Hi everyone,
We are looking to book a trip to Paris %26amp; Rome. We will be 3 days in Paris and 3 days in Rome.
We want to make most of our time and make the best of our short stay.
Please excuse some of my ignorant questions since this is our first time to Europe. Thanks in advance!
What are the main sites/attractions that are a “must see” in Paris?
What are the best warm months to visit Paris?
What hotel or hotel area is the most convienent to stay in for walking distance to major attractions?
Thank you so much!
Jenny-
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Jenny you will get alot of opinions on these questions as there are no %26quot;perfet answers%26#39;.
I like Paris anytime from May to October.
I have to go in summer as I have kids.
I would like to go in June or September, but, June is an expensive month and so is September, hotels are cheaper in August. Weather can be hot in July and August.Rome will be roasting hot in July and August.
so my pick would be late May or June.
Main sites most first timers like to to see are :
Eiffel Tower( duh, LOL)
Notre Dame ( climb towers)
Ste Chapelle( great stained glass)
Arc D%26#39; Triomphe( and Champs Elysees)
Sacre Couer
Boat trip up and down Seine.
One or two major museums, like the Orsay and or Lourve, there are also of course many others depending on tastes, Picasso, Orangerie etc.
Favorite number one daytrip would be Versailles, but with only three days,,,,,
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Favorite central areas are Latin Quarter ( 5th ) and St Germain ( 6th) , but many also like 1st. 4th, and 7th. Just look at a map of Paris, most like to be near the river anywhere from Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame.Paris is a very walkable city.
( numbers are arrondissmonts( neighborhood), Paris code is 75000, so address of 75006 tells you the hotel is in the 6th arrondissmont and so on. All hotels list arr. in address.
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I hope you understand that you will be rushed in both cities with such a short time. You will have to take the metro in Paris, otherwise you will lose some precious time.
in ROme take the metro too but you often have to take the bus. I had four days in ROme, got to see some sights but now i just remember rushing from one place to the other. If you know you will go back, just spend the whole siw days in just one place.
Paris is nice is June, September. ROme will be very hot in July and August, so would not pick these monthes
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I disagree with the previous poster. I think you can still see a lot of Rome in 3 days. I have been there many times and have seen a lot in just one day. It was a port of call while we were cruising one year.
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There is a lot to see in both cities (been to Rome twice and third trip to Paris this summer) but you can see a lot if you plan.
To add what others have said - don%26#39;t forget Place du Tertre if visiting Sacre Coeur. Eiffel Tower a must. Went to the Louvre and saw Mona and Venus as a teenager but I hear the queues are bad these days.
Rome - the Forum and the Colliseum are a must. Get a hotel in between the Spanish Steps and the Trevi if you can as these are great to visit at night.
Have fun!
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Jenny,
I did 3 days in Rome and Paris last year with my
daughter and we did alot!!!
Buy yourself a good guidebook on
both cities and work out a schedule dong attractions
that are close to each other .
When in Rome I remember one day as the following
Started super early and did a self tour to Vatican
then up Spanish Steps , lunch, taxi to Coliseum and Old Ruins
Nite : Piazza Navona , cafes , artists , mimes
very lively and finished with a Gelato at the Trevi
Fountain.
Both times Ive been to Paris it was late May early June and it was 70s during the day cool at nite
(great walking and eating weather)
comfortable walking shoes are a must for this 6 day
marathon.....
Curves
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I have been to Paris a few time, and have been to Rome on my honeymoon in Nov 1998.
IMHO, 2 cities in 6 days is possible, assuming the 6 days does not include time spend on travelling between the 2 cities.
If you are young and have stamina, then go ahead.
For 3 days in Paris, I would visit the following (in no particular order):
Eiffel Tower (go all the way to the top if you can, the view is stunning)
Lourve Museum (just the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo if you are short of time)
Notre Dame de Paris cathedral
Galeries Lafayette (the main one near the Opera house if you like shopping)
Sacre Coeur Basilica for the night view (beware of pickpockets)
Walk along Champs Elysees for window shopping and atmosphere, experience the coffee culture in one of the many coffee shops along the way
Try and cross the streets to reach Arc de Triomphe without using the tunnels if you have a death wish (great fun)
The Opera House if you have time
As for good time to travel, if you like having air-conditioning when it is hot, then don%26#39;t go in Jun/Jul/Aug. Like London, Paris and Rome are quite backwards when it comes to air-conditioning in public places!
April/May/Sep would be my choice.
Paris is quite compact when compared with London, so it is possible to go on foot if time allows. However, as advised by the others, you may wish to take the Metro to save some time and less tiring for your feet.
As for hotels, depending on your budget and travel needs. If it is your first time in Paris, then I would advise staying in a central location, e.g. near the Opera House.
I%26#39;ll post my thoughts on Rome tomorrow in the relevant thread for Rome if there is one, late in UK now, sorry!
DK
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I have been to Paris five times, including a semester of college there, and spent 3 days in Rome long ago.
Like the other post said, you can cover many of the highlights of both cities in 3 days each, but you need to allow for travel time between the two.
As for Paris favorites, the others have covered the primary %26quot;must see%26quot; places, but I would try to squeeze in a picnic lunch on the Champs de Mars, the Pont des Arts, or the Square du Vert Galant, walk up the stairs to the roof of Notre Dame, have a glass of wine at the cafe and people watch (my favorite cafe was next to the Place St. Michel in the Latin Quarter, take a stroll in the Jardin du Luxembourg or the Jardin des Tuileries, and watch the sunset from the Pont Alexandre III, the most beautiful bridge in Paris.
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touring the opera house was mentioned above. Be sure it is the Opera Garnier--not the Opera Bastille. In fact the Opera Garnier is the most beautiful building in all of Paris--in my opinion. Walk around the outside and then go inside and do a self-tour for 8 euros. Unforgetable!!
I believe you can see Rome and Paris in 6 days but my question is why? Why race around like a crazy person to see as much as you can. Why not just see one place and next time go to another? The people I have met traveling who try to cram in too much can%26#39;t remember what they saw and where they saw it. I think it is a big mistake. You could spent 2 months in Paris and not see it all. So which handful of things do you want to see? If you truly just want to whet your appetite, go ahead. Otherwise, I recommend that you pick a place and relax and enjoy your stay.
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I went to Europe for the first time last May. Paris was better than I imagined. We stayed at the Balmoral Hotel near the Arc de Triomphe(sp?). It was one block from the Arc and one block from the subway. Rooms were small like most Paris hotels but the location was fantastic. Walking distance to the Louvre or a 5 minute subway ride. Maybe a ten minute subway to the Eiffel Tower. I recommend going to the Pont Neuf bridge and taking their one hour river cruise first. It gives you your bearings in the city as it goes past the Orsay Museum, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Louvre. It was super easy to figure out where I was at all times after I took the boat cruise. It%26#39;s only about 20 bucks I think. We also bought the Museum Pass which allowed us to bypass all line ups and not waste time. It also covers the entrace to the Arc which I loved. Since the hotel was so near the Arc, we went up both during the daytime and evening. If you go up the Arc at night, plan to be there at the top of the clock (7 pm, 8 pm, 9 pm) as that is when the lights of the Eiffel Tower go on for ten minutes. It is an amazing sight. Paris was wonderful, better than I expected and I look forward to returning someday.
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