Two weeks from today I will be in Paris – tired, weary, a bit dazed, but I will be making this dream a reality. I have done so much research that I have "virtually" taken this trip numerous times and I think by the time I actually visit these locations, they will be familiar – like visiting an old friend.
I thought I would post my "working" itinerary here. If anyone has any suggestions for other "must see" spots, please don't hesitate to comment. I am constantly revising and tweaking based on new internet finds.
I apologize for the formatting. This was originally created as a table in Microsoft word and it doesn't translate perfectly to blogger.
Paris Possibilities:
| Date |
Activity
|
Cost
|
| July 24, 2011 | Arrive – take it easy – recover from Jet Lag Shop Amelie grocer – as they are closed on Monday | Food for apt. |
| July 25
Montmartre
| Photography tour of Montmartre (morning) Maybe café and write in afternoon – stay in neighborhood | 195 euro - ($290.50) Lunch/dinner |
| July 26
Marais
| Open Air market tour (l'aligre market) - morning Perhaps Place de Bastille Fauburg St. Antoine afternoon Bistro Paul Bert for dinner (?) --- or Le Baron Rouge | 77 euro (tour fee) lunch |
| July 27
(wed)
Louvre
| Museum Pass – Louvre open late Palais Garnier – English Tour (10:00am opens/11:30am tour) Tuileries Gardens and model boats (?) Café le Nemours for lunch (?) L'Orangerie (museum pass) – open late on Friday | 50 euro (museum pass) 12 euro (opera) Lunch/dinner |
| July 28
(thurs)
Cler and Orsay
| Museum Pass – d'Orsay open late --- Rodins Gardens (museum pass) Rue Cler | Food for the day |
| July 29
(fri)
Latin Quarter
| Museum Pass - Conciergerie Chocolate Tour – metro Louvre- Rivoli (10:30 – 12:30) Notre Dame Shakespeare and Co. Luxumbourg Gardens Le Soufflot Café | 25 euro (choc tour) Food for the day |
| July 30
(sat)
Marais again | Museum Pass – Pompidou open late Pere Lachaise cemetery – opens 8:30am Le baron rouge for lunch (?) Victor Hugo house | Food for the day |
| July 31
FREE
| Marche aux Puces – large flea market (RS 440) This may be the questionable area that Isabelle referred to… OR…Jardins d'Acclimations at Bois de Bourgogne | |
| Aug 1
FREE
| Canal tour (?) FREE | 16 euro (tour) |
| Aug 2
Wine Tour
| Wine / champagne - tour Wine tour confirmed – 7:30AM – 7:30PM | 180 euro (tour) Food included |
| Aug 3
Trocadero
area
| statue of liberty Tour Eiffel --- eat again on rue cler (?) Musee Marmottan Bateaux parisiens (?) | 9 euro (museum) 11 euro (bateaux) food |
| Aug 4
(Giverney?)
| Giverny/Auvers sur Oise tour (maybe on my own) Train in morning to Vernon Monet house/garden --- Impressionist museum | No tour – 60 euro (?) |
| Aug 5
FREE
| Hemmingway walking tour (10:30am) – metro cardinal lemoine FREE | 12 euro (tour) |
| Aug 6
FREE
| Perhaps walk the Champs Elyssees Visit Tuillerie or Luxumbourg gardens | |
| Aug 7 | Leave for home |
Gare Saint Lazare – Place de Dublin (Caillebotte's Rainy Day) (Impression Walk #3)
Wow, Molly what an itinerary! This would be a dream come true. I have nothing to offer you because I've never been. I know right at the top of the list would be wine and cheese for every meal. I have been to Nice, and the cheese was AMAZING.
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful to me and I can't wait to hear and see about it when you come back!! Enjoy and relax!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful itinerary! I wish I could go with you!
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a fabulous time! It looks like a dream come true.
ReplyDeleteMolly, this looks amazing. You definitely did a lot of work. It certainly is a good idea to also keep your eyes open for all those many many cafes and bistros that didn't make it into the travel guides, because they might not be quite as crowded with tourists (and perhaps even cheaper). I often went to places to eat and relax that felt right for me. I like that you have outlined what you want to see each day, because thus you avoid that stunning feeling of overwhelm in the beginning. This will be a wonderful trip, Molly!
ReplyDeleteFabulous itinerary, Molly! Do allow yourself plenty of time to enjoy the Musee d'Orsay (and get to the roof for a great view of the city)--and explore the alleyways, as Carola says--it's the hidden things that make a trip, I believe. You are going to have a wonderful wonderful time. Enjoy everything!!!
ReplyDeleteThis all looks great. I like how you have built in lots of down time. I think you should see what you want to see but I'll give a few suggestions anyway.
