Hello: Two girl friends and I are going to Paris the first week in April. Besides the "must-sees" (Notre Dame, Louvre, Eiffel Tower,etc) are there any off the beaten path places we should not miss?

Not off the beaten path, but I give my highest priority to Musee d'Orsay. Then, the most important thing to add to your list is Sacre Coeur and Montmartre. <BR> <BR>And with six days, I recommend getting out of the city at least once, if not twice (could be in the same day, if done right). Top contenders are Versailles, Chartres and Giverny. <BR> <BR>Off the beaten path? The Museum of the Sewers (yes, sewers - - as in where the water goes when you flush) gets a certain number of votes in that category. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Hi Jennifer. Carol Pucci, a travel writer for the Seattle Times, often writes articles about Paris. She had an article back on February 11th, entitled "Paris under cover: Cozy cafes, covered passages and museums offer insider's strategy for staying warm, dry" at http://archives.seattletimes.nwsourc...ry=paris+pucci <BR> <BR>Her most recent, from this past Sunday, was entitled "Paris: Restored rail viaduct converted to artists' studios, craft shops" and it sounds like a fascinating, off-the-beaten path kind of thing to see. Pucci writes: "Porcelain painters, dressmakers, musical instrument repairmen, even professional laundresses ply their trades in full public view under the pink brick-and-stone arches of an ancient viaduct that once supported an elevated railroad line.The Viaduc Des Arts, the name given to a glassed-in, street-level promenade in the Bastille area of Paris near the Gare de Lyon train station, is a literal window into the workshops of 45 French artisans." <BR> <BR>Full article at: <BR> <BR>http://archives.seattletimes.nwsourc...18&query=paris

If you like art there is seemingly no end to the museums, but I would recommend the Musee Picasso-not so big that you get art overload, but still interesting with some great works. I loved Notre Dame-equally as beautiful is Sainte-Chappelle with walls of stained glass. Try to go on a sunny day. You didn't ask for restaurant recomendations but we ate at "le Petit Zinc" in the St.Germain district-yummy!

Is this your first time in Paris? If so, I wouldn't worry about getting "off the beaten path," or I'd say that you can well do that on your own. Any thing that someone recommends as "off the beaten path" is, in all likelihood, just going to be something they didn't discover until their third or fourth or tenth trip to Paris. With only a week in Paris, you'll hardly have time to barrel through the must-sees, which would, for me, include the Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre (not too much of it - pick an exhibit or a period), the Arc de Triomphe, Ste-Chapelle, Notre Dame, the Conciergerie, lunch at the top of La Samaritaine department store, shopping at FNAC and Monoprix and Galeries Lafayette and the basement of La Samaritaine, a boat ride down the Seine, a stroll through the Quartier Latin, a visit to the jewelry store at the corner of rue Buci and rue Dauphine, the market near la Gare Montparnasse

Hi. <BR> <BR>I guess you could consider this off the beaten path but this is not a joke. I was fascinated by the Paris cemeteries. Some of the most famous people who ever lived are buried in Paris (particularly artists, it seems). The cemeteries are nearby, incredibly ornate, quiet and free. Even that rascal, crackpot publication, the Michelin green guide, has maps of the cemeteries showing the locations of the more noteworthy graves. Also, this little walking tour provides a nice respite from the bustle of the city. <BR> <BR>You're welcome!.

Pere La Chaise (sp?) is really cool! Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein and many other famous people are buried there. The ornate monuments are really fascinating.