Things NOT to do in PARIS!
 

There have been endless threads on things to do, must sees, not to miss, off the beaten track! If you can't find interesting things to fill 3 to 20 days, then I feel for you1

But there are some things that I would give a definite pass on and I know everyone must have spent time doing "something" that really could have been spent better elsewhere!


My nomination...IRONING classes at Marie Lavande in the Viaduct des Artes! First off..what is an IRON???????????

The Pantheon in Paris is one of the least interesting buildings I've visited, so that's my recommendation.
With all apologies to Pantheon fans everywhere.

Ironing classes, while on vacation?? LOL!! That sounds almost as appealing as toilet cleaning classes.

The one thing I would change about my trip to Paris was the dinner cruise. I would still take an evening cruise, but have dinner somewhere else. The food was OK, but not worth what we paid. Also I think I could have enjoyed the scenery more if I could have focused on that instead of eating dinner.

Do not say, "How much is that in real money?" in a loud voice.

Oh, jody, whatever possessed you??

The only thing I can think of NOT to do in Paris, is NOT to step in dog poop.

Plan the days so tightly you are rushing from here to there.

Paris is meant to be strolled and savored. While around time at a sidewalk cafe. Discover wonderful unknowns around the corner. I COULD NOT do Paris with SharonG's Trip Nazi! :-)

Heavens, Patirck! You don't think I actually did do an ironing course! I've only read about it..my dear mother tried to teach me and from age 7 ntil now I have been severely traumitized, to the point all I can iron are napkins!

You iron napkins?

Doesn't the paper catch on fire?

:)

Talk about traumatized. A few years ago my parents had a professional family video made using still photographs from our childhoods. I discovered that I was given a child's ironing board and iron THREE TIMES for Christmas and birthday presents. What were they thinking? Never got a kitchen set or Easy Bake oven.

Needless to say, as an adult I do no ironing - and love to cook! :-)

an ironing board and an iron as presents?
Positively Dickensian!!
Of course you now do no ironing!
:)

starrsville!! I got that present when I was 4!!
But I do want to say that it was a great gift at the time, I also loved my swing and I never played with an iron since :D

This is a hard one, but I say don't stay in Paris for 2 nights and expect to even scratch the surface. We just stayed for 5 nights and we weren't ready to leave. There is just so much to see and absorb that 1 or 2 nights is just a tease.

In my vocabulary, iron, is the equivalent of a dirty four-letter word, LOL :D

BTW, I <i>loved</i> my Easy Bake oven!

Did it actually, as claimed, operate with an ordinary light bulb? And was that indeed sufficient to bake anything?

Yes, Tedgale, it did indeed work and I made a lovely cake :)

One set MIGHT have been okay - but I got board and iron THREE TIMES (count'em, 3X) in my formative years! That is just sick, IMHO. Also received two chalkboards - and DID become a teacher! :-)

ALWAYS wanted an Easy Bake oven. Noooo!

Wanted to send my nephew across the country a birthday present a few years ago. One of the highest ranked toys on Amazon was the boys' version of the Easy Bake - Creepy Crawler or something like that. My mom and his mom thought I was crazy.

It was one of his favorite gifts ever. He went through the all the worm in dirt mix (and I think brains as well) without stopping. Mom was trying to pack up the household for a move from West to East and &quot;thanked me&quot; with less than sincerity. Still, he loved it!

The only time I iron now is when I &quot;sew&quot; - with heat (iron) activated fusing tape.

Which can bring us back full circle to the topic - What not to do in Paris.

For those that remember the scorched carpet thread....DO NOT IRON IN PARIS!

starrsville, my kids &lt;/&gt;loved the Creepy Crawler maker!!!

I so badly want to go to Paris! I am making a list of what NOT to do...

1) No ironing!

2).....Anything else?

Well, I will get totally flamed by Roby (and maybe others) but I stay above ground while in Paris. This is a personal preference and it works for me.

I like to walk Paris and when my toes get tired, I'd rather take a taxi than to go underground to take the metro. I enjoy seeing what I would otherwise be missing.

