I’m going across the BIG pond to Paris this summer for the first time in my life! I am a little nervous but thrilled all at once. Any see and do suggestions for my trip would be welcome. Things off the beaten path are nice! I will be looking for art, food and nature! Of course my granddaughter wants to see the Eiffel Tower but after that it’s wide open.
See Paris, then leave Paris, find a bakery at 6am and eat bread, cheese and red wine for lunch, take 3 hours over it.
Did that in Italy back in college.
Mmmmm. I'll meet you there.
@sassygirl3869 I think this post is about the lady going to Paris.
Totally just commenting on bread, cheese and wine suggestion
Learn as much of the language as you can! The basic stuff, if they see you are trying you’ll find their attitude towards you quite different than if you didn’t try at all.
@ArtsyChick That is an excellent suggestion, take note
Also I recommend visiting the Bourdeaux region, good wine and some of the best fresh food ever. I have had (and I know I sound like Trump now) THE BEST ham and cheese sandwich that there has ever been, when I visited Bordeaux. There is no better place for fresh food as far as i'm aware. I'm sure there is somewhere but for now, Bordeaux is my favourite.
Also do you speak any french?
If not, I recommend learning a few phrases such as
si vouz-plaiez = if you please = please
merci = thank you
merci beaucoup = thank you a lot
bon jour/soir/nuit = good day/evening/night
oui (pronounced we) = yes
Non = no
Also I recommend talking to strangers or other fellow tourists. They can have some pretty funny stories. Our tour guide showed us a statue of one of the old kings and said "it's a really nice statue, about a month ago the gay pride parade put a giant pink condom on it and the police just left it there for a week before they took it down" stuff like that.
Also if you just try to speak a little french, the average French person will appreciate it and odds are they'll switch to english as soon as they hear an accent.
Oh I love Paris!!!! The Louvre, Montemartre, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, a boat ride along the Seine, Arc de Triumph on the Champs de elysee......the most romantic city on earth!!! Have a most wonderful time (forgive my spelling!) oh and Jim Morrison is buried there! Can’t remember the name of the cemetery.
I agree with all those, and I would add the Jardin de Tuileries. Allow a full day just for the Louvre alone. But to avoid getting ripped off with tourist prices, don't eat in cafes in the main tourist areas - go to some of the little back street places.
Buy a Subway pass ASAP for a week of unlimited travel. The subway system is very easy to navigate once you get situated and talk with everyone. I hope your not on a tour but freelancing your travel skills. Go to Hostels.com or Bookings.com for some good places to stay. You can review all of the locations and rates. They are very clean and the people you will meet are going to be the whole trip because most of them have been their before and will warn you as to the do's and don't. The Hostel Staff are excellent and they will advise you to which tours are the best. If your planning to go to the Louve do it early in the Morn or late in the afternoon to avoid the tourists. Try and get a City Pass which will gain you free admission to many places of interest or at a discounted fee. Their is usually a big flea market on Saturday. There is a Hostel up near Sacre Cour which is a beautiful church high on the Hill. Lots of Art Stores and good Restaurants. It is a little tricky to get up but there is a bus which your travel pass should cover. I will come back with some more places of interest that you would not usually see advertised but will hear about at the Hostels. Remember that these people are travelers from all over the world and you will learn some valuable information. Take the tours from the Hostels which have excellent guides who only want a tip and not fixed price. Make sure that there are no Conventions or Big Events going on during your stay. All the prices double or triple.
I always go for 6 weeks because I really like to enjoy the people. I find the cheapest flight and I can bus it to anywhere in a day. Even if you do fly into London your only two hours or so to Paris by train. Look up Flix Bus, Mein Bus and Mega Bus. The cost will not be more than $15 or less depending on how far advance you book it. These three bus lines go all over Europe for practically nothing. You may even get a stop off in Belgium if you care too. Being your first time be prepared to learn all you can. You can do this for about $1500 if you plan it out and depending on how long and also the time of the year. I also try and go in the off season. The summer is touchy because it gets pretty hot.
Make sure you see the Catacombs....they are so cool! Go to a farmer's maket, see the Pompideau (sp) center, go to the Musee d'Orsay, take a bateau mooche(sp) on the Seine, see the Opera and the Tuilleries. You won't have a bad meal, so enjoy the food and ignore the calories. Have fun, mom petit chou-chou!
Go to the Louvre! It would be a shame if you don't go there
Paris is one of my favorite cities in Europe. Can I ask where you’re staying and for how long? That’ll help in determining what you should see - although using the metro will get you just about anywhere.
I’ve been to the Louvre several times and STILL haven’t seen it all. It’s an incredible museum that’s a must see. Spoiler alert: Mona Lisa isn’t an eye opener as I thought it would be. Too many people around the glass enclosed painting.
Have a brittany crepe. sooo nice . And the left bank of the seine if you're a freak
Bring individually wrapped American Cheese slices to pass out as gifts and to put on top of the food you get at their restaurants.
That's hysterical!
I'd suggest a segway tour around paris. My family and I went a few years ago and our tour guide was a history student studying in a Paris university. He would stop, tell us the historical significance of the location and move on to another location. Very enjoyable and informative.
It might be a little expensive but it's a real treat to drive around on a segway.
Mine is a bit of a warning: the Louvre is a tourist attraction.
I know, that's easy isn't it? What I mean is that when I went (many years ago) with my wife, we ended up skipping the Louvre because the lines were just stupendously long. It's the only real regret I have for that visit to Paris.
If you plan on going to the Louvre (and I understand you should), plan accordingly. Go early. Plan on spending the day there. Especially true if you are going there for art, etc.
Other than that, Paris is a wonderful city, in it's own way. The food, anywhere you find it, is great! Just relax and enjoy.
Oh, if you really want to visit the Louvre, but want to skp the lines, go to Madrid and visit El Prado.
Musee d"Orsay, Rodin Garden, use Rick Steve's guide to Louvre, explore neighborhood around the Eiffel tower and buy picnic fixings in one of the local groceries there, Saint Chappelle near Notre Dame has fabulous stained glass, experience local children playing in [roamthegnome.com], smile at strangers
If this is the first time then make it special. Now you have the advantage of tools like google, search for all must go places in Paris ahead of time, then use Google maps to place them on the map and plan the best strategy to go see everything. There are a lot of things you can see if you are willing to walk (a lot). Find the places you want to see and then you will discover how pleasant it is to get to a specific location if you have a level of pre- knowledge. I could list the must go places but I am sure you will enjoy yourself a lot better if you do diligence. Enjoy and wish you a pleasant experience (Frenchies, specially Parisians not too fond of Americans can be a bit annoying, do not let that ruining it for you)...