What should I see in Paris during a 12 hour layover?

Question

I don't want to be touristy, but I want to see some cool, inexpensive stuff. I only have 12 hours.

Answer 1

Avoid the Eiffel, Louvre, Champs Elysseys (sp?), Notre Dame, Arc d'Triumph...instead, go to Montmartre and you will see all the views in the whole city, plus it's the most beautiful church around.  Around it is a small artist's community and some great little cafes.  I have spent weeks in Paris, and this is probably the only spot I would really suggest simply because all of the others are so overwrought with tourists that you don't get to enjoy them.  

Also, the Grande Arche is cool, it's huge and is near a bunch of tech-stuff.  But Montmartre is the place to go.

Answer 2

I hope you can arrange it so that you can sleep on the way to Paris.  That way during your time there you won't be too groggy.  If it were me I'd have a few drinks so I'd doze off.  Since you didn't give the hours, we can't tell you what exactly will be opened and closed during your lay over.

The first respondant obviously did not read that you only have a 12 hour lay over.  I'd just ignore that answer all together.  ( I don't mean you Alana, it looks like the person withdrew their question.)

I'd pick one or two areas of Paris and just enjoy them.  Someone suggested Mont Martre and I thinkt that would be a good choice.  Another choice would be to just start off at ile de la cite and start wandering from there.  You could start off at Notre dame, hang out in the marais, make your way over to hotel de ville and spend some time at Centre Georges Pompidou.  

Or you could pick one museum if you must satisfy a muse in you.  Then after that maybe wander in garden - either the tuileries or jardin du luxembourg.

Be sure and spend some quality time in a cafe with a cafe au lait!

Answer 3

Hotel des Invalides, where Napoleon is entombed IS touristy but not as much as other more well known places.

Alternatively just have a stroll around the left bank where all the students seem to congregate.

Answer 4

You need to be realistic about what you can see in this period of time.

You will probably need to clear customs and passport control which can easily take an hour. You have to get into the city which will take about 35 minutes on the RER after you find the station in the airport terminal and buy your tickets(assuming you are landing at CDG airport). Depending on what sort of flight you are taking you will need to return to the airport with and hour or two to spare.

Therefore you really have more like 8 hours assuming no mishaps or additional delays.

Begin by taking the RER B from CDG to the St. Michel stop. When you exit you will be along the banks of the Seine in the Latin Quarter. You should be able to see Notre Dame directly across a short span of river on the Ile de la Cite, the historical heart of the city. Cross over and take a stroll thru Notre Dame, one of the great examples of gothic architecture in the world. Its a working church so entry is free.

When you exit the church walk across the plaza, stopping to take a look at the Zero Mile Marker, from which all distances in France are measured, and continue to the  rue de la Cite which marks the eastern boundary of the plaza. Turn right and walk (you are now heading north) until you reach the other side of the island (just a long block) and the Quai de l'Horage. Turn left (you are now walking west...that's the "Right Bank" across the river) and in another block you'll come to the Conciergerie, a medieval palace that was turned into a prison during the Revolution. You can see the cell where Marie Antoinette was held before being taken to her death on the guillotine and the small courtyard where Royalists awaited the sounding of the small bell that is still there that meant that the tumbrels were coming to take them to their deaths.

After leaving the Conciergerie continue walking west as the island narrows to a point. There are a series of steps that take you down to a little park, the Square du Vert Galant. It was here that Jacques DeMolay, Grandmaster of the Knights Templar was burned at the stake. Here you can find the dock for the Vedettes de Pont Neuf ( http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/ ) where you can take a boat ride up and down the Seine which will allow you to see the Eiffel Tower and a variety of other sights. The ride takes about an hour.

After the boat ride, cross the Pont Neuf ("New Bridge" ... although its actually the oldest bridge in Paris) back to the Left Bank and walk along the Quai and check out the famous book sellers of the Seine who set up their wares along the wall of the Quai. They've been doing this since the Middle Ages when this are was dominated by the University.

When you get to the Boulevard St. Michel, turn right (which will be away from the river) and  walk up to the Cluny Museum (Musee du Moyen Age) a wonderful little museum, often overlooked by tourists, which is in a gorgeous medieval mansion which is itself built over the ruins of a Roman Bath. You can see the wonderful "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries and visit the Roman baths which have been excavated of the last several decades.

After this I suggest you have something to eat or perhaps just a glass of wine at any of the many cafes in the area before returning to the airport on the RER.

Answer 5

The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre,Monmartre, and Versailles. Take a walk on the Champs de Elysee and eat at an outdoor cafe. If you can arrange a boat ride, do that, too.