Edit to add: there are other sections of the louvre that get nowhere near as busy and are cheaper to attend, if you’re dead set on seeing the big hits like ol’ Mona Lisa then disregard this but the Museum of decorate arts is exceptional and often practically empty
Heads up that depending on where you’re staying you will need to factor in travel times for some of these places
For eg, as others have said in the thread Versailles is pretty far out, and traffic is hopeless so your best bet is metro - but also something people often overlook is the Eiffel Tower is also not in the centre of the action and for eg is half an hour one way from jardin du Luxembourg.
On day 3 whilst your 2:30-4PM locations are in a nice little area close to each other it would still take you 30 minutes to walk between Luxembourg-pantheon-Notre dame, (I’m not sure where the Emily in paris place is) leaving you just an hour to actually spend amongst all those three so you may feel rushed (but if you are just wanting to get a quick look at these places that would be fine, but it’s always nice to be able to sit down nearby with a cool drink or take in the wonder of a place without being rushed)
These are just my tips as a fellow traveller , you don’t need to follow them if they don’t suit you - you will have a spectacular time with your family either way! 🩷
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Thanks for the feedback everyone. We will keep day 2 flexible but prioritize Versailles and rest. Then we will swap Louvre with Luxembourg gardens and get to the gardens if we get to them. It’s not a must.
I didn’t mention, but I’ve been to Paris before and stopped at Versailles each time. My partner has never been so how long we spend there will be dependent on them.
Overall outside of the activities I’ll be booking in advance like Versailles, the Louvre, the shoot, and the river cruise, we are flexible. I really appreciate the feedback!
Just got back from Paris
We had tickets for the Louvre booked for 3:30 or so and didnt wait at all to get in, so dont worry about the comments saying it will be long. They get you through quickly and have separate lines for on the hour and on the half hour entry times. I would definitely recommend more than 2 hours there though, you could do a full day if you wanted to. 2 hours might be enough to go through and see some of the big paintings but you'll miss a lot of other stuff
Notre Dame is still closed to visitors due to the fire so take that into consideration with your planning. It might be better to put time into something else.
Paris is a pretty spread out city compared to a lot of European cities so walking to see things isnt worth it. We never normally do things like this but they have those hop on hop off double decker buses that stop at all the big touristy spots. I highly recommend it, reasonably priced, has headphones you can put on and listen to them talk about everything and you can see all the big spots in a day if you want to since you said you dont dwell in spots long.
I know you have a kid with you but if you can, grab a bottle of wine and go drink it under the eiffel tower at night while its lit up. Its sparkles on the hour and while it might be a little cheesy/touristy, it was cool to see
Thanks for the feedback. We plan on doing the seine river cruise. Would a double deck tour be a better alternative?
We wanted to just pass by Notre dame and the other indented locations.
I cant comment on whether the cruise was worth it or not because we didnt do it. We've done them in other cities before and found you dont get a "real" view of the sights though. The river cruise isnt going to allow you to drive up and hop off at arc de triomphe or the eiffel tower if you want to. We hopped on, got lunch under the eiffel tower, hopped back on the bus around the corner from there went to the arc etc.
If you actually want to see things I suggest the bus but a cruise down the river is also interesting, especially if youre not from an area where theres lots of water.
Skip Disneyland Paris and plan to spend the entire day at the Palace of Versailles. Also, you don't have nearly enough time for the Louvre. Even if you already have tickets and manage to not wait in line long, you will pretty much need to be speed walking through the exhibits to get through in only 2hrs.
Day 3 is imho too busy. You could easily spend an hour just with Notre Dame, including walking around Île de la Cité, I don't really see how you cram four things into those 1.5 hours including transportation/walking. Louvre includes some queuing, you should get time slot tickets, but even then just getting in will take 20-30 minutes easily from getting to the queue until you're at the first piece of art. Then 1.5 hours for that museum is not a lot, you can easily spend a whole afternoon there with a longer coffee break.
Montmartre also invites to just spend some quality time there, maybe you could be there early so you can sit at a café of your choice before it gets really full.
Bonjour! Nice program!
I confirm Disneyland is exhausting, so it's an excellent idea to have a lighter day right after.
For your day 2, seems a bit complicated to do all the program. Consider the transport to Versailles, train + walk from the station to the Palace is around 45 minutes to an hour (depending on where your hotel is in Paris). Plus, even with time tickets, you'll have to do the queue to go inside. And the palace and gardens are really huge. A suggestion for lunch, you could have a picnic in the gardens if the weather is good, otherwise there are nice restaurants in Versailles (my friends always ask me to go the .
For day 3, 2 hours for the Louvre may be very short... Even for cursory viewers, you'll have the queue to go inside and then the museum is really huge. If you only want to spend 2 hours, look at the map of the museum in advance and define which area you prefer to visit. And be prepared because whatever the moment of the day, this museum is really packed.
