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OT: Going to Paris (France)! Cool places to see?


delay dude

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Recently a friend asked my wife for the same advice because she is from France and lived in Paris for about 2 years. This was her answer.


- Go up the Eiffel tower and visit the gardens around it (Parc du Champ de Mars) and the monument/gardens across the Seine river (Jardins du Trocadero). You might also want to splurge at one of the restaurants at the Eiffel Tower http://www.restaurants-toureiffel.com/. Choose a clear day for the view and enjoy a glass of champagne.

- Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs Elysees, which you will then walk all the way down to Place de la Concorde, the Jardins des Tuileries gardens - that's a fabulous walk, especially if the flowers are blooming and the weather's nice. Across the river are the Jardins des Invalides gardens, which host the Musee Rodin - great peaceful garden with Rodin bronze sculptures. One of my favorites too.

- The Louvre and the nearby Palais Royal. Warning, there is no way you will even attempt to see all of the collections at the Louvre. I would check on the website beforehand and go directly to the collections you're interested in seeing (maybe, the Mona Lisa?). If you wanted to see everything, it would take you 2 to 3 full days. It really is that huge and amazing.

- Across the river, I would recommend the Musee d'Orsay. One of my favorite museums in Paris. You can check out the collections online first and see if that's of interest. It's in an old train station, it's pretty.

- Going to Notre Dame is fun and will be a short visit on the 'Ile de la Cite' island. Also check out La Conciergerie while you're there. One of my favorite buildings but again, I like medieval stuff!

- Also go to the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre. Try to go when the sky is clear, the view over Paris is amazing! If you stay until sunset, it can be pretty spectacular - but be sure to be back on the metro before it's too dark. wink.gif Montmartre is super fun too, with street artists that draw/paint/play music, but remember you're on the edge of a sketchy 'arrondissement' so stay with the crowds and be super aware of pick pockets. They are very active in that area.

- If you want to see the famous jewelers and luxury shops of Paris, you'll stroll Rue du Faubourg St Honore, Rue de Rivoli, Place Vendome. Different style but fun too. smile.gif From there you could check the old Opera, it's a little further away. And the famous "grands magasins" (large shopping stores - French Macy's) are on the Boulevard Haussman. Check out which metro station though. It is a LONG boulevard.

- Food: I love the rotisserie chicken and fries or mashed potatoes at Chez Clement on the Champs Elysees, http://www.chezclement.com/. They have several restaurants throughout Paris and their desserts are also amazing. Please go for me! :p If you like seafood, the famous trio of 'mussels/french fries/beer' is world-famous at Leon de Bruxelles, still on the Champs Elysees http://www.leon-de-bruxelles.fr/.

- Outdoors: Versailles it is. You will love it. Be sure not to miss the 'Petit Hameau' right next to it. It's a farm replica built for the queen to entertain herself. It's super cute. Sometimes there are classical concerts scheduled outdoors in the evening at Versailles. Might want to check that out, that's an experience. Obviously, you'd need to make sure you have transaportation arranged for your return.

- I also recommend the hour trip on the river. The 'Bateaux Mouches' are a little more expensive but they are the original ones and for having done all of them, they are the best. The cruise is awesome on a sunny day and you will see the city from a different angle. I love it. http://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/en/pen.../hours-13.html No need to buy a lunch or dinner cruise unless you want to. I would rather try to go in the morning or early afternoon. You can ask them when they are going to be less crowded. Try to be on the upper deck outside, it's great.

Okay, that should keep you busy for a while - if not all 4 days. Be sure to bring comfy walking shoes because you're going to walk A LOT!

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Quote Originally Posted by Fender&EHX4ever View Post
Recently a friend asked my wife for the same advice because she is from France and lived in Paris for about 2 years. This was her answer.


- Go up the Eiffel tower and visit the gardens around it (Parc du Champ de Mars) and the monument/gardens across the Seine river (Jardins du Trocadero). You might also want to splurge at one of the restaurants at the Eiffel Tower http://www.restaurants-toureiffel.com/. Choose a clear day for the view and enjoy a glass of champagne.

- Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs Elysees, which you will then walk all the way down to Place de la Concorde, the Jardins des Tuileries gardens - that's a fabulous walk, especially if the flowers are blooming and the weather's nice. Across the river are the Jardins des Invalides gardens, which host the Musee Rodin - great peaceful garden with Rodin bronze sculptures. One of my favorites too.

- The Louvre and the nearby Palais Royal. Warning, there is no way you will even attempt to see all of the collections at the Louvre. I would check on the website beforehand and go directly to the collections you're interested in seeing (maybe, the Mona Lisa?). If you wanted to see everything, it would take you 2 to 3 full days. It really is that huge and amazing.

- Across the river, I would recommend the Musee d'Orsay. One of my favorite museums in Paris. You can check out the collections online first and see if that's of interest. It's in an old train station, it's pretty.

