Degas

I'm thinking of visiting St-Denis Cathedral after exploring the Montmartre area. Seems like a logical combination since both are in the north of Paris.

Any rants or raves about the Cathedral? Any recommendations of where to eat around it?

And is there anything else worth doing or seeing around the Cathedral or between it and Montmartre. I've not heard of anything and it looks like a straight out and back trip for now.

Are thereAf o

bonnettdc

Nice cathedral. Lots of low priced ethnic restaurants in the area. A pleasant walk down to and by the river.

AR

I enjoyed the Cathedral very much, but then again I find it interesting to see the tombs of Kings and Queens. I just wish that I had done my research first to realise who was who in the place. You may have better knowledge on French history than me (all those King Louis!!).

Travelnut

We enjoyed the basilica. The Metro lets out about 1-2 blocks from it. Right near there is a small "mall" kind of place with a good boulangerie/ deli - we just got sandwiches and had a curbside picnic. On the corner across from the basilica is a cafe, which I believe was serving some food - we just had coffees. The Tourist Office loaded me down with every conceivable brochure they had for the town of St Denis - located on the street that runs up to the basilica - can't miss it. I want to say there is a town square right there, but my mental picture might be off.
The flea market/antiques market at Clignancourt is 'between' but logistics are not very direct. You could choose to visit the flea mkt early, then Montmartre, then St Denis, or the flea mkt, go out to St Denis, and return to Montmarte (that's probably better). The flea mkt operates Sat-Mon.

hansikday

degas, you might like this one:

Musee de l'Art et de l'Histoire de la Ville de St-Denis. 22 bis Rue Gabriel-Peri. 3E. Closed tues. Wed-Sat and mon 10-1730. sun 1400 to 1830. Housed in an old convent. Biggest portion devoted to 1871 Commune, but also has nun memorabillia and an exhibit on medieval life.

jmv

We enjoyed St. Denis. Went there by metro, saw it and metroed back to central Paris so I can't help with in between. Something tells me that if there was something in between we'd have stopped and we didn't. My knowledge of French kings and queens isn't great but even without that, the tombs were interesting. I especially liked Pepin the short and Mathilde the big foot. Someone will be able to correct that to the right names and which dynasty they were from but to me they'll forever be Pepin the short and Mathilde the big foot. It's kind of fun in its own way. Enjoy.

kellyee21

They had a great guided tour there (included I think for admission). I did it in French, but I think there is an English one also. It lasted over 2 hours and gave tons of info on the history there. Highly recommend!

Degas

Thanks for all the inputs. I'll be on the look out for "Pepin the short" and "Mathilde the big foot."

Christina

I think St-Denis is an excellent day trip, and it's so easy to get there by the metro. Be sure to read up a little on the history of that cathedral and its stained glass (I know you will), and it has probably the best collection of funerary sculpture I've ever seen.

I think the basicila and the Arts and History museum are the highlights. That is really an excellent museum, I enjoyed it very much. It is inside an old Carmelite cloister and so it combines a fine arts museum with history of that convent and the area. The commune section, as mentioned, is unique, I believe.

There is also the Christofle silver/gold plating museum, which I did not have time to see. Here is a section on their tourism web page that describes the main attractions

http://www.saint-denis-tourisme.com/...sMonuments.htm

The tourist office is about right in front of the cathedral, so it's easy to stop in there for maps and info on everything. As for lunch, I just bought takeout, sort of, from a shop while on a walk between the cathedral and the museum and ate it in the park. They have a very nice large park there, also. I can't think of anyplace special to eat, but you'll see some places around the cathedral, as I recall.

klondike

That's Pepin le Bref, but can't help you with Mathilde whats-her-name.

Betty1

I remembered somebody "au grand pied" but didn't think Mathilde sounded right so I looked it up. I think you are referring to Berthe (or Bertrade) au Grand Pied, wife of Pepin le Bref and mother of Charlemagne. She got her nickname, apparently, because she had one foot larger than the other.