One month in Paris

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It sounds like a fabulous opportunity and you are living my dream!! Have a great time!

Andrea's right, but I'll answer anyway...

We've spent a month or more in Paris many times, last time in an apt on Ile St. Louis which you will LOVE. There is SO much to do I can't list everything and I don't know what you like to do, so I'll just tell you what I enjoyed most from our last stay...

Staying on Ile St. Louis is like being in a little village so each morning I'd go out with my shopping basket, that I bought there and now have as a wonderful souvenir, and make the rounds to several shops for groceries. I loved the little grocery store (the only one) on the main street (rue Saint Louis en l'Ile). I had fun looking at everything on the shelves, everything written in French, and even took photos :) They have a wonderful selection of yogurts and cheeses and lots of other things for being such a small store. Then I'd go to the produce store (almost on the corner of the main street and rue des Deux Ponts) and buy fresh squeezed OJ. They have a machine that squeezes it right in front of you which is fun to watch and it's the best OJ we've ever had. Then I'd continue walking down rue des Deux Ponts, almost to the bridge (Pont Marie) and stop in at the bakery on the left side of the street. It's the best one on the island. I'd get a baguette, croissants and pain au chocolat. Then I'd go back to the apt and make us breakfast. Each of the shopkeepers came to recognize me after just a few days and they were all so nice. Be sure to say Bonjour Madame/Monsieur when you first see them, and of course Merci and Au Revoir when you leave. On our last day I told the woman at the bakery that it was, sadly, our last day and she loaded up a large bag full of croissants and pain au chocolat and gave them to me (free) with a very warm goodbye.

What's great about having a month is you can do everything at a slow, leisurely pace which I really enjoyed... I love to walk, so many days were spent walking all over. The great thing about staying on ISL, is that you're already in the heart and very center of Paris and you have so many different routes to choose from. You can walk and walk with no particular destination in mind and take the Metro or a bus back if you want.

My favorite place in Paris is the Luxembourg Gardens so I'd often walk there, walk all around the gardens and spend hours sitting in a comfy chair people watching or reading. They have two cafes and often we'd (sometimes I was on my own and sometimes with my travel partner) have lunch at the one by the bandstand. I also enjoyed watching the neighborhood guys play petancque, aka boules (bocce ball).

I also loved to take a bus... not to anywhere in particular... I just enjoyed seeing the passing scenery and being on a bus with Parisians living their daily life and hearing French spoken. In the whole month, I never saw another tourist on any bus I was on. Truly a "backdoor" experience for me. On one ride, I sat behind two women (related) who were having a dinner party for their family and they were talking about what they were going to make and how they were going to cook it... so fun to listen to them.

Recommended things to do: flea market at the Porte de Vanve, Nissim de Camondo Museum (once the home of a wealthy family) next to Parc Monceau, rue Montorgeuil (a pedestrian only street), Pere Lachaise Cemetery, outdoor markets, renting bikes on a Sunday and ride along the Seine on the Right Bank which they close to cars on Sunday, take a Mike's Bikes guided tour, sit at an outdoor cafe eating/drinking/people watching (my all time favorite Paris cafe is on ISL called La Flore en l'Ile, right by the pedestrian bridge behind Notre Dame), climb to the top of Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe, a daytrip to Fontainebleau and another to Vaux-le-Vicomte. (I've tried to mention things that aren't high on the list in guidebooks).

Continued...

To meet people, my only advice is the American Church (on the street along the south side of the river very close to the Pont des Invalides). I'm not religious and don't go to church here, but I really enjoy this church and their service and meeting people after the service (they serve coffee). All nationalities and religions are welcome, they all speak English (majority are American), most all live in Paris and everyone has always been very friendly.

Hope some of this helps in some way. Enjoy Paris!

We spent 5 weeks in Paris a couple of summers ago. It was wonderful to have time to just BE there, not feeling rushed to have to see everything! Walk along the Seine at night. Explore the back streets and walk in a different direction each day. Go to Versailles and just walk around the gardens...go in through the north entrance and park on the grounds on the Grand Canal or near the Petite Trianon if you'll have access to a car. Rent bikes and ride around the grounds too...LOVELY! Go to some of the lesser visited churches and chateaux out of the city. Go to the same cafes and boulangeries in your neighborhood and become recognized by the owners so they greet you by name. Stroll the museums and take in a wing or two that has pieces in your area of interest - spent time! Don't know about meeting other Americans - I'm assuming you mean expats? Not sure...maybe there are expat organizations you could get into contact with but I didn't pursue that when we were there.

versailles is one side-trip you can take; another is Chartres - there is a train that leaves from Montparnasse rail station. As for lesser-known sites, you might try the Jacquemart-Andre museum - it is a fascinating old house, and has a good collection of art work, and a nice dining room to have lunch. You also might want to buy one or more books that feature self-guided walking tours in Paris - they guide you to little-known places. Also you can get something like ParisScope when in Paris to see where temporary art exhibitions are taking place. Peter