France - Suggestion Needed: Paris for first time, only 23 hours.

Have a stop-over in Paris for 23 hours. Never been there, and want to see as much as possible for that day.
Will arrive in the morning around 8:40, have reservation for a hotel near-by CDG and then I am free till the next morning.
Please advise what reasonably I have time to visit and do.
Thanks!

Check out the France forum. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/france-467/)

Bobette

Have a stop-over in Paris for 23 hours. Never been there, and want to see as much as possible for that day.
Will arrive in the morning around 8:40, have reservation for a hotel near-by CDG and then I am free till the next morning.
Please advise what reasonably I have time to visit and do.
Thanks!

I would probably just walk in the area along the Seine, crossing over and walking in some areas on the Left Bank. Stop at some cafes and relax. You cant see a lot, but you can take in the atmosphere. To me that is what Paris is all about. Maybe get a book of walking tours.

The Metro System is easy to use so you can get places fast.

Eat here.

http://www.amijean.eu/en/index.htm

I have been to Paris many times.

My suggestion would be to look into "hop-on hop-off" city tour busses. They go to the major sites, and you can get off and have a closer look when you feel so inclined.

Another suggestion for efficient sightseeing is to get one of the tourist boats ("Bateaux Mouches") that leave from the quay near the Place de l'Alma. Go to the Alma-Marceau metro stop, walk across the Place de l'Alma, then head towards the river. Look for a lot of boats and tourists.

The boat tour takes you around Notre Dame, then down to the Eiffel Tower and back. It's pleasant and easy on the feet.

I think a critical part of a foreign country is the dining experience. So many people just think of food as an afterthought, many times ending up at some tourist trap place with not great food that's expensive.

I would plan to eat pain au chocolat with cafe in the morning. Plan to get a nutella crepe. Plan to have steak frites. If you're adventurous, go for steak tartare, rabbit, or even escargot. Do some research and find some good restaurants near your area. You will be in one of the best dining cities in the world; definitely take advantage of it.

The suggestion to consult TravelBuzz's France forum is most apt and I'll move this thread to that forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

Another suggestion for efficient sightseeing is to get one of the tourist boats ("Bateaux Mouches") that leave from the quay near the Place de l'Alma. Go to the Alma-Marceau metro stop, walk across the Place de l'Alma, then head towards the river. Look for a lot of boats and tourists.

The boat tour takes you around Notre Dame, then down to the Eiffel Tower and back. It's pleasant and easy on the feet.

I am not a big fan of the hop-on-hop off buses but since you only have one day, it might be a good idea. I do agree with the Bateaux Mouches suggestion (and there are other boats, too, from other locations) as you will at least see all of the main sights along the river on the cruise and it is beautiful.

OK. From the airport, take the RER into the city. For only one day in Paris, you know what the main sights to see are and you should see them:


Eiffel Tower

Notre Dame

Arc de Triomphe

Louvre


I'd list more places but these would be the main things to see so you can say that you have been there. Whether you go in or up at these places or just look from the outside is up to you depending on how much time you have. The previous suggestion to take a Bateaux Mouche or other similar river cruise is a really good one, too. Might even make that my first stop as it will also help orient you to where everything is.

Paris is also a great walking city. For a one day, first time trip where you do not have a lot of time to figure out the different neighborhoods, I would recommend starting in the area of Notre Dame and then walking around both the Ile de la Cite (the island that ND is on) and the Ile St. Louis (its smaller neighbor to the east that is joined to it by a bridge) and then maybe crossing over to the Marais district on the right bank via the Pont Louis Phillippe.

OK. From the airport, take the RER into the city. For only one day in Paris, you know what the main sights to see are and you should see them:


Eiffel Tower

Notre Dame

Arc de Triomphe

Louvre


I'd list more places but these would be the main things to see so you can say that you have been there. Whether you go in or up at these places or just look from the outside is up to you depending on how much time you have. The previous suggestion to take a Bateaux Mouche or other similar river cruise is a really good one, too. Might even make that my first stop as it will also help orient you to where everything is.

