Report for Anniversary Trip to Paris
Aug 23rd, 2008, 06:45 AM
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Report for Anniversary Trip to Paris
We got back this week from 9 nights in Paris. This was our first time, and we wound up going because of a home exchange my parents did with a couple in Montparnasse.
Two hints: (1)Bring comfortable shoes! Forget about trying to look like a Parisian--as long as you don't wear shorts you won't stick out too badly. It's not worth the pain to look stylish when no one really cares how you're dressed. (2) Use the Paris Museum Pass (PMP)if you plan on doing major sightseeing. It's worth the money to just skip the lines, and we wound up saving a bunch of money.
Anyhow, here it goes:
Sunday, Day 1: arrival
We arrived in Paris at 1:30 pm on a redeye from JFK. The Air France flight was nice enough, except for the fact that the television screen didn't work for my wife. But, we just slept anyways.
We got the our apartment at about 3:30 pm and quite frankly didn't get much done other than some grocery shopping and wandering around our neighborhood looking for places to eat. We did check out La Coupole, listed in our Fodors book as a moderately priced restaurant. I guess $60 plats (40 Euros) counts as moderately priced . . . We wound up eating somewhere else.
Day 2, Monday: Montmartre/Eiffel/Seine
After sleeping in a little late, we dragged ourselves out of bed, had some breakfast, and headed up to Montmartre. We took the funiclar up to Sacre Couer, explored the lovely interior, and then wound our way back and then down. We loved Montmartre--would have loved it more without all the fellow tourist of course. Grabbed a cheap but delicious ham and cheese crepe for lunch and ate it at the little park at the base of the cylindrical white tower near Sacre Couer. We got a little lost--as you're supposed to do--before checking out Moulin de Galette. Of course, everyone was taking pictures of Moulin Radet instead.
After walking all the way down the hill to the metro stop by Moulin Rouge, we headed off to Trocadero by Metro. Wow! The view you get of the Eiffel Tower after you turn the corner to enter the plaza is just stunning. After snapping a bunch of pictures, we walked across the river to check out the Eiffel Tower and catch a 1-hour river cruise.
Day 3, Tuesday: Jardin Luxembourg/Anniversary dinner
This was a fairly unambitious day, since we had to let my parents into the apt after they arrived in Paris. We spent the day pretty much showing them around the neighborhood and then letting them crash while we checked out the Luxembourg Gardens. Which were a perfectly lovely way to spend an afternoon, but not a 'must-see.'
The highlight of the day was our anniversary evening, however. We ate at Rotisserie d'en Face, (the game pastry was delicious, as was the ice cream cake) and then cuddled up on one of the benches in nearby Pont Neuf over the Seine. Sigh.
Day 4, Wednesday: Notre Dame, St Chapelle, Conciergerie
Day 4 was the Ile de la Cite day. First up was Notre Dame. The line was a little intimidating, but moved very quickly. We did the audio guide, which provided some mildly interesting information. We didn't wind up doing the sacristy (probably a mistake, but with my aunt and uncle joining us there were six of us, and it was tough to keep everyone corraled). After doing lunch across the river, we activated our Paris Museum Passes and hit the archaelogical crypt (cool), St Chapelle (absolutely gorgeous) and the Conciergerie (interesting and worth seeing while there, but not the highest priority).
Day 5, Thursday: Louvre/Tullieres/Orangerie
Please use the Metro entrance to the Louvre if you go. With a PMP, you breeze right in. Without one, you still have a ticket line, but nowhere near as bad as in other entrances.
What can I say about the Louvre? It's an exhausting place to see, and there's no chance to see everything. We wound up seeing a lot, but missed things like Napoleon's apartments and virtually the entire French wing. But, between the classical sculpture and the Egyptian and the Babylonian and the Italian painters and the Michelangelos and the Da Vinci's and, well you get the point.
After six hours there, we walked through the Tullieres garden (beautiful) and went to the Orangerie. The Orangerie is great for about an hour--the Monet's are ethereal in their custom-built rooms. The rest of the collection is also worth checking out.
NOTE: The Orangerie closes at 6pm, not 7pm as you see in all of the guidebooks.
