Paris -

Hi!!

DH and I just booked a trip to Paris for 8 days. I'm looking for must sees and places to eat!


Any suggestions are welcome!

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Besides the basics... Eiffel tower, Norte dame... Try and visit the chapel of st.chapelle - it was one of my favorite things about Paris.

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Thank you!!

I just realized now that I should have said not the basics lol. I'd be under a rock if I didn't know Eiffel tower

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We were just in Paris last week, it was amazing!

We did the hop on hop off tour (L'Open tour on viator.com). Its great cuz it had four different routes you could take all over Paris. One of my favorite things was walking from Moulin Rouge up the hilly streets towards Sacre Couer. Its so beautiful up there and more like "old world" Paris. We also went to the chapel where Napoleon's tomb is. We climbed to the top of Notre Dame, which was awesome! We also went to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I got us a skip the line tour, which was great and the guide was great to have too. We did that with the Louvre as well, did a skip the line tour, so awesome to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo! Lots of great restaurants along the Champs Elysees. And just past the Eiffel Tower by the river, there's a floating restaurant, the food was so good!
We also did a half day tour to the Palace of Versailles, really interesting to see!

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Thank you so much! I'm so excited!

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I went to Paris almost 10 years ago for my 25th birthday during grad school London study abroad. Holy cow - where has the time gone! I will tell you that I have spent the last 10 years trying to find out how to get back.

I'm going to give you everything - what I did then and what I want to do when I go back.

- Eiffel Tower - unbelievably beautiful. Go both during the day and at night to get the different perspectives. Wait on the line and make the trip to the top. The view is unbelievable. Also, the Jules Verne restaurant is mid-tower. I didn't eat there but have heard it's very good and also, $$$$. It's where Tom Cruise proposed to Katie Holmes.
- Night river cruise on the Seine. The boat departed from pretty much the base of the Eiffel Tower, which is where I got that night perspective.
- The Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées. I didn't go up the Arc, but you totally should! Also, fantastic shopping and people watching on the Champs-Élysées. I went to the flagship Louis Vuitton store and bought a purse, which I still have and use to this day. When I went there was not much difference in product selection, but it's so great to have this type of souvenir. Also, you can get the tax back on the purchase when you leave the country. It's called the VAT - Value Added Tax and you can fill out the paperwork at the airport and get your tax back! Score! Also visit the Place de la Concorde at the foot of the Champs- Élysées.
- Notre Dame Cathedral - I didn't go inside but it's beautiful, as is the neighborhood surrounding it, lots of restaurants.
- Rodin Museum - probably my favorite thing I saw in Paris (along with the Eiffel Tower and night river cruise). I saw sculptures of the Kiss and the Thinker. Also, it's actually a mansion, so the grounds are breathtaking.
- Napoleans Tomb - Les Invalides. Again, totally worthwhile to see some of Paris' major history and the surrounding area is very picturesque.
- Pantheon - church converted into a mausoleum. Very unique. Famous pendulum that demonstrates Earth rotation on its axis.
- Louvre - I did a whirlwind of a tour and saw the Mona Lisa. Venus Di Milo, and Nike of Samothrace. Thank you college art history course! Highly recommend and you can see IM Pei's Towers out front.

To Do - for my next trip:
- Jardin de Tuileries - gardens behind the Louvre.
- D'Orsay Musuem - have heard wonderful things about this Musuem.
- Sacre Coeur - overlooks Paris from Montmartre's hilltop.
- Cafe de Flore - famous cafe. Probably touristy and expensive, but would love to see.
- Laduree - home of the infamous French macaron. Must do for the ambiance and colorful confections.
- Moulin Rouge - I'm sure you've heard of this.
- Versailles - infamous Marie Antoinette, let them eat cake, beheaded, etc.
- The Catacombs - DH went to Paris 15+ years ago, before we even met, and highly recommends this. It's basically bones buried underground. Kind of morbid, but cool at the same time.
- Red Light District - self explanatory. Again, DH recommendation from long ago trip.
- The Latin Quarter
- Marche aux Puces - world famous flea market.
- Shopping! Champs-Élysées, St Germain des Pres, Fauborg St Honore neighborhoods, i.e., Arrondisments.

Tips
- Consult Trip Advisor (and Fodor's) for recommendations.
- The French have a reputation for not being particularly friendly but I found the opposite to be true! It could have been due to the fact that I was a young girl, in Paris by myself for a long weekend. Meanwhile, I'm totally proud of myself to this day, that I did so much in one weekend on my own in a foreign country without knowing the language. My point is to respect the country, culture, and language as we would expect of visitors to the US. No preconceived notions please.