Paris is also a great walking city. For a one day, first time trip where you do not have a lot of time to figure out the different neighborhoods, I would recommend starting in the area of Notre Dame and then walking around both the Ile de la Cite (the island that ND is on) and the Ile St. Louis (its smaller neighbor to the east that is joined to it by a bridge) and then maybe crossing over to the Marais district on the right bank via the Pont Louis Phillippe.

I would head from Notre Dame to the left bank, towards St. Germaine. That is a great walking neighborhood. Also, a special treat for people from the US at least, very close to St. Germaine there is a building, at 53 Rue Jacob, with a small plaque on it that points out that the Treaty of Paris, which founded the US in 1783, was signed by the US and British representatives in that building. That was the actual founding of the US. I was walking through that neighborhood years ago and had no idea it was there. Several of the buildings have plaques and I happened to notice that one. In addition, there is a beautiful Picasso statue in the cemetery next to St. Germaine church.

I agree about the four main sites in Paris. As pointed out by GadgetFreak, I would start by Notre-Dame as it is on the RER line from CDG (station St Michel-Notre Dame).
Then walk through St Germain. Then Invalides and the Eiffel Tower. Cross the River to Trocadéro. Take the underground (or walk) to Arc de Triomphe. Walk on the Champs Elysées to Concorde and the 'Jardin des Tuileries'. And then you are at the Louvre.

It will be a nice and quite long walk. But if it is sunny, the walk worth it.

http://www.invalides.org/pages/anglais/coll_a.html

The original post reminds me of a new show on American TV, called "The Layover". But all that guy does is eat!

The problem with this short amount of time in a city with endless things to do and see is that to do more than 2 or 3 sites will make for a blur in your memory. And is sleep a part of the 23 hours? (It should be!)

Probably best to sort out 2 sites that are important to you and do 2 nice meals. Then come back next year for 2 weeks and do it right.

for my 23 hr layover getting in at 830am. should i get a room at airport then train into the city for a walking and eating tour for the day? or train in and stay in the city trying to make it back to airport in morning for 8am departure?

could do a walking tour or a segway tour

for my 23 hr layover getting in at 830am. should i get a room at airport then train into the city for a walking and eating tour for the day? or train in and stay in the city trying to make it back to airport in morning for 8am departure?


if it were my first time in paris, i would pay the few extra bucks, and stay on/in ile cite. i would spend the day walking from one end to the other stopping in the famous places, and eating in a couple of the old bistro.

for my 23 hr layover getting in at 830am. should i get a room at airport then train into the city for a walking and eating tour for the day? or train in and stay in the city trying to make it back to airport in morning for 8am departure?

I usually say to stay in the city if at all possible. But with an 8 am departure, you would have to leave Paris so early-maybe even before public transportation really gets going-that it wouldn't be worth it. I would plan to get a room at the airport (see other threads) and go back out there after a day and evening in the city.

for my 23 hr layover getting in at 830am. should i get a room at airport then train into the city for a walking and eating tour for the day? or train in and stay in the city trying to make it back to airport in morning for 8am departure?

If you can get up before dawn and be better than semi-conscious, my vote is to stay in the center of town.

If you 1) ABSOLUTELY know that you will be able to get up on time, and get out to the airport; and 2) don't mind springing for cab fare out to the airport (I think using mass transit at that hour of the morning will be a real waste of valuable time), then you could stay in the city. You could wander around the city well into the evening, seeing the sights.

You could just as easily, however, drop any bags off at an airport area hotel, get into the city all day, do lunch and dinner in Paris, see the sights, and then get back to the hotel in late evening, get a few ZZZ's , and then get up and right over to the airport for your onward flight.

I'd probably stay out at the airport (you have to make a trip into the city, and one out of the city any way you do it, and I'd rather not get caught in a bind in the morning needing to get out to the airport), but that's just me.



for my 23 hr layover getting in at 830am. should i get a room at airport then train into the city for a walking and eating tour for the day? or train in and stay in the city trying to make it back to airport in morning for 8am departure?