Look for windows as you walk where you can buy a crepe!

A good place for pottery, since you mentioned buying a ceramic dish, is Maison Ivre, on rue Jacob in the 6th arrondissement.

https://www.maison-ivre.com/


Although after looking at their website I don’t see dishes. I have bought a number of things there but it’s been some years now so I can’t be sure what they have. I used to envy the owner’s job of visiting potteries all over France to buy items for the store. Worth checking to see if they still carry it before making the trip.

My last trip to Paris was in 2019, and I was suffering from plantar fasciitis, so to say I was a slow walker was an understatement. That is one good thing about travelling solo - at least I wasn't annoying anyone.

Anyway, another fantastic impressionist museum is the Marmottan. The lower level is dedicated to Monet and has many wonderful paintings. There are also benches so you can relax and study the art at your leisure. It is on the outskirts of Paris, but I took the bus out there and it was pretty easy. I also went to the D'Orsay but found it quite crowded and seating in the galleries was limited. It does have lots of amazing art though. If you are thinking of going to the Louvre I can give you the name of a guide that specializes in it.

Another highlight was going out to Giverny, Monet's home where he painted the water lilies series. I took a semi-private van tour and they picked me up right at my accommodations and drove us right to the gate of the gardens. Because it was a semi-private tour we were allowed in half an hour before opening so we had the water garden to ourselves for half an hour before opening. It was a bit pricey compared to taking the train and doing it yourself, but getting in and taking photos without a bunch of people in them was priceless, imho. And the door to door service was also worth it considering my limited mobility.

If you click on my name you can read my pictorial trip report from my solo trip.

Nikki - we did that too, on our last visit to Paris, taking it in the same direction as you, from Bastille then getting the metro back into town.

pgtraveler, I just re-read your solo Paris trip. I don't know why I didn't write at the time how much I loved the night street scenes and the b/w shots. Also, for dfrosty, taking a guided tour to Giverny is a great idea. And, repeating, online reservations and tickets save time.

pgtraveler, I just re-read your solo Paris trip. I don't know why I didn't write at the time how much I loved the night street scenes and the b/w shots. Also, for dfrosty, taking a guided tour to Giverny is a great idea. And, repeating, online reservations and tickets save time.

I take it you’ve never made ricotta or goat cheese.

Pgtraveler, thanks for directing me to your trip report. Since I don't habe many days in Paris I stopped looking at museum choices aftwr a friend said she liked d'Orsay better than the Louvre and it was less crowded. But the one further out that you visited sounds even nicer.
I needed the phone info since my inexpensive Tacfone can't be used outside the US for phone calls althoug internet use is ok. My dh and I satyed in touch while I was in Italy by using Whats App. He would be having breakfast when I would text him with photos about my day.
your photos are wonderful.
I've been on public transportation to the end of the line a couple of times. Once it was a small group of us who were too busy talking and missed our stop.


Kerouac the cheese class is for soft cheese like mozzarella. Different cheeses take different times and also different rennet tablets. We live near farms where I can buy raw milk. A friend has goats.

I'm making notes to help organize days. Thanks for shop names and I didn't realize the other river also had boat rides.

Enough time has elapsed since my visit that I will cheerfully accept corrections, but I'd choose d'Orsay because it's closer, and you'll see more artists. Also it would be a shame to miss the Louvre... the pgtraveler wrote about tour might be another time saver.

Frosty - sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference between the official tickets sites and the companies that sell you tickets to a vast range of activities like Viator, but I think that this is the right one for the Canal St Martin and some trips on the Seine too.
https://www.canauxrama.com/en/

There are also the Bateaux Mouches on the Seine which are a bit like a HOHO bus and which don't need to be booked.
https://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/en/cruise/boat_tour

As for the Musee D'Orsay v Louvre debate knowing your interests I would pick the former every time. The Louvre is rather like the Met in NYC - so enormous that you can easily be overwhelmed and not actually find anything that you are interested in. And the D'Orsay isn't small by any means. If you had time I'm sure that you would enjoy the Marmottan too - you can get there by bus and by metro.

I think that your cheese making class sounds great, and potentially useful too.

For what it''s worth, we've been to both the D'Orsay and Marmottan. Loved the D'Orsay and its variety.

Had great expectations for the Marmottan, and we were quite underwhelmed. The experience itself wasn't even close to D'Orsay, and due to its distance from anything, chewed up a lot of time.to/from. While in the D'Orsay we saw paintings we'd heard of all our lives, I dare say I'd never heard/read of ANY of the paintings in the Marmottan. If D'Orsay was a 10, I'd rate Marmottan a 6.

If you're near Canal St. Martin, and you had 2 spare hours, you might look at a map to see how close to Le Parc Buttes Chaumont you'd be.
It's right in town, beautiful park with waterfall/rolling hills, etc, used by the gentry living in nearby apartments, etc. It's gorgeous, and you can see how bucolic a city park CAN be. Made us feel like Parisians, even for a few hours.

