our Paris itinerary?

Taking the advise of my kind fellow travellers We have decided to take handbook and map in hand and tour Paris on our own.
I am wondering what you think of my three day itinerary and if I should reconsider anything. We are four sisters in our 50s.

Day 1 (Sunday)

We will be arriving in CDG airport ( from Canada) at 10:30 am and will head to our hotel in the Latin Quarter. We'll rest up until about 1pm then walk to the Louvre, it's close and spend approximately 3 hours there.
We'll then go to Notre Dame cathedral and on our way back stop at the St. Sulpice church.
We'll have a light supper somewhere then go to bed at a reasonable hour.

Day2 (Monday)

First of all, we'll head to the Marche aux Puces de St Ouen from 9 until about noon. (One of our group is an avid antique collector.) Then we'll head to the Montmartre area for lunch, exploring, and to check out Sacre Coeur. We'll head back to the Latin Quarter about 4 pm, stroll a bit through the Luxembourg gardens, and then check out the Pantheon before having a late supper .

Day 3 (Tuesday)

Take an early metro to Versailles for 9 am and spend until noon there.
Head back to central Paris to check out the Invalids, and to take a boat tour down the Seine. Then we want to walk along the Champs Elyees to the Arc de Triomphe and visit the Eiffel Tower. And if time, take a 2 hour city tour to check out on what we missed. Are there boat tours where we can get off at the other end?

Day 4
We're leaving really early and heading to CDG airport for the next part of our trip.

Well my friends, is this too much? What do you think?

Uh, I'll just tackle Tuesday and let others address the things they'll know better.

What you're covering just on Tuesday took us three full days, and that was being skimpy on much of it... we didn't go up the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe (er, blame my heights issues for that, partly).

Three hours at Versailles might be enough time for one wing, if you have a museum pass and can skip the entrance line. The train ride is about an hour each way, so there's five hours of your day (and you won't see much of anything in that time). Maybe if you cut Versailles from Tuesday you could do everything else you've listed, but it would be really rushed and I really doubt there would be time for either the "2 hour city tour" or... eating?

Also, depending on when this is planned, be aware that it can get really hot in Paris. When we were there it was hitting 95F, and more than an hour of walking around was super tiring. Versailles isn't air conditioned, and though the gardens are lovely there's not much shade outside.

I have seen worse itineraries in terms of cramming things into a single day and in terms of time management (12.15 lunch. 12 45 leave for walk through park. 13.15 walk to louvre...etc) I think your third day is the most challenging one- after versailles you probably want to take a break rather than a boat, a city tour, a walk down teh champs and a stop at Invalides.

So i don;t think it's outrageous and i think it's doable. But.... i think that be planning everything in advance you will miss the opportunity to discover some places for your self, and spend a little more time in a neighbourhood you like.. it is not my style of travel but to each his own.

#1, I am shocked to learn that Versailles is not airconditioned. You would have thought Louis XIV could have done better than that.

You'd be surprised what people expect, eh? I heard tons of people complaining while we were there.
I suppose we were used to it, as our flat doesn't have a/c either. ;)

I don't think it is too crowded but a few points may help. Arriving CDG at 1030 means that it will be close to 1230 by the time you arrive at your hotel and you may not be able to get into your room until 1400 or 1500 though you will probably be able to leave your bags. Hitting the Louvre straight away at 1300 is not a good idea, especially if it is the first Sunday of the month. For a first visit to the Louvre, you need all your wits about you: better to do it when you are fresher. Besides it will be much better for you to walk around in the open air for a couple of hours. I suggest rearranging things a bit. and do part of your Tuesday afternoon here. Your ticket to the Louvre allows multiple entries on the same day so you could go there first thing on Mon morning for an hour, then off to the market and back to the Louvre for another hour or so. Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon, depends on how late in the afternoon it is. ND has Mass at 1800 so if you want to be able to walk the whole cathedral you would need to be there by 5.00pm. Close to the Mass time you can still get in but certain areas are cordoned off. While you are in the area, St Severin is worth a look.
Enjoy yourselves

You MUST see Sainte Chapelle, one street west of Notre Dame and IMHO better than ND. Do not forget to go upstairs into the upper chapel and experience the pink hue from the sun shining thru the stained glass windows. It would easily fit into the day you visit ND. SeeS ainte Chapelle at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainte-Chapelle

After all the fountains, didn't have enough left for AC. If the people didn't eat so much cake, maybe it could have been done.

Besure to get to Versailles before they open and be sure to be the first one in line. The keep an eye on the time.

I also agree that you should see St. Chapelle.

Just came back from Paris. June was cool and a bit of rain. Our apart had no A/C but did not need it. The advise given so far is good.

