Siteseeing & Other Stuff To Do in Paris
What I’ve tried to do below is to capture the main things that we’ve talked about doing during our trip to Paris. But before we start, I just wanted to make a few suggestions that I think will make the entire vacation more pleasant for everyone:
- Everyone doesn’t have to do the same thing together all the time. There will be times when one or more of us doesn’t feel like going shopping, or visiting a museum, even when others do. And that’s ok. Over the course of 9 days in Paris together, we’ll have plenty of time to see all that we want and not run ourselves ragged.
- One of the nice things about being in one city for an extended period of time is that you can go back to a site again if you weren’t able to get to everything you wanted the first time through. In particular, the Louvre is nearly impossible to digest in a single visit. Lucky for us, we are staying across the street, and with the Museum Pass multiple visits doesn’t mean waiting in line each time.
- Let’s be sure to balance sightseeing time with relaxing time. We may decide after a busy day and a late dinner to sleep in the next morning. Again, that’s ok. Or, in keeping with the spirit of my first suggestion, two people might feel like sleeping in and two others (this doesn’t necessarily have to split along couple lines!) might want to get out and explore.
Churches
- Notre Dame
Daily: 7:45am-6:45pm
Sunday Mass: 10am (Gregorian Choir), 11:30am (Regular Choir) - Sainte Chapelle
Daily: 9:30am-6:30pm - Sacré Cœur
Daily: 7am-11pm
Museums
- Louvre
Thurs-Sun: 9am-6pm
Mon+Wed: 9am-9:45pm
CLOSED TUESDAY (and May 1) - Musée d’Orsay
Tues-Wed-Fri-Sat: 10am-6pm
Thurs: 10am-9:45pm
Sun: 9am-6pm
CLOSED MONDAY (and May 1) - Musée Carnavalet (museum of the history of Paris)
Tues-Sun: 10am-5pm
CLOSED MONDAY (and May 1) - Musée Marmottan Monet
Tues-Sun: 10am-6pm
CLOSED MONDAY (and May 1) - Musée Rodin
Tues-Sun: 9:30am-5:45pm
CLOSED MONDAY (and May 1) - Musée Picasso
Wed-Mon: 9:30am-6pm
CLOSED TUESDAY
Neighborhood Walks
- Île St-Louis and Île de la Cité
- Along the Seine
- Le Marais
- Latin Quarter
- St-Germain-des Prés
- Champs-Élysées
- Montmartre
Other sites
- Arc de Triomphe
Daily: 9:30am-6:30pm
CLOSED MAY 1 - Eiffel Tower
Daily: 9:30am-11pm - Versailles
Tues-Sun: 9:30am-5:30pm
CLOSED MONDAY (and May 1) - Place des Vosges
Parks
- Luxembourg Gardens
- Bois du Boulogne
- Jardin des Tuileries
Shopping
I’m going to let Gerette handle this area since I know she’s done a great deal of research about different shops she wants to check out while we’re there—many of which are just places she can duck into while we are already in the neighborhood. And, obviously, not all of the shopping will be done as a group. Having said that, I do encourage you to go with us to the food halls (like Harrod’s in London) and markets—they’re both fun and tasty :)
Tours
- Boat tour: Bateaux Parisiens
Tours leave Port de la Bourdonnais (near Eiffel Tower) every 30 minutes from 10am to 11pm - Bus tour: Paris l’Open Tour
Buses run every 10-15 minutes from 10am-6pm. Get on or off at any of over 20 stops. Can purchase 1 or 2 day pass (you are given headphones for the English language commentary that you keep for the duration of your pass).