ReplyDeleteI know this is not a popular thing to say, but the L'Orangerie is over-rated. Unless you're a maniac for impressionism, you'll have seen all the best stuff at the d'Orsay anyway. I'd skip it in favor of the Cluny. This one is not on your list. It's a wonderful collection of medieval stuff inside an actual medieval building, one of the few left in Paris. It also has a decent Roman ruin and it's in the Latin Quarter.
I also highly recommend the Musee de la Vie Romantique. It does not have great, great art but it does have good, largely orientalist, art. What is does offer is a wonderful garden setting. The Museum is inside the former home of an artist who lived across the garden from George Sands. Her home is now a museum, too. There's a wonderful little garden cafe. It's very out of the way, no crowds and a perfect place to pretend to be a writer living in Paris. Just down the street from it is the Musee Moreau. He was a dreadful painter but made enough money to insure his home and studio were made into a museum. The museum is lots of fun and it's very cool to see his home and studio. He may not have been a very good painter, but he had a very cool home/studio.
We did not go to the Champs Elyssees but our friends who did walk it say it's now mostly car dealers.
You can add the Tuillerie to your tour of the Lourve. It's very small and a perfect place to have a lunch break on the day you visit the Lourve. You may want to get outside for a while after a few hours of the crowd. The Luxumbourg gardens are wonderful. Very few tourists, lots of locals. They have chairs everywhere that you can move to a shady spot and sit in all day long if you want. It's a magical place. I'd say it's better than the Tuillerie if you have to choose one or the other. There's a puppet theatre that we didn't get to see, but we did hear a band play.
Do see Victor Hugo's home. Nearby is the Musee Carnavalet which is excellent and the Cognac Jay house which is well worth a visit. You can do all three on the same day if you're ambitious. You can even include the Picasso museum which is close by. We don't like Picasso but I've heard that he is very popular.
But try not to be ambitious. My strongest recommendation is to leave yourself lots of free time to go back to revisit places you enjoyed and to discover. Paris is a wonderful city to just roam freely. We loved it.
I'm so jealous.
Have a great time. It looks as though you will be very busy. Make sure that you take time to relax and enjoy the sites!!
ReplyDeleteI am anxious to plan a trip for my husband and myself in the near future to France too. I have heard that July is one of the best times to go since many of the French go on vacation in August. Please follow up and let us know how your trip goes. I'm anxious to hear about it.
Oh, this sounds like a great trip. You are going to be a busy traveller. Don't forget to just take time and relax and enjoy the moments.
ReplyDeleteI want to plan a France vacation for my husband and I in the near future.
I heard that July is one of the best times to visit because many of the French vacation during August.
Please let us know how the trip goes. I am anxious to read all about it. Have fun.
Don't forget to save time to just breathe in Paris.
ReplyDeleteWhen you get to Vernon you can rent a bicycle at a small cafe in Vernon (with map)and bicycle on a bicycle trail to Giverny; great way to see the french countryside and mingle with the locals.
I pre-booked one tour before I went against the advise of Rick Steves(PBS) I was realllly sorry I did; big waste of money. The best time I had was when I was touring the city myself on foot. You can stroll from one side of (downtown)Paris to the other in 4 hours. Eat in the boucheries and patistries; tiny quiches, crepes, lovely chocolates and pastries. And very reasonable. Have a picnic in one of the parks!
The first Sunday of each month most museums are free.
But plan a lot of free time---you'll be happy you did and plan for long lines.
Sounds like such a full schedule. I have not been to Paris since the 70's so I would not be able to offer any suggestions. Sounds like you have some wonderful things planned.
ReplyDeleteOh, Molly, I am taking this trip vicariously through you. What a wonderful experience you will have and this is the perfect time to visit Paris.
ReplyDeleteMy first manuscript (10+ years ago) was a historical novel, 650 pages, set in Paris and in Saint Domingue (now Haiti) on the eve of the French Revolution, around the time of the storming of the Bastille. Having thoroughly researched the city at that time, it would be so wonderful to see it in the present day ... and I will, in a year or two, certainly.
ReplyDeleteI'll be following your journey with great interest.
It looks like you're going to have so much fun! I hope you take lots of pictures to share with us. :)
ReplyDeleteHow exciting for you Molly! I am so happy to hear that you have your trip planned and you are ready to go. I will look forward to your posts and pictures from your trip.
ReplyDeleteI would say I can't wait to hear about it but I think I'm going to drive down to Kansas City and sneak into your luggage and just go along with you!
ReplyDeleteI somehow missed this post but I'm glad I caught up with it. Your itinerary is so wonderful. You are going to have the most wonderful time. I think you thought of everything. I loved CB James' comments. I believe you will be doing the same thing some day for some one else.
ReplyDelete