Paris Must Dos for First Timers
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Anonymous
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We only have three days, so we planned a food tour, a bike tour, the Catacombs, dinner at a nice bistro.
Are there any museums that we must visit? Any other places? Is the night Seine cruise worth it? |
Anonymous
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The Rodin is my favorite museum in Paris.
I mean, IDK - I would think for first timers, you'd want to maybe do all the touristy stuff but it doesn't sound like it. The first time i went, I did the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Sacre-Couer, Notre Dame, the Champs-Elysees, etc. |
Anonymous
Agree. And the catacombs are kind of creepy. I'd rather do the other stuff. I'd add the Orsay to the list. |
Anonymous
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If I was only there for three days, I'm not sure I would do the Louvre. It is huge and time consuming. You might pick one or two things inside and just do a quick trip to see those, unless you are a museum fanatic, then by all means.
For something low key, we really enjoyed Musee de Cluny, which has medieval and ancient roman history, including roman baths. You have to do the Eiffel Tower. I would get tickets in advance and try to time them for around sunset so you can see the view at daylight and then when things darken and all the lights come on. Other musts would be spending as much time as possible aimlessly walking the city and sitting at cafes enjoying a drink and people watching. Oh, and I always love getting up early and going by myself to get a coffee and chocolate croissant. Eat lots of those. Also, buy a large and sturdy bag to fill with croissants and other pastries to bring home to pass out to your friends. I'm your friend, right? |
Anonymous
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Agree on Rodin and Quay D'Orsay.
Also a walk through the Tuilleries on a sunny day, nothing beats that. Music Museum - very far north in the city, is worth it if you have time. |
Anonymous
| Having been several times and having three days, I would plan nothing. Just walk and explore, no pressure, no lines. For a busy city it can be very relaxing. |
Anonymous
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Weather permitting, DH and I love to go to the luxembourg gardens for long walks and stroll around the city afterwards. It never gets old. You also pair a through around Ile St Louis with a trip to Notre Dame. I also agree that the Musee D'orsay and the Rodin are better for a short visit than the Louvre. The Louvre is better for repeat trips, because it's so huge that there always seems to be something new even though we've been to Paris several times.
I would skip the catacombs tour. |
Anonymous
| ^^ sorry for typos. I meant to say that you could pair a walk through Ile St Louis with a trip to Notre Dame. |
Anonymous
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The catacombs was what made the trip worth it for me. There's nothing else like that anywhere.
The Eiffel Tower, meh. Just walk around and take in the sights. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
| +1 to the Rodin museum and Eiffel Tower. We enjoyed Rue de Cler, but you may get something similar on the food tour. |
Anonymous
| boat ride - at night or day |
Anonymous
Oh my gosh, DH and I ended up on Rue Cler so many afternoons when we were there (pre-kids). We would, without discussing it, end whatever else we were doing that day by around 4pm and end up at an outside cafe on Rue Cler drinking beer and people watching. |
Anonymous
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We just got back today from our first trip to Paris & we only had 3.5 days. We did The Effiel Tower, The Catacombs, Notre Dame, St. Chappelle, Montmartre and Sacré Couer.
Would have loved to walk the Champs Elysess, The Arc, but ran out of time. Using the Metro and shopping the local Monoprix was great fun too! |
Anonymous
| No one's mentioned the Orangerie? As long as you have the museum pass to skip the line it's definitely worth a quick visit. |