On Thursdays and Sundays there is a large market on the Boulevard Richard Lenoir, extending north from the Bastille. https://en.parisinfo.com/shopping-pa...arche-Bastille

And on Saturdays there is an art and craft market in the same location. https://en.parisinfo.com/shopping-pa...ation-Bastille

Ah, a first visit to Paris, how wonderful for you. Great suggestions you have received so far. Here is a little more info:
1. You asked about pottery and while I have not visited this store I have it bookmarked for a future visit. It is in the 5th arrondissement, not far from Luxembourg Gardens(lovely all year round) so perhaps you can plan to visit both on the same day https://www.facebook.com/LaTuileALoup.Paris/. Also not far, back on the Island, are Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame.
2. The garden at the Rodin Museum is lovely in May. You can stroll through at your leisure and take in the flowers, rosebushes in abundance and sculptures(i.e., The Thinker, The Gates of Hell, etc). The website says it is free to enter the garden though when I was there last it was around 2- 4 Euro. You do not have to visit the museum to see the garden. It is small and really pretty. Since it is in the 7th arrondissement it is also in fairly close proximity to Musee D'Orsay and the Eiffel Tower and I am pretty sure the #69 bus runs between all three locations. I think kurieff suggested the restaurant Chez L'Ami Jean which is great not only for food but entertainment. Le Florimond LE FLORIMOND is also in the neighborhood but more quiet and great food. Both of these are open for lunch but then close in the afternoon (2:00 p.m. or so) and re-open for dinner around 7:00 p.m. Consider making reservations if you really want to dine at a specific restaurant. There also many other good eating options in this area (as there are in all of Paris) where we have eaten with no reservations. Musee D'Orsay is open late on Thursday so if you believe you can see the art you are most interested in between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. then this might be a good option for you. Eiffel Tower is close by so perhaps you could go there after the museum and do your river cruise on Bateaux Parisiens which is near the base of the Eiffel Tower. As others have suggested, doing the cruise in the evening/at night is a treat because the sites are all lit up and the cruise is timed so that as you return the tower will be twinkling. But, there are other river cruise options as noted above and likely are all about the same.I have only been on Bateaux Parisiens https://www.bateauxparisiens.com/en/...ided-tour.html.
3. There used to be(pre-Covid) a combo ticket available for the Musee D'Orsay and L'Orangerie that could be purchased online/at either museum. I am not sure it is available any longer but if you want to see both then this would be a good option for you. L'Orangerie is located near one end of the Tuileries Garden so could be an opportunity for you to see yet another garden.
4. Michael Osman is still in Paris but not sure how many tours he does now a days. Here is his contact page https://about.me/parisfind.

There is so much to see and do in the city. Taking time to enjoy a refreshment/meal in a cafe should be a daily requirement for any visit to the city. Have a wonderful time in southern France and in Paris.

La Tuile à Loup is close to the rue Mouffetard market, which could make a nice combination. I bought some things there years ago, and it appears to be under different ownership now, but the selection on that Facebook page looks good. I have stopped going to such places because I would have to buy another house to put everything in.

• We didn't visit the Opera House until our third visit, and I was wowed, especially by the Marc Chagall ceiling.
• Saint Chapelle is a must.
• Check out Paris's Museum Pass. If you are going to visit a lot of sights over a short period of time, google it and see if it will work for you. Rick Steves talks about the pass in his book. The "skip the regular line" feature is worth it along with entrances to places you may not have necessarily thought of to visit, but if you are nearby and have the time, why not? Example: While visiting Saint Chapelle, go over to the Conciergerie after.
• After a visit to the D'Orsay, head to the Rue de Rivoli and look for Angelina's (a 1903 tea room)...great hot chocolate!
• Pere LaChaise Cemetery? Loved the Abelard & Heloise tomb. Other famous types are resting there as well.
• Train to Chartres? Easy to do as a day trip.

If you have difficulty walking or with stairs, the bus is a better bet. There are often many stairs in the subway as well as long walks if you are changing to another route. On the bus, it is enjoyable to look out and see the sights . I believe you can purchase a book with the bus routes. I think Rich Steve’s book lists the popular ones also. I remember from 2017 that my hotel near Bastille had a bus that took me up past the Louvre and then over to the left bank. Great little ride.

Janeyre, the places you listed inspired me to find your TR. Your mention of Musee Jacquemart-Andre reminded me to suggest that it's a wonderful spot if you have time, dfrosty.

It should be a great visit with all the help all of you are giving me. Even if I can't see all the recommendations due to only having 5 (full) days, it is so exciting to visit the websites etc. I'm not sure I need a nutmeg grinder for example, but I was amazed at kitchen things I never see in the US or, rather, my neck of the NH woods.

The pottery at La Toule a Loup is gorgeous. Maybe I can't bring home a turkey platter but the baskets would be light except for the huge ones.

The Facebook page says they ship internationally. So if you really want that turkey platter…

The Bateaux Mouches are tour boats. I believe Ann is talking about the Batobus which is like a hop-on-hop-off bus on the water. https://www.batobus.com/en