1 May holiday

I am travelling with two girl friends and will be in Paris for a week in early May including Labour Day, Monday 1 May. Will everything ie shops, museums, cafes and restaurants be closed? What would be a good itinerary for the day?

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bonjour from Paris,

1st May is a public holiday. Means that :

working = cafes, restaurants, cabarets, etc..

not working = metro/bus, museums,department stores, most of the shops, banks, post office, etc..

You will have a lot of things to do as most of the tourists are coming to Paris for this long week end.

Depending where you are staying, I suggest to visit by foot the Latin Quarter and Saint Germain des Pres, or Le Marais, or simply Les Champs Elysees and the famous Faubourg Saint Honore, to finish with the Place Vendome. No risk for your credit card, the french couturiers are closed but.. you will pass in front of the Palais de l%26#39;Elysees. You also will enjoy to go to the Eiffel Tower and to finish the day with a cruise on the Seine. If you are going late, you will have for the same price all the illuminations of the monuments along the Seine river ! Wish you a pleasant stay in our city.

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a-french-aloha -

I do not think the information that the metro and bus service will not be operating on May 1 is correct. I imagine there will be a somewhat reduced schedule, however. After all, not all Parisians will stay home on May1!

Also, although many musseums will be closed, places like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Sacre Coeur and the gardens - such as the Jardin des Tuileries will be open.

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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; Notre Dame, the Sacre Coeur %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

and other churches of course...

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Thank you for all the suggestions! We will be staying in the Latin Quarter. As we are arriving on the Saturday before Labour Day so will probably have explored our immediate surroundings by Monday. I do hope that the metro and busses will be running! Can anyone confirm this?

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hello to IrishRovr

well, I have to give additionnal info, sorry if there is a misunderstanding.

BUS IN PARIS = NOT WORKING. Even on regular sundays, there is a REAL VERY LIMITED NUMBER of them working in Paris.

METRO = correct, but, it%26#39;s a very-very limited numbers of metro and I don%26#39;t recommend this specific holiday to any tourist, and especially to young girls, to go there... It%26#39;s the same situation, I guess, as to take the metro during the night in some part of New York, if you can see what I mean. I don%26#39;t want to be unpleasant with New York but, it%26#39;s the only way I found to explain to you that the metro is very useful but to be used carrefully certain days...Parisians are on holidays and not using metro that day. By the way, taxis are working. No problem, except the cost.

Concerning the Eiffel tower = it%26#39;s not a museum and I have recommanded to do this visit, together with a cruise on the Seine.

In addition, they can cross the Seine River and enjoy the TROCADERO (from outside, as the 2 museums located inside are closed).

Concerning Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur = they are not museums but %26quot; official %26quot; churches.

Notre Dame is to be visited when you walk in the Latin Quarter. You also will see on the Quai, all the %26quot;BOUQUINISTES%26quot; (sell old books and lot of pictures of Paris...), the Sorbonne, the boulevard Saint Michel and, in the Saint Germain des Pres area, the Saint Germain church, open as always. The Saint Germain boulevard near the church will give you the opportunity to sit on a famous %26quot;terrasse %26quot;, like Cafe de Flore, Cafe Les 2 Magots, the most welknown.

Gardens are open like gardens, means closing for the night and open 365 days per year. In the middle of boulevard Saint Michel, you can enjoy Jardins du Luxembourg and the Palais du Luxembourg.

Jardins des Tuileries is to be included when you go to the Champs Elysees, as it%26#39;s located at the beginning of these Champs Elysees. But, usually, it%26#39;s better to go there just after the visit of the Louvre Museum and the %26quot;glass pyramid%26quot; of the Louvre. (sorry, don%26#39;t know how it%26#39;s called in english...)

To come back to Zelle, I just have given some ideas but, if she is able to tell me where is her hotel located, I will be more than pleased to give exact and detailled itinerary to follow as most of the part of Paris can be visited by foot. It%26#39;s not a so large city.

Please, also, apologize my english and if something is not clear, feel free to ask me again.

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Hi. Thank you for all your suggestions we are staying in an apartment near Jardin des Plantes in the Latin Quarter. We arrive on Saturday. This means we will porbably explore our immediate surroundings before Monday. However it sounds like a good idea to save Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, the

Tuilleries, the Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower for the public holiday. We will be doing a lot of walking as our budget doesn%26#39;t stretch to taxis!

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Hi, Zelle !

I was writting my answer the same time you were sending me yours.. funny !

now, it%26#39;s more or less lunch time in Paris. So, this afternoon, I will give you my ideas about what to do. But, just a short answer :

Sainte Chapelle is A MUSEUM ! and, to visit this place, you have first to go through the security of the %26quot;Palais de Justice%26quot;. Not possible at all for May 1st.

I%26#39;m coming back.

by for now,

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A-french-aloha, i don%26#39;t know where you have your informations from but according to the RATP site, the Busses and Metros worlk on May 1st according to the sunday schedules (this means a metro every 6mn instead of 2 and 50% of the busses - all lines working)

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Zelle -

Just one thing about your proposed May Day itinerary.

I think the Sainte Chapelle will be closed on that day as it is no longer an %26quot;official church.%26quot;

Meanwhile I hope the many thousands of people - both Parisians and others - who will use the Paris metro on May 1 will have a safe trip!

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As IrishRovr was not sure... I just would like to add this info : he is correct, La Sainte Chapelle is not anymore a church since the french revolution (2 centuries ago). Untill 1837, it was nothing else than a place used for storage.

1837/1868 = renovation of Ste Chapelle

Since 1862 = official %26quot;MONUMENT HISTORIQUE NATIONAL%26quot;. They have an internet site to verify.

for Zelle = As I was born in Paris 50 years ago and still leaving in this city, I repeat = except if you are an athlete like IrishRovr, not necessary to run any risk, using the metro the May 1st. Better to enjoy a full day walking in these nice parts of Paris called Latin Quarter and St Germain des Pres.

concerning the bus = no, sorry to disapoint norween2, it%26#39;s only very few buses working that specific day; near your appartment, there is ONLY ONE = ligne 63, going from Gare d%26#39;Austerlitz to LA MUETTE. Useful for you only untill Musee d%26#39;Orsay area.

I suggest on saturday and sunday, to visit the modern part of Paris = in this order, from the top of the Champs Elysees, Rond Point des Champs Elyses, Avenue Matignon, Faubourg Saint Honore passing in front of the Palais de l%26#39;Elysee, Place de la Concord, Rue Royale, place de la Madeleine, boulevard des Capucines,the Opera and to end, Place Vendome with the famous jewellery. May be, to include one museum or to go to VERSAILLES = these saturdays and sundays, you have the %26quot; GRANDES EAUX MUSICALES %26quot; in Versailles ! exceptionnal !

For May 1st : by foot from Jardin des Plantes, LE PANTHEON, rue Soufflot, JARDIN DU LUXEMBOURG with Palais du Luxembourg, boulevard Saint Michel, cross the Seine river and go to NOTRE DAME DE PARIS. If you like to walk a lot, you can go to HOTEL DE VILLE DE PARIS and LE MARAIS. Then, cross again, back to boulevard Saint Germain to arrive to the %26quot; church of Saint Germain des Pres %26quot;. When you will be there, you will find alone what to do, which terrase or cafe to visit... to end your day and to start your evening in Paris !