One day in Paris

Gallagherone

Hi friends,

My wife and I are going to France in early April and we have one (maybe two) full days to spend in Paris. Neither of us have been before and we want to see as much as is possible. We are prepared for it to be a lot of walking!

Does anyone who has been have any must see's or anything to not bother with whilst we are there?

Our plans so far are:

Notre Dame
Saint Chapelle
Proper Parisian little cafe
Louvre
Arc De Triomphe
Champs-Élysées
Trocadero Gardens
Eiffel Tower (not sure whether to go up)

Is there anything you would suggest?

Thanks in advance!

ArchtopDave

Notre Dame was sadly badly damaged by a major fire not that long ago. 

ten77guitar

That’s a lot for one day. If it were me I’d pick a couple of places you really want to go to and then just go with the flow and enjoy yourself. Otherwise you’ll be tearing around the place not really taking anything in and dare I say it being a stereotypical tourist!

Gallagherone

ArchtopDave said:

Notre Dame was sadly badly damaged by a major fire not that long ago. 

Yeah we know that it was damaged and we won't be able to go inside understandably. She's a massive Disney fan though and just wants to see it for herself. Plus its not far from Saint Chapelle so it wouldn't be out of our way.

EricTheWeary

My memories of Paris are of a lot of walking. 
The Louvre had huge queues and it's massive so it's basically a day in itself. 
We went up the Eiffel tower, it's very busy but I don't remember any problems.
Montmartre and the artist quarter probably worth a wander. 
A lot of people take river cruises/ trips as a pleasant way to see the hilights.
It's generally an expensive place and horrendous to drive anywhere but it is Paris and is an amazing city. 

Kittyfrisk

All good advice so far.
Be aware that in bars and cafés, prices are displayed inside. It’s handy to know that the prices vary depending on whether you stand at the bar where they are the lowest, or at a table inside or on the terrace.
Having once bought coffee & cognac's so we could sit outside in a romantic fashion, the resulting bill was a real shocker 
Paris isn't 'cheap', but no worse than London.
Have a great time.

jellyroll

Rue de Douai.....lots of shops selling guitary shaped things....

Jonathangus

Gallagherone said:

Proper Parisian little cafe

If you're a fan of Amélie, you can go to Les Deux Moulins; it's in Montmartre, so also puts you in the vicinity of Sacré-Coeur.

victorludorum

You'll need to prioritise. Are you interested in shopping or seeing paintings? Do you prefer just to see the outside of buildings? etc etc

oaf

Chartier is quite fun:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouillon_Chartier

https://www.bouillon-chartier.com/grands-boulevards/galerie/

jonnyburgo

If books are your thing I highly recommend the Shakespeare and company book shop

Dominic

Gallagherone said:

ArchtopDave said:

Notre Dame was sadly badly damaged by a major fire not that long ago. 

Yeah we know that it was damaged and we won't be able to go inside understandably. She's a massive Disney fan though and just wants to see it for herself. Plus its not far from Saint Chapelle so it wouldn't be out of our way.

 Yes but Quasi Modo moved out after the fire 

Jalapeno

EricTheWeary said:

A lot of people take river cruises/ trips as a pleasant way to see the hilights.

Highly recommended.  Do it from the Eiffel Tower and you see Notre Dame as well.

Louvre would take days to do properly - see if you can get a short tour to include the Mona Lisa.

Go. Up. The. Tower.

Open top tour buses are also good value

Monmartre / Sacre Coeur stroll plus lunch in a cafe is a must

The famous "Luthier" shop previously owned by Francois Charle - https://www.galerie-casanova.com/

pigface

I fully agree with the chaps above who recommended the Eiffel Tower. A great experience. I'd recommend that you book in advance, which you can do online, as the queues can be long.

sev112

Musee d’Orsay rather than Louvre for fabulous art and a fabulous building

used to be able to walk up the Eiffel Tower rather than queue for a lift - don’t know if they still do that ? But even if you do get a lift up, consider walking down because you get an amazing different understanding of the structure.  If you queue Togo up, queue about 1.5 to 2 hrs before twilight.  That allows 1 hour queuing, then you get to see the sun go down, and the lights come on.

many people say go up Arc de triomphe instead. Nowhere near as high but great view and get to see the Eiffel Tower.  Again, go just before twilight.

victorludorum

There's always the tower at Montparnasse too if you want to go up to the highest point.

dafuzz

If the waiter tells you they are finishing their shift, it means they want you to settle up now. The next waiter will start a new bill. They don't like it if you just say "cool - have a great evening" and go back to your conversation

Also remember the waiter is doing you a massive favour by even tolerating you in their establishment

I love Paris

Toms_Dad

It’s already a lot as has been said.  Completely agree that Musee D’Orsay is much better experience than the Louvre. Think impressionists in the Musee D’Orsay vs British Museum in the Louvre
I would tentatively suggest to drop off one or two of the really touristy things you have on the list and go instead to Montmartre and walk up to Sacre Coeur for a great experience and fantastic view from the top of the hill.

Gallagherone

All great advice thank you! I'll have a good chat and plan with the wife. Does anyone have any thoughts on walking up the Eiffel Tower instead of getting the lift?

breakstuff

victorludorum said:

There's always the tower at Montparnasse too if you want to go up to the highest point.

Definitely do this. The wife and I did it at sunset, and it was amazing. Seeing the whole of Paris become gradually lit up as the sun disappeared was a truly great experience.

Winny_Pooh

One day is tight.

Musee de Orsay

Montmartre and walk to Sacre Coeur

Eiffel Tower

Dont bother IMO:
Louvre
Arc De Triomphe
Champs-Élysées