5 day Paris itinerary

MarkY91

Hi all. Never been to Paris before and making an itinerary for the gf and i is stressful for me. We're staying in Hotel Paris Opera on 3 boulevard Montmartre.

We have 5 days there. 19th April to 23rd.

Arriving around 12:3pm and going home in the evening.

On the first day, I don't know what to do really. Maybe walk around, find food then head over to the Eiffel tower and hang around there and relax in the grass (gonna be 27c according to AccuWeather).

Day 2

We got a 2 day Paris museum pass so next 2 days we wanna make the most of it, I know we may not save money but we save time by skipping most lines. Plan so far:

Notre dam
Saint chapelle
Louvre (open late that day)

Don't wanna spend too much time in the louvre, just see the big stuff like mona Lisa. Ancient Egypt interests me and ancient Greece so I'll definitely check them out in more detail than most of the rest of the museum

Day 3


arc de triomphe
napoleons tomb
Army museum
pantheon
Orsay

This day is my girlfriend's birthday. At night is there Any cheap enough places for a good meal? Were not into fancy food so paying €150 for food isn't going to impress her. She will call me stupid lol. Then hoping to find live music in a bar.

Day 4 and day 5...no plans as of yet

She is keen on Disney land but I've no interest, so maybe end up going there, I'd prefer to venture out to Versailles or somewhere within 2 hour bus/coach.

Is my Paris museum pass days too much to cram in? Or can I fit more in?

We wanna walk alot or use public transport getting everywhere.

maximoose

Day 1 I'd recommend a walking tour, always helps me get my bearings when visiting a new city. They are "free", give a tip at the end for what you think was fair. Pretty sure we used these guys in Paris

Any cheap enough places for a good meal?

The latin quarter by Notre Dame is great for food, it is a bit touristy but there's plenty of nice restaurants with good cheap options.

Some other things I loved:

The Catacombs
Père Lachaise Cemetery
Seine River Cruise Tour
Piano bars - Aux Trois Mailletz
Versailles is worth a visit but will take up more or less a full day.

BailMeOut

for at least one day do the hop on hop off bus. We were there in November and after all the walking we really enjoyed touring the city with the audio tour on the 'Big Red Bus'.

Add the D'Orsay museum to you list, it is brilliant and next to the Louvre.

Book Eiffel tickets in advanced to save time queuing.

MarkY91

Cheers for the advice guys.

I'll adjust my itinerary accordingly.

The walking tour on our first day sounds good then maybe relaxing in the grass at the Eiffel tower while the sun sets?

We have D'Orsay set for our 3rd day, I misspelled it as Orsay I never took french at school and don't know much more than bonjour and merci. How should we go about ordering from the infamous ride french waiters without french? Should I point at the thing in the menu or attempt to pronounce it?

gooch2k9

MarkY91 wrote: »

Cheers for the advice guys.

I'll adjust my itinerary accordingly.

The walking tour on our first day sounds good then maybe relaxing in the grass at the Eiffel tower while the sun sets?

We have D'Orsay set for our 3rd day, I misspelled it as Orsay I never took french at school and don't know much more than bonjour and merci. How should we go about ordering from the infamous ride french waiters without french? Should I point at the thing in the menu or attempt to pronounce it?

Open the conversation with 'Bonjour' and allow them to respond before continuing. You'll find they're not so rude.

BailMeOut

yep - just do not approach anyone and start speaking English. Learn hello, good morning, good night, a table for x thank you, etc.. and you'll be grand. I find Parisians really nice but you have to make and effort.

Book as much stuff as you can in advance to save some queuing and if using metro (you should as it is best way to get around) make sure you understand the ticketing process as you risk getting fined (we did last visit even though we had tickets but used them wrong!).

At bigger train stations keep an eye on your wallets and bags.

Kevski

Sacre Coeur is worth a visit and not too far from where you’re staying. It can be nice to sit on the steps outside on a sunny day/evening!

The Carnet of 10 tickets is good value when using the metro. €14.90 for 10 single journey tickets and can be bought at the ticket machines in stations.

woodchuck

If your girlfriend is keen on Disneyland, and you're over there on her birthday... would you not surprise her with that on day 2? Or if it's not possible to do it on the day due to the museum pass (did you have to reserve it for particular dates already?), I still think you should dedicate another day to this for her sake.

