Okay, so you're a first time visitor to La Ville-Lumière (The City of Light) and want some tips and hints on how to spend your time? I took my sister to Paris in 2009 for her first visit and came up with the following itinerary to introduce her to one of the most romantic cities in the world.
Accommodation: We stayed at the Hotel Palym, Rue Emile Gilbert 75012 Paris, France +33 1 43 43 24 48 (located in the 11th arrondissement) http://www.paris-hotel-palym.com/
Day 1:
8am: Depart Hotel for breakfast nearby (there are plenty of lovely little pastry shops around the hotel)
8.30am: ** Buy a Carnet of 10 tickets from station for €11.60) ** Depart Métro Line 14 (purple) from Gare de Lyon station heading to Saint-Lazare for Metro Châtelet station – depart and walk to Notre Dame Cathedral.
10am: Depart Bike About Tours http://www.bikeabouttours.com/ next to the huge Charlemagne Statue (the guy on a horse) in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. Guides will be waiting by the statue with red bikes and sign. (located in the 5th arrondissement)
2.30pm: Arrive back at Notre Dame. Catch RER (Blue Line B) heading towards Robinson/Saint Remy to Luxembourg station or walk from Notre Dame down Boulevard St Michel to Jardin du Luxembourg
3pm: Visit Jardin du Luxembourg/stroll past Latin Quarter/Sorbonne (located in the 6th arrondissement) A sweet attraction is the Théâtre des Marionnettes where, on weekends at 11 and 3:15 (hours may vary), you can catch a classic guignols (marionette shows) for a small charge.
6.30pm: Walk to restaurant Le Relais de l'Isle http://www.lerelaisdelisle.fr/ 37 rue Saint Louis en l'Île (Fixed menu: €23/€27) (Pont Marie Metro) The famous Berthillon ice-cream store is nearby http://www.berthillon.fr/
9pm: Depart restaurant via Metro Line 7 Pont Marie (pink) heading towards La Courneuve – depart at Chatelet – get on Line 1 (yellow) heading towards Chateau de Vincennes – Gare de Lyon (depart)
9.30pm: Arrive hotel.
Day 2:
8am: Depart Hotel for breakfast nearby
8.30am: Depart Métro Line 14 (purple) from Gare de Lyon station heading to Saint-Lazare – Get off at Madeleine station – transfer onto Metro Line 12 (Green) heading towards Mairie d'Issy – Get off at Solférino station – Exit near intersection of Rue De Bellechasse and Boulevard Saint-Germain
9am: Arrive at Musee D’Orsay http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/home.html opens at 9.30am, entry costs €9.50 (or €7 for young people with I.D)
2pm: Depart Museum for Les Puces de Saint-Ouen (The Fleas) open from 10am – 6pm. Take the Métro Line 12 from Solférino station heading to Porte de la Chapelle – get off at Marcadet – Poissonniers – transfer onto the Métro Line 4 (violet) heading to Porte de Clignancourt – depart at the last stop and follow the crowds towards the large concrete overpass.
4.30pm: Depart The Fleas for Free Montemarte Tour http://www.cityfreetour.com/home/(with Chris). Take the Metro Line 4 (violet) at Porte de Clignancourt station to Marcadet – Poissonniers – transfer onto Metro Line 12 (green) heading towards Mairie d'Issy – get off at Pigalle station and transfer onto Metro Line 2 (blue) heading towards Porte Dauphine – get off one stop later at Blanche – meeting point for the 2-hour tour is exit of métro Blanche. Tour starts with famous Moulin Rouge, and then to rue Lepic for a visit to Amelie’s café, Van Gogh house, Moulin de la Galette, stories of Marcel Ayme, Saint Denis, Dalida, La Maison Rose and story of Suzanne Valadon and Maurice Utrillo, last vineyard of Paris, famous artistic cabaret Au Lapin Agile and all the way up to church St Pierre de Montmartre, place du Tertre finishing with basilica Sacre Coeur.
7pm: Tour ends – dinner at Chez Gladines http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d783060-Reviews-Chez_Gladines-Paris_Ile_de_France.html
Day 3:
7.30am: Depart hotel for breakfast nearby
8am: Depart Métro Line 1 (yellow) from Gare de Lyon station heading to La Défense for Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre stop
9am: Enter Louvre http://www.louvre.fr/ Use the entrance directly from the platform. There is a well sign posted shop that sells tickets near the station exit. Tickets cost €9 each.
** Hot tip ** go straight to the Italian paintings – 1st floor – Denon wing - enjoy the stunning masterpieces in peace for a short time before the crowds rush in **
2pm: Depart Louvre for Tuileries Gardens (stop for lunch) to the Place of the Concorde, and then continue to the Champ Elysees. Shop for the rest of the afternoon.
6pm: Arrive at Charles De Guille RER/Metro station – get on Metro Line 1 (yellow) heading towards Chateau de Vincennes and depart at Gare de Lyon
7pm: Dinner locally.
Day 4:
7.30am: Depart hotel for breakfast nearby
8am: Depart Gare de Lyon station Metro Line 14 (Purple) to Olympiades – change at Bibliothèque François Mitterrand – get on RER Line C (yellow) heading to Viroflay Rive Gauche – depart at Champ De Mars – Tour Eiffel .
8.45am: Line up for Eiffel Tower http://www.tour-eiffel.com/ ** Hot tip ** If the elevator queue is long, line up in the stairs queue (over at the south foot where the yellow awning is for the Jules Verne restaurant is the entrance to the stairs) and walk to the second floor – Once you're on the second level, it's possible to buy a supplementary ticket to go to the very top.
** free time for the rest of the day **
Transport tips: Hotel Palym is located directly across from the Gare de Lyon station. Whether you want to catch a taxi, bus, metro, or train, it is so easy to do from here. Even if you want to use the Air France shuttle to and from the airport, they all stop at Gare de Lyon. One tip though is to download a map of the metro lines before you visit http://www.ratp.fr/plan-interactif/?lang=uk and take it with you everywhere!
For more information on the Paris transport system, visit http://www.parismetromap.org/
To get to Hotel Palym from the airport:
Airport: Roissy-Charles de Gaulle:Air France shuttle (buy a return ticket - it is cheaper), boulevard Diderot (Roissy is 40 minutes from the hotel). Hotel is a 1 minute walk.
Airport: Orly:Take the Orlyval to Antony, take RER B to Châtelet, then take RER A towards Marne la Vallée to Gare de Lyon and exit at Boulevard Diderot.
** please note prices may have changed for activities since 2009
** free time for the rest of the day **
Transport tips: Hotel Palym is located directly across from the Gare de Lyon station. Whether you want to catch a taxi, bus, metro, or train, it is so easy to do from here. Even if you want to use the Air France shuttle to and from the airport, they all stop at Gare de Lyon. One tip though is to download a map of the metro lines before you visit http://www.ratp.fr/plan-interactif/?lang=uk and take it with you everywhere!
For more information on the Paris transport system, visit http://www.parismetromap.org/
To get to Hotel Palym from the airport:
Airport: Roissy-Charles de Gaulle:Air France shuttle (buy a return ticket - it is cheaper), boulevard Diderot (Roissy is 40 minutes from the hotel). Hotel is a 1 minute walk.
Airport: Orly:Take the Orlyval to Antony, take RER B to Châtelet, then take RER A towards Marne la Vallée to Gare de Lyon and exit at Boulevard Diderot.
** please note prices may have changed for activities since 2009
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