Alternative sights in Paris?

Question

We are off to Paris this weekend. We are staying in the Marais area of the city which I know little about. We plan to visit Aux Trois Mailletz one evening and have booked a restaurant for the other but I want interesting ideas for the day times.

This a rare weekend away without our children - traditional sightseeing in over populated areas does not interest us, although if there is something unmissable I would like to know!

I want the weekend to be romantic and relaxing :)

Also what are the best options for travel, are the underground/trams etc; easy to understand and good value?

Answer 1

The problem with your question is that it assumes that there is some insider list of places to see and that these are a more valuable use of your time than seeing Notre Dame or the Louvre. That's rather a questionable assumption.

I can direct you to places that are less popular or even obscure such as the Police Museum housed in the 5th arrondissement police station at 4 rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève (I've never seen anyone else there), but I'm not sure that's a reasonable alternative to the Musee d'Orsay. If that's really what you want then I'll make a list for you.

But if seeing famous sights or great art isn't your cup of tea then why not forget normal sightseeing entirely?

The weather this weekend should be very nice with sun predicted for both Saturday and Sunday. The Marais is a lovely neighborhood with lots of nice architecture, little shops, interesting people and plenty of pleasant cafes. Tuck your map in your back pocket and just start walking. Look into shops, read the menus of cafes you pass by, stop every hour or so and sit with a glass of wine and watch the world go by. Strike up a conversation with strangers, snap pictures of pretty buildings, buy some chocolate (there are lots of good chocolate shops in the Marais), head down to the river and stroll along the banks of Seine holding hands.

Also, you should consider that Paris stays open very late. Aux Trois Mailletz will still be going strong at 4 AM on Friday and Saturday night. So if you find you enjoy the night life, you'll probably not be getting up until rather late in the day.

P.S. On the night you aren't going to Aux Trois Mailletz you should go listen to my friend Sylvain Petit perform if he's got a gig going. If you want I can send you his phone number by e-mail and if he's working this weekend, he'll tell you where he's appearing and how to get there.

EDIT: The Metro is an excellant way to travel around and very easy to use. Further, the Metro has a very dense network of stations which means that almost every location in central Paris is no more than a few blocks from a station. The bus system is almost equally easy to use and uses the same tickets as the Metro.

Answer 2

I agree some of the traditional sights can be overly crowded, but one of my favorite spots was Versailles. Not necessarily the palace, but the grounds. They are so incredibly charming that we returned the next day just to enjoy the relaxation factor some more. They have lots of beautiful bridal paths, exquisite fountains, and you can rent bikes and canoes to tour the grounds further.

If it is rainy I would suggest the Musee d'Orsay as it has some incredibly beautiful impressionist paintings, a must see as well.