Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - What do you like to do in Paris

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What do you like to do in Paris

Besides all the "main" attractions, what are your favorite things to do in Paris?

Read Julie's trip report. Enough ideas to fill a lifetime!

Grasshopper, where can I find 'Juilie's Trip Report'?? Thanks!

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2 Also, I recommend her "drinking their way through the Arrondisements".

Well, no one trip report is the end all and be all of trip reports. I think that over the years several people have done unusual and interesting things in Paris. What you do, and how well you do them, is a function of your knowledge of French. For example, only a few of us understand French well enough to attend a play. I have found two approaches to the "offbeat" to be interesting. First, I looked for musical performances in Parisian churches. Ste. Chapelle tops the list, but there are others. The acoustics in those old churches are fascinating. Second, I used the Michelin Green Guide and found a variet of smaller museums and other attractions that were loads of fun. For example, after 3 previous visits, I finally went to the Musee Jacquemart Andre on Boulevard Haussmann. It was most rewarding. There are many other places listed in the book that will be of interest to many people.

Gee Bob, I wasn't suggesting that Julie's report was the be all end all. I was suggesting it as a good place to start for other than the "main attractions". Did you read Julie's report? Interestingly she suggests several of the smaller museums and Musee Jacquemart specifically.

Hi Cher Brunch at the Jacquemart Andre' Museum, a tour of the museum and a stroll in the Parque Monceau is a great way to spend a Sunday.

And while you are in Parc Monceau.. try to see the Nissam de Camondo museum, beautiful 18th cen furnished house with wonderful paintings , left to the city of Paris in memory of Nissam who was killed in WW1.

Try to see Musee Cluny. I could spend a full day there and it is a smaller musee but the medival art there is great. The building is very interesting in itself and the Lady with the Unicorn tapestry is beautiful! Be sure to see the Books of Hours from the first half of the 15th century. The illuminated pages are wonderful. Don't miss the gardens and the Gallo-Roman baths (AD 200). Just a suggestion.

Do the passages, mostly in the 2nd arrondissement--old fashioned covered shopping streets often with vintage shops. Check under the term arches in the Timeout.com web site. Take the metro to the Basilica of St. Denis and see tombs of some of the kinds of France. Get a list of the markets of Paris, check which days each is open and take in several of them in different arrondissements. Go to the Marmatton Museum to see Monet waterlily paintings and stop in the Parc Ranleigh on the way to see the old-fashioned, hand-cranked carrousel where children are given sticks to try to catch the gold rings as they pass by. Check out Defense du Temps, a clock with jousting dragon slayers in the passage behind the Pompideau center. Take the walking tour of the Auteuil area in the 16th arrondissement given in the Eyewitness guide to Paris and see some of the lovely art nouveau buildings, tour the La Roche Villa by Corbusier along the way. Take in a ballet so you can spend time in the wonderful Opera Garnier. Go to the Promenade Plantee near the Gare de Lyon to see a wonderful urban landscape and then walk on the street beneat it to window shop the stores in the Viaduc des Arts. Stop at the Gare and gape at the incredible walls and ceilings in the Restaurant Le Train Bleu. Have a drink there. Check out the old fashioned bathrooms. Go to the Aligre Market and stop at the nearby Baron Rouge wine bar--incredible. Walk along the Canal St. Martin. If it's warm enough take one of the boats that actually goes underground and floats on up to the Parc de Villette. Explore it and its various public buildings and the trendy bars and cafes nearby.

I also highly recommend Musee Marmottan. Although it's a small museum, it's an amazing collection of Monet paintings. I also liked the Musee d'Orsay for their collection of Impressionist paintings. Unfortunately, I believe the Orangerie Museum in the Tuileries is closed for renovations, because that's also quite nice. I also like to visit the areas of Montmartre and the Latin Quarter. I think just walking around, people-watching, and eating in sidewalk cafes is far more interesting than seeing the touristy things like the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, or the Eiffel Tower.

Everything suggeste so far is great, but my favorite thing was an extensive tour of Pere lachaise cemetery with a private quide. We got a great social history of Paris-the tour was Virgia Daes at www.parisinsight.com. I also recommend the flea market St.Ouen on Sunday. It is a different experience.

Cher: Some of my favorite times in Paris are just siting at a cafe drinking whatever and people watching. Sometimes alone or with my travel companion, just watching and enjoying my tea. Sometimes people at other tables will talk with us and we learn about them . We do this evey day while on vacation, it gives us a chance to rest and recoup from our daily adventure and to prepare for the next. While outside and not wasting time in our hotel room.

For those unfamiliar with the covered passages in the 2nd, here is a little tour. Take the metro to Grands Boulevards, which is on Blvd. Monmartre. In the next block, heading west, you will see Passage Jouffroy where the Musee Grevin is located. Across the street is the Passage de Panoramas. Right inside is a little restaurant, Le Creperie, which among other things serves delicious coupes [ice cream sundaes]. For the gastronomically challenged there is a tea room a little further down. Bear right through the passage and its various branches to Rue Vivienne and then left. You will pass the Bourse [stock exchange] and the brasserie Le Vaudeville. Take a look at the menu. This is our favorite restaurant in the area. Further on down, left side, are Galerie Vivienne and Galerie Colbert. These run parallel to each other and the latter contains the rear entrance of Le Grand Colbert., another good restaurant. At the next street, Rue des Petits Camps, you can follow Rue Vivienne to the Palais Royale; or you can go left to the Place des Victoires, with the statue of Louis XIV astride his horse, and bear right to the Passage Vero Dodat. Here is the URL for the translated version of the Passages Couverts web site http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://passagescouverts.free.fr/

Go to Angelina, on rue du Rivoli, for afternoon tea and their signature dessert, le Mont Blanc, which is a heavenly concoction of chestnut puree, meringue, and whipped cream!

Spend an afternoon just sitting in Luxembourg Gardens observing the French at leisure and play.