Top 10 List
 

I will be traveling to Paris in mid-March and am looking for the Top 10 sites you'd reccommend. Also if you have heard anything about the hotel Beau Manoir in the 8th arrondisemont

Hi Laura. <BR> <BR>I went last Sept. ('98) and spend 6 days in Paris. I still have things I didn't get to see (you'll be amazed at how just wandering around will suddenly "eat up" 2, 3, or 4 hours). Oh, well. I'll save them for next time. <BR> <BR>These are things I think a first-timer should see: <BR> <BR>Notre Dame (and don't forget to walk around to the back side, it's more beautiful than the front) <BR> <BR>St. Chapelle (incredible stained glass windows. Go on a sunny day if possible) <BR> <BR>Eiffel Tower (of course) <BR> <BR>Arc d'Triomphe (SP?) (of course) <BR> <BR>Louvre (of course, but specifically for the Winged Victory, truly inspiring) <BR> <BR>Rodin Museum (it's really neat to see the Thinker statue in person. Although, I actually liked the Gates of Hell better. Huge, massive bronze doors. Incredible!) <BR> <BR>Musee d'Orsay (I think this is the museum that bridges the Louvre and Pompidou artist such as Monet, Renior, Degas, Van Gogh, the Whistler. <BR> <BR>Champs Elysee (of course, but it is a bit expensive and touristy. We just walked around soaking in all the atmosphere. This is one place, with a view of the Arc at one end, where you really think "Oh, my God, I'm really in Paris!" <BR> <BR>Georges Pompidou Centre (it was closed when we were there, but I would have gone. It's the modern art museum and actually gets more vistors than the Eiffel) <BR> <BR>Latin Quarter (excellent walking around with lots of cafes, lots of students, and lots of good greek fast food if you like that type of thing. <BR> <BR>Also, one area we didn't get is the Bastille area. There is an area called Viaduct des Artes where lots of artisans like instrument makers, gold-leafers, painters, etc. practice their ages old art. It's supposed to be really neat. <BR> <BR>Eat lots of bread, pastries, coffee, and chocolate mouse... It's excellent stuff! <BR> <BR>Happy Traveling <BR> <BR> <BR>

<BR>I could add a walking tour (about 3 hrs) in Le Marais including the Jewish quarter. A very special atmosphere!

Laura--- Lynn' list is right on the money! One point that I'll like to contribute is to advise you to do your own research for those sites, that although not on a Top 10 list, may be of special interest to you. Case in point, been an Engineer, one of the most memorable sites for me was the Pantheon, site of the Foucalt's Pendulum experiment (still set up on the spot). It really was of special significance to me and one of my best memories of that trip. <BR> <BR>A visit to the Sorbonne, to Montmartre, to Sacre Cour, Ecole Militaire can all make it more of a special memory. Paris is filled with special places; try to find yours... <BR> <BR>Have the best time!

As the previous post states it, do you have any particular areas of interest, such as architecture, fashion, literary life, hip places, what have you ? It's always fun to build a custom itinerary. Otherwise, for the Top 10, I would add the Tour Montparnasse, which is less crowded than Tour Eiffel, as high, and from which you can see the Eiffel Tower ; Père Lachaise cemetery, with a cluster of famous French and foreign hosts, and a very charming landscaping, plus the neighborhood around, quintessential Parisian, but where you never see any tourist ; Canal Saint-Martin, utterly romantic ; and, of course, very cliché but unmissable, a ride on a bâteau-mouche. Have Fun !

1. The Louvre Museum <BR>2. The Musee D'Orsay <BR>3. The Cluny Museum <BR>4. The Luxembourg Gardens <BR>5. Versailles <BR>6. Beaubourg - Pompidou Center <BR>7. Chartres <BR>8. Fontainebleu <BR>9. The Eiffel Tower <BR>10. Les Invalides

Laura, My wife and I would add to the list the Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette and many other unfortunates spent their last days. Also, on the macabre side, the catacombs of Paris, where the bones from cemeteries razed for the expansion of Paris are "stored". <BR>My wife thinks St. Chapelle should head the 'top 10' list.

