Any Paris Tips or advice?

Question

Hello my husband and I will be traveling to Paris this Nov 22-25th and were wondering if you had any good tips or advice on any of the attractions/sights or anything else. We were thinking of seeing the Eiffel Towere, Chap Elysees, Louv, Notre Dame, Louis the sun gods palace and gardens, and a boat ride on the Seine at night....any help or suggestions are welcome!!! Thank you :o)

Answer 1

Your list sounds ok to me, do the things that appeal to you.  I would suggest that the Rodin Museum is just beautiful.   Pere Lachaise Cemetery might be of interest.  Take a map with you, it is friggin huge in there.  People sell them but I think you can get them free too.  

If I were giving my old self advice, I would say to:

Learn how the tickets work (RATP) and the options.  Validate or pay fine, etc.  Learn about taking the RER out of town or into town from the airport if that is what you wish.  (Probably a big challenge the very first time)

Learn the metro map before you go.  (The symbols, what it all means, but also the routes)  Know how to read it at a glance before you get there. Think about going from A to B.  Which line would you take and in what direction?  How many transfers does it take?  (The direction is indicated by the final stop of that line)

Learn the bus map before you go.  Know how to read it at a glance before you get there.

Understand how between them you get most anywhere (sometimes you have to transfer/connect)

Stay in a place that is next to a station that services both an East/West rail and a North/South rail.   As an added bonus, a place that does this and is on a decent bus line.  You'll shave a lot of latent time.

Be sure to walk a lot too though, there are many nice things to accidentally see.

Don't come right out of the metro then stop and look at a map.  You draw a target on yourself in doing so.   Walk a few blocks and then figure out where you are.

A lot of this is regular common sense stuff for a tourist.

I rented an apartment and loved that versus a hotel.

When somebody comes up to you and asks if you speak English, shake your head.   (Don't say yes)  Don't say no either because you would presumably answer in an English accent.   If you want to give a donation, then say yes and read the piece of paper they hold up.

Speak as much French as you can.   Remember to start every encounter with Bonjour or Bon Soir in order to be polite.

Answer 2

Take money from ATM, do not use money changers as the rates are outrageous...

Answer 3

paris is a great walking city - so walk as much as possible to see things/places other than 'the sights'

and mainly attempt to speak french - starting with the disclaimer ' I don't speak french well'

- "Je ne parle pas français bien" .

It is much more appreciated than not trying at all, or worse shouting. (not that you would of course, but there are some...)

most of all have fun.

But most of all just relax and enjoy - don't try to pack in more than you can handle - it is a beautiful place to relax.

Answer 4

Check out La Marais, it's an area within walking distance of the Notre Dame, and if you don't mind walking, also La Louvre and the Jardin des Tuileries. Anyway, it's a great neighbourhood full of history, shops, museums, restaurants, cafes and great people. I lived there for 4 months a few summers ago and adored it www.parismarais.com

I also like the Palais and Jardins de Luxembourg and the area.

There's so much to Paris you'll never fit it all in one trip but I'm sure you'll go back for more. Go to the Champ Elysee if you must just to say you have but it's c**p - jam packed full of tourists, fast food chains and stores you'll see back home. It's much more interesting to check out little neighbourhoods and find the real paris. Rue du Rivoli is near La Louvre and you'll find real Parisians shopping there.

The metro is so easy so it's a breeze getting around. I would really recommend walking though, it's a great way to get to know the city and really feel it.

Buy a museum and national monument pass! You miss the lines and get unlimited access, they can be bought at the tourist offices and metro stations.

Ok, as you can see I love Paris... enjoy yourselves!!

Answer 5

If you don't have a lot of time, don't do Versailles. It is expensive and you could spend a whole day there so you can skip it. We should have.

Musts: Eiffel Towere, Chap Elysees, Louv, Notre Dame, Seine river tour, and go to Montmartre we enjoyed this area very much!!!!

Depending on where you are staying the METRO passes are very handy and so very easy to use.

Have a wonderful time! I've never had the desire to go to Paris at all, but I really liked it!

:)

Answer 6

why go to the "Must See" venues?... YOU are on holiday , so , to enjoy YOUR Holiday , GO SEE EVERY-THING/ANY-THING THAT YOU WANT to SEE AND/OR DO!...don`t you two have an Imagination?...Going to where EVERY-BODY else goes , doesn`t reflect ADVENTURE!...or common-sense....OR FUN!

Answer 7

Montmartre with the Sacré Coeur on the top of the hill.

with the Place of Tertre is a square with main of street painters.

You can access to this place by Metro Abesse or Anvers and take the funicular of Montmartre.

Near of Champs Elysées, you have a beautiful bridge called "Pont Alexandre III", the most beautiful bridge of Paris.

You can visit the Marais, near Pompidou Contemporay Art Center, where you can visit the "Heart of Paris"

Also if you want so luxury ring and jewelry, go to the Place Vendome (Van Cleef & Arple...) near Opéra square.

Answer 8

Its Louis XIV who was referred to as the "Sun King" and the palace you probably have in mind is Versailles, in a close suburb of Paris. You can get there by taking the commuter train called the RER, line C to the Versailles station. The chateau is about a 10 minute walk.

The following are usually considered the "must see" sights:

Eiffel Tower

Notre Dame

Saint Chapelle

Arc de Triomphe

Champs Elysee

Sacre Coeur

Place de la Concorde

Louvre Museum

Cluny Museum

Musee D'Orsay

Musee Branley

Centre Pompidou

There's also a lot to Paris that is beyond the tourist sights. Its the ambience and the attitude of Paris which need to be lived and felt.

You should spend some time just strolling around the city to appreciate its architecture and to get a feel for its medieval layout, the Belle Epoch improvements of Baron Hausman, and the modernizations seen in places like the Les Halles Forum and the new Opera in the Place Bastille.

You should take a little time to just sit in a cafe in the Latin Quarter or St. Germaine and people watch.

Enjoy some of the nightlife of Paris. Not the tourist ripoffs like the Moulin Rogue or the Lido but the vast number of fantastic music venues, from the jazz joints to discos. Check out my favorite hangout, Aux Trois Mailletz, at 56 rue Galande on the Left Bank just of the rue St. Jacques.

Eat! And be a bit courageous. Go to places that don't cater to tourists and don't have English menus. Just point to things on the menu or, better still, walk into a cafe at lunchtime and ask for the daily special which you'll almost always see displayed on a chalk board. don't worry if you don't know what it is! Try it! The worst that will happen is that you'll have a hilarious story to tell about how you got served a calve's head with cream sauce or something else too weird for you to eat.

Answer 9

take the subway and a special ticket for tourism : it is cheap and you can travell everywhere in Paris (by bus too ...)

Answer 10

The sights you've chosen are all excellent.  Be advised the Versailles (the "sun god's palace" you mention) will take the better part of the day . . . I'd recommend taking the RER early in the morning; that way you could get back in the evening, which would be a great time to go to another spot on your list:  The Eiffel Tower.  The view is fantastic at night.

Parisians love their parks, so make sure you get to at least one during your trip.  The Bois du Bologne is HUGE (4,000 acres), and it's accordingly very diverse in its attractions -- it has an amusement park, a petting zoo and beautiful nature trails.  Another favorite is the Jardin du Luxembourg, which is a more formal, classic "garden" style park.  You'll see French children playing with their boats on the pond, and martial arts practitioners line the sidewalks.  You might even catch a glimpse of a parliamentarian, as the French Parliament meets on the park's periphery.

Bonne Vacance!

Kango Traveler

http://www.kango.com