What should we not miss in Paris in September 2011
Mar 16th, 2011, 06:09 PM
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What should we not miss in Paris in September 2011
My daughter and I will be visiting Paris for the first time and we want to do things other than see the usual sights (which we will do also). Any suggestions are welcome!!
Mar 16th, 2011, 08:14 PM
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You must go to the Musee d'Orsay, specifically the impressionist rooms upstairs. Other than that, get the Michelin green guide and hit all the top attractions; spend time in the Latin Quarter and the Marais; try to get up to Montmartre and Sacre Couer; take one of the corny Beateau Mouche boat rides AT NIGHT; Pere Lachaise (famous cemetery) perhaps; the highlights at the Louvre - Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo. If you get nice weather, go to the Luxemburg Gardens for a picnic, and mostly - walk until your feet fall off and sleep as little as possible. If you have enough time (more than 6 or 7 days), consider a day trip or two. I'd highly recommend visiting a couple of chateaux in the Loire Valley and a cute town or two - Tours is very nice. Also consider a day trip to Giverny. Another great resource is the Rick Steeves Paris and France books. Don't listen to what people tell you about the French being rude. Sure, Paris is a big city and people are in a hurry, and the garcons in the cafes near the tourist attractions might be rude, but generally the French are lovely. Try to learn a few very basic phrases - hello, thank you, do you speak English, etc. and greet people initially always in French. Chances are high that they will respond in English immediately. But don't assume they speak English. Eat in good restaurants if you can find them - Parisian restaurants have become somewhat formulaic. Oh - I almost forgot - Notre Dame is an absolute must. Back to food - you don't need to spend a fortune but don't be cheap either. Seek out restaurants and hotels that Europeans go to - Steeves is great for recommendations. Get the Berlitz translation guide - it's the best one for food terms and advice. Spend an hour or two sitting in sidewalk cafes and people watch. And drink only bottled water (avec ou sans gaz). You will adore Paris!!
Mar 17th, 2011, 01:11 AM
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Yes, you can drink the water, and it is free. It just won't have ice, and you have to ask for it!
If you could possibly reschedule for early October, it could be a better time to go. The beginning of the school/business year in France, la reentree, is a huge deal, and Paris has a lot of trade shows at that time, crowding hotels and some restaurants.
The best advice we got before our first trip was "if you do nothing but walk around and eat, the trip will have been worth it." This is absolutely correct.
This forum is full of folks with lists of what they absolutely have to do or they won't feel they have been to Paris. Don't fall into this trap.
In addition to the stuff mentioned above, here's what I like, the places I could visit again and again:
the Rodin Museum and its garden, the Musee Marmottan and its neighbohood, and the Carnavalet Museum. The Cluny Museum with its unexpectedly stunning tapestries -- tapestries? Yes.
The Place des Vosges, the Palais Royal, and the Luxembourg Gardens.
The Parc Andre Citroen, the Parc Montsouris, and the Parc Monceau.
The walk from St Julien le Pauvre through the tiny lanes of the Latin Quarter to, say, the Ecole des Beaux Arts and then back along the Seine to Notre Dame.
The foot bridges across the Seine.
Window shopping: the entire length of the Rue du Bac. The Sevres Babylon neighborhood and Bon Marche. Rue des Francs Bourgeois.
All the different kinds of police and other security officials and trying to figure out why they are stationed where they are.
Eating beneath the stained glass dome in the top floor restaurant at Printemps; eating beneath the dome at Bofinger.
Riding buses instead of the Metro, the Bateaux Vedettes rather than the Bateaux Mouches.
We are going again in ten days. This time I want to look at buidings by Jean Nouvel, le Corbusier, and Guimard. Also the arches somewhere between the Grand Magasins and Republic (glimpsed only from a distance). And the Canal Martin and la Villette. And on and on. But if all I do is walk around and eat, I will be happy!
If you could possibly reschedule for early October, it could be a better time to go. The beginning of the school/business year in France, la reentree, is a huge deal, and Paris has a lot of trade shows at that time, crowding hotels and some restaurants.
The best advice we got before our first trip was "if you do nothing but walk around and eat, the trip will have been worth it." This is absolutely correct.
