paris

[mandimoo]

is it worth going for 1 day, early on eurostar and back late? if so, what are the 'must do's'?

[vehelpfulguy]

I dont think you cannot do justice to Paris in part of one day.

It is one of the great cities in the world (my favorite) and is a wonderful walking city. Strolling along the Seine, over the bridges, round the Isle de Cite, round Monmartre.

It is a city for walking round slowly, watching people, and letting the city slowly unfold.

You could go there and rush from the Eiffel Tower, to the Notre Dame, to the Sacre Cour, to the Arc de Triumph, but all you will have done is seen the sights, but not really experienced the city.

Find a cheapish hotel and spend two nights there, then you can really get to know Paris.

[Reverandfunk]

Personally I would have at least 2 full days

[vehelpfulguy]

Here is an example of why you need to spend time in Paris.

Here is a picture of a wonderful building.

http://www.sundeal.co.uk/images/www.sundeal.co .uk/citybreaks/Small_Paris_City_Hall.jpg

This is the town hall (Hotel de Ville) , and is probably way down the list of sights to see in Paris, but you can see it is amazing.

And at night it is breathtaking:

http://www.mikeandmark.com/Paris2001/200112031 800MarkParisHotelDeVilleNightX.jpg

Paris lights up the city at night, and in a short day there you would miss it all.

Here is the Eiffel Tower at night, would you want to miss that ?

http://www.fromparis.com/modules/imagebank_dis play_thb_pict.php?number=000099_29

[vehelpfulguy]

Found a site with some great photos of Paris that should make you want to stay longer.

Go here

http://www.offrench.net/photos/list.php

Then from the menu at the top choose Galleries then Paris.

[SteveD]

Here is a reason to be in Paris at night. The Eiffel Tower sparkles every hour on the hour for 10 minutes.

[SteveD]

If the YouTube link doesn't work this time, here it is:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=O5EPSxmu0Hs

[Buenchico]

(Multi-part post):

If you simply arrive in Paris, and then start working out where to go, you won't see much. However, if you plan carefully, you can fit quite a lot into a day.

Last year, an American member of AB (Vitobn, in Colorado) posted several questions because he was visiting the UK for the first time and wanted advice about what to see. One of the things he wanted to do was a day trip to Paris on Eurostar. I agreed to meet him at Waterloo International. Here's what we did in a day (all at a quite leisurely pace):

At Waterloo International, we purchased 'Paris Visite' tickets, for a day's unlimited travel on the Metro and RER trains (in Zones 1, 2 & 3). The tickets also cover the buses (although we didn't use any). They cost �6. (You can buy a cheaper ticket in Paris, just covering Zones 1 & 2 but it's worth paying slightly more to save wasting time in a queue at Gare du Nord).

We travelled First Class, so breakfast was included with the Eurostar sevice.

On arrival in Paris, we took the short RER train ride to Notre Dame Cathedral.

After touring the cathedral we crossed over the river, into the Latin Quarter, for a lunch at one of the dozens of restaurants which serve 3 courses for as little as �7 (although it's worth paying slightly more, say a tenner, for more choice and better quality).

[Buenchico]

We then returned to the river bank, opposite Notre Dame, to board one of the frequent ('Batobus') river buses. The one hour journey, along the Seine, takes in many of the sites and brings you to the Eiffel Tower.

Obviously, we ascended the Tower. (That's the one thing all visitors to Paris should do!). You need to allow at least a couple of hours for a visit.

The we crossed over the Seine, for some photo opportunities at the Palais de Chaillot.

We took the Metro from there to the Arc de Triomphe, for yet more photographs, but decided not to take the stairs to the top.

Then we strolled along the Champs d' Elys�e, stopping off for a welcome drink in a bar.

[Buenchico]

From there we took the Metro to Place de La Concorde, for yet more photo opportunities. My original plan had been to walk through the Jardin de Tuileries but Vito has some mobility problems, and time was getting on, so we took the Metro & RER trains back to Gare du Nord, in good time for the train (with dinner on board included in our fares).

As I've stated, that lot fitted fairly easily into the day at a leisurely pace. You could cram more in by, say, taking the RER train (instead of the boat) from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower, and by simply viewing the tower from its base, rather than ascending it.

If you fancy trying that tour (or modifying it to your own requirements), I'll happily provide further details about Metro/RER lines and stations, together with relevant links. Just mail me: [email protected]

Chris

PS: One place NOT to go on a day trip is the Louvre. With 18 miles(!) of corridors, you'll only see part of it but you'll miss everything else in Paris.

[filthiestfis]

Ah Buenchico, you may have been served by my sis onboard the Eurostar :-)

[mandimoo]

buenchino, there arent enough stars for that answer! i wanted to treat my boyfreind for his birthday, and had been put off a day trip by earlier posts. yours has swung me back round but i have till dec to decide. thank you all very much.