Day 6, Friday: Orsay, Rodin, Invalides
If you do the Orsay, I would recommend doing the top floor first (where all of the big ticket items are) then doing the second and then the ground floor. The highlight of the Orsay is the interior itself. Just a beautiful, beautiful space.
The Rodin Museum is a great place to check out too. The gardens are more of a highlight than the interior, so if you're limited to half an hour or so, do them.
Invalides is a cool place to check out--the tomb itself isn't all that, but the church and building itself are pretty cool. The military museum is divided into pre and post 20th Century. I thought the older stuff was more interesting--I never thought there were so many intact suits of armor.
We ended the day by walking up the Champs de Mars to once again check out the Eiffel Tower with our relatives.
Day 7, Saturday, Versailles:
We did the PMP pass, and this allowed us to skip the MONSTER line for tickets here. If you want to do the guided tour of the private apartments, you have to go in the same door--just go up and squeeze past. But, if you want to do the guided tour--GET THERE EARLY. We arrived at 9:30 am and the next guided tour was 2:15 pm. Also, make sure you have a game plan for Versailles. If you want to see the Chateau, the Gardens, and the Trianons you have to manage your time pretty well. We wound up only walking through a small part of the gardens, but we didn't feel cheated since you can see plenty from the top level. The Petit Trianon is much more interesting than the Grand Trianon, but the Grand Trianon's gardens overlooking the grand canal are pretty darn cool too.
Day 8, Sunday: Cluny, Latin Quarter, Pantheon
The Cluny is an interesting museum with the obvious highlight being the Lady/Unicorn tapestries, but there were other of really unusual items we had never seen before (such as sculptures showing baby Jesus getting circumcized-yow!). The gardens there are really lovely and a perfect place to unwind or enjoy a snack/picnic.
We then wound our way through the touristy area of the Latin Quarter for about an hour before getting to the Pantheon, which is a really cool place to check out. You get a sense of French nationalism and patriotism here, as well as seeing the tombs of some really famous folks.
Day 9, Monday: Arc de Triumph, Champs Elysees, Opera Garnier/Madeline
The Arc de Triumph is very cool, gives a great view of the city from the top, and is a lot easier to get to the top than I expected. The Champs Elysees is a beautiful street, but it's kinda overrated if you're not into shopping. After walking it for a kilometer or so, we took the Metro to the Opera Garnier. We missed the last guided tour (2:30 pm) but it was still worth it to see the staircase, interior of the theater and the Grand Foyer (which is even more ornate than the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles). We then strolled over the place de Madeline to check out the church briefly and the fancy bakeries Fauchon and La Duree.
Day 10: Departure. We had a 900 am flight from CDG, so we caught the 5:33 am train from Denfert-Rochereau that arrived in CDG at 6:15. We were checked in and through security by 7:00 am. Could we have arrived later without a hitch? Maybe, but why risk it. CDG is a weird airport--it's much more user friendly departing than arriving.
Two hints: (1)Bring comfortable shoes! Forget about trying to look like a Parisian--as long as you don't wear shorts you won't stick out too badly. It's not worth the pain to look stylish when no one really cares how you're dressed. (2) Use the Paris Museum Pass (PMP)if you plan on doing major sightseeing. It's worth the money to just skip the lines, and we wound up saving a bunch of money.
Anyhow, here it goes:
Sunday, Day 1: arrival
We arrived in Paris at 1:30 pm on a redeye from JFK. The Air France flight was nice enough, except for the fact that the television screen didn't work for my wife. But, we just slept anyways.
We got the our apartment at about 3:30 pm and quite frankly didn't get much done other than some grocery shopping and wandering around our neighborhood looking for places to eat. We did check out La Coupole, listed in our Fodors book as a moderately priced restaurant. I guess $60 plats (40 Euros) counts as moderately priced . . . We wound up eating somewhere else.
Day 2, Monday: Montmartre/Eiffel/Seine
After sleeping in a little late, we dragged ourselves out of bed, had some breakfast, and headed up to Montmartre. We took the funiclar up to Sacre Couer, explored the lovely interior, and then wound our way back and then down. We loved Montmartre--would have loved it more without all the fellow tourist of course. Grabbed a cheap but delicious ham and cheese crepe for lunch and ate it at the little park at the base of the cylindrical white tower near Sacre Couer. We got a little lost--as you're supposed to do--before checking out Moulin de Galette. Of course, everyone was taking pictures of Moulin Radet instead.