This forum is full of folks with lists of what they absolutely have to do or they won't feel they have been to Paris. Don't fall into this trap.
In addition to the stuff mentioned above, here's what I like, the places I could visit again and again:
the Rodin Museum and its garden, the Musee Marmottan and its neighbohood, and the Carnavalet Museum. The Cluny Museum with its unexpectedly stunning tapestries -- tapestries? Yes.
The Place des Vosges, the Palais Royal, and the Luxembourg Gardens.
The Parc Andre Citroen, the Parc Montsouris, and the Parc Monceau.
The walk from St Julien le Pauvre through the tiny lanes of the Latin Quarter to, say, the Ecole des Beaux Arts and then back along the Seine to Notre Dame.
The foot bridges across the Seine.
Window shopping: the entire length of the Rue du Bac. The Sevres Babylon neighborhood and Bon Marche. Rue des Francs Bourgeois.
All the different kinds of police and other security officials and trying to figure out why they are stationed where they are.
Eating beneath the stained glass dome in the top floor restaurant at Printemps; eating beneath the dome at Bofinger.
Riding buses instead of the Metro, the Bateaux Vedettes rather than the Bateaux Mouches.
We are going again in ten days. This time I want to look at buidings by Jean Nouvel, le Corbusier, and Guimard. Also the arches somewhere between the Grand Magasins and Republic (glimpsed only from a distance). And the Canal Martin and la Villette. And on and on. But if all I do is walk around and eat, I will be happy!
Mar 17th, 2011, 02:04 AM
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Parisian tap water is fine to drink.
How long will you be there? There is lots to see in Paris so unless you have all of September 2011. I've had 3 weeks in Paris on two holidays (which is nothing compared to some other Fodor's contributors) and I still haven't seen all the sights.
Take your time and really take in what you do see, rather than rush from one place to another.
I like Akislander's suggestions - exactly what I would have suggested.
How long will you be there? There is lots to see in Paris so unless you have all of September 2011. I've had 3 weeks in Paris on two holidays (which is nothing compared to some other Fodor's contributors) and I still haven't seen all the sights.
Take your time and really take in what you do see, rather than rush from one place to another.
I like Akislander's suggestions - exactly what I would have suggested.
Mar 17th, 2011, 02:17 AM
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I'd also say that if this is your first visit to Paris, the 'usual sights' are not usual for you.
Don't dismiss the things that most people do in Paris. Remember that you are in fact a tourist and most of the 'usual sights' are popular for a reason.
Get a good guidebook, find things that interest you and do them. Don't worry if they're 'usual' or not. And the tourist Paris is still the real Paris. People live and work there, do their weekly shopping and live normal lives.
Don't dismiss the things that most people do in Paris. Remember that you are in fact a tourist and most of the 'usual sights' are popular for a reason.
Get a good guidebook, find things that interest you and do them. Don't worry if they're 'usual' or not. And the tourist Paris is still the real Paris. People live and work there, do their weekly shopping and live normal lives.
Mar 17th, 2011, 04:40 AM
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I would get the DK Eyewitness Guide to Paris. It is arranged in sections of Paris, and you can tailor what you will see and do to one part of the city at a time--and maybe see some things you wouldn't have thought of.
The Green Guide is very good for planning your museum trips however, and remember that not all of the Louvre is open at one time--the "biggies" are always there but some wings are closed and others open.
You might like to engage Michael Osman for a day as a guide. He is a wonderful teacher and could tailor a day's sightseeing in such a way that you would see AND know a lot all at once.
Be sure to go to a street market, preferably one of the ones that is set up for the day in an area. The Richard Lenoir is one of our favorites, as is teh Pl. MOnge market on Sundays.
Chosse a couple of places for dinner from recs here before you go and print out the map and address and take it with you. Have your hotel make your reservation.
Learnt how to use the bus system--you see more and it is fun.
The Green Guide is very good for planning your museum trips however, and remember that not all of the Louvre is open at one time--the "biggies" are always there but some wings are closed and others open.
You might like to engage Michael Osman for a day as a guide. He is a wonderful teacher and could tailor a day's sightseeing in such a way that you would see AND know a lot all at once.