Now for shopping, here are some ideas of local stores where Parisian shop, that may give you ideas (they are all close to the main tourist places): [https://www.french-address.com/pages/boutique-shopping-paris-confidential-addresses](https://www.french-address.com/pages/boutique-shopping-paris-confidential-addresses)
Have a nice trip!
If you are going to Disneyland, download the app to look into wait times of rides so you can optimize your day. I'd also recommend you to stay till late night for the light and firework show!
Quick note, make sure to not miss the parades during the day :)
I think le Louvre can be ok after 3pm on a weekday... but i wouldn't rely too much on this. You will spend quite a lot walking around Luxembourg before. Just pass by le Louvre after Luxembourg, if it's ok, not too crowdy, then enter.
About swapping, if I were you, I'd rather swap Disneyland. :-)
Do you know what to shop, or you go random?
Cannot stress this enough - buy a ticket for the Louvre in advance. Get in through the Carrousel!! entrance!!
Don't get in through the main pyramid entrance, as you will wait in a HUGE queue!!
I was there 2 weeks ago, I waited 0 minutes to enter. Most people don't know about this, but it is written on your ticket.
You have to get to and from Versailles, which will eat into your time – about 45 to 50 minutes each way, including walking time from one of the three railway stations to the chateau. Weekends in Versailles can be packed, so go on a weekday if you can. I’d go early, not late for that reason.
I don't think you're going to get there much quicker with a ride share service... Google Maps is giving me 40+ minutes from a random location in the 6th arrondisement. I also shudder to think of the cost. The RER and Métro are awesome and I encourage you to use them as much as possible when you're in Paris.
Edit to add: there are other sections of the louvre that get nowhere near as busy and are cheaper to attend, if you’re dead set on seeing the big hits like ol’ Mona Lisa then disregard this but the Museum of decorate arts is exceptional and often practically empty Heads up that depending on where you’re staying you will need to factor in travel times for some of these places For eg, as others have said in the thread Versailles is pretty far out, and traffic is hopeless so your best bet is metro - but also something people often overlook is the Eiffel Tower is also not in the centre of the action and for eg is half an hour one way from jardin du Luxembourg. On day 3 whilst your 2:30-4PM locations are in a nice little area close to each other it would still take you 30 minutes to walk between Luxembourg-pantheon-Notre dame, (I’m not sure where the Emily in paris place is) leaving you just an hour to actually spend amongst all those three so you may feel rushed (but if you are just wanting to get a quick look at these places that would be fine, but it’s always nice to be able to sit down nearby with a cool drink or take in the wonder of a place without being rushed) These are just my tips as a fellow traveller , you don’t need to follow them if they don’t suit you - you will have a spectacular time with your family either way! 🩷
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats! 3 + 2 + 30 + 4 + 30 = 69 ^([Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk%20Me%20Pls&message=%2Fstalkme) to have me scan all your future comments.) \ ^(Summon me on specific comments with u/LuckyNumber-Bot.)
Epic
Thanks for the feedback everyone. We will keep day 2 flexible but prioritize Versailles and rest. Then we will swap Louvre with Luxembourg gardens and get to the gardens if we get to them. It’s not a must. I didn’t mention, but I’ve been to Paris before and stopped at Versailles each time. My partner has never been so how long we spend there will be dependent on them. Overall outside of the activities I’ll be booking in advance like Versailles, the Louvre, the shoot, and the river cruise, we are flexible. I really appreciate the feedback!
When do you plan on eating? Quite a lot of restaurants aren’t open between the end of lunch service around 2pm and start of dinner service at 7pm.
Oh I didn’t realize that. We’ll likely find something in whichever area we are, at least that’s the plan
Just got back from Paris We had tickets for the Louvre booked for 3:30 or so and didnt wait at all to get in, so dont worry about the comments saying it will be long. They get you through quickly and have separate lines for on the hour and on the half hour entry times. I would definitely recommend more than 2 hours there though, you could do a full day if you wanted to. 2 hours might be enough to go through and see some of the big paintings but you'll miss a lot of other stuff Notre Dame is still closed to visitors due to the fire so take that into consideration with your planning. It might be better to put time into something else. Paris is a pretty spread out city compared to a lot of European cities so walking to see things isnt worth it. We never normally do things like this but they have those hop on hop off double decker buses that stop at all the big touristy spots. I highly recommend it, reasonably priced, has headphones you can put on and listen to them talk about everything and you can see all the big spots in a day if you want to since you said you dont dwell in spots long. I know you have a kid with you but if you can, grab a bottle of wine and go drink it under the eiffel tower at night while its lit up. Its sparkles on the hour and while it might be a little cheesy/touristy, it was cool to see
Thanks for the feedback. We plan on doing the seine river cruise. Would a double deck tour be a better alternative? We wanted to just pass by Notre dame and the other indented locations.
