Jennifer

We'll be in Paris during Memorial Day w/e for 4 days...what are the top 5 things should do? We love to eat good food & drink good wine. We'll also have access to a full kitchen. (is it worth trying to cook?)

ger

Jennifer: <BR>I'm sure you will have lots of responses to your post. Perhaps you would should follow up with information on whether this is your first trip to Paris an, if not, what have you seen before. <BR> <BR>If this is your first trip, the "must sees/dos" would be: <BR> <BR>Sightseeing ( Bring Fodor's Exploring Paris) <BR>- Boat ride on the Seine as soon as you arrive <BR>- Three - four hour tour through the Marais and the Ile <BR>- Three hour tour of Monmartre Three hour tour of the Left bank <BR>- Three hour tour around the Champs <BR> <BR>Museums: <BR>Louvre - either do the "audio" guided tour or pick a theme (you could spend a week there, but, with four days,limit yourself to three hours <BR>D'Orsay - three hours <BR> <BR> <BR>Ouside Paris (if you have time): <BR>- Verseille <BR>- Giverney <BR> <BR>Regarding eating - pick up a copy of Bon Appetite for April - dedicated to great restaurants in Paris. Also, search on this site (Paris restaurants) for some great recommendations. <BR> <BR>Enjoy <BR>

Jennifer

Thanks for the suggestions. This will be our first trip to Paris.

StCirq

Good suggestions already given. I'd build in some time for shopping, though. The major stores are pretty much clustered together, so you can go to Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, La Samaritaine and lots of smaller ones all within a short distance of the Opéra métro stop. If you have a kitchen, sure! Go to neighborhood markets and food stores and pick up the makings of a good meal and make your own dinner one night.

Jody

Good sugggestion, but just 1 night , dont miss dining out even if its just a neighborhood bistro. YOUCAN COOK THE NEXT TIME YOU COME

Sue

Even better, go to a "traiteur" (ready-made food) for the starter and main course (which you can heat up), and then indulge yourself with desserts at patisseries!

dan woodlief

You will easily have time to see the main sites, so I will give my top five sites and top five "things" to do: <BR> <BR>Top Five Sites: <BR>1. Eiffel Tower <BR>2. Notre-Dame <BR>3. Arc de Triomphe <BR>4. Louvre <BR>5. Musee d'Orsay <BR> <BR>Top things to do: <BR>1. Walk along the Seine's banks, especially opposite Notre-Dame <BR>2. Visit Montmartre - see the basilica and walk around the neighborhood <BR>3. Visit a park - my favorite so far is Luxembourg Gardens <BR>4. Of course, try out some French food - cafes, brasseries, eat some pastries, have some hot chocolate; skip the American style places; I wouldn't bother cooking, only because it would take so much time away from experiencing the city on a first stay <BR>5. Go to a good high place and see the city from above - Samaritaine dept. store, Notre-Dame towers, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower <BR>

booboo

Visit the cemeteries--no kidding. I've posted this idea before but it is worth repeating. The Paris cemeteries contain the graves of some of the most famous people who ever lived (particularly artists). It is free, tranquil and a nice catalyst for further study. Seeing the gravesites of these people makes them...well...you know...come alive! <BR> <BR>You're welcome!

Ursula

Jennifer: Here are mine: <BR> <BR>1. Go to enjoy the view from La Grande Arche at the Défense! <BR>2. Do a lot of walking and discover many not-must-sees <BR>3. Go to a food market or to La Grande Epicerie at Le Bon Marché, as you HAVE a kitchen and DO some cooking <BR>4. Sit down in one of the big cafés in Montparnasse, like La Couple, and just watch the people <BR>5. Go to a concert in a church (Madeleine, Sainte-Chapelle, Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, St. Germain-des Prés) <BR> <BR>Just relax and enjoy your trip!

Alice

<BR> <BR>Ahhh, Booboo, I, too, look forward to visiting cemetaries when traveling. It is amazing the stories you can conjour up when you see a certain grouping of headstones. And the older the cemetary the better. Such beautiful works of art in the monuments. Such beautiful parting words.

elvira

For (I assume) first time visitors to Paris, here are my top 5 things to see: <BR>1) Louvre <BR>2) Notre Dame (see it in the early morning light) <BR>3) Eiffel Tower <BR>4) Pere LaChaise cemetery <BR>5) Left Bank (just start walking) <BR> <BR>Top five things to do: <BR>1) Sit at a sidewalk cafe in late afternoon (try the do-it-yourself lemonade) <BR>2) Go shopping at Galeries Lafayette and au Printemps (head for the housewares, linens, etc.) and BHV <BR>3) Wander a flea market (Vanves is cool junk; Clignancourt is high-end antiques) and a street market (d'Aligre or Mouffetard) <BR>4) Seine or canal boat ride <BR>5) Take bus #83 or #96 <BR> <BR>Top five things to eat/drink: <BR>1) Frites <BR>2) Lapin <BR>3) Picher of the house wine <BR>4) Pastry from a patisserie (if you don't speak French, just point) <BR>5) Duck <BR> <BR>Top five things NOT to do: <BR>1) Rush (you'll miss stuff, plus that's when accidents happen) <BR>2) Expect everything to be like home <BR>3) Assume the French are rude <BR>4) Feel guilty if you miss something on the 'to-do' list to sit longer at a cafe or wander <BR>5) Pass up the chance to do something because you don't speak French <BR> <BR>Oh, yes, it's definitely worth cooking (if you LIKE to cook); the street markets, boucheries, boulangeries, green grocers, wine shops, gourmet shops (like Fauchon), supermarkets (like Monoprix and Galeries Lafayette) and various patisseries are loaded with glorious stuff, whether roasted pumpkin seed oil for salad dressing or chickens that actually have color, that'll make cooking fun and creative.

