Your Favorite Paris Walks?
Oct 3rd, 2011, 08:25 AM
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Your Favorite Paris Walks?
I love walking around big cities and Paris is amongst by favorites - I find Paris eminently walkable and rarely take the metro or bus.
Here are some of my favorite walks - what are yours?
NOTRE DAME - LOUVRE - ARC DE TRIOMPHE
A walk I always do after no being in Paris for a spell - Starting at Notre Dame I wind my way thru the Ile de la Cite - by the flower market and over the Seine - going by the old Samaritaine department store and following the Seine to the Louvre.
I walk thru the Louvre Courtyard and by the Pyramid entrance and thru the Tuileries Gardens up to the Place de la Concorde, where I often rest on a bench at the end of Tuileries to watch the busy traffic scooting thru the Place de la Concorde - a steady stream of cars, buses, lorries, etc.
Then I head up the boulevard going by the American Embassy and up to the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, from where you get a great view downhill back to the Louvre.
To me this is the best walk or one of the best for anyone never having been to Paris to do upon arrival - I indeed remember doing this walk deades ago as a teen-age traveler in my first visit to Paris - total distance cannot be more than a few miles and you pass so many famous sights.
OTHER WALKS- I also enjoy the walk from Austerliz station to Notre-Dame - on the Left Bank of the Seine - this goes right along the Seine thru an outdoor statue park - and yields sublime views of Notre Dame plopped on its island at the end of this short perhaps half-mile stroll.
WHAT WALKS DO YOU ENJOY?
Here are some of my favorite walks - what are yours?
NOTRE DAME - LOUVRE - ARC DE TRIOMPHE
A walk I always do after no being in Paris for a spell - Starting at Notre Dame I wind my way thru the Ile de la Cite - by the flower market and over the Seine - going by the old Samaritaine department store and following the Seine to the Louvre.
I walk thru the Louvre Courtyard and by the Pyramid entrance and thru the Tuileries Gardens up to the Place de la Concorde, where I often rest on a bench at the end of Tuileries to watch the busy traffic scooting thru the Place de la Concorde - a steady stream of cars, buses, lorries, etc.
Then I head up the boulevard going by the American Embassy and up to the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, from where you get a great view downhill back to the Louvre.
To me this is the best walk or one of the best for anyone never having been to Paris to do upon arrival - I indeed remember doing this walk deades ago as a teen-age traveler in my first visit to Paris - total distance cannot be more than a few miles and you pass so many famous sights.
OTHER WALKS- I also enjoy the walk from Austerliz station to Notre-Dame - on the Left Bank of the Seine - this goes right along the Seine thru an outdoor statue park - and yields sublime views of Notre Dame plopped on its island at the end of this short perhaps half-mile stroll.
WHAT WALKS DO YOU ENJOY?
Oct 3rd, 2011, 08:46 AM
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I don't have favorite walks. I just meander.
Once I went to the Marmottan and then saw the Eiffel Tower above the rooftops and just headed for the tower. Um, oops, there was some water, in fact, an entire river in the way.
Somehow wound my way to the Trocadero and then it was easy to get to the Eiffel Tower.
Many years ago when I was staying in Rome for several months, I swore that I would visit one church a day, however small. This took me to some amazing neighborhoods.
I just meander.
Once I went to the Marmottan and then saw the Eiffel Tower above the rooftops and just headed for the tower. Um, oops, there was some water, in fact, an entire river in the way.
Somehow wound my way to the Trocadero and then it was easy to get to the Eiffel Tower. Many years ago when I was staying in Rome for several months, I swore that I would visit one church a day, however small. This took me to some amazing neighborhoods.
I just meander.
Oct 3rd, 2011, 09:03 AM
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I loved the beautiful Promenade Plantée, the world's first elevated park, built on an abandoned railroad viaduct. It is 4.5 km long and starts near the Opera Bastille.
http://www.paris-walking-tours.com/p...deplantee.html
http://www.paris-walking-tours.com/p...deplantee.html
Oct 3rd, 2011, 12:01 PM
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Several times I have walked from the area of the Barbes/Rochechouart metro (after a visit to Tati) back down to Les Halles, via rue du Faub. Poissoniere, rue Poissoniere (among interesting things on the way are the Grand Rex theatre, the Place du Caire where the criminals and beggars used to hang out, and Passage du Caire),to the top of rue Montorgueil. You'd have to plot it out on a map, there are several ways to go.
Oct 3rd, 2011, 01:28 PM
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I have a number of walks I routinely do in Paris, but the one I always do, usually upon arrival, is from the Ecole Militaire over to the Musée de l'Armée grounds to see the men playing boules, then I hop over to the Musée Rodin, which I may or may not stop to visit, then over through the 6ème to the rue Buci area, then through the Quartier Latin, over the bridge to Notre Dame and the Palais de Justice, then to the Ile Saint-Louis, then wend my way back along the right bank back to Trocadéro, then over the river and back to the 7ème.
Which is not to say I don't also go meandering all over the place as well. Many times I have taken a bus to someplace I was totally unfamiliar with, dug out my map, and walked back to the Ecole Militaire area, where I usually stay.
Which is not to say I don't also go meandering all over the place as well. Many times I have taken a bus to someplace I was totally unfamiliar with, dug out my map, and walked back to the Ecole Militaire area, where I usually stay.
