Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do/see in Paris? I’ve never been before, and I’m heading there this Saturday (landing Sunday) for work. I’ll have most of Sunday to walk around and try to fight off the jet lag, along with most nights. I’ll be there a week, and I’m wondering where some good restaurants, bars, etc are. I’ll be staying near the Eiffel tower, so I’ll probably hit up some of the touristy places, but I want to know where else to go. Anyone have any tips?
Clubs are expensive and fun. I find the women easy to approach (Native fluency in french here). Louvre, Jardins de Tuillery, Place de Concorde, Arc De Triumph are all lined up along the same street and if you hit the Louvre in the morning you should figure on eating a late lunch at the Jardins and eating dinner on the Champs. Pleny of small museums and small attractions. Eiffel tower is cool if it’s your first time. Lots of fun bars and clubs. There is a club that is in the Catacombs which is pretty trippy, I doubt youd want to do that on a business trip though. Besides that I find the best way to soak in Paris is to sit down with the newspaper in a corner cafe outside and just watch/read for hours. Then again i’ve been to Paris ~20 times.
Hi dspapo, I took my family on a trip to Paris last year during the holidays. It’s up to you how you plan your days, but here is how I structured it: Day 1 – Explored the area around where I was staying (right on Rue de la Paix) and visited the Opera Garnier. There are a number of good restaurants – the further from Rue de la Paix, the more affordable – but you will see some incredible stores along the street itself from all the luxury brands you can imagine. You probably won’t buy much as things are much cheaper in the U.S., but it’s still cool to see…walking around there will help you understand why it’s the most expensive property in the French version of “monopoly.” Day 2 – Louvre. My family and I spent the whole day there. There are multiple galleries and it’s also worthwhile just walking around the area to observe the architecture. You should figure out in advance which wings and galleries you want to see – I recommend checking the Rick Steves book or wikitravel or something for ideas. Anyone visiting Paris must spend time at the Louvre as it’s one of the most important museums in the world. Day 3 – Le Jardins des Tuileries, Musee D’Orsay, and L’Orangerie. They are all basically walking distance from each other. L’Orangerie was one of my favorite museums given my interest in 19th and 20th century art – Monet’s water lilies are there, not to mention the fabulous collection of Renoirs, Van Goghs (second only to Amsterdam), and Picasso. Le Jardins is right next to L’Orangerie and it’s nice to walk through – great scenery, beautiful park, and there is also a ferris wheel there if you’re into that. Musee D’Orsay is yet another important museum in Paris – along with L’Orangerie and Le Louvre – and you can’t miss it. Definitely go with a tour book as there is a ton of stuff to see, mostly mid to late 19th century French art. Also pay attention to the architecture of the museum – truly an architectural wonder of the Beaux-Arts period. Day 4 – plan a day trip to Versailles. Many French museums are closed on Tuesdays; the Chateau at Versailles is closed on Monday. Thus, plan your 3-day museum pass (see my comments further below about the Museum Pass) such that you can go to Versailles on a day where your favorite museums won’t be open so you don’t spoil any opportunities to see the museums (however, do note that Versailles is separate admission). You can download a free audio guide or podcast to Versailles from a number of websites…just google it. The palace is one of the most amazing representations of European opulence, and prepare to spend a few hours there. However, also check out the park and gardens of Marie Antoinette and hopefully spend some time wandering Versailles as well. The trip to Versailles from Paris is about one hour each way on the RER/metro; if you start in the morning, you can get back to Paris in the evening to enjoy some dinner and nightlife. Throughout your whole trip you must enjoy the French cuisine, though don’t overlook the large supermarkets as well to enjoy some cured meats and cheeses that you can basically only find in France. Day 5 – do the historical “Paris Walk” which will also lead you to Ile de la Cite, Cathedral de Notre Dame, le Quartier Latin, and Cathedral Ste Chappelle. You can achieve all of this in a morning and afternoon. You must see all of these sites, if possible. In the evening, you can visit Le Centre Pompidou, which features primarily art from late 19th century through contemporary times. It’s a really cool exhibit and the museum opens late till 8PM or 9PM. Day 6 – visit the Eiffel Tower in the morning or afternoon. No