Non-Touristy Paris-Area Must Visit?
 

I am going to Paris for the third time this weekend and have already seen the traditional touristy must-see sites, including Versailles. What else do you recommend doing/seeing either in Paris or in the Paris-area? Either cute/charming nearby town or other off the beaten path places? THANKS!

Hi t,

See http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34550232

and

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34487543

((I))

Do you have any special interests? What would you like to do this week-end--relax, shop, go to offbeat museums, enjoy leisurely meals? How active are you--are you the type who would enjoy the rollerblading tour groups or is that a little too much activity? When you say "nearby", what do you mean? With the TGVs, even the Loire Valley can be "nearby" if you don't mind traveling a little over an hour each way.

Thanks for these suggestions.

As far as special interests...not really :) I will be travelling by myself. I don't care to do museums, but instead would enjoy shopping in cute boutiques, eating at cute cafes, markets, etc. I don't mind walking around, but wouldn't care to rollerblade or bike ride. I love photography and enjoy scenic/cute towns.

By nearby, preferably within an hour from Paris.

I can speak French and enjoy practicing it.

Thanks!

We enjoyed a Sunday in St Germain -en -Laye. It's a short RER ride from Paris, great views from the belvedere of the chateau, a Sunday street market, chateau with a museum, and pretty buildings all thru the town.

I forgot the boutiques were all open too!

Although frequently mentioned, the <i>passages</i> are still non-touristy, especially the less fancy ones.

Assnme you have walked the Place de Vosges in the Marais, so Pere La Chaise cemetery and the Canal St. Martin, with its picturesque footbridges, both on the eastern side of the city.

Here is a nice thread with MANY ANSWERS to your question:

<b>Things you did or saw in Paris when you've already been there many many times</b>
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34496680

Just read your second posting. The obvious answer is, board a train (either main line or suburban) at the Gare du Nord in Paris for Chantilly, and when you get there, about 40 minutes later, board the adjacent-to-the train station bus for Senlis, a 15-minutre ride to the second most charming town in France, with a feast
of sreets with 18th and 19th streets for walking, where numerous French historical movies have been filmed.

Agreeing with Michel, so much still to see,, here is a guide to the passages, I've only seen several but they make you experience a new area. A few years ago I was in a bike accident and couldn't find a replacement tire of the size of my folding bike *that never folds)A close friend of mine is often invited to speak or..and I asked him to find my tire that was not available here. He felt, when he returned, that it was a new neighborhood he would never know about and thanked ME!

http://www.parisinconnu.com/passages/index.htm
forgot to post the passages for you.

Hey Dave_in_Paris --

I don't quite understand what you are saying about Senlis. What the heck are 18th and 19th streets?

Take the RER to Chatou and walk to the Maison Fournaise and have lunch. It's where Renoir painted &quot;Luncheon of the Boating Party.&quot;

Take the RER to Auvers-sur-Oise to see Vincent Van Gogh and his borther Theo's graves. See the amazing exhibit at the ch&acirc;teau there. Have lunch in the house Van Gogh lived in, which is now a restaurant.

My guess is Dave meant 18th &amp; 19th century streets.

jody- we might go to St Germain en Laye, thanks to your remarks :)

Thanks so much for the great recommendations!

My two favorite must-see places in Paris are Le Chateau de Fontainebleau and Malmaison. As a Napoleon scholar, both of these places are of immense interest to me and I have enjoyed seeing them, year after year. It amazes me that both sites do not have a lot of tourists as they all tend to visit the more famous Versailles, etc.

Both are easy to access from Paris. To Fontainebleau by car, you would take the autoroute A6 or by train from the Gare de Lyon (45 min trip). From the Fontainebleau-Avon train station, there is a regular bus service to &quot;Le ch&acirc;teau&quot; that takes ~15 minutes. (It is ironic that it is considered a &quot;chateau&quot; as it is a palace, rivaling that at Versailles!)

Le Chateau de Malmaison (Empress Josephine's home) is located in the charming city of Rueil-Malmaison, just outside of Paris. It can be accessed via the RER A to Grande Arche de la Defense, from there you take bus 258 to the &quot;chateau&quot; stop. The bus stops across the street, just outside the entrance to the Chateau area, then there is a long walk through a gated area of quiet residential streets to get to the actual entrance of Malmaison. Both places are nice to visit and can be seen in relative solitude (especially in January). Bon voyage!

Thanks for the rescue Scarlette! (I guess that's what the preview button is for). I was indeed thinking of the 18th and 19th century streets in Senlis -- actually, of the houses that line them. Senlis was a Roman town and there are vestiges, like the amphitheater, little visited, on the outskirts, and one fragment of wall nonchalantly garnished with an Electricite de France power line! But the emsemble is beautiful and the protected area is large. We visited Senlis literally hundreds of times, just to wander the streets, and there always was new discovery.

My itinerary has become...wake up in morning and find cafe to have petit dejeuner. During this plan where I want to walk today. Using Pariscope and Officiel des Spectacles I look at what walking tours are being offered today, in French, so that works for you too. I found that the french ones are much more interesting because they included cultural references. I remember one tour in the Marais where the guide was talking about Frncois I as if everyone in the group would know who he was and what he did, funny. Long lunch at cafe, perhaps a croque monsieur and a few cafe cremes...or alternatively find a patisserie/boulangerie to get takeout, and go to a park and eat.I've already made up a list of possbile restaurants, so I'll wander around checking them out. One of my goals is use a detailed guide of the arrondisements and do a walking tour of all of them. I have Thirza Valois' book and it seems to contain what I want. Nighttime, eat and walk around again, or plan around going to one of the many concerts offered at churches, Garnier, Bastille. There are so many areas to explore on foot.

I have also gone to the Comedie Francaise for a play, and have accidentally been to the Tour de France finish and the Summer soltice music festival at every street corner. My list of future to-sees include Paris St Germain game, Bastille Day parade and festival at Eiffel Tower.

There are so many day trips to do (this forum has them all), I have been to Fontainebleau, Reims, Loire, Giverny, Auvers-sur-Oise, Chantilly, Versailles and found all of them to be interesting.

Hope my ramblings help,
Mike

Take a train to Orleans.