Seeking Advice on Trip Itinerary - Paris in 2.5 days

It%26#39;d be great if you could comment on the itinerary below. It%26#39;s our 1st trip to Paris.

Any important/fun things I%26#39;m missing here? We are NOT a museum/art fan. And despite knowing half a day in Versailles is a little crazy, we still hope to squeeze that in if possible.

Thanks for your help!!!

Day 1 - 8/27 (Thurs)

Morning:

Eiffel Tower / Trocadero

Arc de Triomphe / Champs Elysees

Afternoon:

Shopping (Printemps??)

Sacre Coeur

Evening:

Seine Cruise

Day 2 - 8/28 (Fri)

Morning - early afternoon:

Versailles

Evening:

Orsay Museum

Late evening:

Louvre (Masterpieces tour only)

Day 3 - 8/29 (Sat)

Morning:

Notre-Dame Cathedral

Sainte Chapelle

Afternoon:

Leaving for the airport

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I%26#39;m assuming you aren%26#39;t flying in on day 1 but are coming from somewhere else in Europe - otherwise you will be jet lagged.

Day 2 is going to be a killer and if you don%26#39;t like museums/art then I don%26#39;t see the point of going to both the Orsay and Louvre - the Masterpiece tour focuses on the %26#39;are%26#39; and doesn%26#39;t non-art exihibits that may be more interestring to you.

Day 3 both Notre-Dame (if going up the towers) and Sainte Chapelle have lines that you can%26#39;t skip and on a Saturday are apt to be at their worst. You don%26#39;t say when you need to leave for the airport but you may be pressed for time.

What kinds of things do you like?

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If only I could type . .

Masterpiece tour focuses on the %26#39;art%26#39; and doesn%26#39;t cover some of the non-art exihibits that may be more to your liking.

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If day 1 is the day you arrive from California you must re-do the itinerary, as you will be a zombie or else have spent time taking a good nap.

I would agree - take time to enjoy Versailles and then do either Orsay or Louvre. Personally I much preferred the Louvre - but your pick.

You have 4 sights that you can go %26quot;up:%26quot; Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame. With your time constraints I would only go up one of them - 2 at the most. Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame have long lines. We had absolutely no lines at Sacre Coeur or Arc de Triomphe.

I would definitely skip the Notre Dame towers, go in the church and St. Chappelle and then if you have time walk along the Seine and get ice cream as a treat before the airport food.

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Some good advice so far. Let me throw in my 2 cents worth.

I agree, you won%26#39;t be able to do all of day 1 if you are arriving from CA first thing in the am, you%26#39;ll be too tired.

Get the Paris Museum Pass. It will allow bypassing lines at the Orsay and Louvre, as well as the inner line at Saint Chappelle (not long anyway) but not the security line, as well as includes entrance to Versailles, among others. It may cost more than the entrances that you would get separately, but it will save time on a tight time frame.

My vote to go up to a view would be at the Arc de Triomphe, although if you wish to do the typical thing that all American tourists do (including me on my first trip to Paris), you would go up the Tour Eiffel. The lines are long, and I have to say that I personally did not feel that it was worth it.

Sacre Coeur will also give you a view in addition to the visit to the impressive church. Don%26#39;t miss a short stroll to view the artists in Montmartre while there.

You would get debates on whether to do the Louvre or the Orsay all day long, depending on who you ask. Both are overwhelmingly large, especially for a short visit, much bigger than you probably can even fathom. I love the Impressionists, so I prefer the Orsay, but if you must see La Jaconde (Mona Lisa), Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, then the Louvre is obviously the way to go. My other favorite museums in Paris are the Musee Rodin, with the Thinker, and the L%26#39;Orangerie, with Monet%26#39;s Nympheas (the Water Lilies) occupying their own floor.

Versailles is well worth a visit, including the gardens.

I love the Seine River cruise, even though it is a bit hokey touristy. I still do it often while in Paris, even after many trips. My favorite is to time it to be on the cruise during sunset. If you are thinking about a dinner cruise by any chance, don%26#39;t bother, it%26#39;s a waste of time and money (better off with cruise then a nice dinner elsewhere).

Au Printemps is OK, although most first timers are more impressed with Galeries Lafayette.

Is your itinerary packed? Yes? Doable? Yes, but I have to suggest returning to Paris to do it justice in the future.