Paris tips
 

A friend of mine is headed to Paris with his wife and asked me for some "tips." I thought one or two of them might be useful to other folks.

-- Paul

Our recommended sites and sights:
Eiffel Tower (Go first thing in the morning on a weekday when there's a good weather)
Notre Dame (climb to the top)
(Old) Opera (take the English tour)
Sacre C'ouer (climb to the top) & Montmarte
Versailles (especially the gardens and Hammeau)
Bateaux Les Vedettes du Pont-Neuf (boat ride -- catch at Pont-Neuf)
rue Cler shops (food and wine)
Louvre
Musee d'Orsay
Long walks along both sides of the Seine
And, walk across as many bridges as you can!
Luxembourg Gardens (picnic lunch)
Arch de Triumphe (climb to the top)
St. Chappele (near Notre Dame)
Place de Concorde

Other good choices
Walking tour (Michellin Green Guide) through the Latin Quarter
Les Invalides & Napolean's Tomb
Place de la Madellaine & the Fouchon food shops (even just to window shop)
Grand Palais

Things we thought were overrated
Walking through the Marais
Pompidou Center

Excellent carry out food
rue Cler
Le Grande Epicirie (next to the Bon Marche)
Place de la Madellaine -- the Fouchon food shops (expensive)
[I'm sure there are plenty more -- these are the ones we found]

Guidebooks (all available on Amazon.com)
Rick Steves' Paris 2005
Great for logistical information. Also several good walking tours. Don't rely on for food and wine recommendations.

Access Paris
by Richard Saul Wurman, Anthony Lechtman
Excellent resource for scoping cool places and good food and wine. Oriented by individual areas of Paris

If you want a third good guide, get the
Michelin Green Guide: Paris (English Edition)

Metro Map
Michael Brein's Guide to Paris by The Metro
by Michael Brein
Excellent map of the Metro routes, station details, and nearby sites -- a must have!

Daybag
REI Personal Organizer Shoulder Bag
$45.00 Item 711938
http://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...SSHP_TRAVEL_LD

This is the shoulder bag I think is terrific. I used two black plastic cable straps to tie in the shoulder strap clips to the rings on the bag. (Prevents someone unclipping the strap.) I drilled holes in the center of the four zipper tabs and use a small luggage cable lock to thread through the tabs when I'm on a crowded metro, etc. This provides a great sense of security and is much more functional than "money belts", etc.)

*** Do not use daypacks or fanny packs! They're "chum" for pickpockets. ***

Victorinox Cable Lock
$15.00 Item 681760
http://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...cat=REI_SEARCH

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Finally, if you love ham, here's the Bellota ham story ...

Where to buy in Paris
Bellota - Bellota
Ouverture: Accueil jusqu'a 23h00 Fermeture: dimanche et lundi
18 rue Jean Nicot - 75007 - Paris
Metro: Latour Maubourg

Be sure to do a "tasting" of the various hams and ask the person who helps you how he or she would characterize the flavors. Also encourage them to talk about the "pedigree" of the hams you're tasting. Note that Bellota hams, like wine, have an appellation and vintage. Appellation depends on region and how the ham is raised. Vintage is important for the very top appellations because these pigs feed in the wild and the climate affects the acorns crops. Also, the length of aging depends on the weight of the ham, which depends on the region and vintage and other variables. Heavier hams can be aged longer and are more valuable.

We've never eaten at the little restaurant. We just get a variety of hams, thinly sliced by hand (what you get are thin little "chips" of ham) to go. 30 to 40 Euros will buy a good supply.

Also, be sure to get a jar of the fresh tomato & garlic condiment they make themselves. This requires refrigeration to maintain its freshness. We ate ours so fast that wasn't a problem!

Don't refrigerate the ham. Two traditional ways to maximize it's flavor are to serve it on a slightly warmed plate or over warm, sliced potatoes. In either case, the fat becomes translucent and the flavors burst forth.

BTW, there are other sources of Bellota ham in Paris. We just love this little place, which is right around the corner from "our" apartment on rue Malar.

