Detailed Plan for Paris
Keep your spirits high and ride on!
May 5th Tuesday
Welcome to Paris
Eiffel Tower
You reach CDG airport at 9.30 am. I would expect that you will take time until 12 for immigration, luggage and movement. Let us say you have checked into your place of stay by 12.30pm. I would assume you would have had nice breakfast in the plane. I suggest have very nicely so that you do not have to bother about food right after landing.
After checking in, freshen up, drink coffee (it will be easily available) and go to nearest supermarket. Grab the groceries. Foods and drinks. It saves a lot of money and if you want to do that then be open to it. You can get some sandwiches etc.
We do not have a house booking till now, but as soon as we have it I will place exact information here. In any case, you will walk to a tourist office nearby. Buy a MAP. This one here is an illustrated Google map. But, you should have a good map as a souvenir. Then you will go to the nearest metro station- buy tickets for two days and then proceed. Where and how will be clear later.
But this day you will be heading straight to the tour Eiffel. You will be climbing up the tower, which is somewhere between 10–15 euro per head on lift or 5 euro per head on stairs. And when you are up you can see what is called PARIS. There will be a short walk planned around it, okay? You will see a few things, breathe the air of Parisian streets and then:
You will have dinner there. Restaurants, will be decided on budget. Give me some time to think!
May 6th Wednesday
Arc de Triomphe
You start your day at Cathdrale de Notre Dame (My lady’s cathedral). It will not be easy to get up early in the morning. But if you can then you will cover the famous route of Paris today. Get up and have coffee with breads, from your own kitchen.
Take metro and reach the Cathedral, it is between two sections of River Seine. It is an enormous example of French architecture. If you can, the take a tour inside also. Let us say you’d be done with this by 10am. Then walk to Pont des Arts (the Lovers Bridge), I would not suggest you to put a lock over there, but if your romantic buds react like it happens in Paris, then go ahead. 4–5 euros for a lock. Place the lock and throw the key into the river. A symbolic of the love lock between you two. Form this bridge on the back side you can see Institut de France. Also if you peep ahead, before turning to the bridge, you can see Musse de l’Orsay. However, do not go that side. Cross the bridge, and the Holy Grail will welcome you!
Musee du Louvre is one of the most famous museums of the world. A huge pile of materials, sculptures, paintings what not! It is very big and you cannot really cover everything in a day. But we want to finish seeing the museum before 3PM. I will give you just few hours there before which, have your meal for the day. Where? My choice would be:
Le Fumoir if you like French then have French. If you like Eggs then have Eggs. If you like pastries and chocolates then have pastries and chocolates. It is very unique and famous also. If not, then grab something beforehand while coming from home. Or wait until evening.
Done with Louvre? Now Walk towards Champs Elysees (say “shaum-selly-zay”). Now you are on the historic Axis of Victory. There are many monuments on the way now. Just feed your eyes. Do not bother to go much closer. Wherever you want to, just stop and enjoy. You will also get faint view of the Eiffel Tower on the left. You will soon at the Champs Elysees (Elysian Field) which you can explore as you wish. It is always crowded. You can make a detour to check out Concorde. Or continue to the India gate of Paris.
Napolean constructed this arc called as Arch de Triomphe (Arc of Victory) in 19th century and that is all I have to say! When you are here I would expect it is not later than 7PM. But that makes it a lot of time, so do not hurry anywhere. Just keep moving, slowly but steadily.
The day should (ideally) end at the Grand Hall of Pleyel. If you had chosen then you will go for the Orchestra of Paris here at 8.30PM.
Take metro back to home, and grab a pizza on the way. There are a lot of pizzeria which will serve you hot and crispy ones.
Here is your route map for the day.
May 6th or 10th Wednesday or Sunday Opera/Symphony/Orchestra
Choose what you want to see. I think it will be an experience in itself to see how opera halls in Paris are. How people are supposed to behave when in an opera hall. How the performers arrange themselves on the stage. English style, American style etc. are things, but French style! Well, I think you will have to tell me that after going there. I have two options:
1. Orchestra of Paris (a sort of band- always updated and competitive) performs on May 6th at 8.30pm in Grand Hall of Pleyel. It will be approximately 2 hours. And it will cost about 50 euro. They are performing a Symphony I think.
2. Ferruccio Furlanetto will give a Schubert (like Mozart or Beethoven) recital in Palais Garnier of the Opera of Paris on May 10th at 8.00pm. It will cost about the same I think.