need to go all the way to the top to get a good view. There are plenty of photo opportunities on the grounds as well. There are a number of restaurants in the tower and also in the surrounding area (Trocadero). Allow 3 hours to visit the Eiffel Tower and surrounding grounds. In the afternoon, you can do the Marais walk (a nice and artsy part of town) and see Montmartre if you wish; while in Marais, be sure to visit the Carnavalet museum, which is one of the single-most important museums about the history of France during its royalty periods. In the evening, you will have some extra time so take the metro to go see the Arc de Triomphe, and then afterward visit les Champs-Elysees. It’s essentially Paris’ version of New York’s Fifth Avenue, and then some – aside from all the luxury shops that you may know, there are also cinemas, theaters, and number of cafes. Take your time and enjoy the hustle and bustle atmosphere. Again, the exchange rate is such that most things will be cheaper in the U.S. as far as souvenirs, clothing and jewelry are concerned; however, do take time to enjoy some food along the way. It’s worth walking the entire length of the Champs Elysees at a leisurely pace – that might take you a couple of hours – but it will bring you back to the city center before long. It’s a perfect way to spend a nice afternoon or evening. If you are there for leisure (as opposed to work), definitely buy the museum pass. Probably a 3-day pass would be good as it will get you access to most of the major museums and historical sites in Paris, and it will help you avoid lines in the event that places are crowded. Rick Steves also recommends the following 7-day itinerary; I highly recommend that you get his guidebook. It is an excellent way for you to guide yourself through Paris and also contains a nice section on Versailles. http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/france/parisitin.htm Lastly, if you speak any French at all – however conversational it might be – I highly recommend that you use it. It’s true that a number of people there speak English and I generally felt that the French people I met had a respectful outlook towards Americans. However, you will get much further if you speak any French at all. I’m the only person in my family that speaks French but I think it was much easier to get around because of that – people tend to be much more inviting that way, especially because my level of proficiency (despite not actually being fluent) might be a bit more than they expect from an “American dude.” Anyway, I hope this helps. Luckily it’s been a fairly manageable day at work, but I really hope you have a fun time in Paris. If you have any interest whatsoever in history, culture, fine arts, big cities, fantastic gastronomy, among other things, you will have a blast in Paris. Let me know how things go!
Nice! Thanks a lot, guys. I know I won’t be able to get to everything since I’ll be in the office during the day, and I’m sure I’ll have to go out to dinner with coworkers. That doesn’t mean that I’m not going to try to hit up everything I can. The office is supposed to be near Versailles, so I’m going to try to get out early enough to check that out. Even if it’s just seeing it from the outside, I know I’ll like it. Although I’m extremely uneducated about them, I’m often in awe of ornate architecture and gardening. Although I’m not a big art fan, I’m still going to try to hit up the Louvre and see the more famous/touristy pieces. I think this trip will result in more trips over there, so I’ll make sure to bookmark this for future reference. Thanks again
dspapo Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Nice! Thanks a lot, guys. > > I know I won’t be able to get to everything since > I’ll be in the office during the day, and I’m sure > I’ll have to go out to dinner with coworkers. > That doesn’t mean that I’m not going to try to hit > up everything I can. > > The office is supposed to be near Versailles, so > I’m going to try to get out early enough to check > that out. Even if it’s just seeing it from the > outside, I know I’ll like it. Although I’m > extremely uneducated about them, I’m often in awe > of ornate architecture and gardening. > > Although I’m not a big art fan, I’m still going to > try to hit up the Louvre and see the more > famous/touristy pieces. > > I think this trip will result in more trips over > there, so I’ll make sure to bookmark this for > future reference. > > Thanks again It sounds like you’re going to be more on the outskirts of Paris. Versailles is about a 30 minute drive into town. Also, French business culture doesn’t really follow the get dinner/drinks with co-workers model. It’s much more of a long lunch model. Check out the Economist Podcasts on iTunes. There was a recent podcast on doing business in France, might be useful?