Finally, if time permits, explore other parts of France! I would love to see the south of France, dying to go to Provence and the wine/ champagne regions, the Normandy region for DDay and WWII history. My DH has totally rubbed off on me, which I'm sure he'll be very pleased about.

Phew, right! HTH! Can you tell I'm a wannabe Francophile. Other posters, please let me know your experiences and recommendations. To the OP, have a wonderful trip and let us know what you saw and did!

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8 days -- spend some time outside of the city if you can, maybe Chartres or even London. Seriously, you can take the Chunnel train there and back in one (long) day with time for a full day of touring.

I don't remember how long it takes to get to the south of France, but Nice, Cannes and Aix-en-Provence (or anything in the south of France) is lovely, as well.

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Wow this thread brings me back..I spent my junior year abroad in Paris..I can't even remember half if what I did..I recommend the Catacombs, and of course Mont Martre and Sacre Ceour.

Also, if you have time- check out the Salvador Dali museum. It was really cool. There are some cute cafes around it so be sure to take the windy roads. Sunset is GORGEOUS from Mont Martre.

If you need to find an Internet cafe (cheap), take the Metro to the 14th arrondissement (Paris' version of neighborhoods) and there is a big shopping center there (can't miss it, it's the biggest one) and take the escalator to the roof. There is an Internet cafe there hidden away that charges lower prices than the ones in the Latin Quarter.

If you are in the Latin Quarter, be sure to get the crepes from the street vendors- they taste delicious!! Hmm..what else.oh..the cafes closest to Champs Élysées are a rip off..if you walk a few blocks behind it, the area becomes more affordable (restaurants).

Musee D'Orsay is also another cool museum...I would check if they still offer half price admission on Tues or Wed (they did when I was there, maybe it has changed,,but check anyway).

Message edited 5/24/2012 10:47:16 PM.

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To add to the above posters:

* Picasso Museum (Picasso died in Paris and owed a crapload of taxes, so they seized his artwork - including gifts from his friends - like Matisse)

* The one thing that was my absolute favorite was an authors' walking tour. It took us around the Latin Quarter focusing on Hemingway, Joyce, Orwell, Hugo, Voltaire, etc


I didn't do this in Paris, but I think most European cities are best seen by bicycle. I personally like Mike's, but Fat Tire seems to be a good comparison in Paris. If you go early in your trip, you can make a mental note of what you want to go back and explore. link


and I will agree with the Parisians NOT being rude. I was just sure to say "Parlais vous Anglais?"

I think I might be rude if someone came up to me and just started speaking a foreign language that I didn't know and expected me to understand.

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OMG thank you all - I must not have clicked the button to inform me when people posted...


Thank you so much for taking the time to write!! I appreciate it!

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Check out the museum pass - it is valid for 1-3-5 days and works on almost all the museums and major attractions (except Eiffel tower). We saved a ton of money using this.

We went to the Louvre and Musee D'Orsay the one night during the week in the evening. This left our day free for everything else, had a nap in the room and freshened up and then hit the museums. SOOOOOOOOO much less crowded! This was like the best tip I can give anyone.

Pre-book your eiffel tower tickets to avoid the line. We did the stairs to the 2nd level, not bad. I was scared of heights anyway, and started panicking so no desire to go higher. If you want to get to the third level, book in advance online before you get there.

Fat Tire Bike tours leave right from the Eiffel Tower and are a great way to see the city.

Plan to use the subway. Super easy to navigate and it comes every 60 seconds. Lots of signs and very easy to figure out.

Versailles is an easy day trip by train and I highly recommend.

Food - we really enjoyed Le Petite Pointoise restaurant and picnicking in the Jardain de Tuilleries. We just stopped into a Metroprix and picked up groceries - wine, cheese, bread, cured meats, and some fruit and sat in the park. Amazing.

Loved paris and were there this time last year, FM if you have specific questions.

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We just got back from a vacation in Paris and had a wonderful time. All the suggestions already made were great, and I found the people to be friendly and helpful.

Just one thing I want to warn you about. My husband and I had 2 incidents with pick pockets, both on the subway. We thought we were being careful, and the signs are everywhere warning you to beware, but they work in groups to create a distraction and are very fast. Don't keep anything in your pockets, and make sure your pocketbook is zippered closed. Each time they tried to pick our pocket, we created a scene and they threw the wallet on the floor and ran. One of the pick pockets was a young pregnant woman, so beware.

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when are you going? DH and I are going for 6 days end of June. cannot wait!!!

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We are going in August. I wish it was sooner

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if you have an iPhone...the Metro Paris App was great!!!

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