Everything that you plan is doable and we did it but at a slower pace, we had a month . ..you will be busy but it is possible. Loved all of Paris but we recommend skipping the Pantheon. Not worth what is contains nor the 9.0 Euro entrance fee.
Do not know about the on-off boat tours. The boat tours we took were round trip starting two bridges upstream from the Eiffle tower.

The Dorsay museum is pricesless. Its main restaurant is first class for 35 euro lunch w/o drinks.

We had no waiting line at Versaille. Make sure you know which terminal at CDG you are departing from...to tell the taxi driver.

also just returned from a fortnight in Paris. Compared to London it was very dirty and hideously expensive. Still a very interesting place to visit though. I think your itenary is way too busy. Slow down and you will enjoy it a lot more. No point rushing around the place trying to see everything at once.

You may find the Louvre too much to handle on your day of arrival. Outdoor activities are generally better when you have jet lag, but obviously it will be up to you to decide how you feel on that specific day.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>Compared to London it was very dirty and hideously expensive. <hr></blockquote>
every cost of living survey as well as my personal experience (visit london once a month from Paris) says exactly the opposite

London is way more expensive than Paris. No doubt about it.

I agree you're packing too much on day 3. Don't miss Sainte Chapelle, certainly the most beautiful church in PAris.

Given that you in fact have only 2 and a half days in Paris, I would skip Versailles totally.

I agree with the other posters who say you should be outside if tired and jet-lagged rather than in a museum. Museums are tiring under any conditions, with slow walking and stopping and crowds. At least outside, you will be able to stop and sit down at a café for a drink if you are tired, and you have the street and people to look at while you are resting.

If you absolutely want to go to a museum, go to the Musée d'Orsay rather than the Louvre, unless there is something really special you want to see in the latter. Check in your guidebook about museum opening days too. Traditionally, they closed on Tuesday, but some might be closed on Monday instead.

I think one of the great pleasures of Paris is walking around and discovering unexpected buildings, shops or nice views. I understand you want to see a maximum number of sights like Notre Dame, but would personally skip the Pantheon and Invalides. So instead of rushing from one place to another by metro, check your map to see you are going in the general direction of your next destination, and walk or take a bus (costs one metro ticket and the itineraries are posted on maps on every bus stop).

#10 I agree about London.

Yes - certainly skip Versailles. Move Louvre from day 1 (you do not have jet lag at all? not even for a few days?).
Althogh the metro system is fast and efficient do not undreestimate the time to get from A to B - rarely less than 1 hour. (finding the station, waiting for a train, driving, getting up from station, finding your way to "B").

Honestly I think you can only make approx. half of what you plan - and there is NO time to look at thngs more than 10 minutes, to sit on a cafe and watch bypassers. When are you going to enjoy some fabulouls meals on good restaurants? Or try to get away from the most touristy areas and see a bit of paris proper?

You will save time at the Louvre if you don't go up to the pyramid entrance, but rather downstairs via the metro entrance where there are fewer people.

The bateaubus goes about every 20 minutes on the Seine and stops at 8 useful stops along the way - includes Notre Dame, Louvre, Eiffel tower, musee d'orsay, Jardin de plantes. Start early and you can get off where you want and rest between times.

Don't try to do everything in 3 days. Perhaps you don't have to be together all the time and could sample different things.

As others said, don't bother with Versailles - stay in the city for a 3-day jaunt.

Ste-Chapelle is a much more interesting church than St-Sulpice. I do hope you weren't planning on the latter because of that dreadful, leaden book that became a still more dreadful film.

Are you staying in the Latin Quarter? You should just walk around there, perhaps drop in at Musée de Cluny (for the building itself as much as the tapestries and other medieval art) on the first day. I also notice that you don't seem to be exploring the Marais or the Bastille area (that is also on the right bank). Just look at Sacré-Coeur from the outside - the view from its esplanade is nice, but it is a late 19th-century eclectic monstrosity, not an ancient church. You'll find older and more interesting churches than that in Québec or Atlantic Canada.

The bateaubus on the Seine is a good idea, though also, dreadfully "touristy" though it might be, why not take a bâteau-mouche? I did it with a friend who was visiting me one time I was working in Paris, and it was a hoot. The illuminations in the evening are especially pleasant - don't waste your money on a boat with meals, just take the plain boat and enjoy a late meal afterwards.

Why such a short stay - are you heading elsewhere in Europe? Three days is a very short stay for crossing the Atlantic.

Provided you don't eat, drink, use public transport or stay in hotels, London can be cheap compared with Paris.

One thing I like about London is the free museums. But it being cheaper than Paris is ludicrous.

Anyway, Ste Chapelle is being renovates, so there are scaffoldings on the sides. But you go there for the stained glass so not a problem. Just go when it is sunny..
I wasn't able to see it in ideal conditions as I kept on posponing going in due to the crowds. It is still great but I'd imagine it'll be stunning with the sunshine.