What should i make sure not to miss while I am in Paris during January?

The Rodin Museum and the Luxembourg Gardens! Oh, and a walk along the Seine of course.

Timely topic for me too - we leave in 2 weeks.

I had wanted to see the Virtual Garden on the side of a building, but wasn't sure if winter is the time for gardens? I adore gardens, but didn't count them in for January.

Are the Luxembourg Gardens nice in winter?

I have the Louvre and the Medieval Museum on my list, oh, and the Eiffel Tower as my husband has not been to Paris before.

1. Sail a miniature sailboat in the octagonal pond in Luxembourg Jardin one afternoon...or, at the very least, watch the little kids doing this.
2. Walk everywhere possible, stop in lots of sidewalk cafes for a beer or glass of wine, a cafe grande and whatever else looks good on the menu. Oh, yes, and tarte tatin for dessert.
3. Shop for a little something Parisien for gifts for whoever matters to you back home. My daughter's Christmas gifts this year are all from Paris and Chartres!
4. Find a few amazing patisseries in your neighbourhood and buy one of everything in the display cabinet! They're totally calorie-free if you buy them in the morning...
5. Sit quietly in Notre Dame Cathedral when it's not crammed to overflowing with people, then listen to the sounds and smell the smells.
6. Walk along the Seine in the early morning.
7. Take a bus or walk to the Eiffel Tower, arriving around 6:00 P.M and staying until dark...the blue and crystal clear lights come on and it's pretty spectacular.
8. Go to Angelina's one afternoon for hot chocolate. Decadently chocolate-y!
9. Spend some time in and around the Louvre. No, really, do it! It's a crazy place and worth the time.
10. Consider buying a few art prints from a kiosk along the Seine or better yet, from any of the many sidewalk artists that you see.

Some of my list of 10 are outside, so take warm coat/scarf/gloves...stay cozy and warm!

"Paris is always a good idea." ~ from the movie "Sabrina"
Brenda

My 20 yr. old daughter will be staying in Paris for 6 days a week from today. She asked the same question as you. I've tried to think of some things a first time visitor should try to see. This is the list I gave her:

Notre Dame (climb the tower)

Saint-Chapelle (the changing light of day is beautifully viewed through the lovely stain glass window)

Walk through the elegant neighborhood of "Ile St. Louis

Walk everywhere and take in street scenes in all the different areas. Walk along Rue Moufettard in the Latin quarter, shop at open markets, eat crepes, go to Patisseries and sample out of this world pastries.

Walk through the Jardin Luxembourg, the Tuilleries.

Sit at side walk cafes and watch the world go by.
Walk along the Champs Elysees, climb the Arc'de Triomphe. Walk over the bridges on the Seine.

Climb the Eiffel Tower

Take a boat ride on the Seine (remember warm clothes esp. at night)

Visit/tour l'opera house Garnier (incredible)

Visit Fauchon a visual and culinary delight for gourmet foodies.

Go to Montmartre, visit Sacre Coeur

Museums, museums, museums: Louvre, Musee d'Orsay (take a look at the Restaurant du Palai d'Orsay on the middle floor-to me breath-taking Belle Epoque dining opulence, check out the prices, if affordable eat there...you will feel like royalty).
Also I love Musee Marmottan and the Rodin museum.
I second all of Brenda's rec's and since it's winter you should find one of Angelique's Tea rooms and have the hot chocolate. It is like no other you've ever had...so thick and rich. I'm sure others will add to your list. One cannot list most of the little wonderful sites you will see at the turn of every corner. Just walk everywhere and pinch yourself. You will not be dreaming. You really will be in Paris. Have a wonderful trip.

Barb Cabot

I agree withy much of the others' top 10, and have this to add:
- There are several Angelina's in town. Make certain to go to the one on rue de Rivoli. The others are nice too but the rue de Rivoli one is top 10.
- Talking about top 10, Champs Elysées is definitely top 11.
- If I were pressed for time and/or were top 10-conscious, I would "do" the passages couverts (19th century arcades, called Galeries this and that) instead of the Champs. It is an enchanting way that takes you from near the old Opéra (Garnier) to the Louvre, through Galeries Verdeau, Jouffroy, Panorama, Vivienne.
The Madeleine area also has several such passages couverts (or less couverts). The Halles area also has the beautiful Galerie Véro-Dodat.
- I would also visit one of the markets - usually a morning event. Wherever you are staying, I bet there is an exciting neighborhood market. The weekly Richard Lenoir , Place Monge Saxe-Breteuil and bld Raspail are also excellent. The Enfants Rouges market is fun for lunch, with its many food stalls.
Bon séjour.

I will be a little contrarian and say do not go to Angelina's. After six or seven trips to Paris, my wife and I finally went to Angelina's in February. While the hot chocolate is certainly chocolate-y, the time and money would have been better spent sitting outside just about any café. You are shoe horned into Angelina's after what, for some, is an hour or more wait in line. You then have the privilege of paying a lot of money for a thick chocolate soup that will please any chocolate lover. The rooms are beautiful as you sit in the lap of the tourist next to you. When we were there, it was a low season for American tourists, but the Japanese more than made up for our absence.

For us, the time spent getting there, waiting, and drinking would have been better spent doing something else. If this is your first visit to Paris and you have less than a month to spend there, forget Angelina's and just plop yourself down in any café where ever you are and whenever you feel like it.

Dan has a very good point.
Tea houses are 100% about leisure, which means for people who have lots of time and are zen about waiting for a cup of tea. Think Somerset Maugham Raffles Singapore 1920.
Not just Angelina, Mariage Frères too is like that, or with an even longer wait, in my experience. It is just part of the tea house experience, definitely not for travellers short on that most expensive commodity - time.

Good tip Dan and Americana. Since my daughter only has a week in the city I'll let her know about the time constraints. You know I didn't have any wait time at all but then (I'm laughing here) it was in the midst of summer and probably everyone was in line for Berthillon and few wanted hot chocalate. Thank you for your insightful thought for the time pressed traveller.

Barb Cabot

Our visits to Laduree - a line that seemed not to move - and to Angelina's - a line that stretched out the door and included some people not waiting patiently - were the ONLY disappointments in our trip to Paris. There is so much else fun to do and so many places to get special food and drinks I would either need better info on a time of day to avoid the lines or I would just skip those next time. You can easily buy from either - the line for purchasers of bags of chocolate for example moves very quickly - but to get a seat took longer than I was willing to invest.