3. Any more option I did not find, if I do I will add.
May 7th Thursday Disneyland
Take a metro and then RER to Disneyland Paris. Start early in the morning, have breakfast in house (probably cereals). Whole day of amusement park and theme rides. You will have to pack something for lunch the night before. This place will not bore you at all.
Cost: 120 Euro + Metro (10euro) + light meals.
May 8th Friday
Versailles
Seine River Cruise
Reserve the whole day for Verssailes. A lot of things to do over there. If nothing else then relax in the gardens. I want this day for a relaxing day after lot of hop on hop off in Disney earlier day. What to do at Versailles, I do not know. I have not been there.
Reach in time at Vedettes du Pont Neuf (New Bridge Stars) to catch the 6PM river cruise. There are many cruises possible. But I think this one is best because easy to reach after day at Verssailes. You have many choices of boats, will cover all important sites and it will be not so costly also (20 euro). You can chose to taste champagne/wine on the cruise or simply enjoy sightseeing.
You should be ready to finish by 7.30–8.00pm. Now what about dinner? But do you notice, you are at the Notre Dame once again. This small island (which you will not realize being on the roads) is called Ile de la Cite. You started your day at the same place yesterday. So, lot of options to chose from. LOT OF OPTIONS. Select yourself. I have no experience! But there are many outlets of Amarino icecream (definitely try), many street food joints, Subway, Starbucks etc. There is also nearby Indian Restaurant Safran- but do not go there it is costly! I would suggest having Kebaps if you do not liek anything else. Many of my friends talked about Falafels. Gyros is very well reviewed. I’d say give them a try!
Now, do not already proceed to sleep peacefully.! eh! You are in Paris. And it is city of lights. See it live- go roam around. As I said the day would not have been very tiring according to me, so enjoy the commotion and music of Paris.
May 9th Saturday
Bastille
Piscine J B
P L Cemetery
Sarvana Bhawan
Moulin Rouge
There are many interesting old and new swimming pools in Paris to take time out at. One pool which is maintained by municipality is inexpensive and is good, is Piscine Josephine Baker which is a floating pool on river Seine. I would suggest to plan one day, preferably Saturday May 9th, like this:
Early morning breakfast in the house, and go to Place de la Bastille. Spend time over there until lunch. You will also come across a nice paris art market which sits on Saturdays. I do not know exactly, but it is somewhere around. You should take a Walking Tour, and also see Vosges Square.
For lunch have Crepes, authentic French ones. E.g. at Bretonne. I have no experience of the place, but it is reviewed well. Right in the Bastille, till it is very sunny and warm. Let us say 12 pm.
At 12 PM, find the shortest route from Place de la Bastille to Jospehine Baker Pool. It is around 2.5 KM. Take the Boulevard Bourdon. And if you find it too tiring, take a metro maybe. But this boulevard is west to the Cathdral of Notre Dame where you were last night. In fact ifyou look carefully you can also see some of the taller buildings.
The Pool is not expensive. Let us say 10–15 Euro. Spend your time well. DO NOT FORGET TO BRING YOUR COSTUME.
Then go for some time to the Pere Lachaise Cemetry which has many famous graves, including those of Jamshedji Tata and Oscar Wilde. It is nearby, and can be reached easily on metro. You should take the metro to a stop called Nation. And change from there. If you can hurry just get out and see the Place de la Nation and back into the metro before your ticket is invalid.
Take metro/bus to Gare du Nord and eat your early dinner at Sarvana Bhawan- fine south India. Oh!
From here, enjoy the northern district of Paris- in lights. We will come here tomorrow again, but not in the night. So, take a bus or anything or simply walk to Montmarte. It is a hill north of the city. But the plan is not to go up the hill from where you can see whole of Paris in lights. (Not that you cannot, if you have time and will then go ahead). The plan is to walk in the night.
You will find Moulin Rouge, which has cabaret dance shows which will cost more than 100 euro per place but is world popular. Do you remember that song from Parineeta? Well the same one. You will come across Pigalle which is nothing much different from the red light area of Paris. It will not be as buzzy as Notre Dame from last night, but it is another part of Paris- which has inspired maybe many people in history.
I planned this day so that you do not have to go for swimming early in the morning, it is not open so early also I think. But, if you want you can start by swimming and then go to Bastille, then to the Cemetry, then dinner at Sarvana and fromt here Montmarte.
