Paris For The Second Time
 

We are traveling to Paris for a days in May. We have already been to Paris and saw all the top attractions the first time i.e. the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame, Sacre Couer, Moulin Rouge, catacombs, Paris Opera House, Champs Elysee, etc. The friends we are traveling with have never been, so they will want to do what we have already done. We want to see new things! Looking for suggestions on other things to do and see besides the typical first-timer attractions. We are not huge museum people, but thought Musee d'Orsay would be a good one to hit this time. What else is "not to be missed"?

Musée d'Orsay, musée Carnavalet, jardins du Luxembourg, Jardin des plantes, grand palais, Chateau de Vincennes, Arc de Triomphe, a cruise on the Seine ...

But more importantly : to get lost in the small streets and take time to just let it soak in. Spend some time around République, Bastille, walk along the Seine...

I've been hundreds of time to Paris and still stop my bike regularly to take in some building that I hadn't noticed or want to look from another angle and catch me saying : 'what a beautiful city'.

Certainly look into museums you didn't hit last time. I don't know if you bought the museum card last time, but if you get it you can "pop" into an included museum even if you otherwise wouldn't pay for it. Perhaps visit a passageway or two, which kind of take you back in time. I'm a broken record on this, but was very impressed with Chateau Vincennes, a castle accessible by the metro.

DEFINITELY the Orsay. There are more than paintings, you know--furniture. But the Impressionists AND just the building interior are more than worth the visit. And the restaurants there might be a nice treat for both couples.
The markets!!! Fun, buy some cheese and bread and wine to have before dinner.
Your number of days got glitched so not sure how many.
Sit in a cafe and people watch with a glass of wine.
The Seine boat trip in late afternoon so that when you get to the Eiffel Tower it will just be coming up in lights.
Have a picnic on the Champs de Mars with the Eiffel Tower to look at.
Take the number 42 bus from Gare du Nord to the Eiffel Tower.
Eat mussels on a cafe terrace!!

If you are into sculptures the Musée Bourdelle in the 15th has some pretty awesome ones; the tallest sculptures I've ever seen in Paris.

Say hello to la France, le Fruit and la Force for me! Small museum but packs a punch don't miss the woman in the middle of the garden.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_Bourdelle

Agree with Orsay.. but not just for Impressionists.. make sure you check out the decorative arts section and the crazy furniture.. amazing.
Also .. Invalids Army Museum is very interesting. .I have been three times now ( like you had to take others who had not been ) and its still a nice break in day.. well organized, not crowded.. my kids loved all the medival weapons and horse armor, my hubby loved the WW section..
Luxembourg Gardens on a sunny day.. buy an ice cream or a drink and relax under the trees .Find and admire the Medici Fountain.

We found our visit to the Shoah Musuem ( not same as memorial ) very moving and Interesting. Its free and worth visiting if in Marais.

Also what about a bike tour.. Paris is mostly flat. or you could take a bike tour out of town.. your friends will enjoy seeing more then just the big city of Paris and so will you.

www.frenchmystiquetours.com/

A boat cruise of course.. many folks like the evening ones best , seeing all the monuments and bridges lit up from the water.

This forum's invaluable frequent poster Kerouac has conducted many photo explorations of Paris neighbourhoods. You can try connecting through the page's search function.
My personal experience is that you and your friends should agree -- in advance -- that you will go your separate ways during the day and meet up over dinner to discuss your experiences. On vacation there is such a thing as too much togetherness, especially if you begin to feel like an involuntary tour guide. Regarding the d'Orsay and other large museums, timing your visit to take a guided tour is useful when your enthusiasm is tentative.

