Paris
 

My girlfriend and I are leaving for Paris on Wednesday for the weekend,neither of us has ever been there before. Happens to coincide with my birthday and our first year together anyone have some favorite places and things to do?? Yes, we are flying NWA...

Doesn't sound like an amazing thing to do and I know that real men don't eat quiche but until you eat quiche from a neighborhood french bakery you haven't lived!

I will be taking the family to Paris over Thanksgiving. Since you have a limited time, do all the tourist things. See the Effel Tower (and go to the top), Visit the Arc de Tromphe, Walk the Champs de Elysees (poor spelling). One nice thing to do to get an overall view of the city and its flavor, is to try one of the tourist busses. I forget the name of it, but it is an unlimited on/off tour. You can get off at a place you like, and get on on the next bus. Walk along the Left Bank. Have coffee in a streetside cafe.

Don't drive. Take the Metro or the RER. Cheaper and less stressful. Get an 3 or 4 day Metro pass. Unlimited trips on the Metro for several days.

I have been to Paris numerous times, and have always heard about the rudness of the French. I have NEVER had a problem. A couple of words of advice: try and learn several important phrases such as good morning/day; good evening; good night; please; thank you; and most importantly, "may I have a glass of wine please?" With these few phrases, I have never had a problem with the French. Don't be afraid to ask them to correct your efforts at French, or ask how to say something. Laugh and enjoy yourself.

IMHO
Scott (KB0FHP)

Browse a few years' worth of posts in the Paris forum in FT Travel. Lots and lots of ideas there.

what about paris? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

oh, what are "some favorite places and things to do?"

i couldn't tell that from the Topic title.

[This message has been edited by fly co to see the yanks (edited 11-12-2002).]

FCTSTY... and where have you been!!! it took you over a day to make your usual comment this time...slipping ...slipping http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

In that case, don't forget that all-important accompanying phrase, "Where is the bathroom?"

:-)

The Eiffel tower will be swamped with tourists and you could very well wait a couple of hours. For amazing views that INCLUDE the Eiffel tower go up to the top of the Tour Montparnasse. It's an office building about 2 miles from the Eiffel tower and it has a viewing platform on the roof. On the metro buy a 'Carnet' of 10 tickets for a large discount. The 3 or 4 day passes offer very poor value.


The views from the Sacre Cour and Montmatre are great.

If you like modern then head out to La Defense to see the amazing hollow cube office building.

Musée du Louvre

http://www.louvre.fr

For outstanding Impressionist pieces:

Musée d'Orsay

http://www.musee-orsay.fr/

Driving in Paris? One must be a masochist.

Yes, a few Parisians can be rude. Oh, let's be honest, they are down right nasty. Don't let these rotten pommes ruin what could be a most memorable weekend. Most of Parisians are a friendly lot and are eager to help tourists with directions and recommendations. Saying "bonjour," "s'il vous plaît," "merci," and "pardon." Be liberal with saying "monsieur," "madame," and "mademoiselle."

Definitely try some treats at a bakery. Here's a famous one:
http://www.laduree.fr

Finally, a performance at the Opéra National de Paris, Palias Garnier could make for a spectacular evening. And it's quite reasonable. This weekend, they are performing a ballet commissioned especially for the Paris Opera and is having its world première this weekend.

http://www.opera-de-paris.fr/

There are a couple of site-seeing busses... One of the biggest ones is Paris L'Open Tour.
Try visiting some local "artisan" bakeries as well as the famous, such as Lauderee. Also try and get out of the city and see a chateau or a suburban site. It gives you a new perspective on Paris and gives you another view of France...even better if you can get out of Ile de France http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif Best of visits!

I have always found that walking along the Seine with my girlfriend/spouse was very nice. Especially at twilight or night with the tour boats going down the river.
The sex tends to be better in Paris as well so you may want to put some time towards that.

Paris is a great city to walk and you will have a fabulous time. I would highly recommend that you pick up a copy of the Eyewitness Travel Guide for Paris. Here are some travel notes I've posted:

http://www.igougo.com/planning/journ...JournalID=3126

Bon voyage!

I totally agree. The stereotype of rude French people, particularly against tourists, is complete nonsense. I've found the French to be very friendly, helpful, and patient as I struggled with their language. Carry a phrase book and make an attempt to speak French. You'll often be surprised with an English response.

The other false stereotype I found was that Paris is expensive. To me everything seemed reasonable. Then again, I'm from San Francisco, so I might be used to expensive.

I enjoy just walking around the city and admiring the architecture and eating the food (particularly the bakeries). Be sure to check out the Notre Dame. Also, do a show like the Lido or Moulin Rouge (the MR is in a sketchy part of town, so take a cab if you're not on a tour).

Try also to break away for a half day and check out Versailles. There are many bus tours.

Have fun!

There is an amazing ice cream place on Ile de St. Louis called Berthillon. The line is rarely more than five minutes or so, but you will not be disappointed. The walk is only a few minutes off the Seine.

Just a note about Versailles. There is a very pleasant and quite regular train to Versailles which we found to be throuhgly enjoyable. It seems much better than a bus and much faster.

Any Paris subway map should have the details.

One other small note...we found the medium size (not tiny) Paris book maps "Paris par arrondissement" to be invaluable for guidance in walking about. They are available in many small stores.