Share Your "Pizza" With Me in PARIS

Hmmmm, well some of my slices of vegan pizza include....

• Cluny Museum
• Some of the smaller museums like Cognacq-Jay, Nissim Camondo, Jacquemart-Andre (if it is back open after it's reno), Eugene Delacroix if you are a fan of his work.
• I did Musee Quai Branley last trip and it was good but one trip was enough. Museum Architecture and Patrimony at Tocadero was good a couple of years ago when they had the statues from the Notre Dame spire on display. They'd been removed before the fire thus were saved. Not sure if they are still on display.
• Cemeteries like Pere Lachaise and Montparnasse. Kim from Paris has mentioned Picpus Cemetery which has odd hours so you need to check and see what they are during your visit.
• Chantilly is interesting and not as peopled as some chateaux.
• Chartres makes a good day trip as does Giverny. Both easy to get to on the train.
• I have on my rotating "to-do" list The American Cemetery at Suresnes, Malmaison (where Josephine lived after the divorce), Fountainbleu, Vaux-le-Vicomte

I'm sure I'll think of others!

Since day trips are fine, have you considered Reims? Easy and quick to get there by train. Champange houses, very historic and beautful cathedral, and the Museum Of The Surrender just to mention a few sites. Since this is to be a slow paced trip, you might want to spend a night there.

Oh gosh, you've started a flood in my brain!

One thing I did a few years ago was watch some youtube videos from Vero and Corey Frye. I put together some walking tours from some of their ideas.

I formulated a "Roman sights in Paris" based on some of Corey's sights as well as locations I found on other internet sites. Basically during Roman times their Forum was located between what is now the Pantheon and the Jardin de Luxembourg. There are some Roman antiquities down in the parking garage under Rue Sufflot. You can walk toward the Seine from there and see the remains of a Roman well, of course the baths under the Cluny which are much more visible now they've done the reno and continue down to the location of the Roman Bridge across the Seine and on to the Archeological Crypt under the plaza out in front of Notre Dame.

Oh yes, add the Archeological Crypt to my list of sights as well!

AND if you have an interest in WWII history, the Liberation of Paris (across from the Catacombs).

Long ago Corey also did a walk near Trocadero where he went by some of the ruins from the original Louvre palace. I went looking for them as well!

Fragonard has a perfume museum in Paris. I still have the perfume I purchased there.

Arrange a walk with Paris Greeters. It's quite relaxed. You tell them your interests and they match you with a volunteer who takes you to places they think will interest you. When I did this, I discovered Parc Monceau and the place where the Statue of Liberty was made, and strolled some lovely upscale streets.

Thank you for the great ideas!

I have visited a few of these: Musee Quai Branley, Pere Lachaise Cemetery, The Cluny.

A trip to Reims has been in the back of my mind, so not sure if I can count that.

The rest are going on the list!

Do the after hours tour at Garnier Opera. It started around 5 and lasted 1.5 hours. They had 3 language groups there, English, French, and Spanish. Never ran into each other. Tomas, our guide, was quite funny and very friendly. We were able to take pictures of the magnificent staircase, the seats, the ceilings, etc without anyone in them.

We also took a baguette class with La Cuisine Paris. We then purchased some butter and cheese and wine and had a lovely picnic in our room for dinner. They have different classes.
We were going to take a chocolate making class at Edwart Chocolatier but i waited too long to book and got closed put. Next trip.

One of the most unique and memorable things I've done in Paris was last year - visiting the pet cemetery. It was so cool that we're going to try to go again during this year's visit (which is next week)!

Well for slices of pizza, my mind went immediately to food experiences! ; )

Chocolate shops:
https://meet-thelocals.com/paris-tips/chocolate-shops-best-paris-france/

Kouign Amann pastry:
Maison Georges Larnicol

Croissant, Baguette or Macaron class: (Several years ago, & I still make croissants at home!)
https://lacuisineparis.com/

Edit: Barbara, I see we were having similar thoughts!