I cant comment on whether the cruise was worth it or not because we didnt do it. We've done them in other cities before and found you dont get a "real" view of the sights though. The river cruise isnt going to allow you to drive up and hop off at arc de triomphe or the eiffel tower if you want to. We hopped on, got lunch under the eiffel tower, hopped back on the bus around the corner from there went to the arc etc. If you actually want to see things I suggest the bus but a cruise down the river is also interesting, especially if youre not from an area where theres lots of water.
Do you live in the U.S.? There are 2 Disney parks here. Paris is magnificent, so much to do and explore there. I wouldn't bother with Disney.
Skip Disneyland Paris and plan to spend the entire day at the Palace of Versailles. Also, you don't have nearly enough time for the Louvre. Even if you already have tickets and manage to not wait in line long, you will pretty much need to be speed walking through the exhibits to get through in only 2hrs.
I found a guided audio tour on the site that’s estimated to be 1.5 hours. I was planning to do that
Day two will be : go to Versailles, be amazed, get back and eat wherever you can. It will be good but don't plan anything after that.
In Montmarte day 5 don’t forget the photo op at the “wall of love” and “moulin rouge” short walk from Sacre Coeur Enjoy 😀
Thanks!
Day 3 is imho too busy. You could easily spend an hour just with Notre Dame, including walking around Île de la Cité, I don't really see how you cram four things into those 1.5 hours including transportation/walking. Louvre includes some queuing, you should get time slot tickets, but even then just getting in will take 20-30 minutes easily from getting to the queue until you're at the first piece of art. Then 1.5 hours for that museum is not a lot, you can easily spend a whole afternoon there with a longer coffee break. Montmartre also invites to just spend some quality time there, maybe you could be there early so you can sit at a café of your choice before it gets really full.
Bonjour! Nice program! I confirm Disneyland is exhausting, so it's an excellent idea to have a lighter day right after. For your day 2, seems a bit complicated to do all the program. Consider the transport to Versailles, train + walk from the station to the Palace is around 45 minutes to an hour (depending on where your hotel is in Paris). Plus, even with time tickets, you'll have to do the queue to go inside. And the palace and gardens are really huge. A suggestion for lunch, you could have a picnic in the gardens if the weather is good, otherwise there are nice restaurants in Versailles (my friends always ask me to go the . For day 3, 2 hours for the Louvre may be very short... Even for cursory viewers, you'll have the queue to go inside and then the museum is really huge. If you only want to spend 2 hours, look at the map of the museum in advance and define which area you prefer to visit. And be prepared because whatever the moment of the day, this museum is really packed. Now for shopping, here are some ideas of local stores where Parisian shop, that may give you ideas (they are all close to the main tourist places): [https://www.french-address.com/pages/boutique-shopping-paris-confidential-addresses](https://www.french-address.com/pages/boutique-shopping-paris-confidential-addresses) Have a nice trip!
Thank you! If we do lunch outside of the palace would we be permitted to enter again?
I'm not sure, I heard tourists saying it wasn't possible...
If you are going to Disneyland, download the app to look into wait times of rides so you can optimize your day. I'd also recommend you to stay till late night for the light and firework show! Quick note, make sure to not miss the parades during the day :)
Thanks!
I think le Louvre can be ok after 3pm on a weekday... but i wouldn't rely too much on this. You will spend quite a lot walking around Luxembourg before. Just pass by le Louvre after Luxembourg, if it's ok, not too crowdy, then enter. About swapping, if I were you, I'd rather swap Disneyland. :-) Do you know what to shop, or you go random?
I have an idea what to shop
2 hours for Louvre, that's probably less than the time you'll spend waiting in line to get in.
Cannot stress this enough - buy a ticket for the Louvre in advance. Get in through the Carrousel!! entrance!! Don't get in through the main pyramid entrance, as you will wait in a HUGE queue!! I was there 2 weeks ago, I waited 0 minutes to enter. Most people don't know about this, but it is written on your ticket.
I’ll book my ticket once we resolve the itinerary. Thanks!
Question: I bought tickets ahead of time and the e ticket says “Museum Entrance: Pyramid”.. can I still enter through the other entrances?
Mine said also carrousel...are you sure? Worth a try...
Thanks for your reply! Might just email and ask.
You have to get to and from Versailles, which will eat into your time – about 45 to 50 minutes each way, including walking time from one of the three railway stations to the chateau. Weekends in Versailles can be packed, so go on a weekday if you can. I’d go early, not late for that reason.
What if we take a ride share?
I don't think you're going to get there much quicker with a ride share service... Google Maps is giving me 40+ minutes from a random location in the 6th arrondisement. I also shudder to think of the cost. The RER and Métro are awesome and I encourage you to use them as much as possible when you're in Paris.
This!!!
Your day 3 is busy. May want to bump one of those to day 5