Sunday in Paris - what should we do
 

This time we will be spending a sunday in Paris.

What things should we do? What things do the Parisiens like to enjoy on a sunday. I don't necessarily want to visit museums but would rather soak up the atmosphere, maybe visit a market, a park?

Any suggestions?

Go to the Louvre at a good discount if it's in your plans and like the typical tourist only want to ogle the Mona Lisa and a few other famous paintings - but since it is discounted (free the first Sunday of each month i believe) it can be more crowded. Ditto for many other major museums.

Check out a mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Or the famous Marches des Puces or Flea Markets at Cligancourt (sp?)

Sunday IMO is a great day to be in Paris as the obnoxious smog-spewing traffic that plagues the city on weekdays is much much less - you may want to climb the Eiffel Tower on a Sunday as the air in the whole Paris area may be much clearer IME on a Sunday due to less traffic.

Our favorite activity on Sunday mornings is to visit the booksellers along the quais if the weather's nice. And the Cluny is free at least one Sunday a month. But you will probably get many good ideas.

Go to the Richard Lenoir market near Bastlle. it's my favorite an I never miss a Sunday there. Then yo could go down by the river and take the Canal St Martin cruise thru the locks.

Rather than the Marche at St Ouen ( Clignancourt) try the one at Porte de Vanves, all outdoors and better merchandise and prices

Go to Luxembourg Gardens where the families of Paris hang out on Sunday. If it is a beautiful day, visit the Musee Rodin and have a picnic in the sculpture/rose garden.

For us on a beautiful Sunday it has to be Luxembourg Gardens. Interesting music, nice outdoor cafe, great people watching. Even though we've been there so many times, it's a first on our list.

Next it would be a walk along the Seine around Notre Dame and a Vedettes river cruise from the Pont-Neuff.
http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/video_crjour.htm

Another one for the Richard Lenoir market. You could also combine that with a stroll around the Marais, not forgetting the buskers around the Place des Vosges.

If the weather's reliable enough, you could try the Buttes Chaumont:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parc_des_Buttes_Chaumont

or a walk along the Promenade Plantée - here's kerouac's tgake on it:
http://anyportinastorm.proboards.com...ay&thread=4088

If you need a little shopping fix you can go to the Marais, which has some lovely architecture to stroll through. Some, but not all, stores are open there. There are several museums nearby, including the Picasso museum, the Musee Carnavet (museum of the history of Paris - one of my favourites) and the Museum of Magic (quirky - good if you have kids).

Hi A,

After having a cuppa, take the metro to Monceau.
Visit the Park Monceau.

Walk to http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com/en/jacquemart/ for brunch.

Visit the museum.

Walk over to the Arc de Triomph.

Stroll down the Champs Elysee to Pl Concorde.

Time for an aperitif.

Enjoy your day.

((I))

Two favorites -

Great book market by Parc George Brassens, 87 rue Brancion, Saturday and Sunday 9:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

Attending mass (or dropping in after mass) in St. Sulpice church to hear the magnificent organ played. More information at www.stsulpice.com .

Parisians have an extremely copious lunch or brunch and then they go to the movies or to one of the outlying parks -- for example, La Villette is having free outdoor afternoon concerts these days.

Let's assume it is a gorgeous day.

Take the Metro (or bus or walk) to Sevres Babylone. Walk out the Blvd Raspail through the Marche Biologique (organic foods). Turn left at the Rue Vavin and walk to the Jardin du Luxembourg, about 2/3 of the way up its length. Stroll through the park toward the Palais and the boat basin. Take your time exploring. See the lawns and the boat basin for sure, but enjoy the people playing boules or the children in playgrounds. Stop for coffee or something colder and stronger.

From the rue de Vaugirard end of the Jardin, you can walk down the rue de Ferou to St Sulpice, as noted above, then past St Germain, down the rue Bonaparte to the Seine, where you will probably be ready to relax with a scenic boat ride from the Pont Neuf on one of the Bateaux Vedettes. If not, it is an easy stroll to Notre Dame.