Jardin Tino Rossi, located along the Seine, is well worth a stroll to see the sculptures. Extra credit if you go on a Sunday and the dancing is in full force! My wife and I danced a little salsa, but not particularly well, when we went. We enjoyed the atmosphere and the energy so much we went back the next Sunday as well. Oh, and maybe set yourself up by starting along the Canal Saint-Martin, walking toward the Seine, then crossing by foot to get there. One of my favorite places in Paris.

I started to post then reread your wording and so glad I did! I thought you had already planned 12-15 and wanted that many more. I was hyperventilating as to how restorative that would be. Whew.

This forum introduced the Musee des Arts Forains to me. My husband and I went and it was thoroughly enjoyable. We couldn’t do the English tour-it seldom runs- but the French was so much fun as the tour leaders are actors and ever so entertaining. They do have a comprehensive English handout, but you must ask for it. Tour is a little fast but you are given time to participate in utilizing a number of the old games and a couple of rides. Of course, having all the children there is special.

A reservation is necessary and they only go onto the calendar for sale no more than two weeks in advance, so on the calendar reminder it must go. It’s a very well kept museum in the Bercy area. We were surprised as we walked to the Metro to find an entire market like pedestrian street. We had forgotten however that line 14 was closed, but we got to see more of the area and it was a great neighborhood.

Enjoy the planning and good luck with relaxing and finding ‘you’ time in Paris. I just can’t see that after our 15 days there.

Maybe A Paris By Mouth Food Tour

One of my favorite less well known museums in Paris is Musee Bourdelle in the 15th.

Our favourite Paris activity during our last visit (September 2023) was definitely the Virtual Reality Tour of Notre Dame. Encompasses the history of Notre Dame from inception to present day.

Thank you for the wonderful ideas! I have been busy working these past few days (lunch break right now), but I will go through each and every suggestion. I will have to be a little careful to really choose some things that I wouldn't normally do instead of the great ideas that are right up my alley.

@Barbara, I have done the after hours tour of Garnier Opera. I agree, it was fantastic! I highly recommend this to everyone.

@Jean, the chocolate shops definitely would be an extra slice of my favorite pie, but I will be marking those on Google Maps and will stop in whenever I am close by.

@SJS, on a usual trip I would do more than 2 activities per day. On a restorative trip I like to do one 2-3 hour activity in the morning (early riser) and one 2-4 hour activity in the afternoon. So that is 4-7 hours for the day. Then I fill in the gaps by sitting in one of the gardens with a book, or along the Seine or some good sidewalk cafe time. If any of the activities will last into the early evening, I will take a one hour nap in the afternoon, otherwise I will be in my hotel room by 8 pm.

I know this trip is far into the future but I appreciate being able to share it with other travelers and/or tourists. Planning and imagining and looking forward to--will help me get through all of the work days in between.

Okay--took me a while to understand the pizza analogy--ha ha-- but Jardin de Luxembourg? That was my favorite place to stroll around, observe, reflect, and relax.

One of our favourite ways to spend a few hours is to walk the entire Rue des Martyrs. It is a quintessential Paris food street filled with locals. And there is a book written about it, The Only Street in Paris, which really brings it to life.

@ Claire, I have heard of the book. I just purchased the audible version with credits.

I really enjoy cooking classes (I’ve taken about half a dozen over the years in Paris) and one of my favorite ones is the market class at Cook’n with Class. It is expensive, but I found it to be a great experience. You go with the chef to all the small neighborhood shops (fromagerie, boulangerie, fishmonger, butcher, greengrocer, etc) and buy ingredients for dinner. Then the group (max of 7) works with the chef to prepare the meal. You get a great meal with wine. It is really fun. I’ve taken the market class twice, but I also took their bread, pastry, and wine/food pairing classes. I enjoyed my classes so much that this past October I took one of their week-long class in the south of France.

https://cooknwithclass.com/

I'm going to second the suggestion to visit the Opera house. It has the greatest collection of arte nouveau sculpture that I've ever seen, a grand reception room that is every bit as opulent as Versailles, and probably the most dramatically set great work of modern art, the Chagall ceiling.

The stairs and the opera hall itself are also pretty fantastic.

Rodin museum.