them.
As was mentioned, you might want to pass up things
where you have to stand in line or that take an inordinate
amount of time.
Be strategic, don%26#39;t back track, identify the metro stations
and lines that you can use to avoid extensive walking.
It will all work out, let the panic subside and have a wonderful
time.
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I felt the same way, I had planned so much I thought I was going nuts, then we got there and between the weather, the strike, and the lines, everything changed, and you know what?
We still had the time of our lives. Trust all this fine people and their wise opinions (remember, they have been there and done that already...).
If I can add my two cents worth... take the Hop-on, hop-off bus tour. You will be able to practically cover everything, take pictures and then come back to what you liked the most, and like that you will not regret not seeing almost everything.
You have very little time, enjoy it to the max!!!!!!!!
Good luck,
OEC57
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If I had only three days I%26#39;d skip the big museums altogether, maybe do the Cluny if you like medieval stuff because it%26#39;s small and manageable and you can chill out in the Jardins du Luxembourg afterwards.
Similarly foget queuing to go up the Tour Eiffel. Start at Trocadero and wander slowly through all the gardens, take your time to sit and admire it from different angles. Eat a picnic lunch in the Champ de Mars.
You can combine it with Sacre Coeur - visit S.C. first then catch a No 30 bus to Trocadero.
The Batobus hop on, hop off river trip is good and the two-day pass very good value at just 2e more than the one-day.
You can do Notre Dame and Ste Chapelle together in one morning as they are very close together.
If you want to go %26#39;up%26#39; somewhere I%26#39;d recommend Tour Montparnasse - no queues and you get to see everything. We did it at the end of our stay - you get a %26#39;second look%26#39; at all you%26#39;ve already been to!
Have fun, and as the others have said, take time to just sit and feel Paris.
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I don%26#39;t have any super traveler tips but wanted to offer reassurance, you WILL be back so if you miss something you have a good excuse to return :)
I%26#39;ve been twice so hopefully you can benefit from my mistakes. The first time we had a list of sites to see but no real planning. So we wasted a lot of time just trying to figure out point-a-to-point-b logistical info. It was sublime to my heart and soul just being there but we could have planned better.
The second time, I had an idea of the %26quot;layout%26quot; of the city, what was next to where, what was convenient, etc and so I was the %26quot;tour guide.%26quot; That time I didn%26#39;t feel like we were wandering around wasting time, rather our wanderings had a general direction but we could take time to enjoy the little surprises Paris will give you if you let her.
THIS time I have the %26quot;master plan%26quot; (said with much self deprecation.) I%26#39;m in the process of compiling my own little maps on 5X7 index cards. On a color copier I enlarged sections of my Streetwise map for each arrondissement. On the back, I%26#39;m listing the major monuments/museums for that section with open days/hours. I%26#39;m also listing the restaurants and other sites I%26#39;ve heard of on this forum. I%26#39;ve got the metro stops for each of these. They will be laminated and will fit in my day-purse/camera bag while I%26#39;m wandering around.
What I%26#39;m *hoping* to accomplish with this is that instead of micro-planning each moment of each day I can have a general outline of what I%26#39;d like to do and see each day. Then, I can see what%26#39;s close and convenient section by section but leaving lots and lots of time for wanderings and exploring.
Sorry for the long post on what basically amounts to a theory since I%26#39;m not traveling until later in the year. I guess what I%26#39;m saying is, don%26#39;t PLAN the details so much but LEARN where things are. Then no matter where you go, you know what%26#39;s available to you.
I hope that all makes sense and that I haven%26#39;t bored everyone with my ramblings. I%26#39;m not a seasoned traveller but I do love it so if any of you experts want to help me with MY plan too, I%26#39;d appreciate it.
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