Be sure to go to a street market, preferably one of the ones that is set up for the day in an area. The Richard Lenoir is one of our favorites, as is teh Pl. MOnge market on Sundays.
Chosse a couple of places for dinner from recs here before you go and print out the map and address and take it with you. Have your hotel make your reservation.
Learnt how to use the bus system--you see more and it is fun.
Mar 17th, 2011, 04:40 AM
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I would get the DK Eyewitness Guide to Paris. It is arranged in sections of Paris, and you can tailor what you will see and do to one part of the city at a time--and maybe see some things you wouldn't have thought of.
The Green Guide is very good for planning your museum trips however, and remember that not all of the Louvre is open at one time--the "biggies" are always there but some wings are closed and others open.
You might like to engage Michael Osman for a day as a guide. He is a wonderful teacher and could tailor a day's sightseeing in such a way that you would see AND know a lot all at once.
Be sure to go to a street market, preferably one of the ones that is set up for the day in an area. The Richard Lenoir is one of our favorites, as is teh Pl. MOnge market on Sundays.
Chosse a couple of places for dinner from recs here before you go and print out the map and address and take it with you. Have your hotel make your reservation.
Learnt how to use the bus system--you see more and it is fun.
The Green Guide is very good for planning your museum trips however, and remember that not all of the Louvre is open at one time--the "biggies" are always there but some wings are closed and others open.
You might like to engage Michael Osman for a day as a guide. He is a wonderful teacher and could tailor a day's sightseeing in such a way that you would see AND know a lot all at once.
Be sure to go to a street market, preferably one of the ones that is set up for the day in an area. The Richard Lenoir is one of our favorites, as is teh Pl. MOnge market on Sundays.
Chosse a couple of places for dinner from recs here before you go and print out the map and address and take it with you. Have your hotel make your reservation.
Learnt how to use the bus system--you see more and it is fun.
Mar 17th, 2011, 04:40 AM
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I would get the DK Eyewitness Guide to Paris. It is arranged in sections of Paris, and you can tailor what you will see and do to one part of the city at a time--and maybe see some things you wouldn't have thought of.
The Green Guide is very good for planning your museum trips however, and remember that not all of the Louvre is open at one time--the "biggies" are always there but some wings are closed and others open.
You might like to engage Michael Osman for a day as a guide. He is a wonderful teacher and could tailor a day's sightseeing in such a way that you would see AND know a lot all at once.
Be sure to go to a street market, preferably one of the ones that is set up for the day in an area. The Richard Lenoir is one of our favorites, as is teh Pl. MOnge market on Sundays.
Chosse a couple of places for dinner from recs here before you go and print out the map and address and take it with you. Have your hotel make your reservation.
Learnt how to use the bus system--you see more and it is fun.
The Green Guide is very good for planning your museum trips however, and remember that not all of the Louvre is open at one time--the "biggies" are always there but some wings are closed and others open.
You might like to engage Michael Osman for a day as a guide. He is a wonderful teacher and could tailor a day's sightseeing in such a way that you would see AND know a lot all at once.
Be sure to go to a street market, preferably one of the ones that is set up for the day in an area. The Richard Lenoir is one of our favorites, as is teh Pl. MOnge market on Sundays.
Chosse a couple of places for dinner from recs here before you go and print out the map and address and take it with you. Have your hotel make your reservation.
Learnt how to use the bus system--you see more and it is fun.
Mar 17th, 2011, 09:20 AM
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My wife had stomach problems most of last week in Paris. She decided to stop drinking tap water and went only to bottled. Her stomach problems stopped the next day. The rest of our group didn't have problems with the water, but she has a notoriously soft stomach. FWIW
Mar 17th, 2011, 10:46 AM
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September is our favorite time to visit Paris. Yes, the hotels will be full - of folks doing things other than the "usual" sights, so fewer crowds/lines. Restaurants have been so quiet the last few years that I've all but stopped making advance reservations. We've also had amazing luck with splendid weather.
If your dates coincide with Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days), you'll be able to tour many amazing places only open to the public those days.
If your dates coincide with Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days), you'll be able to tour many amazing places only open to the public those days.