- Going to Notre Dame is fun and will be a short visit on the 'Ile de la Cite' island. Also check out La Conciergerie while you're there. One of my favorite buildings but again, I like medieval stuff!

- Also go to the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre. Try to go when the sky is clear, the view over Paris is amazing! If you stay until sunset, it can be pretty spectacular - but be sure to be back on the metro before it's too dark. wink.gif Montmartre is super fun too, with street artists that draw/paint/play music, but remember you're on the edge of a sketchy 'arrondissement' so stay with the crowds and be super aware of pick pockets. They are very active in that area.

- If you want to see the famous jewelers and luxury shops of Paris, you'll stroll Rue du Faubourg St Honore, Rue de Rivoli, Place Vendome. Different style but fun too. smile.gif From there you could check the old Opera, it's a little further away. And the famous "grands magasins" (large shopping stores - French Macy's) are on the Boulevard Haussman. Check out which metro station though. It is a LONG boulevard.

- Food: I love the rotisserie chicken and fries or mashed potatoes at Chez Clement on the Champs Elysees, http://www.chezclement.com/. They have several restaurants throughout Paris and their desserts are also amazing. Please go for me! :p If you like seafood, the famous trio of 'mussels/french fries/beer' is world-famous at Leon de Bruxelles, still on the Champs Elysees http://www.leon-de-bruxelles.fr/.

- Outdoors: Versailles it is. You will love it. Be sure not to miss the 'Petit Hameau' right next to it. It's a farm replica built for the queen to entertain herself. It's super cute. Sometimes there are classical concerts scheduled outdoors in the evening at Versailles. Might want to check that out, that's an experience. Obviously, you'd need to make sure you have transaportation arranged for your return.

- I also recommend the hour trip on the river. The 'Bateaux Mouches' are a little more expensive but they are the original ones and for having done all of them, they are the best. The cruise is awesome on a sunny day and you will see the city from a different angle. I love it. http://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/en/pen.../hours-13.html No need to buy a lunch or dinner cruise unless you want to. I would rather try to go in the morning or early afternoon. You can ask them when they are going to be less crowded. Try to be on the upper deck outside, it's great.

Okay, that should keep you busy for a while - if not all 4 days. Be sure to bring comfy walking shoes because you're going to walk A LOT!
From my experience, this is a great list. I'd maybe skip the Louvre if you're only there for three days, though, as it is huge and really wearying to take in. You could spend an entire day in there and not see half of it, which would keep you from seeing a bunch of other cool stuff. Musee d'Orsay is full of impressionist art and can be taken in pretty easily in half a day, so if you're going to take in an art museum on a short schedule I'd probably pick that one.

BTW, the metro rocks to get around. Get a week pass, as you'll be popping on and off constantly if you're sightseeing.
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Rue de Douai is definitely a place to go for you mate. You're like 1 minute away from the Moulin Rouge (don't expect some glorious building, that's very small and unoticed) and Pigalle, the "hot" district of the city. You can visit this place the same day than the Sacr

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If you're part of the EU or under 25/26 (can't remember) you can get in to a lot of the museums for free. I lived there from Sept2011-May2012 and got in to the Museums for free with my visa. For cheap but awesome falafel check out Maoz. I know it's a chain but you can't beat the price/food goodness (all you can eat toppings). If you're there for a Sunday check out "The Highlander" by Saint Michel. Great host and great vibes. If you're 26 and under you can see movies for 5.90 and most of them are in English. I also volunteered at the American Library and they usually have some free books out front if you're in need of reading material. Plus, everyone that works there is extremely friendly and could help you out with suggestions. Talk with Celeste who is the Children's Librarian. Enjoy!

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Also, Les Invalides, basically a war museum. Also includes Napoleans tomb.

And the left bank of the Seine is cool, vendors sell posters, books and such.
I bought a really cool hand painted picture of Paris at night for 20 Euro's.

In close proximity to Notre Dame is St. Chappelle. Beautiful stained glass
windows and sculptures.

...you could also rent a car and spend a day at Verdun. Site of one of the bloodiest battles of WWI. The Ossuary is incredible and the ground around is is pockmarked by shell holes left over from WWII. There are forts to visit and you can see trenchlines left over from WWI. A visit to Verdun is a very sobering experience. Thousands of graves now 100 years old and still carefully tended.

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If you want a lazy Sunday, walk around Le Marais. Tons of cool botique shops and awesome falafel (L'As du Fallafel was my favorite). You can take that to the Place des Vosges where people will be lounging and there are sometimes impromptu string ensembles playing. The Picasso museum and Museum of Peace (or something like that) are nearby, but kinda skippable IMHO.

Also, I'd skip Leon for mussels in the long post. It's a chain and, while good, not the same experience as a small bistrot. Ton of other stuff already covered. Some guitar shops near Pigalle but I didn't find many deals there.

OH! A day trip to Giverny is completely worth it if you're a fan of Monet.

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