GRANDS FIRST VISIT to PARIS – – – 5 Day Itinerary…………

FAMILY VISIT FROM SAINT LOUIS  to PARIS!!!- BOY ARE WE GOING TO HAVE SOME FUN!!        

WE HAVE A FOUR DAY MUSEE PASS THAT WE ARE USING TO THE MAX –

• even if it means we don’t spend a lot of time in the museums – atleast we GET there and see what we can. We have a 4 Day = 54 euros.  (A two day pass is 39 euros.) If you plan on visiting 3 or 4 places you will break even, but it’s so worth it , because  even if you don’t break even  you avoid all the long lines. These passes are for consecutive days only.
• TRANSPORTATION:
• They also have a NAVIGO BUS/TRAIN/METRO CARD that will give them full transportation from the airport(s) – everywhere and anywhere -including our Apartment each night  (zone 4) and to VERSAILLES – – – – with all FIVE of them it was 233 euros for the week – 151 for the week pass + 82 for the expensive-no way around it EXTRA day pass for SUN as NAVIGO doesn’t begin until MONDAY!!   Still – not too bad. ($305.00 – total for 5 persons) for 7 days!                                    

You can’t get a RENTAL car for that, nor would you WANT ONE.  Paris has the world’s best metro/train system in the world. No one should drive in Paris, especially tourists. Parking alone – a nightmare.

Breaking it down for each person:

For one person transportation: = called a PARIS VISITE PASS, minimum  9,50 euros a day ( valid in zones 1-3,- Paris Region Île-de-France,  airport links, &  Versailles)and for 1, 2, 3, or 5 days of travel starting ANY day of the week. This is great if your hotel is in the heart of Paris.   It will cost a bit more for a ticket that includes zone 4 IF you are staying with us (We’re in Montmorency.)   If you stay 7 days the NAVIGO is the best deal = 33 euros for 7 days AND IF you arrive on a Monday! The Navigos start from Monday to Sunday.  That extra day you need transportation from CDG (or even Gare du Nord) is going to be approximately 13-17 euros.

See:  http://www.parispass.com/how-it-works/

Also making fresh baguette sandwiches each morning will save a FORTUNE in eating out . Plan your day to include a JARDIN, PARK, somewhere in your walking – so that you can relax in these beautiful parks and enjoy your lunch.  Our family did this and since it was 7 of us trekking out each day – we saved beau coup euros.

Every day that we went out,  we had to have ALL of our stuff with us as the apartment was in  Montmorency,  15 minutes via RER train from Paris.  So this was a huge deal to be prepared to be OUT all day – no place to quickly “run back to”.   Everything we did left out of Gare du Nord  – which was the main stop from Enghien-les-bains Gare – so planning was pretty crucial.  Once out – we were OUT!  ALL DAY!!!  The Metro was a lot of stair climbing up and down and everyone did really great with all of this – including handling the beggars!!

SUNDAY PLAN –

Pick up Family  at CDG – 6:15am !!                

 – come back to MONTMORENCY APT change – either AMERICAN CHURCH or (only day  for) Porte de Vanves – ck weather –  (bus 95) – – LUNCH – on Rue Cler – at Au Bon Marche – A typical non-touristy very Parisian and affordable restaurant.  

Walk to RODIN musee, open Sundays.     CONCERT at church at 5PM- perhaps

ALSO can take BUS 63 to Trocadero  & show them where their hotel

will be  – then around Latin Quarter & walk –

Or have lunch and take bus 87 to Latin quarter and walk around

the old quarter and go to Ladurie for macaroons –

WHAT WE ACTUALLY DID:

Picked them up – all bags arrived, yeah! – took tram to RER and then to GDN (Gare du Nord) then to Apartment – lots of walking just the first hours – sure it was exhausting  already – but they were troopers!        

Went back on “Pink Train” (as it is now known per Olivia,) and went straight to Port de Vanves FLEA MARKET in the South of Paris via “pink” train then (RER), and Metro – Line 4.    It was overcast and rained all over us,  especially Bridget & Graham!! (Only day it rained though!) Saw a couple of cool things.   Got on Bus 95 to warm up and dry off towards center of Paris,and got off at a stop near Bosquet for the restaurant Au Bon Marche.  This is usually a GREAT place and very French, not touristy, but  they couldn’t get Gracie’s hamburger right, the forks kept flying out of our hands and we had to keep replacing them , service was slow, but the food was good – when they finally got Gracie’s hamburger right. (Which was never quite). 😦 Then back on 95 past the Louvre,  – stopped at OPERA -saw  outside only – then took OPERA metro to St Michel.  At St Michel (by Nat’l Lampoon scene – FOUNTAIN)  had hot chocolate and crème brûlée and chocolate mousse  pretty much a fortune for all 7 of us (48 euros!) – but extremely delicious and we warmed up….THANK YOU I & B!!! Bus to Pompidou area where we got off and went to the ANNE FRANK GARDEN (very few people know about this one)  – nothing blooming quite yet in there but there will be tons of roses everywhere on the lovely iron lattice work . -THEN –  to the POUPEE MUSEE – where it was free for kids – but everyone was just too jet lagged to enjoy poupees and Graham probably wouldn’t have like it one bit.  WHERE were the heroes?  WE Did get serenaded by Rappers on the metro though.    Olivia’s glance to me was priceless……..

Came back to apartment to have light dinner. What a FIRST DAY!

MONDAY PLAN

Leave Apartment for train at Enghien by 9:15.

Can get bus 48 – at Gare du Nord to Louvre or

Can take BUS back – if  taken Metro there

Louvre (Closed Tuesday -10 euros, kids free) 9:00 – 6:00 (Paris Pass)

(Louvre tour at 11:00am on Monday 3/19/2012.  Be there at 10:15am

MONDAY – Have fresh baguette  SANDWICHES IN PARK near Tuileries – or next to LOUVRE

then to

L’Orangerie at the end of Tuileries Gardens) – MONET’s famous and huge Water Lily paintings are held…….