paris-a few of your favorites?
 

I am taking a few hours off from seing the sights. After being in Bruges and Amsterdam Paris seems overwhelming.

So far I have been to:
St Chapelle
Notre Dame
Eiffel Tower
Luxembourg Museum to see the Matisee exhibition
several loops on the hop on/hop off bus
Musee d'Orsay
Pantheon
Luxembourg Gardens
the Louvre (hellishy crowded, mon dieu!)
Latin Quarter
Opera

Still on list:
Sacre Coeur
Pompidou
Rue Cler


Does anybody have any must-see tips? I am taying in an apartment so I dont have a concierge (except for Fodors!) I still have 4 more days. I have especially enjoyed the churches, the funky neighborhoods, and the monuments; the museums have been pretty crowded. I seem to be running out of walking steam due as my bum knee flared up (I even had a big shot of cortisone before I left but 10 days on cobblestones and stairs is slowly crippling me, sigh.)

Merci.

You are doing well so far. Spend some down time sitting in cafes and on park benches and watching the people. I especially like the Place des Vosges, Luxembourg Gardens and the Tuilleries for this purpose. Visit the Ile de St. Louis and walk up and down the main street. Visit the Cluny Museum and sit in front of the Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries - very quiet and relaxing. Go to the Musee Rodin and wander around the sculpture garden. The roses are beautiful and you can sit and watch the passing scene. I'm so envious - enjoy every minute!

I wouldn't miss Invalides , the Carnavalet, Nissam de Camondo and try to get in at least one street market..a real one not rue Cler or Buci, try for the saxe Breteuil, Monge, orAligre. Try to see theJacquemart-Andre or Cognacq-jay museums!

Vivi,

One of my favorites was the Musee Marmottan..it is mainly monet and illuminated manuscripts.

Amy

Ditto!

Well done already! :-)

I concur about the Musee Rodin and Place des Vosges. You can hit Musee Rodin when you visit Rue Cler. I'd stop by Les Invalides too, go in if you have the Museum Pass. Even w/o the pass, the gardens there are pretty and you might be lucky enough to catch some military pageantry. We did last August in a touching memorial to French WWII veterans. The honorees were obviously quite well on in years, some were sons and daughters of those being honored. They were all deeply moved which moved us as well. Unforgettable!

Don't forget a twilight/nighttime Seine cruise w/ Vedettes du Pont Neuf!

I have only visited Paris twice - 2003 for 3 days and in 2004 for 5 days. On my NEXT trip I want to add in more time in the 5th, esp. to check out the Arenes de lutece near Hotel Monge and make another trip to Place des Vosges while eating a delicious falafel from L' As du Falafel on Rue des Rossiers.

More sites on my list:

Park Monceau
Boat trip on the St. Martin Canal
Musee Jacquemart-Andre
Marmottan Musee
Cluny Musee
the Opera Garnier
the Galeries Lafayette
L'Orangerie (if it ever re-opens!)
Angelinas for hot chocolate
Dinner at the restaurant at the top of Tower Montparnasse (name escapes me at the moment!)

So much to see! Enjoy!

Ditto "mamac" on the Place des Vosges and the Marais, the Ile St Louis, the Tuileries, and the Rodin Museum. All will evoke a relaxing mood.
While you're in the 6th, why not sit at Cafe Flore and ponder deep philosophical questions, such as where to eat dinner. Then cross the little street and walk through the cool, peaceful, ancient church of St Germain des Pres.
FYI: If you want to visit the Ile St Louis, the Cite metro station on the Ile de la Cite does have an elevator, which your knees will appreciate!

Yes, you are out 'seeing' many great Parisian sights... what about 'be-ing'? Maybe you need one day off during your last 4 days. Get a manicure (vivi, hope you are a female), have a nice lunch, rest in the park, take in a movie (VO-Eng or French all the way), glass of wine at a corner cafe...

Give your knee a rest and hop on one of the bus lines and take it all the way to the end and back.

Take the RER to Chatou and have lunch on the balcony at La Maison de Fournaise, where Renoir painted "Luncheon of the Boating Party."

I liked visiting the catacombs. There are miles and miles of bones underneath Paris. I also enjoyed the Pere Lachaise Cemetary. I am not a macabre person, but I did find them interesting. I also liked visiting the Pompidou Center, Musee D'Orsay and St. Chappelle.

Hop on the Batobus and enjoy 1 day of unlimited rides up an down the Seine for 11 Euro, this is especially magical at night.

Thanks for the suggestions! yes, I have been to street market---Place Monge. Also rue Mouffetard every AM as I am staying right on the same street! (in real winner on VRBO, I will give a full report when I get back including the super duper VRBO we stayed at in AMsterdam,) ) I also fell asleep in Luxembourg Gardens the other day under the warn sun and last night we had a very leisurely prix-fix dinner at a charming little cafe in this cute neighborhood I am staying in. And I walked around Ile de St Louis this AM. Also I walked along the street by Samarataine to look at all those pet shops selling teeny Paris Hilton type dogs!

This eve we went to Sacre Couer at sunset with some snacks and a blanket and spent several hours sprawled on the grass admiring the view.

Thursday I plan the Picasso Museum and then meet my daughter at the Bastille for lunch during a break in her classes. The BatoBus sounds like a winner at night, I'd love to sit and watch the scenery go buy.

And then one day an Invalides-Rodin-rue Cler expedition. Maybe the Pompidou at night,

I still have 2 days after that, one of them I will definitely veg, read in the park, take a nap, sip coffe at a cafe and contemplate dinner!

The kids in my daughter;s program want me to go on an outing with them this weekend---either fountainbleu, Versailles, or Disney.

The sun is setting after 10PM , I havent been to bed before 1AM since I arrived in Europe and somehow I need to make up this sleep deficit; I guess that's what going home is for, sigh.

Merci for all the wonderful suggestions!

How long have you been in Paris, vivi? It sounds like you've covered a lot and are enjoying yourself. Good for you!

What about shopping?

One out-of-town excursion, definitely, I think.

Did you see the neo-impressionism exhibition at Orsay and the Matisse exhibition at Luxembourg? Would those interest you? How about this list from Economist.com?

http://www.economist.com/cities/brie...mp;city_id=PAR

How about live music? (My tastes are classical -- so I'd look for an opera performance, something at Theatre des Champ-Elysees or Chatelet.)

Did you buy a copy of Pariscope and see what else there is on offer?

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

After several trips to Paris, I have never yet been to Pere Lachaise cemetery, and it's still on my "to do" list. Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison, and Oscar Wilde, among many others, are buried there.