Also, there's a fantastic bakery a few doors down.

Here's an article on Bellota ham
http://www.departures.com/ep/ep_0105_ham.html

My tips are not related to sites as much as everyday practical things. ALWAYS have some coins at hand because you need to pay to use the restroom in many places. Keep a travel pack of wet wipes and santitizer when you use those public toilets that don't have running water.

Always enter a restaurant, store, hotel, etc with "Bonjour" or "Bonsoir" and always say "merci, beaucoup" (thank you very much) when someone helps you.

Tasting the Bellota ham was on my to do list this last trip to Paris (5/30-6/12) but I never had the chance. Oh well, looks like it'll be on the "must do" list for April '06!

pcponte, thank you for the Paris tips! My husband and I are planning to go in October.

Paul,

Even though I totally disagree with you about the Marais --my husband and I loved staying at and exploring this area-- thanks for taking the time to share your tips.

Funny thing about the public pay bathrooms: We had heard so many weird stories about people getting trapped in them and "disinfected", so we avoided them like the plague! BUT here's a related tip: Wherever you are in Paris, you are usually near a hotel. We often used hotel bathrooms (very clean) -- and they're used to a lot of foreigners/tourists coming in and out of their lobbies.
If that part fails, it's just another excuse to stop for yet another WONDERFUL pastry or coffee at yet another fine patisserie.

I've used those pay toilettes many times and never had any problems. Should I be worried on my next visit. Another great source for bathrooms are the large department stores and the shopping mall under the Louvre. Unfortunately they have closed one of my favorites. Samartine

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34519236

Your tips should go on the Paris superthread too~

Suzanne: No, not to worry if you are already a veteran of those public potties! Our tour guide from PARIS WALKS was joking about the "12-minute limit", after which time the restroom door would lock and the Full Cleaning Mechanism would then switch on. So if one exceeded the 12-minute of bathroom use time, one was locked in, sprayed with a number of disinfectants, and then scrubbed (with giant sponges?).
Actually, 12 minutes seem like a generous amount of time!

I recommend the Marais as well - after all, Haussmann (yes I know, spelling...) did not have a chance to level it and start over. I do enjoy the history of the town.

And in the voice of Jan Brady "Rue Cler...Rue Cler...Rue Cler..."

I believe the danger with the automatic loos (we have them in London too) is that if you're in there for too long the door opens: on the argument, no doubt, that anyone who's in there that long might have passed out. I think there's a weight sensor that prevents someone being automatically scrubbed!

thanks very helpful - i'm going the beginning of july- i can't wait

I loved going to the top of Notre Dame, but I think people need fair warning that unless you are in pretty decent shape and NOT claustrophobic, you might not want to attempt this. When we were squashed on the tiny, twisting stairs with a million other people, a woman going up either had a panic attack or became too winded to go on. She sat down on the steps gasping and wailing, and everyone else was stuck. If this had been a heart attack, it would have been truly frightening. The laissez-faire French have no sort of warning signs at the entrance to let visitors know that it is a stairway for very short people with good cardiovascular endurance.

But...once you are up among the gargoyles with all of Paris spread out before you... it is worth it!

The automatic toilets in Paris are called Sanisettes (tm). They are designed such that the door will open after 15 minutes or so, mainly to prevent people from sleeping in them or doing other things for which they are not intended. They are not intended for small children alone, as small children don't weigh enough for the Sanisette to detect and it may decide that it's empty and try to cycle (brushes appear from the rear wall of the cubicle and scrub and disinfect the toilet). This is not a risk for adults of normal size.

When the Sanisettes are clean and well maintained, they are an excellent choice if you have to go to the toilet.

The Eiffel tower at night near 9:30 pm or at first dark at this time of year is when the city puts on the 10 minute "sparkly light" display on the tower. It was magical to be at the park across the street to see this.

what a great list, thank you everyone, I've just copied and pasted in word to take with me on my upcoming Paris trip.

I am starting to cut and paste all the great info that will help in my trip this June and so I'd like to bring this to the top for any other tips,please!