Thursday, April 12, 2012

Seeking comments on my 3-day itinerary

I%26#39;m fully aware that everyone%26#39;s travel priorities are different, but people on here seem to have great insight re: nuances that can make or break an itinerary, so I%26#39;m hoping some of you will take a moment to offer feedback on my draft plans for three days in Paris in late November. Our hotel is in the Latin Quarter near the St. Michel metro stop.





My husband and I love to walk and enjoy fast-paced days that allow us to take in many sights. I%26#39;ve never been to Paris, and he hasn%26#39;t been since childhood, so our preference is to get exposure to many things and then return for a future visit to spend more time enjoying those that prove to be of particular interest. We are morning people rather than nightlife people, and churches and long visits to traditional art museums do not hold our interest.





One big gap in our plans thus far is dinner. Any suggestions for restaurants that would serve dinner within our timeframes (i.e. somewhat early and not requiring too much lingering, as sightseeing is a priority over eating for us) and near to where we%26#39;ll be would be much appreciated. We%26#39;d like to aim for a max cost of ~100-125 Euro for dinner for two, but the real catch is the need for at least one vegetarian dish on the menu (not picky about what though).





Also, I have no idea how busy things like the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe will be in late November, so any input about the likelihood of squeezing in a visit rather than just viewing from below would be much appreciated!





All times are complete approximations intended solely to give us a sense of what we might have to miss if we choose to linger at something else. I%26#39;ve compiled a map of the sights from our proposed itinerary below, if this will help anyone offer feedback: http://tinyurl.com/qqvybo







Day 1 (Thur. - intentionally laid back to recover from red-eye flight)





6:00 am: Land at CDG





9:30 am: Arrive at hotel via RER, leave luggage at desk





10:00-11:00 am: Hot chocolate at Café de Flore





11:00 am-1:00 pm: Wander, trying to take in old homes along Rue du Dragon, Jardin du Luxembourg, Le Pantheon, and Shakespeare %26amp; Co.





1:00-4:00 pm: Check into hotel and take a short nap (I know not recommended, but I can%26#39;t sleep on planes and will be very grumpy without the nap!)





4:00-8:00 pm: Cross Pont Neuf en route to Musee de la mode et du Textile %26amp; Musee des Arts Decoratifs (open until 9 pm on Thursday)





8:00 pm: Dinner







Day 2 (Fri.)





8:00-9:00 am: Café breakfast





9:00-10:00 am: Wander Ile Sainte Louis and Ile de la Cite (including Marche aux Fleurs and interior of Notre Dame)





10:00-11:00 am: Crypte Archeologique (opens at 10 am)





11:12 am-12:12 pm: Travel via batobus from Notre Dame to Tour Eiffel (or 11:46 am boat for 12:46 pm arrival)





12:30-3:30 pm: Lunch and Eiffel Tower (elevators to top if line isn’t bad)





3:30-4:15 pm: Walk to Musee Rodin via Parc du Champ de Mars





4:15-5:45 pm: Musee Rodin (museum open until 4:45 or 5:45, garden until 5:45 or 6:45...I%26#39;m finding conflicting info about this for late Nov., may just do garden if we%26#39;re running behind schedule)





6:00-7:45 pm: Dinner in St-Germain-des-Pres





8:00-10:00 pm: Louvre (open until 10 pm on Fridays, primary interest is Objets d%26#39;Art)







Day 3 (Sat., day that%26#39;s most likely over-packed)





9:00-9:30 am: Quick breakfast





9:30 am-12:00 pm: Walk to see exterior of Hotel de Ville, Pompidou Centre, and No 51 Rue de Montmorency; stroll through Galerie Vivienne/Les Passages; pass exterior of Opera National de Paris Garnier and visit La Madeleine area and Fauchon





12:00-1:00 pm: Quick lunch





1:00-4:00 pm: See Place de la Concorde, Grand Palais exterior, Pont Alexandre III, then stroll Avenue de Champs-Elysees to Arc de Triomphe (go to top, time permitting)





4:00-6:00 pm: Cite de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine (~1 mi from Arc, could use M6 line; could also skip altogether depending on how rest of day has progressed)





6:00-10:00 pm: Metro to Montmarte for dinner and wandering; take in Moulin Rouge, Sacre Couer, and Place du Tertre





(We leave very early Sunday morning for Germany and don%26#39;t want to be out TOO late Sat. night.)





Thanks in advance for any insight!




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For Day 1 as long as you cross the Pont Neuf you will not be too far from the Brasserie D%26#39;Ile St. Louis, 55 Quai Bourbon. It%26#39;s just across the pedestrian bridge that connects the Ile de la Cite to the Ile St. Louis. They serve good charcroute and cassolet and bottles of house wine so it isn%26#39;t too expensive. And we%26#39;ve never made reservations and have had no problem being seated. I have noted $58.00 for two on our last trip.





For dinner in St Germain, look at La Boussole...





http://www.la-boussole.com/





We had two nice dinners here last trip, one a walk-in and we made reservations for the 2nd. This will be a little more expensive, $75.00 - $90.00.





hth



Pjk




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I don%26#39;t see any problem with that itinerary. You should be able to cover all the things you list.




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I have eaten at the Bouillon Racine, 3 rue Racine. The street is off Blvd St. Michel almost across the road from the Cluny. I felt I had a pretty good meal there. Met there April 2008 with a group of people from the AOL travel board about 10 of us. Had a nice time.




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We have had a couple of good meals in Montmartre on Rues Des Martyrs just downhill from Abbesses at L%26#39;Homme tranquille.





It is a small place and you need to reserve -- perhaps just call that day. We have often found it booked when walking up.





And note that while the Louvre may be open till 10 pm -- they start %26#39;rolling it up%26#39; at about 9:30 -- so I would be inclined to save more time for the Louvre than you have. If dinner is a bit late, you may find little time for the museum. It is kind of impressive to watch them roll up the museum, I have never seen such efficiency in getting people out in any other museum.





another thing to be aware of is that parts of the Louvre are closed in the evening -- and I would think Objects d%26#39;Art would be a likely candidate. Mona Lisa is always cooking but whole other wings may be closed. if you care you might try to check to see which parts will be closed.




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Thank you all for the input! I will look into the suggested restaurants and will also track down more specific info re: what sections of the Louvre are actually open on Friday nights.





TrenSanDiego, when you say you think I should be able to fit everything in, do you think that might include a shot of going up the Eiffel Tower and/or Arc de Triomphe?




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You should have no trouble going to the top of the Arc d%26#39;Triomphe. We went twice in March and there never was any line at all. There is an elevator, but you must have a disability or a baby stroller.





The lines at the Eiffel Tower may be long mid-day, but who knows in November. Sometimes the lines are shorter to take the stairs to the first level and the elevator after that.

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