I too am planning the Mr. & my second trip to Paris. You've already gotten some suggestions that I have on my 'to do list' such as; Musee d'Orsey and Musee de l'Armee Invalides. Someone suggested a bike tour. We are planning to do a night time bike tour with Fat Tire Tours which sounds like a lot of fun and actually managable for this clumsy lady! :)

http://www.fattiretours.com/paris

Something we did on our first visit was a food tour with Paris by Mouth. Our tour covered the Saint Germain area. We can't wait to revisit some of those shops and have more of the yummy delights we learned about while on the tour.

www.parisbymouth.com

Good luck and happy planning! :D

My personal experience is that you and your friends should agree -- in advance -- that you will go your separate ways during the day and meet up over dinner to discuss your experiences

I SO agree with this. We went with friends one time and found their daily schedules did not fit ours at all--we are up early and out to have coffee. Them, not so much. We showed them how to use the metro (in the first days before the "dawning") and made suggestions.

I will also suggest that a day with michael Osman for both couples could be very nice--and maximize everyone's enjoyment. It could be to visit the Orsay for a few hours and then some areas everyone agrees on. He showed us things we had not seen on MANY visits to Paris, let alone just one.

as the Louvre is a must, an alternative could be that you visit parts you did not see on your 1st trip and your friends visit the essential.
Louvre is not only the Joconde. Some rooms are also worth just for the deco and furniture.
After, it would depend on your tastes : Beaubourg if you are after modern art, Cernushi / Guimet for Asian, etc...
Oh, by the way, an interesting one at Trocadero (Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine) with copies of iconic places in France(for example, the famous cité radieuse of Le Corbusier or old frescos).
I also like Musée Rodin a it combines a musuem and a nice garden with his sculptures.
Outside Paris, Versailles is of course a must (plus a lively market on sunday moring). Same for Fontainebleau. Depends if you are more Louis 14 or Napoleon !
And just enjoy the atmosphere of Le Marais, Quartier Latin.

GREAT suggestions! D'Orsay it is, a Seine cruise and possibly the bike tour! I love getting lose and agree that that is the best way to see things you weren't looking for and really create some memories! We will only be there for 3 nights before we move onto London for 5 and Ireland for 7! Thanks so much for all the great tips!

For me, climb the Notre Dame towers for a great view of Paris and the gargoyles. I second the Paris by Mouth food tour! We do love Impressionism and can recommend the L'Orangerie and Musee Marmottan. Smaller than the Louvre and d'Orsay but wonderful and far less crowded!

In May, I would think Promenade Plantee would be wonderful!

Given your short timeframe, I would look to use the evenings really effectively too. For example, Musee Rodin is open late on Wed nights, and Musee D'Orsay is open late Thurs. You can also get tickets to an hour-long evening concert at Sainte-Chapelle. All these tickets can be bought online before you go, so you save time queuing too.

Bitter, given the security checks in place, it's not nearly as easy to just "pop" into a museum as it used to be, esp if they don't have a separate security line for passholders. (examples: Rodin, Guimet)

I've visited Paris eight or 10 times and I've visited Notre Dame each and every time. You should have seen the Musee d'Orsay instead of the Louvre on your first trip, so your friends won't be missing anything.

You say you aren't 'museum people' so I'll recommend 2 museums that were actually once private homes. The Nissim de Camondo was the home of a wealthy Jewish family early in the 20th century. The son and heir was killed in an air battle in the Great War and the house was left as a museum in his memory after the death of the father in 1935. A beautiful home that shows how the rich lived in the belle epoch.

The Jacquemart-Andre Museum is only about a 10 minute walk away. It was the home of a wealthy art collecting couple, Nelie Jacquemart and Edouard Andre. The home is amazing and there is a pleasant terrace where you can have a light lunch.
There is a website but do yourselves a favour and don't look... just get to the place using Google Maps or whatever.
No sense spoiling what will be a delightful surprise! ;^)

Better yet - brunch at the Jaquemart-André.

And lunch at La Maison Fournaise on the Ile des Impressionistes.

ParisAmsterdam, those museum recommendations sound so interesting! I will add those to our list and see where we end up! Thank you!