Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Afternoon:
Cross the pedestrian bridge from the Tuileries Garden, then tour the Orsay Mu-
seum.
Evening:
Take one of the tours by bus, taxi, or retro-chic Deux Chevaux car (see
here
). (If
you're staying more than two days, save this for your last-night finale.)
Day 3
Morning:
CatchtheRERsuburbantrainby8:00toarriveearlyatVersailles(beforeitopens
at 9:00) and tour the palace's interior. (If you get a later start, reverse today's plan by
doing the gardens first and the château's interior later in the afternoon.)
Midday:
Have lunch in the gardens at Versailles.
Afternoon:
Spend the afternoon touring the gardens, the Trianon Palaces, and Domaine de
Marie-Antoinette.
Evening:
Have dinner in Versailles town or return to Paris. For dessert, cruise the Seine
River.
Day 4
Morning:
Visit Montmartre (one-time stomping ground of Impressionist painters) and the
Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Have lunch on Montmartre.
Afternoon:
ContinueyourImpressionistthemebytouringtheOrangerieandtheRodinMu-
seum, or switch gears and tour the Army Museum and Napoleon's Tomb.
Evening:
Enjoy dinner on Ile St. Louis, then a floodlit walk by Notre-Dame.
Day 5
Morning:
Ride scenic bus #69 to the Marais and tour this neighborhood, including the
Pompidou Center.
Afternoon:
Tour the Opéra Garnier, and end your day enjoying the glorious rooftop views
at the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps department stores.
Evening:
Stroll the Champs-Elysées at night.
Paris (population of city center: 2,234,000) is split in half by the Seine River, divided into
20 arrondissements (proud and independent governmental jurisdictions), circled by a ring-
road freeway (the
périphérique
), and speckled with Métro stations. You'll find Paris easier
to navigate if you know which side of the river you're on, which arrondissement you're in,
and which Métro stop you're closest to. If you're north of the river (the top half of any city
map), you're on the Right Bank (Rive Droite). If you're south of it, you're on the Left Bank
(Rive Gauche). The bull's-eye of your Paris map is Notre-Dame, which sits on an island in
