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4th Trip to Paris... how should I spend my time?
My sister and I are heading to Paris again in September. It will be my 4th visit, and her second, and we'll be there for a (short) 3 and a half days before heading to Austria to visit family.
We're both thinking we'd like a more low-key visit... wandering, poking around shops, picnics in parks, a small museum or two, maybe. We want to fill our days, but we've seen most of the major landmarks and are okay with giving them a pass this time, at least for the most part. So, if you were in our shoes, what would you get up to? What are your favourite areas to wander aimlessly in? Any recommendations for small/quiet/off-the-beaten-track museums or must-visit spots? For those of you who have visited Paris many times, what do you like to do when you go? Could you describe your "ideal" day in the city? Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts. :) |
On our 5th visit to Paris, having checked off all the must-sees, we enjoyed a couple hours at le Parc de Butte Chaumont, which is about 1/2 mile from central Paris. It has a lake or two, hills, cliffs, and is surrounded by Parisian apartment buildings. Not at all touristy, and a nice place for the locals. I suggest you google-images it. or google-video
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I got my hair cut last trip and it was a great experience and took two hours. The price was cheaper than hair cuttery. I love to poke into little family own shops. We visited the American graveyard in the rain outside of Paris. It was very moving. You can see the whole city from there. I have to shop in the kitchen and food stores. I love that and the markets. We are very laid back and just stroll and stop where we want. Have you been to Musee Marmottan?
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For an off-the-beaten-track museum try the Cognac-Jay, near the Picasso Museum (which see also, of course). Also interesting is the National Monuments Museum, with replicas that you can see at ground level.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3..._Fran%C3%A7ais The Cluny is another fine small museum with an excellent collection of medieval art in many forms. |
tomboy This is a great recommendation! Butte Chaumont is one of my favourite parks in Paris... I've spent many happy hours there, and definitely plan to visit it again this time around. :)
Macross I love the idea of doing something kind of everyday or mundane (like getting a haircut!) in Paris. I also love kitchen stores in general, so this is a great suggestion too! And I've made a note to research both the American Cemetery and Musee Marmottan, as I've never visited either of these. Thanks for all the interesting ideas! Underhill Cluny closed early the last time I visited so I didn't make it all the way through, so it's on the list for this time... as for the rest, they're on my list to look up. Thank you! |
La Grande Epicerie is interesting for both food and utensils
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Walk the Promenade Plantée. Walk back on ground level and see the shops in the supporting arches.
Check out the Jardin des Plantes which includes a small zoo, a very nice greenhouse with 3 or four environments, and a demonstration garden planted by plant and seed companies. If you are seeing Cluny on the right day, there can be a concert of medieval music around lunch time. Take a cruise along the Canal St Martin from the Seine to la Villette. See La Fée Electricité City of Paris Museum of Modern Art The largest painting in Paris and perhaps the world |
We always return to two small museums, L’Orangerie and Rodin with it’s sculpture garden.You should visit the Marmottan. Wonderful. |
If the weather is nice, how about a Canal St. Marin Cruise. We did it on a lovely day and it was quite interesting and fun Have you been to the Marmottan Museum? I will be visiting for the 15th time in Nov. which will be different because of the weather. Most of our visits were in Sept......Ideal day, pastry for breakfast either in an apt. or elsewhere. Walk all our favorite streets on Ile St. Louis, pedestrian streets of the 6th into the 5th, a relaxing lunch at an outside cafe, maybe back at Place Dauphine, an art museum, and of course a fabulous dinner, doesn’t have to be high end. Our last trip took us to La Jacobine....loved the food. And Le Grand Colbert, another good one and then when we watched “Somethings Gotta Give” movie when we returned, we saw that we were seated at the same table as Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton in the movie. Why do we keep going back? Because of the way we feel when we are there. Next on the list is the Atelier Lumieres https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...de_France.html |
We have enjoyed many of the City of Paris Museums, especially the Petit Palais, the Carnavalet, the Museum of Modern Art, the home of Victor Hugo, and the Jean Moulin and General Leclerc Museums. Unfortunately, for now, the Carnavalet and Moulin/Leclerc museums are closed. Also, there is a lot of work going on at the Museum of Modern Art and the Dufy and Matisse rooms are closed, so not possible to see Dufy's Fée Electricité.
There is no admission charge to see their permanent exhibits. The collections of the city of Paris museums | Paris Musées Two other museums we liked are the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine and the Musée Nissim de Camondo. https://www.citedelarchitecture.fr/en https://madparis.fr/en/museums/musee-nissim-de-camondo/ |
We were on on a seventh or so trip recently and really enjoyed the Petit Palais. We like art and made two trips to special exhibits: one at la Villete and one at the Foundation Louis Vuitton. These weren't easy wanderings, but they were both worth the short hops out of the very center. We always try to attend a ballet performance if one is one while we are there. Paris Opera Ballet is one of the world's greatest ballet companies.
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If you're into art, read Renoir's Dancer before you come and visit Musee de Montmartre, one of my favorite spaces. Bring a picnic and enjoy the gardens. Stroll around the hills of Montmartre looking for ghosts.
If you want to get your nails done where Katherine Deneuve does, Beguine Nails at 82 rue de Bac. Monsieur Francais and I were having wine at the cafe next door when she popped in. Lots of little local shops along rue de Bac to explore. Read The Only Street In Paris, about rue de Martyrs in the 9th and spend an afternoon checking it out from bottom to top. Do a pub crawl on Av Frochot, known as the Bermuda triangle of bars in SoPi. Or have coffee at KB Coffee Roasters. If you are there on a Wednesday night, go to Le Grand Comptoir d'Anvers for dinner and live jazz. I promise you it will be locals only. |
www.messynessychic.com for great off the beaten track destinations.
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Originally Posted by Macross
(Post 16953023)
I got my hair cut last trip and it was a great experience and took two hours. The price was cheaper than hair cuttery. I love to poke into little family own shops. We visited the American graveyard in the rain outside of Paris. It was very moving. You can see the whole city from there. I have to shop in the kitchen and food stores. I love that and the markets. We are very laid back and just stroll and stop where we want. Have you been to Musee Marmottan?
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Tea at the salon de thé of the Grand Paris Mosque is something maybe.Close to Jardin des Plantes.
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September should be good weather, I really enjoyed spending time outdoors in the various parks... Luxembourg Gardens, The Tuileries Gardens, other small public spaces we happened on.
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What about taking a half day or full day cooking class? We did a half day class with Cookin with Class and absolutely loved it!
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Brunch at the Jaquemart-André Museum
Lunch at La Maison Fournaise on the Ile des Impressionistes The Impressionist exhibits at the chateau in Auvers-sur-Oise The tramways Le Jardin des Serres Auteuil The Albert-Kahn Museum The Basilica de Saint Denis Le Perchoir rooftop bar in the 11ème -hard to find but well worth it. Little India in the 19ème |
Auteuil, the area with Art Nouveau architecture makes a nice walk.
Area in and around Luxembourg Gardens. Rue de la Cherche Midi (close to Bon Marche and its Grand Epicerie per tomboy above) has scads of shopping and food. Looking forward to reading about what you choose. |
What a lot of great suggestions. For even more inspiration to explore, see Kerouac's wonderful photo reports covering Paris and the Ile de France:
https://www.fodors.com/community/sea...=5881480&pp=25 |
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