Louvre or Notre Dame: :Which on a Saturday?

I%26#39;m taking my 17 year old daughter to Paris for the first time next month. We%26#39;ve got a lot to fit in and I%26#39;m trying to avoid the crowds. We%26#39;ll be there from a Friday afternoon (flight lands around 11:00) to Wednesday morning (12:30 flight out). Which would be best to visit on a Saturday morning: the Louvre or Notre Dame(climbing the tower)/St. Chapelle/Latin Quarter? We%26#39;d be arriving at whichever for opening and plan on touring til a late lunch time. I know that the Louvre should take more than one morning to see but my daughter is more into shopping than art so we%26#39;ll be doing a whirlwind highlights tour.

She also wants to see Versailles, any suggestions for a good day for that?

Thanks,

Jennifer

|||

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;She also wants to see Versailles, any suggestions for a good day for that?%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Versailles tends to be busiest on Sundays. Versailles is also closed on Mondays...as are the Musées d%26#39;Orsay, Rodin and Marmottan. The Musée du Louvre, Picasso, Pompidou. On Mondays, the Louvre will tend to busier due to the d%26#39;Orsay%26#39;s closing and on Tuesdays, the d%26#39;Orsay will tens to be busier because of the Louvre%26#39;s closing. None of this may have much affect on your specific itinerary...but they%26#39;re points worth noting. On Sunday%26#39;s the street markets and most of the shops will be closed. If you%26#39;re touring Notre Dame and Saint-Chapelle on a Sundy, be sure to swing past the weekly Bird Market behind the CITE Metro station entrance on rue Lepic along the way.

|||

Hello Jennifer,

Notre Dame itself is easy to just stop in whenever you have some time, though the tower itself may have a fair wait. The others, especially the Louvre and St. Chapelle would be best to get to early for a sorter line. The Latin Quartier is just there.....anytime day or night with some stores closed on Sundays.

To go shopping in most of the big stores keep in mind that they are pretty much closed on Sundays (though Paris is thinking about letting them open). Along the Champs Eleyesse and in the Marias 3rd shops are opened Sundays if you need them for your shopping daughter.

Since you will be in Paris for about 4 days, you just might find plenty to keep you busy in town. Versailles, while not far from Paris, does take a bit of time to get out to and back. And once there you might want to spend time looking around. It has a lot to offer. You could always wait to decide if you want to go after you have gotten to Paris. It is easy to get to from town. Read some of the past posts here on this board regarding going out there, some good information.

Have fun.......

|||

Thanks for all of the advice. This forum is such a great resource! Skipping Versailles is not an option. I%26#39;ve visited Paris before but this is my daughter%26#39;s trip and she really really wants to see Versailles. At her request we won%26#39;t be doing very many museums but I%26#39;m making her give the Louvre a whirl. I%26#39;m just wondering which would be more crowded on a Saturday morning the tower at Notre Dame or the Louvre.

Thanks again,

Jennifer

|||

Versailles is gorgeous, but for maximum enjoyment you need to get there EARLY. I%26#39;d be at the main chateau at least by opening time (9:00), maybe even before. In this way, you can probably get thru the State Apartments while there%26#39;s still room to move! Gets extremely crowded, which detracted from the experience for me.

You should also consider either the regular Paris museum pass or the Versailles Passport. This will allow you to go thru a special passholders%26#39; entrance and bypass any lines (the regular ticket line can be quite long, which eats away at your valuable time.) At 17, your daughter can get in on your pass and also use the special entrance with you (this is true for the Paris museum pass - not sure about the Versailles Passport).

If she really loves Versailles, DON%26#39;T miss the Grand and Petit Trianons, and especially the Hamlet. It%26#39;s quite a walk (or tram ride) from the chateau, but SO worth it. One of our favorite things we did in Paris last month. The Trianons don%26#39;t open till noon and are covered by the passes.

|||

Oh....you can also rent bikes to tour the gardens, visit the Trianons, etc. If the weather is okay, that might be an option and fun thing to do.

|||

If all you have in mind is the basic %26#39;..Six Minute Louvre..%26#39; seeing the %26#39;Big Three%26#39;--Mona, Venus and Wings; then you should consider visiting the Louvre late Friday afternoon/early evening. The Louvre is open late--until 9:45 PM--on Wednesdays and Friday evenings and will tend to be much less crowded and have less %26#39;cluttered%26#39; sight-lines.

If climbing the towers of Notre Dame is a priority, then arrive well before they open (10 AM Oct-thru-Mar-- monum.fr/visitez/decouvrir/info_pratique.dml… ) and then tour through the cathedral afterward. Three are daily mases being offered at 8 %26amp; 9 AM.

There are both free recitals and modest admission concerts available at Notre Dame at various times of the day and evening that are absolutely wonderful. There are all paid-admission evening concerts several times per week at Saint-Chapelle that are also wonderful.

CATHEDRALE de NOTRE DAME--

http://www.cathedraledeparis.com/EN/0.asp

SAINTE-CHAPELLE CONCERTS--

http://www.archetspf.asso.fr/