Laura - <BR> <BR>I hope my, and everyone else's, suggestions have helped you. I agree with Richard's wife; St. Chapelle should definately be at the top of the list, especially on a sunny day. Just think of yourself inside a box made out of jewels and the light streaming in through them. It's amazing. <BR> <BR>And Vincent is right about the cemetary. That's a good one to do too depending on how much time you have. If you only have a few days, I'd probably recommend doing Versailles instead, if you had to choose between the two, but the cemetary is beautiful. I was very surprised at how picturesque it was. <BR> <BR>As for the catacombs, we also went there. We liked it. It's amazing. It is rather macbre however, so you want to make sure you're up for it before you go. I've read many postings regarding it from people who didn't realize what it was, and they were not happy about it. I'm not trying to scare you or anything, it's just that you have to walk way underground, through passages (some with very low ceilings), the ceilings are often dripping, it's wet, and the bones line both sides of the walkway. Basically, you're surrounded. Again, we liked it. The history down there is amazing. It was incredible to think that some of these bones had been piled up there since before the U.S. signed the constitution and that it was a base for the Resistance during WWII where they were able to contact London over radio. <BR> <BR>Well, have fun! <BR> <BR>

I will offer my own top ten, but there are so many famous things in Paris, that most of these should be obvious to you. So, I am also including a top ten of less obvious things to see and do - things that I think any visitor should do, but that may not be obvious. <BR> <BR>Top Ten: <BR> <BR>Notre-Dame, including view from the towers <BR>Eiffel Tower - especially the view of it from the terrace at Trocadero <BR>Champs Elysees <BR>Arc de Triomphe <BR>Musee d'Orsay <BR>Louvre <BR>St.-Chapelle <BR>Walk around the Latin Quarter <BR>Sacree Coeur <BR>Day trip to Versailles <BR> <BR>Less Obvious Top Ten: <BR>Rodin Museum <BR>Walk on Ile-St-Louis <BR>Napoleon's Tomb <BR>Luxembourg Gardens on a weekend <BR>Backstreets of Montmartre <BR>Day trip to Chartres <BR> <BR>Marais walk - I would have listed this in the other top ten except that I don't think it is as obvious - include Place des Vosges in this walk <BR> <BR>St-Germain-des-Pres Quarter - famous cafes, people watching, fancy antique shops, the church of St-Germain-des-Pres <BR> <BR>Cluny Museum <BR>Pere Lachaise Cemetery <BR>

After lots and lots of trips to Paris myself, I took my niece for her first trip overseas, and these were the top 10 for a first-timer: <BR>top of the Eiffel Tower (just cuz) <BR>Notre Dame/Deportation Memorial <BR>Pere Lachaise Cemetery <BR>Louvre <BR>Musee d'Orsay <BR>Versailles <BR>Les Invalides (Napoleon's tomb) <BR>St Chapelle <BR>Champs Elysees (again, just cuz) <BR>Montmartre/Sacre Coeur

A somewhat eclectic top ten list for Paris, after you've seen the obvious: <BR> <BR>1) Fauchon, the wonderful food market at Pl. Madeliene. Fantastic food, wine, and dessert displays. There's nothing like it back home. <BR> <BR>2) Place Vendome. Just south of Pl. Madelieve; the most beautiful piece of urban planning I've ever seen. There is where the (original) Ritz is located. <BR> <BR>3) Galeries Lafayette. Blvd. Hausmann east of Fauchon. Paris' premiere department store; and an opportunity to get a glimpse of how the French live. Worth it for the stained glass domed ceiling in the central building. <BR> <BR>4) The Opera. Pl. Opera, just a stone's throw from Galeries Lafayette. (not the god-awful thing they've built out by the Pl. Bastille). This is the "real" opera, the 1880 confection with the Chagall curtains. It needs to be cleaned, but oh, that interior! <BR> <BR>5) A walk on the Ile St. Louis. Paris unchanged in 200 years. <BR> <BR>6) Paris as seen from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Touristy, schmaltzy, but what a view, especially at sunset. <BR> <BR>7) The bateaux mouche at night. You catch it just down from the Eiffel Tower. Don't bother with a dinner cruise, just go for the way Paris looks at night. <BR> <BR>8) The Musee Mamartan (sp). Small, exquisite, with all those Monets, including "Impression Sunrise." <BR> <BR>9) A walk down the Boulevard St. Michel, aka the "Boul Mich." Real Paris, especially at night. <BR> <BR>10) Vaux le Vicomte in Melun, now accessible via the RER blue line. The intelligent alternative to the throngs at Versailles. <BR>

