Luisah

A bowl of onion soup gratinee and a salad at Brasserie Balzar in the Latin Quarter would be a full meal. I've had warm goat cheese salads several times in Paris and remember getting a sliced egg and tomato sandwich at a bakery on Blvd. St Germain. If you eat fish, you'll be able to find salad Nicoise and there's always pasta.

You won't go hungry.

CarolM

thanks flounder, Louiseee and Luisah... unfortunately, I do not eat fish, so that makes it even harder. But the ideas you have here -- off hitting shops and markets, as well as ethnic restaurants -- are all great ideas! Thanks!

Michel_Paris

Another bike tour company I found...

www.parisbiketour.net/uk/

lowcountrycarol

bookmarking

Doh

bookmarking

veramarie

I'm in the planning stages for a September trip to Paris, so this thread is invaluable. One of my sources is David Lebovitz, the author of Sweet Life in Paris and also the website http://davidlebovitz.com He is a chef and talks a lot about pastries and chocolate (which is not a BAD thing) but he is also an American in Paris, and so has helpful hints for Americans visiting there. I'm looking forward to tracking down his favorite chocolatier, boulangerie, macarons, and cafes.

cathies

Ah Fashionista, a kindred spirit. I don't buy umbrellas in Paris, but I do by my tea towels there. I found some lovely ones in Paris at BHV. They weren't expensive but it gives me a little thrill each time I use one. I also have scarves that I bought in Paris which I absolutely love.

When we were in Paris in 2008 we rented an apartment close to Jardin du Luxembourg and at about 4pm each afternoon would call in there and pull up a chair near the pond and watch the children pushing out little toy boats. It was easy to imagine children having done this for 100's of years. I loved it.

cathies

Oops, I forgot to say that there are often evening concerts at St Chapelle. So, if you like the idea, you can purchase tickets at the ticket office (our were about 20 euros each) at St Chapelle and then return in the evening. At this time of year it is still light at 7.30pm when the concerts are held and you can listen to beautiful music and watch the light coming through the stained glass. During the day the queues to get into St Chapelle are hideous, so if you do decide to go during the day, wait until about 3pm when the bus tour people will have gone. You still have to queue to get through security but then you can pretty much just walk straight in.

CarolM

cathies, I was definitely planning on trying to attend a concert at Ste Chapelle... hopefully we can get tickets for one night (thankfully,we have several nights we can chose from). About getting into Ste Chapelle during the day, if I have one of those museum passes, I read that you don't have to stand in line -- but of course you do have to stand in line for security. If we have those passes, will this bypass most of the "hideousness"? We were actually thinking of going first thing in the morning...

CarolM

ps... do you think that for this time of year (late June) I will need to purchase tickets for concerts at St. Chapelle in advance (before I leave for Paris) or will tickets still be available once I'm there?

amwosu

CarolM, I've gone to Sainte- Chappelle right when they opened on two occassions (June & July) and had no wait. I'd love to see a concert there. I can't imagine a more beautiful venue.
Ann Marie

Michel_Paris

I've timed a visit to St Chapelle such that I bought ticket to get in, and a concert ticket for that night. Their popular is a 'candlelit' Vivaldi Four Seasons. When I last went they had tiers of pricing, but the place is not very large so a cheaper seat was fine if you have no desire to watch musician's fingers at work.

There are quite a few classical concerts given at night in local churches in central Paris. There is something nice about a chamber music concert in a 17th century church, the acoustics,etc...

try this site...
http://www.ampconcerts.com/

Only issue I had was that they started at time I would normally be going out for dinner.

CarolM

Thanks guys, this sounds great. I'm a musician, and so I'd definitely spring for a good ticket (if they have reserved seating). That would be amazing to hear 4 Seasons -- or anything in such a setting! I'd be happy to go every night Our hotel is so close (walking distance to Ste. Chappelle). Ann Marie, thanks for letting me know not to worry about too much of a wait... I'll be sure to hit it first thing in the morning.

cobbie

We were in Paris last week & the line in the afternoon for St. Chappelle was about 1/2 hour. It is closed for lunch - I think it reopens at 2pm. We asked about tix for that evening's Chopin piano concert. They pointed to a souvenier shop across the street. We got tix for 30E for the back of the Chapel. They use folding seats - it lasts for an hour from 8-9 and was amazing. You won't regret whatever you see there. Also at 4pm there is a free tour in English of the chapel.

cobbie

For the vegetarian gal: Go to any boulangerie & get a quiche. They are fabulous. Mushroom, onion. Don't order Quiche Lorainne - it has ham.

JillDavis

Cobbie - are you saying that every day I can go to St. Chappelle at 4 pm and get a free tour in English rather than paying 9 Euros to get in? Are the lines for that tour crazy and not guaranteed to get you a spot on the tour?

amwosu

JillD, I'm guessing that Cobbie meant that you pay the regular admission and once inside there is a 4pm tour with no additional charge.

Luisah

I attended the Vivaldi Four Seasons concert a few years ago and loved it. We bought the expensive seats and regretted it. The chapel is so small you can see and hear from anywhere and would probably have a better view of the windows from the back.

At that time individual seats were not reserved. There were just a few rows in the front of the chapel that cost more so the more expensive ticket is good for any seat in the first three (or four?)rows.

AprilinParis

Your plan for mapping out your days is well worth the time. My husband and I found early on when traveling together that when you are jet lagged there is nothing worse than the whole "what do you want to do" - "I don't know, what do you want to do" scenario and wasting time doing nothing. We do a spread sheet and list the things we want to do every day and include potential restaurants and make reservations for 1 lunch or dinner every day. That way you can organize what you want to do/eat by location. In 2001, we went right after 9/11 and all the museums were closed but we had a whole side bar of things we would like to do that ended up filling in quite nicely all the museum spots. I agree with several other posters - don't miss St. Chapelle or the Musee du Moyen Age - the tapestries were very unexpectedly impressive. The Rue Moufftard is also a great suggestion for you since you can shop for the things you eat. We have gone there and then picniked at Luxumbourg Gardens and once at the point on Ile St. Louis while a ballet company was practicing behind us. Another easy picnic option is picking up sandwiches at Cosi in the 6th. They have lots of veggie options. We are planning our trip for October right now so I enjoyed reading everyone's comments.

althom1122

While at Napolean's Tomb, check out the WW I and WW II exhibits. Also agree that you should try to fit in Rodin's Museum on that same day. It's very close and a delightful museum.