Also, as you're staying in Montmartre, you should definitely check out Sacre Coeur. We didn't even go inside it, but it's a stunning building with views of the city just outside.

piplip87

Disneyland is great. If you do to there wait until closing parade/lightshow/fireworks its by far my favourite part if the day.

MarkY91

woodchuck wrote: »

If your girlfriend is keen on Disneyland, and you're over there on her birthday... would you not surprise her with that on day 2? Or if it's not possible to do it on the day due to the museum pass (did you have to reserve it for particular dates already?), I still think you should dedicate another day to this for her sake.

Also, as you're staying in Montmartre, you should definitely check out Sacre Coeur. We didn't even go inside it, but it's a stunning building with views of the city just outside.

Hmm good idea.

I could move the museum pass until Sunday and Monday as it has to be for two consecutive days.

I read that montmarte is meant to be a beautiful place to have a stroll around!

BailMeOut

Make sure you allocate lots of time to just sit outside cafes and drink coffee/wine/beer and watch the world go by.

When at Notre-Dame stroll over to Shakespeare's book shop and then grab lunch at their cafe and sit outside.

fdevine

You could book lunch or dinner in the Eiffel tower. Lunch is reasonably priced IIRC but not sure about dinner.

You say you're not into Disney, which is what I would have said before going for the first time. Whether you buy into the whole Disney thing or not the place is magical, fun & not just for children. The closing fireworks/projections/lights/lasers/music is a highlight.

MarkY91

We did a walking tour of Montmarte and watched the sunset in the grass at the Eiffel tower an seen the sparkling lights of the tower.

Satisfying day!

Thank to all liters above. I'll be sure to look for the Shakespeare bookshop on Saturday

MarkY91

Any suggestions on where to eat then go watch live music guys? We're staying just at the grands boulevards metro stop.

We're looking for French food but nothing stupidly priced. We're not fancy.

Thanks in advance!

Mountainsandh

Are you at Hotel Paris Opera ?

You are just 1 minute away according to Google from one of the most famous traditional French Brasserie ! It's like stepping back in time.

Brasseries were the places to get a hearty meal in the old times, and I was in this one, it's an experience. They do things the old way, and the waiters when it's time for the bill, will tote up on the tablecloth (well, the paper thing on the table like ).

The one I'm on about is Bouillon Chartier, here's the google link, and maybe ring or turn up early as I think there can be sizeable queues there, it's really famous.

https://goo.gl/maps/7vPgPsxEXc42

edit : prices are very reasonable, and this is the real real real French experience.
If you're not too keen on something very French, then don't go there !
https://www.bouillon-chartier.com/fr/la-carte

I'm French myself so if you need help with something that's on the menu just ask.

MarkY91

That's our hotel indeed.

I'll look into this restaurant. We want something traditional french so I'm sure this won't disappoint

Mountainsandh

MarkY91 wrote: »

That's our hotel indeed.

I'll look into this restaurant. We want something traditional french so I'm sure this won't disappoint

That place is a no frills place, brasseries were really like the canteens of old. The food you'd be served there would genuinely be like what my grandmother (and mother) would have been serving me as a child.
The room is beautiful, with all the original features preserved.

Enjoy your stay in Paris, it's back to miserable weather here so enjoy every bit of sun too !

TheQuietFella

Versailles, Montmatres (Sacre Coeur) (Artists Quarter) & la Defense to name but a few. Greatest city on the planet in my view but that's just moi!

Spanish Eyes

Whatever you decide, and there is really so much to see (open top bus) maybe?

But Pere Lachaise cemetery is a must do. IMO. As is Versailles.

MarkY91

TheQuietFella wrote: »

Versailles, Montmatres (Sacre Coeur) (Artists Quarter) & la Defense to name but a few. Greatest city on the planet in my view but that's just moi!

I wouldn't be quite sure about it being the best city in the world.

I found Vienna to be more beautiful. I obviously enjoyed my stay in Paris but no more so than Vienna, Budapest etc.

TheQuietFella

MarkY91 wrote: »

I wouldn't be quite sure about it being the best city in the world.

I found Vienna to be more beautiful. I obviously enjoyed my stay in Paris but no more so than Vienna, Budapest etc.

As I said 'my opinion' I'm not putting a gun to anyone's head to agree with me!