I read so many threads asking about routes and transfers and Carte Orange and etc. And, no I am not scared or intimidated or afraid to stretch - I navigate the subway in NYC and the tube in London quite well thank you. But, I LOVE seeing the city in Paris - architecture, people and dog watching, etc. A taxi fare is almost the equivalent of a show admission! :-)

I do buy a 2 day pass for the hop-on, hop-off bus as well. It's a great way to get oriented in the city (NYC and London as well) and I can use if tired instead of a taxi.

Yes, I know taxis are not as cheap - but I prioritize differently than others. Isn't it grand we each can do that! :-)

No whining about how long the line was to go up inside the Eiffel Tower. Either just see the ET from the ground and move on,or else pack fruit and be prepared for a line to go up, and a line to come down. If you're looking for an aerial view of Paris, there are alternatives.

I think people need to decide for themselves what to do and not to do, based on knowledge of themselves and their own interests. There isn't anything I can probably think of that I've done or heard about in Paris that wouldn't appeal to someone.

There are many things I do not want to do in Paris, but many of them are the exact things people are advising others on here that is a must-do or you have to do. Many are very typical tourist things, which I will admit, don't interest me that much. Many are things that are nothing extraordinary at all, but sort of have developed some guidebook or other kind of legend (ie, ice cream at Berthillon's, rue Cler, etc.) I know many tourists enjoy these things, and that's why I don't think anyone can tell someone else what one should not do in Paris. I've never gone up the Eiffel Tower, for example, even though I've visited Paris fairly regularly for about 15 years now, because that kind of thing (standing in line at tourist attractions to go up to see a view) just isn't of any interest to me. I know a lot of people like that kind of thing, though.

I really liked the Pantheon, although I know some would not, but thing is something that is fairly easy to figure out from a description of it as to whether you would enjoy it. I don't like macarons at Laduree, either, but I am not particularly fond of that kind of sweet.

The classes at Marie Lavande are not marketed to tourists, and are not just to learn how to iron, so I don't think that is a fair comment. They are specialized regarding the care and maintenance of antique linens.

Starrs: I agree 100%. I wish I had mastered the bus system when I was there last week because I absolutely hated riding the Metro. I hated the endless stairs, missing the above-ground sights while in transit, the crowded hot cars, the multiple transfers, and riduculously long passageways. I started thinking it may just be as fast to walk. (And yes, I do navigate myself solo around NYC on the subway.)

I agree with the Pantheon in Paris. Perhaps if I knew all those buried there I would have been less unimpressed. I'll add Vistor Hugo's home. It must be on the museum pass so I went in. Both are &quot;sites&quot; I wouldn't recommend or plan to visit again when I'm lucky enough to return to Paris. Just my opinion, others may find one or both of the sites interesting.

Don't buy the cheapest seats at the Opera Garnier unless you really can't afford better ones. They are VERY uncomfortable.

Bus vs Taxi-We found that taking buses usually caused us to have to walk More!
We never found the right bus or got off at the wrong spot LOL therefore making longer walks to our destination. So if the Metro is out of the question for whatever reason, don't hesitate to take a taxi! You can get it right in front of the Ritz :D or the Plaza Athenee.

I agree with Christina, I have never wanted to go up the Eiffel Tower; we could see it from our room in the distance and that was enough for me on our first trip; on later trips I
never thought about it.

We went to see a play in the Pigalle area;
unmemorable evening, I disliked the area.

1) In Paris, DON'T pay 4 euros for a bad cup of coffee.

We loved staying in the Marais district (4th arr.), but unfortunately there were quite a few cafes there selling expensive--and not necessarily even decent--coffee!

If you are walking in the Marais and come across a restaurant called &quot;PAGE 35&quot;, avoid at all costs! (They were one of the rip-off places.)

2) DON'T EXPECT THE METRO TO RUN AS LATE AS IN NYC! The metro shuts down completely at 1am. (Some metro lines shut down even before that.)

I know many people here recommend the batobus, but I really disliked it.

I also didn't enjoy the sculpture garden at the Rodin museum BUT in all fairness to me and it, there was quite a bit of construction happening there during my visit -- it seemed that they were setting up for a gigantic special event (maybe for the air show?) I was hoping for a more tranquil experience.

amarena, too bad there was construction! That would be so annoying, as the Rodin gardens are very serene and beautiful. We have been there in the spring and in the fall and they are equally beautiful, and quiet (except when there is construction :)

don't go all the way up (or even to the second level) of the eiffel tower if youre afraid of heights-lol, trust me!

Don't go to Paris, or anywhere else for that matter, expecting someone else's experience to be exactly like your own.

Thank goodness, Intrepid! :-)

Thanks for the words of support, vivi. I've caught &quot;heck&quot; on this board but feel strongly that taxis work for me. When I'm tired or in a hurry, I want to get where I'm going quickly and without hassles. Other than the taxi from the airport I estimate that we spent less than 100 Euros but for us it was money well spent. Some of my favorite memories and sights were seen from the taxi - and I would have missed those sights if I were underground. Walking combined with taxis was the perfect combination for us! Two nights we came back to the hotel very late, so now I know that the metro would not have been an option anyways :-)

Taxi tip - you can't hail a cab on the street as you can in other cities. Go to a taxi stand (or large hotel).

It is possible to hail taxis on the street.

They are not obliged to stop for you, and outside of taxi stands they may refuse the journey.

Okay, I'll rephrase that. I needed a taxi to get from the Latin Quarter to the Gare station for a departure to Vernon. We tried to hail a cab the entire way and no one stopped. We finally grabbed one as he was letting a businessman out at about the midpoint and he was relunctant to take us. He did. We missed the train (and the trip to Giverney) by seconds. We watched the train pull out of the station.

It was a workday morning and no taxis were waiting at stands en route.

I have read elsewhere on this board that taxi drivers are not supposed to pick up on the street.

That's what I know. Don't know the &quot;official&quot; rules - just our experiences.

I was able to hail a cab outside the Lido one night, but it was late, lots of taxis in the area and I thought it was a fluke. That driver was the only rude driver we had on the trip - creepy actually. Asking personal questions (Are you married, how long are you staying, etc.) We needed a taxi in less than 12 hours to get to the Gare to go to Avignon, but no way was I going to ask for his card for a morning pickup. I thought he might have been a rouge driver. Don't know. Still creeps me out to think about him.

HAven't done it but I'm certain I could pass on the Sewer tour and the Sewer Museum.

This is so funny! Ironing classes sound great to me now that I read further and saw that it is for antique linens. I have so many and would love to know the best way to take care of them. Unfortunately the class is probably in French and I would not benefit enough from the experience.

I agree that we all have different ways of traveling and things we like/dislike. However, that said I agree with Patrick. Don't step in dog poop. But if given the choice of not going to Paris or stepping in dog poop, I'll take Paris AND the dog poop!!

&quot;Everyone get out of my way -- I'm an American!&quot;

I don't flame people for their transportation choices. I merely make information available for the benefit of those who may not be aware of all the alternatives.

If you are comfortable with the cost-effectiveness of a taxi, then grab a cab and go in peace.

If you want to go a short to medium distance economically, an RATP bus may get you to your destination faster than the M&eacute;tro - in every case it will be more scenic.

If you want to traverse a long distance quickly, <i>e.g.</i> from &Eacute;toile to Gare de Lyon, the RER is hard to beat. In this example, it takes 9 minutes to get all the way across Paris.

On the taxi issue, have your hotel call and order one in advance for you. The driver will have your name and room number. I wasn't aware that you could even do that until a few years ago when the conceierge at a small hotel told us.

Since then we've always had them call in the afternoon and order one for dinner time. They ususally use Taxi Bleu and not once have they ever been late.

One morning we had ordered a taxt the night before to take us to the airport. When we came down to the lobby at the appointed time, it was full of people waiting for taxis they had just called. &quot;Our&quot; taxi had arrived and the driver was fending off all these people who were demanding that they were in line ahead of us. There was quite a scene until we explained that we had ordered it the night before, and even then I don't think they believed us.

The Concierge IMO is a sight that can be skipped. I have to disagree with the post on not going to the top of the Eiffel Tower if one has height issues--I would have regretted it forever if I had not gone all the way to the top.