What are some fun things to do in Paris in January?

Question

Can someone tell me what are some good things (the best actually) to do in Paris in mid-January?

Me & 2 friends (middle aged) are going in January and we want to make sure we see all the best Paris has to offer in just a few days.

Answer 1

It is mostly cold at the time but there are plenty of places to be  visited....musiums.cathedrals...Effel tower...you d better  get a guide book,& choose your favorite places, as you ll going to be on short of time to visit allover Paris in just one trip

Answer 2

Apart from cold weather and shorter days, January is no different from the rest of the year to visit Paris. The only differences will be the possibility to use the outdoor skating rink outside the city hall and watching the kids enjoy the sledding hill.

http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.ht...

Also, some of the Christmas lights and decorations should still be on in mid-January.

- Take a cruise tour on the Seine, that's enjoyable in any weather and you will see most of the famous monuments (do it at the beginning of your stay). On a rainy day, wait till it's dark to do it as the lights will make the monuments stand out much better.

- If you only have a few days and it is your first time, I would suggest skipping the Louvre (go there to see the pyramid in the courtyard though). It is huge and overcrowded. There are a lot of smaller museums if you really care for art museums (Picasso, Rodin, Carnavalet, Cluny or even Orsay is more manageable in a few hours).

It is too long to list all the things you can do in Paris in a few days but here are the traditional must-sees:

- Notre Dame (you can go to the top (in winter the waiting line is not as long, which is one of the advantages of traveling off season)

- Walk in the Latin Quarter (5th arrondissement), St-Germain-des-Prés (6th) and Marais (4th) districts as well as on Ile St-Louis (the smaller of the to islands in the center of Paris).

- Eiffel Tower (long waiting line to go to the top). At night, check the lights which sparkle every hour:

http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/pra...

- Montmartre (actually best in winter, a little more authentic and less crowded)

- the Champs Elysées from Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde.

- In winter, it is nice to go to the Galeries Lafayette if you have time, it is not far from the Opera house: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galeries_La...

Don't try to visit all the monuments in a short stay, try to spend half the time visiting a few and half the time walking in the streets, strolling along the river, window shopping and enjoying cafés. Do not miss the night life either. There are a lot of jazz clubs or salsa discos. Avoid restaurants in super touristy areas, venture into little side streets instead.

Here are also some "off the beaten path" ideas:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Have fun in Paris!

Answer 3

just sit at a cafe and people watch.  i went there and did the whole tourist thing and i don't regret it, but i wish i had been able to just sit and enjoy the parisian experience.  try to blend in with the parisians, ride the subway, don't lug around a huge backpack, just enjoy the vibe of the city.  Maybe take a few hours to hit the basics, champs-elysees, arc de triomphe, le tour d'eiffel.  versailles is always a good day trip, but only if you wanna sacrifice the whole day it takes to get up there, go through it, see the rest of the town, and get back.  it's only fourteen miles but the place is mammoth- i took a short tour and it was a seven mile walk.

Answer 4

You and your friends need to decide before you get here what you all what to see

There are so many things to see and do that sometimes, in the few days that people have to visit, they spend their time running around trying to do it all !

Of course, if its your first trip to Paris, then you will want to see the Eiffel Tower, visit the Louvre and the Notre Dame, walk around Montmatre and maybe even catch a show at the Moulin Rouge

January is the month, when shops ( department stores included) have their winter sale, so don't  forget to add some shopping time to your schedule

I hope you all have a great time.