s.fowler

Elvira is [as usual] right on the money. Let us know which neighborhood you are staying in and I'm sure we can get more specific about food [For example: I'm a wine bar person -- great wine and you can just have a nibble -- so if you tell me where you are I can certainly recommend one!]

Donna

I would love sitting at a wine bar and just snacking - we'd get along great! <BR> <BR>We will be in Paris the beginning of July and will be staying in the 7th - I'd love information on some wine bars in that area and others. <BR> <BR>Thanks. <BR> <BR>Donna

Diane

Best use of your kitchen facilities might be to keep picnic supplies in the fridge. Or, if you are a REAL big breakfast person, buy the makings in the neighborhood so you can have your coffee/tea and breakfast early in the AM. (Including assorted pastries from the local patisserie...) Might also be nice to have a bottle of white in the refrigerator and some locally purchased cheese and bread to snack on if travel companion(s) take various lengths of time to get ready to go out on the town at night? Have a ball. You will walk more than you ever dreamed, and love it.

s.fowler

Ahhhh. winebars....... *SIGH* <BR> <BR>In the 7eme on Ave. Rapp is Sancerre -- very near the Eiffel Tower. It is a small, family run establishment. The wines are from Sancerre [known mostly for its flinty whites, but also making a nice red that goes well with cheese.] The menu is simple-- salads, omlettes, charcuterie... We drank a red Saumur and had a wonderful omlette that included potatoes. [Actually hubby and I split a frisee salad and the aforementioned omlette.]The decorations are very "rural." <BR> <BR>At the other end of the spectrum are the various branches of L'Ecluse. There matters run to Margaux wine and carpaccio etc.. We first ate/drank at the branch near Champs Elysee, but now like the one on Quai Grands Augustins. It was the first and is a little less overwhelmingly posh. It is very near Notre Dame on the left bank. <BR> <BR>The third I'll recommend is Au Sauvignon. It is on Rue St. Pere in the 6eme. They specialize in Beaujolais I think, but you can get other wines. You can only get various breads and cheese, but a little bread, a little goat cheese and a red Sanceere sitting outside on a sunny summer day? What's not to enjoy? It is a very small place and "madame" is very "comme il faut" -- just don't let her faze you. <BR> <BR>Fourth: La Bistrot Nouvelle Marie -- again small, just behind the Pantheon [on Pl. Estrapade I think - I'll find addresses for all these in a bit] -- We had a bottle of Chinon [red] and a cheese plate with Polaine bread. It was not chichi -- and the guy at the bar was very cute about my terrible French and generally we felt at home. Again best in the summer when things spill out onto the sidewalk. <BR> <BR>There are many other fine wine bars in Paris, both simple and chic -- this is just my idiosyncratic list. <BR>

s.fowler

Here's a listing of wine bars with hours and addresses. <BR> <BR>http://www.europeguidebook.com/franc...is_res_win.cfm

s.fowler

Well here's an even better link -- with short reviews yet <BR> <BR>http://parisvoice.com/98/nov/html/body_fooddrink.html

s.fowler

Sorry about "list litter". I'll stop after this one <BR>http://www.bparis.com/newsletter1464...attrib_id=2734

lisa

My top 5 "musts" in Paris: <BR>1. Musee d'Orsay <BR>2. Notre Dame <BR>3. Eiffel Tower, followed by boat ride on the Seine <BR>4. Musee Picasso & wandering the Marais <BR>5. Sacre Coeur/Montmartre <BR> <BR>The Louvre is right up there too, but its sheer scale makes it less inviting to me than some of the other museums. Also, I was not as enamored of the Arc de Triomphe as most people seem to be, and really did not care for the Champs Elysee one bit. <BR> <BR>Since your time in Paris is limited, I would make the most of the opportunity to eat out at the wonderful cafes, bistros, restaurants, wine bars, etc. Even picnics are a treat in Paris with the wonderful fromageries, boulangeries, patisseries, etc. You can always try the cooking once you're home, but you can't eat at restaurants like that at home! <BR> <BR>

Meg

To Elvira - <BR>I'm planning a trip in September and you mentioned buses 83 or 96. I usually use the metro but this trip decided I'd like to be above ground as much as possible. What are the routes of these two buses? And, I've been having a terrible time finding a bus map that makes sense. Most that I've found are just a short appendage of a metro map. Hope you can help. <BR> <BR>Thanks