Yay Marisa! So happy for you and your 23 hour countdown. I've been to Paris this time of year, and can't think of anything out of the ordinary to pack...but please promise me, when you ride the Paris Metro, remember to take a sniff of it for me! I know it sounds horribly weird, but every time I've been there the unique smell of the air in the metro tunnel gets me - it is like the smell of a city mixed with french perfume all together. One of the most unique smells I have ever encountered, and I love trying to remember it. Have fun with ALL of your 5 senses in one of the most wonderful cities in the world! Happy travels! Can't wait for your first post from Paris!

All I can think of is a travel adapter for any electronic devices you may be bringing? And of course dressing in layers is helpful for the fluctuation in temperature this time of year in France... but then again, there's nothing really that you couldn't pick up in Paris if you discover you forget something at home. Happy and safe travels!

Two things I'm really glad I brought are my own pillow and an extra stick of deodorant (they only seem to have liquid roll-on and aerosol spray-on here in Holland). If you like to cook at all, I recommend bringing your own chef's knife or expecting to buy one because I've never yet had a decent knife in a furnished space.

Cold and flu tablets - here's hoping you won't need them, though :) I'm not sure about the availability in France, but when in Italy I couldn't get "night and day" stuff anywhere, only some very strong antihistamines (I think!) that nearly knocked me out every time I took them. Made it very hard to do anything when you're feeling like you've been heavily drugged. I fell asleep on a bench in a museum. Awful feeling.

Also Melatonin - awesome for overcoming jetlag.

As Kate said, dress in layers, and have a little umbrella - just in case.

Photocopies of your passports, take one copy, leave one with someone at home. Or scan and email it to yourself and cc someone.

(And I'm sure this doesn't need saying, but you must see the Musée d'Orsay!!)

Hope you both have a wonderful time, can't wait to read about it here!!!

Have a wonderful time and happy travels! Lori

Oh Paris - my favourite city - there are a lot of posts about trips to Paris on my blog - woolliemind.blogspot.com.

I would visit the markets - Sunday mornings are best - Rue Mouttefard and Place Monge or Rue Richard Lenoir - the food is spectacular and beautifully displayed. Or have lunch in the courtyard cafe in the Petit Palais at the bottom of the Champs Elysees. My favourite homemade marshmallows at Pain de Sucre near the Pompidou Centre - Sunday wandering the Marais - the place to be on a Sunday - many of the shops are open and you'll see young Parisiens enjoying outside lunch at the most popular falafel shops in Paris on Rue des Roisiers, with a cake from Florence Finkelstein's bakery across the street. Check out the shops on Rue des Francs Bourgeois. A Parisien favourite is the Musee Quai Branly - one of the newest museums in Paris, check out the catacombs, have crepes in one of the many creperies near Montparnasse (all the trains from Brittany arrive in Paris from there hence all the Breton restaurants nearby). Visit Les Viaduc des Arts in the 12th arrondisement and take a walk on the overhead walk (former rail line) nearby. Ice cream from Berthillon on Ile St Louis (the main street down the middle is another beautiful place to walk), go to the Mosque de Paris for lunch in their restaurant followed by mint tea in their white tiled garden, take a boat trip on the Canal St Martin....oh I could go on and on about my favourite city. But I am sure that you will find lots to do - my suggestion would be to just walk and walk and enjoy the city. I look forward to hearing how the trip goes!