1st Trip to Paris in Feb or April. Help. Total Newbie.

[Anonymous]

Excited to go but have no idea where to stay. We are there for two full days. What to do, where to eat. Tips. Anything appreciated.

Merci!

[Anonymous]

I'd buy the museum card for 50 euros (at least that's what is was last year) that gave you free admission to 100+ museums including the popular ones such as the tower tour at Notre dame, Orsay, Versailles, and the louvre. In fact, not standing in the ticket line at the louvre made the museum card worth it's while bc the line was a solid hr to just buy a tix.

We stayed in a smallish hotel off the main drag in the Saint Germaine quarter. It's a very walkable city.

Breakfast was a 6 euro crescent, fresh squeezed Oj, and coffee. That seemed to be really common amongst the cafes. It's filling do we normally skipped lunch and just had dinner.

Your 2 day stay won't do the city justice op. Be sure to plan to return for a longer visit. Last year was my first time. Enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

First things first - go in April v February. It will be COLD in february.

I prefer to stay in Le Marais, but there are lots of good options. Look for a small French hotel with character rather than a big international chain. Tons of great restaurants - my favorite is Les Cocottes near the Eiffel Tower. If you will only be there for two days - really too bad - pick ONE museum and spend the rest of your time walking and eating.

[Anonymous]

If you go in April, go after Easter. Lenox Montparnasse is great. Near 2 metros, walking distance to many things, but not touristy.

[Anonymous]

Parisian here. April, hands down. Winter in Paris is so cloudy and dull.

Not sure what you can do with two days, though. A walk along the Seine is de rigueur, with pate or rilletttes sandwich in hand, to take in all the architecture. Not the touristy bateau-mouche, unless you're not a good walker.

Then maybe the Louvre. Prepare for long lines at security, but it's worth it.

[Anonymous]

Jealous! I looooove Paris. If you've only got two days, I would read up on on the sights and decide two, maybe three "big" things you'd like to do, and spend the rest of the time walking astound and enjoying the city. I like getting a view of the city, so think about eithe the arc de triumph or the tour montparnasse for views. The Effiel tower is obviously incredible, but the lines are usually much longer than the other two, and then you get views of the tower. I think the museum pass only comes in one or three (not two) day intervals, so maybe look at the pass and if you'd want to do it do one day and see all of the museum pass attractions, and walk and do non-museum pass things on another day. Totally agree with pp re; louvre - only do with museum pass. With pass you literally walk by thousand people to get right in. Last year we stayed at the hotel able, very lovely hotel, on the left bank which you may or may not want.its right off the train from the airport which I appreciated. ENJOY!!

[Anonymous]

Hotel albe. Not able!

[Anonymous]

Thank you all so much. Getting so excited.

[Anonymous]

Go to Notre Dame which is in the middle of the Seine river and then you can cross into the left bank or go to the other side to Le Marais.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jealous! I looooove Paris. If you've only got two days, I would read up on on the sights and decide two, maybe three "big" things you'd like to do, and spend the rest of the time walking astound and enjoying the city. I like getting a view of the city, so think about eithe the arc de triumph or the tour montparnasse for views. The Effiel tower is obviously incredible, but the lines are usually much longer than the other two, and then you get views of the tower. I think the museum pass only comes in one or three (not two) day intervals, so maybe look at the pass and if you'd want to do it do one day and see all of the museum pass attractions, and walk and do non-museum pass things on another day. Totally agree with pp re; louvre - only do with museum pass. With pass you literally walk by thousand people to get right in. Last year we stayed at the hotel able, very lovely hotel, on the left bank which you may or may not want.its right off the train from the airport which I appreciated. ENJOY!!

This. You only have two days, so you you shouldn't spend one of them waiting in line. And with only two days I would skip the Eiffel Tower, as iconic as it is, and look for great experiences. For instance DH and I enjoy fun food, so we took an afternoon cooking class and spent another few hours at Ladurée Le Bar.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187147-d1600380-Reviews-La_Cuisine_Paris_Cooking_Classes-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

[Anonymous]

Go in April. Stay in a small hotel. Get a two day pass for the hop-on, hop-off bus so you can get around easily and tour Paris from above-ground (as opposed to taking the Metro). I wouldn't miss the Eiffel Tower but I wouldn't waste time standing in line for it. Instead, get tickets in advance, or more fun, get the "stairs" tickets and walk up. It's actually pretty easy to walk up and more fun -- my 6 year old walked all the way to the second level. Don't miss the Rodin museum sculpture garden. Spend a lot of time wandering the streets. I would save the Louvre for the next time -- it will all still be there.

[Anonymous]

I only had one day in Paris and managed to see a lot.

We didn't want to spend our day waiting in line at the Louvre...it was a gorgeous June day, and we wanted to be outside and see PARIS...not a museum about Paris.

We arrived early one morning from London, and here's what we did:

1. Hopped on a big red tour bus so we could quickly see the major sites and get our bearings.

2. Got off at Notre Dame, walked through it (free).

3. Back on bus to the Eiffel Tower. Waited a long time in line to go all the way up. You might want to just go up to the lower level (shorter line or you can walk).

4. Lunch at a nearby cafe.

5. Bus to a different area I can't remember but it's known as the cute shopping area---isn't it Marais? Coffee and pastries and more walking around.

6. Galleries Lafayette--super high end mall that is stunning. It was near the meeting point for our group that had to get back on a train to London.

Doing the bus tour for even just the beginning made us feel like we had seen a lot...went past the Seine, Louvre, arc, champs de elyse, notre dame, Eiffel Tower, and more. Got a sense of the city and it's architecture. And could hop on and off all day.

If we had two days, we would have gone to Versailles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I only had one day in Paris and managed to see a lot.

We didn't want to spend our day waiting in line at the Louvre...it was a gorgeous June day, and we wanted to be outside and see PARIS...not a museum about Paris.

We arrived early one morning from London, and here's what we did:

1. Hopped on a big red tour bus so we could quickly see the major sites and get our bearings.

2. Got off at Notre Dame, walked through it (free).

3. Back on bus to the Eiffel Tower. Waited a long time in line to go all the way up. You might want to just go up to the lower level (shorter line or you can walk).

4. Lunch at a nearby cafe.

5. Bus to a different area I can't remember but it's known as the cute shopping area---isn't it Marais? Coffee and pastries and more walking around.

6. Galleries Lafayette--super high end mall that is stunning. It was near the meeting point for our group that had to get back on a train to London.

Doing the bus tour for even just the beginning made us feel like we had seen a lot...went past the Seine, Louvre, arc, champs de elyse, notre dame, Eiffel Tower, and more. Got a sense of the city and it's architecture. And could hop on and off all day.

If we had two days, we would have gone to Versailles.

Me again.

Fwiw, all the other people in our group opted to do the louvre instead...and that's pretty much all they saw. When we compared notes at the end of the day and shared pictures, everyone said that we clearly had a much better time in Paris (we saw so much more).

[Anonymous]

These are great ideas.