You can only plan so much. I usually make two or three options for each day; complete with maps, directions, pictures and website links. However, sometimes all the planning in the world cannot stop you from getting lost, being late, or just plain being too tired! We recently took a trip to Paris and London. We are from southern California so public transportation is foreign in itself then add french to the mix and we were lucky we were lost only a few times.
I schedule and make reservations for all my activities, which I highly recommend if you want to sight see in Paris, it saved endless time in lines. Getting lost would always threaten these plans, but with all my planning I could recall street names, buildings and landmarks to navigate by but I was always afraid of loosing my reservation. Needless to say, we never missed a reservation but I did have plenty of melt downs racing to make them. Over all, the tantrums of being lost and racing to make up time was well worth saving our appointments. On our next trip I will vow to take a few deep breaths before I fall apart and condemn my planning.
Now for my top FIVE planning recommendations in Paris, France:
Make your Eiffel Tower reservations at least 1 month in advance, in fact if you can you should to stay up and actually click the exact reservation you want as it becomes live. Note: If you are as scared of heights as I am but willing to sacrifice for an experience of a lifetime: I recommend closing your eyes going up but definitely look the way down, the elevators are glass and looking through the filigree of the tower is a sight you would regret missing.
Plan to use public transportation, the Metro is amazing, study it and learn what each little circle means. I love their metro site: http://www.ratp.fr/EN/
Book your Versaille ticket online. the lines are insane! Note: We took the train in and arrived about 30 minutes prior to the opening. The wait before probably saved us an hour plus we were able to bypass a few of the video rooms and be the first people in the Hall of Mirrors! Nothing like taking your picture alone in the hall of mirrors.
Visit a flea market, we had an amazing time and found great real french souvenirs. The street food was to die for here: http://jadoremonmarche.fr/marche-de-paris/11-eme/marche-bastille/#_=_
If you can swing it, hire a travel photographer, we went all over the surrounding areas of the Eiffel tower. The pictures are priceless and I get a tons of compliments. I will treasure these pictures for years to come. This is the company we used and we loved them: http://www.bettertravelphotos.com/paris-portrait-sessions
P.S. For those traveling with Kids I highly recommend Trekaroo.com, I always check here before planing a family trip!!
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