Hi:
I will be in Paris next April to begin a RS tour. I am going over a few days early to see some sights. I plan on seeing the biggies along with Monmartre, The Orangerie, and I plan to walk along the Seine.
Can anyone offer suggestions about places that were a very special to you. Not necessarily a typical tourist place but something you thought wonderful or that said Paris. It could be a store, a museum, a beautiful park, a cafe.
Thanks
Barbara
Besides Sacre Cour, Montmarte is hum drum. I especially like the Orangerie ( a four star!), San Chapelle (don't miss this), Notre Dame (walk around the back on a weekend for the art market), and, of course, the impressionists in the Doursay.
In addition to the Musee de l'Orangerie, there is a private museum that has a stunning permanent collection of Monet water lily paintings. It is the Musee Marmottan. The Musee du Luxembourg is another wonderful private museum. It often hosts traveling exhibitions so something simply spectacular might be there in April. I saw a Matisse exhibition there in 2005.
Le jardin du Luxembourg is a favorite haunt of mine. See if you can find the Statue of Liberty replica in the garden there are usually art exhibits in the garden itself
Musee de Branley - great artifacts of colonial rule - things typically not seen in the US (Alma Marceau)
How about a movie (sub-titled in French) at one of the old theatres in the Latin Quarter (Metro Odeon). Even better - go the the Grand Rex (Metro Bonne Nouvelle) - largest cinema theatre in Europe seating 5,000.
La Defense wonderful statue exhibits along the Esplanade with a great view of the Arc de Triomphe. (There is a large shopping complex at the Grande Arche) Ligne 1 (Metro Esplanade de la Defenst et La Defense)
What about a day in Bois de Bologne - rent a boat and sit on the water. Metro 9 - La Muette
Crepe maker at the exit of Saint Placide Metro (linge 4)
Bar hop in Montparnasse - Metro Edgar Quinet live jazz
Exhibits at the Biliotheque Nationale de France (BNF line 14) or at UNESCO - Metro Segur
I absolutely love strolling through the fascinating, highly atmospheric Pere Lachaise Cemetary. And one of our very favorite restaurants is nearby: La Boulangerie, 15 rue des Panoyaux. Here's link to a review on it:
http://www.yourgreatdaysinparis.com/articles/la_boulangerie_review.htm
The Rodin Museum and gardens are beautiful and are not on the RS tour. I used an audioguide and wandered through the museum and the gardens - fantastic!
Place de Vosges is a beautiful little park square in the Marais district with shops and cafes nearby.
Take a tour of the Grand Opera House or even better, book to see a show there - I saw the ballet La Fille Mal Gardee and spent the intermission admiring the Chagall ceiling and the beautiful carvings.
See a fashion show at Le Printemps, then go to Angelina's for a phenomenal cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and some pastries - no need for a large dinner after that!
Just talking about it makes me want to return, even after four visits. Have fun!
Was in Paris in September and I agree, Luxembourg Gardens are beautiful, watch some tennis or in late afternoon, sit by the pond in the late afternoon and watch the kids sail boats . Place des Voges is a great place for a picnic and the Rodin Museaum is beautiful.RS walk in Montmartre is facinating. People watching in the Champs Du Mars on a Sat/Sun is fun.
Barbara, this web site might interest you ...
...http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A190009
bon voyage ! P.
I suggest starting with the Rick Steves walking tours as detailed in his Paris book. You will see several areas in depth with appropriate descriptions and route suggestions. If it's your first time in Paris, you will want to see the main sights. Hop-on Hop-Off buses are an adequate way to see the central parts of Paris; then you can choose where you want to return. One of my favorites is a stroll down the main street on the Isle St Louis. It's a good area for Gelato. I think the shop I prefer is named something like "Amarino." It is on a corner and you go inside. Not the Bertillon, which is also good but has awfully tiny scoope of gelato for the money. On weekends there are usually entertainers on the pedestrian bridge connecting the Isle de la Cite with Isle St. Louis. Behind the Notre Dame cathedral is a very pleasant park for picnicking, snoozing, reading, or just enjoying the city.
Hi Barbara,
Alison and Sonia Landes have lived in Paris many years. They have written a book that is made-to-order for you. Its title: PARISWALKS. I have the revised edition published in 1999 by Henry Holt & Co. with photographs. These authors call your attention to details one would surely miss without their mention. PARISWALKS has chapters covering these walks: Walk 1 -- Saint-Julien-Le-Pauvre, Walk 2 -- La Huchette, Walk 3 -- Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Walk 4 -- Mouffetard, Walk 5 -- Place de Vosges, Walk 6 -- Rue de Francs-Bourgeois, Walk 7 -- Bastille to Eglise Saint-Gervais. Finally, there's a chapter on the subjects of Cafés, Restaurants and Hotels.
I hope this helps you enjoy your adventure! P.
If you are a music person, I highly recommend the Cite de la Musique. The museum there has instruments from around the world and through the ages. They also have a great temporary exhibitions. The first time I went, it was Pink Floyd. You might also be as lucky as I was and find that a musician from an exotic place is performing on an instrument you have never heard before. In my case, it was a Senegalese performer playing a Kora. He also talked about the musical traditions of Senegal. Fascinating!
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/snap-paris-underground.html#
Above, an interesting underground approach. P.
Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions. I now have some great ideas of what to do and see.
Merci.
We absolutely love the area around the Invalides. There is a fabulous little garden on either side which are great picnic spots and very pretty. We also loved just sitting on the wall of the Invalides in the late afternoon, watching the manic Paris traffic and the crowd go by. It is just great with the Eiffel Tower looming in the background!
The Tour Montparnasse is an excellent place to see a terrific view of Paris. It was very inexpensive to ride the elevator to the rooftop terrace. It's just across the street from a Metro stop. I liked it better than climbing the Eiffel Tower because from the Tour Montparnasse you could see the Eiffel Tower in the Paris skyline.
Hi Barbara,
My favorite market is Rue Mouffetard, my favorite park is Park de Monceau, I never get tired of seeing Napoleon's tomb and I always visit the Musee d'Orsay.
Marché aux Puces St-Ouen de Clignancourt, Chantilly, Denfert-Rochereau Ossuary
For a nice walk on a pleasant afternoon, try the Promenade Plantee which starts behind the Opera House at Bastille. It's free and you'll see Parisians, their babies, their grannies and their dogs strolling and enjoying life.
Or the Pavillon de l'Arsenal (again not far from Bastille)which is also free, and you can learn all about the development, growth and urban planning that all make Paris what it is today. You'll be the only tourist there, guaranteed.
There is also a nice walk along the canal at Arsenal and a nice little cafe along the way. You can enjoy a cafe creme & watch life on the boats moored there in the Basin.
