Bastille Day In Paris
 

I will be in Paris 13, 14, and 15 July 2005. I know Paris fairly well but, have never been there for Bastille Day. I am open to all suggestions!
Thanks.

search "bastille day" and you'll find my in-depth discussion on all of the fun stuff and how to spend the day. If you can't find them, respond to this, and I'll bring them up for you.

Surfergirl:

Cannot find your in-depth discussion on Bastille Day...could you send me the information via my E-Mail address?

Thanks!

flatlander

Hi flat,

Did you look up "Bastille Day" in the 'search this forum' box?

Did you click on "surfergirl" and look through her posts?

There are many of posts about this holiday if you do a search, whether by Surfergirl or others. The events don't really change year to year. Just put "bastille day" in the search box (in quotes). HEre is one lengthy thread on it
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34515175

I don't know why Americans get so excited about the French national holiday, but I never see people asking so many questions about other country's national days nor Europeans about the Fourth of July.

Christina, to answer your question, let me say that we as Americans are generally very proud of our "Fourth of July" and consider it a big holiday, and certainly one of our most "fun" ones. I guess we assume that Bastille Day is similar in Paris and since so many of us go to Paris in July it seems like something we'd want to be part of and share in.

While the fireworks part of Bastille Day is similar, I've been in France on several Bastille Days and must say that it isn't quite the big deal I'd have thought it would be. My most unusual one was in Corsica (which thinks it's Italian, not French). Even the fireworks were all red, white, and green -- not red, white, and blue.

And I must say that the huge Bastille Day parade in Paris was a real snooze for me. How many tanks and slow marching troops can one take? I guess I was expecting lots of floats and marching bands -- but learned it is basically a review of the military might to the President, not a celebration type parade like most of our Fourth of July ones are.

Hi flatlander!
We were in Paris this summer on Bastille day, and I thought it was a very enjoyable time to be there.

The highlight for us was taking an evening cruise on the Seine, which then ended right by the base of the Eiffel tower for a perfect vantage point for the fireworks.

We missed the parade in the morning, but as Patrick has said, it seems to be more of a military review than a parade in the way we usually think of it.