Bastille Day in Paris
 

We will be arriving in Paris on Sunday. What are some ideas for where to "experience" Bastille Day in Paris?

Around the Champs-Elysees from Arc to Tuileries and around Eiffel Tower. There are cute French guys in uniform around the tower. The parade is on Champs-Elysees in the morning, I assume you know, so that rules out traffic and some metro stations are closed.

Probably he best place is in your hotel. A few years ago I was in paris Bastille day. After seeing the fireworks from the penthouse restaurant of the Paris Hilton ( near the Eiffel Tower), my boyfriend and I decided to go out and walk toward the Eiffel tower and join the "festivities". The only thing we found were marauding gangs of drunken teen agers cursing at us and surrounding us. I couldn't get back to the hotel fast enough. My parents were in Paris in Bastille day another year and their cab was stuck in traffic. A gang of young french men came , surrounded the cab and started rocking it. They were also terrified.

Julie,<BR>If there's still time, get a reservation from Bateaux Parisiennes or Vedettes de Paris -- both are on the same quay directly opposite the Eiffel Tower -- and ask for the "Crosiere Speciale" for the special fireworks. You will get passes that will permit you to get past the police lined up along the Seine, and get down to the quay and onto the boat. The boat will take its usual tour, then it will dock in front of the Eiffel Tower, and directly across from the Trocadero, where the fireworks are set off. You will get a double-whammy view of front row seats as they hit the air, and glisten over the water. The fireworks start at around 10 p.m., and are choreographed to music. They have a big sound system along the dock area by the Eiffel Tower. Get there well in advance of the sailing.<BR><BR>You will not regret this!!! One more thing, if you are not taking the dinner cruise (no need to), make sure you bring a bottle or 2 of wine, a corkscrew, and a little food.

Bastille day is one of the quietest days in Paris except for the parade on the Champs Elysees and the fire works at the Eiffel tower. Many restaurants closed, but some open. The night before is the party night when the local fire stations put on street parties. The holiday itself is a quiet day. Most of the stores are closed except for the tourist shops. Some museums will be open (including the Louvre). For more Paris information e-mail me: [email protected]