At the risk of coming from another age (and I do), I submit certain places in Paris are quite worth missing. Examples: the Pompidou Centre; possibly the ugliest public building in Europe. No, make that the world. Next: Mr. Pei's glass pyramid in front of the Louvre. An architectural stunt that serves no good purpose. However, there are some super experiences: (l) a stroll through the back yard gardens at Versailles with an ice cream cone...or two. (2) Sacre Coueur at sundown. (3) the Eiffel Tower at night. (4) prowling the bookstalls along the Seine embankment. (5) any small cafe's sidewalk table in spring. (6) the Holocaust exhibit behind Notre Dame...grim but necessary. (7) the bird market on Sunday morning near the Ste. Chapelle. (8) the Arc de Triomphe at the rush hour. (9) a stroll down Avenue Wagram early in the morning. (10) cocktails at the Plaza Athenee bar.

Hard to select only ten, but here's one try from last summer: <BR> <BR>1. Louvre (Don't try to see it all) <BR>2. Saint Chapelle (Feast for your eyes) <BR>3. Notre Dame (Can't skip it) <BR>4. Pont Alexander III (+ Invalides) <BR>5. Musee D'Orsay <BR>6. Eiffel (Hopeless queues if you go in summer) <BR>7. Sacre Coeur (+ Montmartre) <BR>8. Jardin de Luxembourg (in summer) <BR>9. Walk around Marais (esp. Jewish quarter) <BR>10. Walk around Quartier Latin <BR> <BR>

<BR>These lists are a great help. Thank you all for replying to Laura's message. The list will help my wife and I on our upcoming trip. One common theme is Saint Chapelle. I'm having trouble finding it. What are some nearby sites? Louvre? Eifel Tower? Sacre Couer?

Saint Chapelle is on Ile de la Cite inside the Palace of Justice. YOu have to go through metal detectors to get in, but it's worth it! <BR>

to the top for an obvious reason

uppity

The Orangerie museum. The Monet permanent installation is alone worth the visit. You sit in a room with his water lilies all around you.

IF YOU TAKE The metro to the bastille stop, you will find a boat that travels thru the center of patis by way of locks. it is truly lovely. then trtuen by metro. it is paris with very few tourists.

Just got back from Paris last night - 3rd trip. Here's my top 10, in no particular order: <BR> <BR>1. Sainte-Chapelle (yes, again) <BR> <BR>2. Notre-Dame, including the "tresor" exhibit in back that I hadn't seen open before (awesome) <BR> <BR>3. The Basilica at St-Denis - it's incredible. Only downside is the nasty ride on the #12 Metro line to get there. <BR> <BR>4. The Ile St. Louis. <BR> <BR>5. The Louvre, of course. My favorite exhibit? The Marly Horses. <BR> <BR>6. The Cluny museum, although the Roman stuff underneath is closed for restoration until the end of the year. <BR> <BR>7. The Eiffel Tower at night - the light show ends at the end of the year. <BR> <BR>8. Pere-Lachaise cemetery. <BR> <BR>9. The Marais - especially on a Sunday morning when the rest of Paris is either asleep or in church. Treat yourself to pastries and coffee at the Maison Korcasz on the Rue des Rosiers - yummy. <BR> <BR>10. Luxembourg Gardens, esp. during summer. <BR> <BR>Honorable mentions: the Musee D'Orsay, Musee de L'Armee at the Invalides (new WW2 exhibit this year), Musee Rodin and the Musee Jacquemart-Andre (smallish private museum on blvd Haussman - you can go nose-to-nose with Rembrandts.) <BR> <BR>No experience with the Beau MAnoir hotel, but will recommend the Turenne in the 7th until I die. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip.