Getting
There

The overnight flight is long. We left San Francisco International airport at 6 am on November 9, and arrived at the Charles de Gaulle airport the next day at 7 am.

The package included airport pickup and ride to the hotel. Apparently we had arrived an hour early (a connecting flight had been canceled and we took an earlier flight). We were the only visitors the shuttle service had found that morning.

Planning
Your
Itinerary

The first thing you'll need to do is purchase a Paris museum pass, which gives you unlimited access to over 70 museums and monuments in and outside Paris. These are sold for 1, 3 or 5 day passes. The pass must be used during consecutive days. If you are a fan of museums, monuments and chateaus, I recommend purchasing the 5 day pass. This can be purchased through a travel agency, at any one of the museums in Paris. One pass will cost around $50 dollars. (As opposed to $5 - $7 per visit). If you are planning to visit more than 12 places in 5 days, it's worth it! Most museums are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so plan accordingly!

The next item to purchase is a 5 day metro pass. If you will be visiting more than 12 museums and monuments in 5 days, you will need a fast way to get around. This will cost around $40 for 5 days. Each way on the metro is a little bit over $1 - $2, if you are traveling within zones 1 to 3. You can also purchase 1, 2, 3 or 5 day passes to either zones 1 - 3 or zones 1 - 5.

Traveling outside of Paris is a fun and relaxing experience. For this you will need to board one of the RER trains. Many of the chateaus and museums outside of Paris are only 30 - 45 minutes away by train. Tickets can be purchased at the Gare (train station). It's a good idea to get acquainted with the different stops on any particular line, you don't want to head in the wrong direction! Also, remember to get your ticket punched at one of the orange ticket contraptions. They sometimes check your tickets on the train. There are five lines:

• A: Gare de Lyon (east - west)
• B: Gare du Nord (north - south)
  
• C: Gare d'Austerlitz (south east - south west)
  
• D: Gare de Lyon or Gare du Nord (north - south east)
  
• E: Gare Saint Lazare or Gare du Nord (due east only)

Recommended Itinerary for a 6 day / 7 night visit:

• Day 1: Rest awhile and get oriented with central Paris. Take the metro (M) to Charles de Gaulle station, walk due east on Ave. des Champs Elysees, go south on Rue de la Cite towards the Latin Quarter. Have dinner at one of the brochette places on Rue de la Huchette. Take a nighttime cruise along the Seine.
  
• Day 2 - 4: Visit the main attractions in Paris, listed below by area:
  • Ile de la Cite (M Cite or RER C St. Michel): Visit the eerie Notre Dame, and check out St. Chapelle in the Ile de la Cite.
    
  • Tuileries Quarter (M Palais-Royal): Musee du Louvre, walk around the park
    
  • Invalides (M Varenne): Learn about Rodin's life and his expressive sculptures at the Musee Rodin. Climb to the top of the Tour Eiffel at night.
    
  • Champs Elysees (M or RER Charles de Gaulle - Etoile): Look at the view atop the Arc de Triomphe.
    
  • St. Germain de Pres (M Solferino, RER Musee d'Orsay): Visit famous paintings by Monet, Rodin, Van Gogh at the Musee d'Orsay.
    
  • Latin Quarter (M Cardinal Lemoine or RER Luxembourg): Le Pantheon - visit the amazing tomb of Napoleon
    
  • Montmartre (M Abbesses - check out the Art Nouveau entrance to this metro!): Climb to the top of the dome of the Basilique du Sacre-Couer. (Make sure you are in good shape! We were exhausted the next day). Take in a show at the Moulin Rouge at night.
    
  • For those who love science, visit the Cite de Science et de l'Industrie. In north east Paris, take the M to Porte de la Villette.
    
  • See the wonderful collection of Monets at Musee Marmottan. In south west Paris, take the M to Muette.
• Day 5: Day trip to Chantilly. Start at Gare du Nord and take RER D toward Chantilly - Gouvieux. Visit the Musee Conde and walk around the beautiful grounds. (Museum Card accepted)
  
• Day 6: Day trip to Giverny to visit Monet's garden. Start at Gare St. Lazare and head toward Vernon.
  
• Alternate Day 6: Day trip to Fountainbleau. Start at Gare de Lyon and head toward Avon - Fountainbleau

Tour
Books

We brought with us a ton of books:

• DK Eyewitness Travel Guide to Paris (ISBN 1-56458-185-3): This is good to use when you are preparing your itinerary. I don't recommend carrying it with you - it gets heavy!
  
• Let's Go Map Guide to Paris (ISBN 0-312-24641-2): This has a good list of favorite sites, a map of the metro and a map of central Paris. It's light and easy to carry.
  
• Fodor's Citypack Paris (ISBN 0-679-00511-0): This has a detailed map of Paris. If you are going to take lots of walks around the back streets of Paris, this is recommended. We didn't use this much. For a detailed map we used the one below.
  
• DK Travel Guides Paris City Map (ISBN 0-7894-4858-0): This laminated map was great! It had a map of the metro and information on getting around Paris.
  
• Lonely Planet Guide to France (ISBN 0864423314): This was a 1997 guide we borrowed. It had extensive information on how to get around outside Paris. For those who want to venture on day trips outside Paris, a guide for France is recommended.
  
• TimeOut Book of Paris Walks (ISBN 0-14-028721-3): This is a great book to learn about the different Paris quarters. It provides unique itineraries complete with places to eat and visit.
  
• Berlitz French Phrase Book & Dictionary (ISBN 2-8315-6239-2): I found out that my High School French was not enough. This small book fits in your pocket.