After walking all the way down the hill to the metro stop by Moulin Rouge, we headed off to Trocadero by Metro. Wow! The view you get of the Eiffel Tower after you turn the corner to enter the plaza is just stunning. After snapping a bunch of pictures, we walked across the river to check out the Eiffel Tower and catch a 1-hour river cruise.
Day 3, Tuesday: Jardin Luxembourg/Anniversary dinner
This was a fairly unambitious day, since we had to let my parents into the apt after they arrived in Paris. We spent the day pretty much showing them around the neighborhood and then letting them crash while we checked out the Luxembourg Gardens. Which were a perfectly lovely way to spend an afternoon, but not a 'must-see.'
The highlight of the day was our anniversary evening, however. We ate at Rotisserie d'en Face, (the game pastry was delicious, as was the ice cream cake) and then cuddled up on one of the benches in nearby Pont Neuf over the Seine. Sigh.
Day 4, Wednesday: Notre Dame, St Chapelle, Conciergerie
Day 4 was the Ile de la Cite day. First up was Notre Dame. The line was a little intimidating, but moved very quickly. We did the audio guide, which provided some mildly interesting information. We didn't wind up doing the sacristy (probably a mistake, but with my aunt and uncle joining us there were six of us, and it was tough to keep everyone corraled). After doing lunch across the river, we activated our Paris Museum Passes and hit the archaelogical crypt (cool), St Chapelle (absolutely gorgeous) and the Conciergerie (interesting and worth seeing while there, but not the highest priority).
Day 5, Thursday: Louvre/Tullieres/Orangerie
Please use the Metro entrance to the Louvre if you go. With a PMP, you breeze right in. Without one, you still have a ticket line, but nowhere near as bad as in other entrances.
What can I say about the Louvre? It's an exhausting place to see, and there's no chance to see everything. We wound up seeing a lot, but missed things like Napoleon's apartments and virtually the entire French wing. But, between the classical sculpture and the Egyptian and the Babylonian and the Italian painters and the Michelangelos and the Da Vinci's and, well you get the point.
After six hours there, we walked through the Tullieres garden (beautiful) and went to the Orangerie. The Orangerie is great for about an hour--the Monet's are ethereal in their custom-built rooms. The rest of the collection is also worth checking out.
NOTE: The Orangerie closes at 6pm, not 7pm as you see in all of the guidebooks.
Day 6, Friday: Orsay, Rodin, Invalides
If you do the Orsay, I would recommend doing the top floor first (where all of the big ticket items are) then doing the second and then the ground floor. The highlight of the Orsay is the interior itself. Just a beautiful, beautiful space.
The Rodin Museum is a great place to check out too. The gardens are more of a highlight than the interior, so if you're limited to half an hour or so, do them.
Invalides is a cool place to check out--the tomb itself isn't all that, but the church and building itself are pretty cool. The military museum is divided into pre and post 20th Century. I thought the older stuff was more interesting--I never thought there were so many intact suits of armor.
We ended the day by walking up the Champs de Mars to once again check out the Eiffel Tower with our relatives.
Day 7, Saturday, Versailles:
We did the PMP pass, and this allowed us to skip the MONSTER line for tickets here. If you want to do the guided tour of the private apartments, you have to go in the same door--just go up and squeeze past. But, if you want to do the guided tour--GET THERE EARLY. We arrived at 9:30 am and the next guided tour was 2:15 pm. Also, make sure you have a game plan for Versailles. If you want to see the Chateau, the Gardens, and the Trianons you have to manage your time pretty well. We wound up only walking through a small part of the gardens, but we didn't feel cheated since you can see plenty from the top level. The Petit Trianon is much more interesting than the Grand Trianon, but the Grand Trianon's gardens overlooking the grand canal are pretty darn cool too.
Day 8, Sunday: Cluny, Latin Quarter, Pantheon
The Cluny is an interesting museum with the obvious highlight being the Lady/Unicorn tapestries, but there were other of really unusual items we had never seen before (such as sculptures showing baby Jesus getting circumcized-yow!). The gardens there are really lovely and a perfect place to unwind or enjoy a snack/picnic.