Really energetic walkers like my friends D and G would continue across the Isle St Louis to the other side of the Seine and stroll up to the Place des Vosges. I would walk a couple of blocks and take th 96 bus across from the Palais de justice, but we would both wind up at the Place des Vosges. Dad can stop here while tireless shoppers explore the boutiques of the rue des Francs Bourgeois and a few of the cross streets.

The 96 bus will take you back to the Left Bank or you can get the Number 1 Metro at St Paul or another of other metro lines nearby.

There are many, many places to eat at every price level on this route. Allow serendipity to rule!

God, I am making myself so homesick!

Hi, Ira: You just described exactement a Sunday I have planned next month. Were you peeking at my notes? I'm hoping the good weather holds.

I love that walk you've described Ackislander. Such details!

Have a great time, Aussie_10 -- and please treat us to another one of your great trip reports when you catch your breath.

Oh my gosh!......thank you for all the wonderful ideas.

I need a month of sundays! Such brilliant suggestions. Our apartment this time is near the Bastille so I will definitely look into the Richard Lenoir market and Place des Vosges. Last visit we loved Luxembourg gardens on a week day so I'm sure sunday will be extra special, Park Monceau sounds great too. We love parks and people watching too.

My DH is a music teacher so he would love to hear the organ music in St Sulpice. We love anywhere near water and strolling and soaking up the atmosphere. So a stop a long the way for a coffee or aperitif sounds great.

All I need now is a brilliant sunny day and I can't wait to be back in Paris.

sap: this trip is mainly about Italy but I had to have my French fix first - going to Alsace then Paris and then Italy for 3 weeks. I will try and do the trip report again. Hurry up September I'm anxious to begin!

Once again thank you all for the great ideas and more suggestions are most welcome. I'm sure it will help others who have the luxury of a sunday ot two in Paris.

Another idea is 11AM Sunday's at rue mouffetard

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...de_France.html

We had the same idea as Ira - Parc Monceau, walk down to Musée Jacquemart-Andrée taking in all the lovely Haussmann buildings along the way. Lunch in the gorgeous salon de thé at the museum (the pastries are to die for) and walk off the wine from lunch seeing the museum afterwards. It's a very intimate museum that is easy to visit and quite fascinating.

Parc Monceau has a totally different atmosphere to it the the Luxembourg gardens. Having visited Lux. multiple times, the Monceau was a pleasant change and defintely had a higher Parisian family to World tourist ratio than the Lux. gardens.

Last time in Paris we stayed 50 meters from Rue Mouffetard, but of course we weren't there on a sunday.

Yes I googled Parc Monceau and it does look lovely...I love pastries that are to die for!....wine for lunch mmmm

Hi Sap,

>Were you peeking at my notes?<

Great minds think alike. :)

If you are in the mood, and it is open, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral at 12 Rue Daru is worth a visit on your way to the museum.
............................................
Hi Auss,

>..he would love to hear the organ music in St Sulpice.<

According to Rick Steves, there is a short organ recital just after Sunday Mass at about 10:30.

Enjoy your visit(s)

((I))

Also near your apartment, in the Bastille area, is the market at Pl. d’Aligre. It is open Tuesday thru Sunday, but on Sundays there is also a flea market in the Place and the surrounding streets. It is not as good as the one at Porte de Vanves – the source of our favorite souvenirs from Paris. The main attraction, for us on a Sunday, at the Marche d’Aligre, is inside of the covered market is a stall which rotisseries whole pigs. We first walked past the stall about 11 and thought we need to return and get some to take back to our apartment for lunch. We returned about 12:30 and luckily got the last 2 portions. We purchased cheese, bread, and some prepared foods plus a bottle of wine from the shop, Crus du Soleil on r. Aligre, and had a fabulous lunch.

The above being said my suggestion is: Before leaving for Paris read Cara Blacks “Murder in the Bastille” with a good map of the area nearby. Get up early on Sunday morning and go to the market at Porte de Vanves. Take the metro back to Ledru Rollin for the market at Pl. d’Aligre – skip the flea market there if you don’t have the time – and find the rotisserie pork, it sells quickly. Add what else you want for lunch. Return to your apartment and enjoy. Resist a nap, go out and walk about to explore some of the places that caught your interest in the book. It is a wonderful neighborhood.