DAY 1

The first question to ask yourself as you're boarding your plane or train Paris bound is how much of my time do I want to spend in art galleries? Paris has so many that if you're only there for a short time you're going to have to make a difficult choice, and if you haven't been before that choice is probably going to be between the Louvre, with its bigger-than-Jesus star the Mona Lisa and glass pyramid glowing invitingly, or just across the river the Musee d'Orsay, with works by Degas and Manet. This is not an easy choice but it can be a case of do one well of swing quickly though both. If you haven't made your decision by the time you're checked into your hotel give yourself a bit of extra thinking space while taking coffee on a cruise along the Seine, which will help get you a feel for the layout of the city. Get off by Notre Dame and make your decision... Then absorb as much as you can before closing time spits you out into the now glowing city. If you skipped the Louvre stroll by now admiring the pyramid in what photographer's call the magic hour, where architecture is at its most photogenic. Then catch the same magic at Notre Dame.