We then wound our way through the touristy area of the Latin Quarter for about an hour before getting to the Pantheon, which is a really cool place to check out. You get a sense of French nationalism and patriotism here, as well as seeing the tombs of some really famous folks.
Day 9, Monday: Arc de Triumph, Champs Elysees, Opera Garnier/Madeline
The Arc de Triumph is very cool, gives a great view of the city from the top, and is a lot easier to get to the top than I expected. The Champs Elysees is a beautiful street, but it's kinda overrated if you're not into shopping. After walking it for a kilometer or so, we took the Metro to the Opera Garnier. We missed the last guided tour (2:30 pm) but it was still worth it to see the staircase, interior of the theater and the Grand Foyer (which is even more ornate than the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles). We then strolled over the place de Madeline to check out the church briefly and the fancy bakeries Fauchon and La Duree.
Day 10: Departure. We had a 900 am flight from CDG, so we caught the 5:33 am train from Denfert-Rochereau that arrived in CDG at 6:15. We were checked in and through security by 7:00 am. Could we have arrived later without a hitch? Maybe, but why risk it. CDG is a weird airport--it's much more user friendly departing than arriving.
Aug 23rd, 2008, 10:16 AM
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Not much to say about the house swap--my parents swapped a place here for a smallish 3-b place in Montparnasse. There's a bunch of websites for that kind of thing.
Rotisserie d'En Face is on Rue Christine, which is a side street to Rue Dauphine. Rue Dauphine takes you straight to Pont Neuf.
Here's their map:
http://www.jacquescagna.com/localisationrdfus.htm
Rotisserie d'En Face is on Rue Christine, which is a side street to Rue Dauphine. Rue Dauphine takes you straight to Pont Neuf.
Here's their map:
http://www.jacquescagna.com/localisationrdfus.htm
Aug 23rd, 2008, 08:46 PM
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Tdudette--I'm not sure. I can check.
What I was surprised about in Paris:
1) How nice the people were
2) How unremarkable the food was (we had some excellent food on occasion, but it wasn't food heaven like Tuscany)
3) How user-friendly the city was
4) How hard on the feet it can be
We saw 1-3 highlights each day. I mean, how can you compare the Louvre vs. St. Chapelle vs. Versailles?
I would say that the Luxembourg Gardens and Champs Elysees were probably the two most overrated things we saw. I would recommend both ( you probably have to to the latter anyways) but neither was a particularly transcendent moment.
We'd definitely like to return. There was lots of good stuff we didn't see--e.g. Pompidou Center, Bois de Boulogne, etc.
The PMP was an incredible asset to have--we rang up 100 Euros worth of sites on it and it saved us lots of time in lines. I think what winds up happening is that you see more stuff with it than you would normally. Would I pay 7.50 Euros to see the Orangerie or Pantheon? Maybe, maybe not. But, with the PMP, you can just poke your head in and see if you find it worthy.
One thing not worth worrying about is the rail pass situation for the Metro. Just buy Carnets.
What I was surprised about in Paris:
1) How nice the people were
2) How unremarkable the food was (we had some excellent food on occasion, but it wasn't food heaven like Tuscany)
3) How user-friendly the city was
4) How hard on the feet it can be
We saw 1-3 highlights each day. I mean, how can you compare the Louvre vs. St. Chapelle vs. Versailles?
I would say that the Luxembourg Gardens and Champs Elysees were probably the two most overrated things we saw. I would recommend both ( you probably have to to the latter anyways) but neither was a particularly transcendent moment.
We'd definitely like to return. There was lots of good stuff we didn't see--e.g. Pompidou Center, Bois de Boulogne, etc.
The PMP was an incredible asset to have--we rang up 100 Euros worth of sites on it and it saved us lots of time in lines. I think what winds up happening is that you see more stuff with it than you would normally. Would I pay 7.50 Euros to see the Orangerie or Pantheon? Maybe, maybe not. But, with the PMP, you can just poke your head in and see if you find it worthy.
One thing not worth worrying about is the rail pass situation for the Metro. Just buy Carnets.