numi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi dspapo, > > I took my family on a trip to Paris last year > during the holidays. It’s up to you how you plan > your days, but here is how I structured it: > > Day 1 – Explored the area around where I was > staying (right on Rue de la Paix) and visited the > Opera Garnier. There are a number of good > restaurants – the further from Rue de la Paix, > the more affordable – but you will see some > incredible stores along the street itself from all > the luxury brands you can imagine. You probably > won’t buy much as things are much cheaper in the > U.S., but it’s still cool to see…walking around > there will help you understand why it’s the most > expensive property in the French version of > “monopoly.” > > Day 2 – Louvre. My family and I spent the whole > day there. There are multiple galleries and it’s > also worthwhile just walking around the area to > observe the architecture. You should figure out in > advance which wings and galleries you want to see > – I recommend checking the Rick Steves book or > wikitravel or something for ideas. Anyone visiting > Paris must spend time at the Louvre as it’s one of > the most important museums in the world. > > Day 3 – Le Jardins des Tuileries, Musee D’Orsay, > and L’Orangerie. They are all basically walking > distance from each other. L’Orangerie was one of > my favorite museums given my interest in 19th and > 20th century art – Monet’s water lilies are > there, not to mention the fabulous collection of > Renoirs, Van Goghs (second only to Amsterdam), and > Picasso. Le Jardins is right next to L’Orangerie > and it’s nice to walk through – great scenery, > beautiful park, and there is also a ferris wheel > there if you’re into that. Musee D’Orsay is yet > another important museum in Paris – along with > L’Orangerie and Le Louvre – and you can’t miss > it. Definitely go with a tour book as there is a > ton of stuff to see, mostly mid to late 19th > century French art. Also pay attention to the > architecture of the museum – truly an > architectural wonder of the Beaux-Arts period. > > Day 4 – plan a day trip to Versailles. Many > French museums are closed on Tuesdays; the Chateau > at Versailles is closed on Monday. Thus, plan your > 3-day museum pass (see my comments further below > about the Museum Pass) such that you can go to > Versailles on a day where your favorite museums > won’t be open so you don’t spoil any opportunities > to see the museums (however, do note that > Versailles is separate admission). You can > download a free audio guide or podcast to > Versailles from a number of websites…just google > it. The palace is one of the most amazing > representations of European opulence, and prepare > to spend a few hours there. However, also check > out the park and gardens of Marie Antoinette and > hopefully spend some time wandering Versailles as > well. The trip to Versailles from Paris is about > one hour each way on the RER/metro; if you start > in the morning, you can get back to Paris in the > evening to enjoy some dinner and nightlife. > Throughout your whole trip you must enjoy the > French cuisine, though don’t overlook the large > supermarkets as well to enjoy some cured meats and > cheeses that you can basically only find in > France. > > Day 5 – do the historical “Paris Walk” which will > also lead you to Ile de la Cite, Cathedral de > Notre Dame, le Quartier Latin, and Cathedral Ste > Chappelle. You can achieve all of this in a > morning and afternoon. You must see all of these > sites, if possible. In the evening, you can visit > Le Centre Pompidou, which features primarily art > from late 19th century through contemporary times. > It’s a really cool exhibit and the museum opens > late till 8PM or 9PM. > > Day 6 – visit the Eiffel Tower in the morning or > afternoon. No need to go all the way to the top to > get a good view. There are plenty of photo > opportunities on the grounds as well. There are a > number of restaurants in the tower and also in the > surrounding area (Trocadero). Allow 3 hours to > visit the Eiffel Tower and surrounding grounds. In > the afternoon, you can do the Marais walk (a nice > and artsy part of town) and see Montmartre if you > wish; while in Marais, be sure to visit the > Carnavalet museum, which is one of the single-most > important museums about the history of France > during its royalty periods. In the evening, you > will have some extra time so take the metro to go > see the Arc de Triomphe, and then afterward visit > les Champs-Elysees. It’s essentially Paris’ > version of New York’s Fifth Avenue, and then some > – aside from all the luxury shops that you may > know, there are also cinemas, theaters, and number > of cafes. Take your time and enjoy the hustle and > bustle atmosphere. Again, the exchange rate is > such that most things will be cheaper in the U.S. > as far as souvenirs, clothing and jewelry are > concerned; however, do take