Paris for 2.5 days

Hello,

My fiance and I will be going to Paris, arriving Sunday at 11:00 am and departing Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

I was wondering, what would a reasonable schedule be for these two and a half days?

We would like to see the major, can%26#39;t miss sights such as the Lovre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, and Musee d%26#39;Orsay. Is there anywhere else that is can%26#39;t miss? Will we have enough time? What is a reasonable itenerary?

Additionally, what is there to do in the evening that is reasonably priced? (up to 20 euros per person) It appears that the Moulin Rouge and Opera are much more expensive? We like music and theater. Any ideas?

How about eating for two days? Can%26#39;t miss places? We are on a budget though, up to 25 euros per person.

I really appreciate your help!

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Hi. We just spent 2 1/2 days in Paris and we had my sister and brother-in-law with us. Since it was their first trip abroad, they wanted to do most of the tourist monuments, and we pretty much got it all in. Keep in mind that the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. If the Sunday you%26#39;ll be there happens to be the first Sunday of the month, admission is free, but it%26#39;s a bit more crowded.

Sunday: check in at hotel and drop off luggage. Head to St. Chappelle (this is a must see!) but only if it%26#39;s a sunny day. The big attraction here is the stained glass on the 2nd floor, so sunlight in the middle of the day is preferable. Metro stop: Line 4, Cite. Admission is about 6 Euro or so.

By 2pm - go to the Louvre. Entrance fee: 8.5 Euro. Metro Stop: Line 7, Palais Royal-Musee du Louvre. Stay until closing at 6:45pm.

Dinner at a cafe or brasserie.

After dinner, go to Trocadero to see the great view of the Eiffel Tower. Metro Stop: Line 6 or 9, Trocadero.

This is where you%26#39;ll want to take your photos with the tower in the background. It will probably still be light outside, but you should almost always use a fill flash even in bright sunlight. My husband is a photographer, and the fill flash helps to fill in shadows. When facing the tower, walk all the way over to the right in the square, walk down the stairs and to the tower. Go up if you want.

Monday: Go to the Monmartre district, metro stop: Line 2, Anvers. Look for the %26#39;funiculaire%26#39; to take you to the top of the hill where you will have the absolute best view of Paris and you%26#39;ll also visit Sacre Coeur Basilica (free admission). The funiculaire takes a metro ticket. After looking in the Basilica, when facing the front from the outside, find the steps on the left side of the building and walk down them, down the path to the crypt. The entrance to the dome and the crypt are basically the same but it%26#39;s free to get into the crypt and costs 5 Euro to go to the dome. Most people skip the crypt because they think it costs to enter. It%26#39;s free and very interesting.

After your visit to Sacre Coeur, ask someone to point you to the Place de Tertres where all of the street artists are. It%26#39;s a very lively and interesting environment. Stroll around and find somewhere for lunch.

Monday afternoon consider a visit to the Pere LaChaise cemetery where you will find the final resting places of many, many famous people including Chopin and Jim Morrison of The Doors. Metro Stop: Line 2 or Line 3, Pere LaChaise. Entrance is free. It%26#39;s a good idea to purchase a cemetery %26#39;map%26#39; right outside the gates. Skip the newstand for the map - it%26#39;s a little more expensive, although not much.

Around 5pm or so, get back on the metro and go to Notre Dame (admission free). Metro stop: Line 4, Cite. If you%26#39;re there around 6pm, they will have mass (you do not have to participate; feel free to continue looking around, just be respectful of those attending mass). The benefit of this is that you%26#39;ll get to hear the wonderful organ and probably some great sacred vocal music.

After Notre Dame - off to dinner.

Tuesday morning: Musee D%26#39;Orsay. Metro stop: Line 12, Solferino. The museum opens at 10am until June 21, and then opens at 9am. Entrance fee: 7.5 Euro.

Leave in time for lunch.

After lunch, take metro to Arc de Triomphe. Metro stop: Line 1 or 6, Charles de Gaulle-Etoile.

This won%26#39;t take too long. If you have any leftover time, just wander around close to your hotel, soak in the atmosphere and shop or eat!

This itinerary is very aggressive, but it CAN be done. We did it! Of course, we were dead tired! It sounds as if you%26#39;re on a budget (aren%26#39;t we all!!!) and if that%26#39;s the case, you may want to consider visiting a supermarket (supermarche, Monoprix) and get some picnic food. You can add a bottle of wine for as little as 2 or 3 Euro!

You can also save a bit on the metro by purchasing a %26#39;carnet%26#39;, which is a purchase of 10 tickets. I think you save about .45 euro on each ticket. Please make sure that you keep your ticket stub with you in case you%26#39;re asked to present it. If you don%26#39;t have a validated stub, you could be fined. Additionally, you can change lines all you want or need on one ticket - you won%26#39;t need another ticket until you actually exit from underground and go back in.

I know this was lengthy...hope it helps. You%26#39;ll probably get a lot more advice from some of the experts. If you have questions, feel free to email me at vickisfloyd@hotmail.com.

Have a great time!

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As usual, vickisfloyd has provided excellent advise.

For a restful and pleasant break, go to the Rodin

Sculpture Garden.

I would highly recommend the Cluny Museum.

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