Mar 17th, 2011, 10:47 AM
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I had stomach problems last week in Richmond, VA, too, and I drank tap water. Eveyone else in my family drank tap water, too, but none of them had stomach problems.
What is the likelihood in my case or your wife's case that tap water was the problem?
Correlation does not equal causation, and even the correlation here is weak.
What is the likelihood in my case or your wife's case that tap water was the problem?
Correlation does not equal causation, and even the correlation here is weak.
Mar 17th, 2011, 10:55 AM
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Acklander's list is a good one.
How long are you going for?
I add walks along the Seine, above and below, and checking out the bouquinistes.
Ile St Louis is a nice place to wander, and has some good restaurants.
St Chapelle really is a world wonder.
Perhaps one day take a Paris Walk, to let someone take you around and tell you stories.
Don't overbook and don't rush. I try to start my morning at a cafe, planning my day...and then have 2 places to see that day. While I may have Place des Vosges as my item to see, I include in that walking around the area, lunch/dinner,etc..
How long are you going for?
I add walks along the Seine, above and below, and checking out the bouquinistes.
Ile St Louis is a nice place to wander, and has some good restaurants.
St Chapelle really is a world wonder.
Perhaps one day take a Paris Walk, to let someone take you around and tell you stories.
Don't overbook and don't rush. I try to start my morning at a cafe, planning my day...and then have 2 places to see that day. While I may have Place des Vosges as my item to see, I include in that walking around the area, lunch/dinner,etc..
Mar 20th, 2011, 04:01 PM
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We have sort of a plan but only have 4 full days there...and really want to go to Versaille. Would Versaille be better than say touring three castles nearby or visa versa? Thank you all for your help!!
Jun 12th, 2011, 05:32 AM
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My sisters and I will be in Paris in Sept 2011 also. We have planned a baking class one day. We are probably going to do the Canal tour one afternoon. We are taking the train to Giverny another and a private tour with Richard in Marais from the "Eye Prefer Paris". We also got tickets for the fashion show at Galleries LaFayette.
Jun 12th, 2011, 05:46 AM
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I would recommend that, if you have only 4 days in Paris, you save Versailles for another trip. And Akislander's list of things to do is wonderful. If you add Michael's suggestion of Ste. Chapelle, you have a wonderful plan to follow. But take time to just enjoy your surroundings.
Jun 12th, 2011, 05:53 AM
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One of my favorite places is the Petit Palais and it's free!
The Nissan de Camondo museum is beautiful and has a sad history. I would not miss a trip the Le Orangerie either and the Jewish museum of the Shoah is one of the most moving exerience you will ever have
The Nissan de Camondo museum is beautiful and has a sad history. I would not miss a trip the Le Orangerie either and the Jewish museum of the Shoah is one of the most moving exerience you will ever have
Jun 12th, 2011, 07:54 AM
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I would add to the above a trip to Chateau Chantilly chateaudechantilly.com IMHO, the Musée Condé there has a wonderful collection of 15 and 16 century art second only the Louvre. It is uncrowded and absolutely a delight. You can take the RER there and walk or take a short cab ride. We stumbled on this during our last trip and will return this September.
Jun 12th, 2011, 08:20 AM
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If you only have 4 days and it's your first trip to Paris, thinking you can see things that are not "the usual sights" is rather off-track, as you won't even begin to see the usual sights in that amount of time. There are thousands of "usual" sights in Paris. And taking a day off to go to Versailles cuts back on your time in the city even more.
I agree with those who say get the Michelin Green Guide and/or Eyewitness Guide and plan around several different areas. You will only begin to scratch the surface in 4 (3 if you go to Versailles) days.
Forget Chantilly until you've been to Paris a half-dozen times or more. Your time is VERY limited.
And Paris has some of the most delicious tap water in the world.
I agree with those who say get the Michelin Green Guide and/or Eyewitness Guide and plan around several different areas. You will only begin to scratch the surface in 4 (3 if you go to Versailles) days.
Forget Chantilly until you've been to Paris a half-dozen times or more. Your time is VERY limited.
And Paris has some of the most delicious tap water in the world.