time to enjoy some > food along the way. It’s worth walking the entire > length of the Champs Elysees at a leisurely pace > – that might take you a couple of hours – but it > will bring you back to the city center before > long. It’s a perfect way to spend a nice afternoon > or evening. > > If you are there for leisure (as opposed to work), > definitely buy the museum pass. Probably a 3-day > pass would be good as it will get you access to > most of the major museums and historical sites in > Paris, and it will help you avoid lines in the > event that places are crowded. > > Rick Steves also recommends the following 7-day > itinerary; I highly recommend that you get his > guidebook. It is an excellent way for you to guide > yourself through Paris and also contains a nice > section on Versailles. > > http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/france > /parisitin.htm > > Lastly, if you speak any French at all – however > conversational it might be – I highly recommend > that you use it. It’s true that a number of people > there speak English and I generally felt that the > French people I met had a respectful outlook > towards Americans. However, you will get much > further if you speak any French at all. I’m the > only person in my family that speaks French but I > think it was much easier to get around because of > that – people tend to be much more inviting that > way, especially because my level of proficiency > (despite not actually being fluent) might be a bit > more than they expect from an “American dude.” > > Anyway, I hope this helps. Luckily it’s been a > fairly manageable day at work, but I really hope > you have a fun time in Paris. If you have any > interest whatsoever in history, culture, fine > arts, big cities, fantastic gastronomy, among > other things, you will have a blast in Paris. Let > me know how things go! Wow you write long posts.
marcus phoenix Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > numi Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Hi dspapo, > > > > I took my family on a trip to Paris last year > > during the holidays. It’s up to you how you > plan > > your days, but here is how I structured it: > > > > Day 1 – Explored the area around where I was > > staying (right on Rue de la Paix) and visited > the > > Opera Garnier. There are a number of good > > restaurants – the further from Rue de la Paix, > > the more affordable – but you will see some > > incredible stores along the street itself from > all > > the luxury brands you can imagine. You probably > > won’t buy much as things are much cheaper in > the > > U.S., but it’s still cool to see…walking > around > > there will help you understand why it’s the > most > > expensive property in the French version of > > “monopoly.” > > > > Day 2 – Louvre. My family and I spent the > whole > > day there. There are multiple galleries and > it’s > > also worthwhile just walking around the area to > > observe the architecture. You should figure out > in > > advance which wings and galleries you want to > see > > – I recommend checking the Rick Steves book or > > wikitravel or something for ideas. Anyone > visiting > > Paris must spend time at the Louvre as it’s one > of > > the most important museums in the world. > > > > Day 3 – Le Jardins des Tuileries, Musee > D’Orsay, > > and L’Orangerie. They are all basically walking > > distance from each other. L’Orangerie was one > of > > my favorite museums given my interest in 19th > and > > 20th century art – Monet’s water lilies are > > there, not to mention the fabulous collection > of > > Renoirs, Van Goghs (second only to Amsterdam), > and > > Picasso. Le Jardins is right next to > L’Orangerie > > and it’s nice to walk through – great scenery, > > beautiful park, and there is also a ferris > wheel > > there if you’re into that. Musee D’Orsay is yet > > another important museum in Paris – along with > > L’Orangerie and Le Louvre – and you can’t miss > > it. Definitely go with a tour book as there is > a > > ton of stuff to see, mostly mid to late 19th > > century French art. Also pay attention to the > > architecture of the museum – truly an > > architectural wonder of the Beaux-Arts period. > > > > Day 4 – plan a day trip to Versailles. Many > > French museums are closed on Tuesdays; the > Chateau > > at Versailles is closed on Monday. Thus, plan > your > > 3-day museum pass (see my comments further > below > > about the Museum Pass) such that you can go to > > Versailles on a day where your favorite museums > > won’t be open so you don’t spoil any > opportunities > > to see the museums (however, do note that > > Versailles is separate admission). You can > > download a free audio guide or podcast to > > Versailles from a number of websites…just > google > > it. The palace is one of the most amazing > > representations of European opulence, and > prepare > > to spend a few hours there. However, also check > > out the park and gardens of Marie