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3 Nights in Paris

Thought I would share a quick trip report on a quick trip to Paris. We flew from Florence airport to Orly airport aboard Vueling Air. Both airports were smaller but easy to navigate. Flight was approximately 1.5 hours.
Taxi from Orly to hotel in 7th arrondissement, about $35.00. Got to the hotel early, room not ready so we left luggage and headed out for breakfast. Hotel was about a 5 minute walk from Rue Cler so that’s where we went. What a great street. Wherever you are staying in Paris I would make the effort to walk up and down Rue Cler and enjoy a stroll or a bite at many of the sidewalk cafes.
Later in the morning we made our way to the Eiffel Tower. No matter how many times you see photos it is pretty special in person. We could only get tickets before leaving home for the option of walking up to the 2nd floor observation area. However when we got there the ticket window had a very short line and they had elevator tickets to the 2nd floor available, we gladly took those foregoing climbing 675 stairs.
Going to the summit was not an option as one of us is not comfortable with heights. The view was spectacular and we decided to walk down the stairs rather than take the very crowded elevator. The walk down was great, you see much more of the inside of the tower, very interesting. And you go down at your own pace stopping to see the views.
Back to the hotel for a quick shower, change and head out.
As newcomers to Paris we were thrilled to just be walking through the city. Around every corner was another adventure to be enjoyed. After a very busy agenda in Italy the past week we intentionally planned fewer activities. A recap of some:
Musée Rodin-One of our favorite stops. Not nearly as busy but certainly a beautiful stop. An oasis of calm surrounded by a bustling city.
Musée d’Orsay-We had timed tickets. Extraordinary spot, especially if Impressionism is to your liking. A Van Gogh exhibition was being held which drew many, many people. We went at night to avoid crowds, that didn’t work, with the plan being to then take a nighttime cruise in the Seine. When we came out rain changed those plans.
Sainte-Chapelle-We had timed tickets. A truly remarkable sight. A bit chaotic lining up outside but worth the wait.
Arc De Triomphe-An iconic Paris view. Worth the trip especially if you walk back via the Champs-Elysees. A great walk to the Place de la Concorde and on to the Tuileries Garden.
While we did so much more the joy of Paris was simply being out and about. Stopping at a sidewalk cafe, going into chocolate shops, walking through the many small parks and generally just getting lost in the city. Although Google Maps was always able to get us back on track.
Perhaps our favorite part of the trip, OK beside the food, was the people of Paris. While we both had repeatedly heard negative stereotypes of Parisians being rude, refusing to speak English, etc. nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone we met was polite, helpful and very patient with us English only speakers. As in Italy we made it a point to learn the basic “niceties” before we left home. Good Morning, Please, Thank You, Excuse Me, Could you help me…all went a long way.
We both fell in love with Paris on our short trip. We are already planning our return trip, and with so many “must sees” out of the way we can spend more time walking the many great neighborhoods of Paris.
A side note: We had tickets to the Louvre on our last night. After 12 days in both Italy and Paris we decided we could not do 1 more museum. We decided to not only “skip the line” but to skip the entire museum! We went out to dinner and enjoyed our last night in our new favorite city.

Posted by
420 posts

the joy of Paris was simply being out and about

Sounds like Paris has claimed another. :)

Your comment perfectly captures the charm of this city which brings so many back time and again. This city has no shortage of magnificent sites and historic relics, but to wander Paris as a flaneur puts the experience in a memorable light.

Glad you had a great trip, thanks for sharing this report.

Posted by
1068 posts

"We had tickets to the Louvre on our last night. After 12 days in both Italy and Paris we decided we could not do 1 more museum. We decided to not only “skip the line” but to skip the entire museum! We went out to dinner and enjoyed our last night in our new favorite city."

We had a similar experience with foregoing the Eiffel Tower on our last evening--we were exhausted and just could NOT do one more thing!

I enjoyed your trip report and am so glad you loved Paris despite all the negatives you'd heard before: they're old tropes from at least the 1950s. We've always believed that we would return and the first thing on our list would be the last thing that we didn't do. So far, it's worked that way.

Posted by
388 posts

Jmo, enjoyed your gracious report. Brings back many memories of my favorite European city. Just have to imagine the taste of the wonderful baguettes and pastries and food in the out of the way cafes…watching the world go by in the many parks…the small museums…spotting the Eiffel Tower from different viewpoints.

Posted by
14790 posts

What a fun time you had! I love that you mostly just relaxed and you get a pass on the Louvre....there ARE some times that you can't go in another museum, church or for me - castle ruin, hahaha!! I love LIndy's idea of starting the next trip with the last thing you didn't do on this trip! So....Louvre, 9A as the first site on your first full day back in Paris, hahah!!

"We went at night to avoid crowds, that didn’t work,"

Tell me about this? I am not an evening person...I am a morning person and need to do my big museum visits first thing in the AM so I've always wondered about the evening hours. Was it quite crowded?

Posted by
6713 posts

I like the "skip the museum" idea, at least for your trip. Wonder if the Louvre might be able to sell "Skip the Museum" tickets -- deeply discounted of course. ;-)

Posted by
468 posts

"with so many “must sees” out of the way we can spend more time walking the many great neighborhoods of Paris."

Exactly! We did Paris for a week in 2004 (way back in time now!) and walked all over the city trying to see, get into, climb, ascend and tour many of the main sites. We have always talked about going back and just doing a more relaxing "cafes, parks, and side streets" trip without feeling the need to do the big attractions.

Posted by
196 posts

Pam - I had 5:30 timed entry Thursday in late September at the Orsay. The VanGogh exhibit had not yet opened. The museum was not busy at all. A very enjoyable visit with plenty of space to wander and stop to appreciate individual pieces. I think the poster's crowded experience may have been due to the VanGogh exhibit.

Posted by
14790 posts

@pj - "I think the poster's crowded experience may have been due to the VanGogh exhibit." I wondered if that contributed to their experience with crowds! And laughing...by 5:30 I want to be sitting somewhere with an aperitif!!