Visiting Paris

[horseman]

So me and the missus are heading to see her family in Belgium for 2 weeks over Xmas. Whilst we are there we want to spend a couple days in Paris. I've done a bit of homework and think I have a it of an itinerary for Paris, my question is for those who have been there, are my plans feasible? Do you all have any other suggestions?

My plan is, we leave Belgium early on the TGV, and take it to Eurodisney.
Put out luggage in storage and spend the day there.
After we are done there, jump on the RER train, from what I can find the RER line from Disney will go past the arc de triomph, get off there and stay in a nearby hotel.
The next day I've found a Paris mega tour
Simplicity (Paris Mega Tour)
That takes us around everything I think we would like to see and do.
Stay again at the same hotel that night, then the next day jump on the TGV and head back to Belgium.
May even be an oppurtunity somewhere amongst all that for a bit of a proposal.
I know it's pretty action packed but we are trying to fit in as much as possible into our time away.

Cheers

 

[OATEK]

So me and the missus are heading to see her family in Belgium for 2 weeks over Xmas. Whilst we are there we want to spend a couple days in Paris. I've done a bit of homework and think I have a it of an itinerary for Paris, my question is for those who have been there, are my plans feasible? Do you all have any other suggestions?

My plan is, we leave Belgium early on the TGV, and take it to Eurodisney.
Put out luggage in storage and spend the day there.
After we are done there, jump on the RER train, from what I can find the RER line from Disney will go past the arc de triomph, get off there and stay in a nearby hotel.
The next day I've found a Paris mega tour
Simplicity (Paris Mega Tour)
That takes us around everything I think we would like to see and do.
Stay again at the same hotel that night, then the next day jump on the TGV and head back to Belgium.
May even be an oppurtunity somewhere amongst all that for a bit of a proposal.
I know it's pretty action packed but we are trying to fit in as much as possible into our time away.

Cheers

Have you thought of an evening dinner cruise on the Seine? One starts from the bottom of Ave Georges Cinq (Bateaux Mouche).

A hotel not far from the Champs Elysee and the Arc de Triomphe that I found good, is Hotel West End.

Nothing like a fleeting visit to whet your appetite.

 

[horseman]

I believe the tour I linked incorporate a seine dinner cruise. I'll check out the Hotel west end, thanks!

 

[JessicaTam]

That tour would leave me exhausted. You will get a snippet of a lot of sights, but not much detail.

Each time I visit Paris* I can lose a day in the Louvre without trying.

Have you considered choosing two or three sights to see, and get the most out of them.

And I hope whatever you propose is well received.

*Who would have thought I could say that a few years ago! Thanks AFF!

 

[KitKat]

Just need to note that there is not much daylight at that time of the year but the lights come on earlier as compensation....

Nice stroll down the Champ Elysees at night, with the Christmas markets from the Arc to Place de la Concorde

All the best with the plans

 

[horseman]

Thanks for the replies everyone

 

[vetrade]

Hi horseman. Any chance you could spend a couple less days in Belgium and give yourself a better look at Paris? Even if you're not into the cultural side of things like the Louvre the time you have allocated (much of it apparently in a minivan) won't give you a chance to get much of a feel for the city at all. I reckon JessicaTam is correct that it's too rushed. The mega tour may be 12 hours but if you split it up you won't get much time at each venue and it seems like it will leave you with not much more than you could get from looking at some pictures. And that 12 hrs is supposedly enough to include dining as well - be prepared for a quickie meal!

The walk down Champs Elysees from Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe would take a few hours to enjoy. Versailles is out of the city a bit and even a quickish walk through would take 2 hrs. I'd allocate some time to go up the Arc de T etc etc.

 

[Spongbob]

My understanding of the OP is the Mega Tour is only a reconnaissance, with the main objective being to attend to family in Belgium. All the more time consuming (but very worthwhile) suggestions could be done with the next visit to Paris. You can spend 14 days in Paris and still have things to do for the next visit.

 

[Pushka]

We spent three days in Paris in 2012 and that was just a taster. Didn't even scratch a corner. In July it will be 6 days and am still trimming down big ticket things we wont get to. Had a dash trip to the Louvre to see Mona Lisa but this time round will spend a few hours just looking.

 

[codash1099]

To me, one day visits to a city are, at best, a waste of time and,at worst, give you a distorted view that may prevent a return visit to do it properly. This applies especially to Paris which has so much that, after 5 visits, I still need to go back to see what I've missed.

 

[CaptJCool]

My last visit to Paris was 2 days. The Louvre is open to 10pm a couple of nights a week. ...
eiffel tower is as magical as ever...
ran out of time and nearly missed the TGV BACK to Antwerp. If takin early evening train make sure u got plenty of time cause the Metro is chockers. Just couldn't get on 3 trains ugh. Hair-raising
Chocolatier Josephine Vannier in Marais - brilliant Coutume serving real coffee recommended by a guy who services coffee machines here. Haha when there discussed why the ADELAIDE museum has a spacesuit in it - courtesy Andy Thomas. Lol.
So many different neighbourhoods. Could walk all over and spend days doing so!

 

[Spongbob]

In summer it can take 2-3 hours in the queue just to enter the Eiffel Tower.

 

[superpang]

Just a little side note there are no TGV's from Paris City to Belgium, you will take the Thalys which is a different company, but no need to worry as Thalys operates a better service than the TGV's from Brussels to Marne La Vallee (Euro Disney).

 

[horseman]

Superpang that's a handy little side note, thanks for that.
Like someone said above this trip to Paris is just a quick little side trip. The main reason for our travel is to visit family in Belgium. I have booked a hotel at the Arc de triomph so we will have plenty of oppurtunity to see that. We have day 1 at Disney, Day 2 do a tour of the place, Day 3 to do our own thing and travel back to Belgium.
I will look around and try to find a day tour that possibly visits less places but gives more time with them.

 

[Julesmac]

My suggestion is to plan the time in Paris around the proposition, not just try to slot in it along the way. That's if it is the proposition I'm thinking it is.