Antoinette > and > > hopefully spend some time wandering Versailles > as > > well. The trip to Versailles from Paris is > about > > one hour each way on the RER/metro; if you > start > > in the morning, you can get back to Paris in > the > > evening to enjoy some dinner and nightlife. > > Throughout your whole trip you must enjoy the > > French cuisine, though don’t overlook the large > > supermarkets as well to enjoy some cured meats > and > > cheeses that you can basically only find in > > France. > > > > Day 5 – do the historical “Paris Walk” which > will > > also lead you to Ile de la Cite, Cathedral de > > Notre Dame, le Quartier Latin, and Cathedral > Ste > > Chappelle. You can achieve all of this in a > > morning and afternoon. You must see all of > these > > sites, if possible. In the evening, you can > visit > > Le Centre Pompidou, which features primarily > art > > from late 19th century through contemporary > times. > > It’s a really cool exhibit and the museum opens > > late till 8PM or 9PM. > > > > Day 6 – visit the Eiffel Tower in the morning > or > > afternoon. No need to go all the way to the top > to > > get a good view. There are plenty of photo > > opportunities on the grounds as well. There are > a > > number of restaurants in the tower and also in > the > > surrounding area (Trocadero). Allow 3 hours to > > visit the Eiffel Tower and surrounding grounds. > In > > the afternoon, you can do the Marais walk (a > nice > > and artsy part of town) and see Montmartre if > you > > wish; while in Marais, be sure to visit the > > Carnavalet museum, which is one of the > single-most > > important museums about the history of France > > during its royalty periods. In the evening, you > > will have some extra time so take the metro to > go > > see the Arc de Triomphe, and then afterward > visit > > les Champs-Elysees. It’s essentially Paris’ > > version of New York’s Fifth Avenue, and then > some > > – aside from all the luxury shops that you may > > know, there are also cinemas, theaters, and > number > > of cafes. Take your time and enjoy the hustle > and > > bustle atmosphere. Again, the exchange rate is > > such that most things will be cheaper in the > U.S. > > as far as souvenirs, clothing and jewelry are > > concerned; however, do take time to enjoy some > > food along the way. It’s worth walking the > entire > > length of the Champs Elysees at a leisurely > pace > > – that might take you a couple of hours – but > it > > will bring you back to the city center before > > long. It’s a perfect way to spend a nice > afternoon > > or evening. > > > > If you are there for leisure (as opposed to > work), > > definitely buy the museum pass. Probably a > 3-day > > pass would be good as it will get you access to > > most of the major museums and historical sites > in > > Paris, and it will help you avoid lines in the > > event that places are crowded. > > > > Rick Steves also recommends the following 7-day > > itinerary; I highly recommend that you get his > > guidebook. It is an excellent way for you to > guide > > yourself through Paris and also contains a nice > > section on Versailles. > > > > > http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/france > > > /parisitin.htm > > > > Lastly, if you speak any French at all – > however > > conversational it might be – I highly > recommend > > that you use it. It’s true that a number of > people > > there speak English and I generally felt that > the > > French people I met had a respectful outlook > > towards Americans. However, you will get much > > further if you speak any French at all. I’m the > > only person in my family that speaks French but > I > > think it was much easier to get around because > of > > that – people tend to be much more inviting > that > > way, especially because my level of proficiency > > (despite not actually being fluent) might be a > bit > > more than they expect from an “American dude.” > > > > Anyway, I hope this helps. Luckily it’s been a > > fairly manageable day at work, but I really > hope > > you have a fun time in Paris. If you have any > > interest whatsoever in history, culture, fine > > arts, big cities, fantastic gastronomy, among > > other things, you will have a blast in Paris. > Let > > me know how things go! > > > Wow you write long posts. I think I should quote this because it’s not long.
paris has been a lot of fun. i had a lot of work to do, so i didn’t get to go to as many bars as i was hoping to. next time i’m here, i’ll have all the touristy stuff out of the way, and i’ll be able to focus on the bar/club scene. it’s tough to pick a favorite thing that i did. however, the most disappointing thing was that there was a tv show that was pretty much pron on sunday night when i rolled in. unfortunately, there was nothing like it for the rest of the week **sad trombone** now i’m off to drunk-email my friends while those jerks are still at work. thanks a lot for all your suggestions and tips!