Oct 3rd, 2011, 05:37 PM
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Pal, thanks for posting this. I was going to reply, but finally I couldn't decide on a favorite. I still loved reading the replies.
I think one of the best ways to really know Paris is not to be afraid to get lost. I have found so many wonderful things just by taking the "wrong" -- is it really? -- way. It's almost impossible to be really lost in Paris.
I think one of the best ways to really know Paris is not to be afraid to get lost. I have found so many wonderful things just by taking the "wrong" -- is it really? -- way. It's almost impossible to be really lost in Paris.
Oct 3rd, 2011, 06:45 PM
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PalenQ, great thread. I have been to Paris briefly twice before, but when I return next spring, I hope to do a great deal of walking so this topic is very relevant to me (and, I am sure, to others).
Just finished reading David McCullough’s THE GREATER JOURNEY: AMERICANS IN PARIS 1830-1900 and Henry James’s quintessential novel of Paris, THE AMBASSARORS. Both depict the charms of Paris as seen through the eyes of Americans in the 19th century. I hope to retrace many of their steps…
Just finished reading David McCullough’s THE GREATER JOURNEY: AMERICANS IN PARIS 1830-1900 and Henry James’s quintessential novel of Paris, THE AMBASSARORS. Both depict the charms of Paris as seen through the eyes of Americans in the 19th century. I hope to retrace many of their steps…
Oct 3rd, 2011, 07:10 PM
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Oh, lateday, I'm glad you mentioned The Ambassadors. I'm going to reread that in preparation for my November trip. Or maybe it will be my trip book. Thanks.
Also, I have a set of cards that are each a map of a walk in Paris. I'm going to get them out and see if I want to take any with me.
Also, I have a set of cards that are each a map of a walk in Paris. I'm going to get them out and see if I want to take any with me.
Oct 4th, 2011, 05:53 AM
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Don't really have a favorite, but on our last trip (this past May) we really liked Degas' posted left Bank Walk.
Can't remember the URL for the post, but I made a version of it to take with me. No major changes -- except we spent time at the Jardin des Plantes, skipped some of the things we had seen before, and the entrance to the Mosque had been moved-- as well as a map added and some formatting to make it easier for me to read and have it fit in a pocket.
Here's the link:
http://www.sanderhome.com/paris_walk...in_quarter.pdf
Many thanks to Degas!!
SS
Can't remember the URL for the post, but I made a version of it to take with me. No major changes -- except we spent time at the Jardin des Plantes, skipped some of the things we had seen before, and the entrance to the Mosque had been moved-- as well as a map added and some formatting to make it easier for me to read and have it fit in a pocket.
Here's the link:
http://www.sanderhome.com/paris_walk...in_quarter.pdf
Many thanks to Degas!!
SS
Oct 4th, 2011, 10:38 AM
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I also like strolling along the quays of the Seine's Right Bank - like in front of the Louvre area where you can walk right along the river on cobblestones - in nice weather this serves as a bathing beach (in August they even bring in sand to make a proper Paris Plage!) - but do not be bashful as this rather isolated stretch sees some bathers pushing the envelope so to speak - especially IME plump old gay men who to be at least are not a sight to behold, being nearly naked. But you do get a nice views from this riverside walk.
Oct 4th, 2011, 12:23 PM
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The walk that follows abandoned train tracks off Bastille is great.
The park to the east of Paris, Vincennes, is great, and you can go all the way to the flower garden.
The walks along the river are great on Sundays, when they shut down car traffic.
Also, I enjoyed reading all the posts above on this topic.
Paris is definitely made for walking!
The park to the east of Paris, Vincennes, is great, and you can go all the way to the flower garden.
The walks along the river are great on Sundays, when they shut down car traffic.
Also, I enjoyed reading all the posts above on this topic.
Paris is definitely made for walking!
Oct 4th, 2011, 06:46 PM
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Ssander, thanks for that great link to various walks. I am particularly interested in checking out Hemingway’s digs which are clearly referenced in that info.
Tuscanlifeedit, please do enjoy Henry James’s THE AMBASSADORS before/during your trip to Paris. I had read it ages ago as an English major, yada, yada. This time I got an excellent CD of the novel, along with the text, from the local library. Fabulous! Just love the hero Strether. Recall he is an American, sent to Paris to retrieve his employer’s (and sort of widowed fiancé 's) wayward son Chad who has tarried in Paris too long. Of course, the middle aged Strether becomes enamored of Paris and starts to “live” for the first time in years.
One particular scene is spectacular. Strether visits Notre Dame, drinking in all of its ambiance, when he spots a lovely woman at a distance. Shortly, he realizes that she is Madam De Vionet, Chad’s mistress and the reason for his not returning to America. She and Strether chat soulfully, stroll around the outer cathedral, then enjoy a leisurely lunch on the Seine. James’s prose is a reach – but worth it.
Enjoy Paris…
Tuscanlifeedit, please do enjoy Henry James’s THE AMBASSADORS before/during your trip to Paris. I had read it ages ago as an English major, yada, yada. This time I got an excellent CD of the novel, along with the text, from the local library. Fabulous! Just love the hero Strether. Recall he is an American, sent to Paris to retrieve his employer’s (and sort of widowed fiancé 's) wayward son Chad who has tarried in Paris too long. Of course, the middle aged Strether becomes enamored of Paris and starts to “live” for the first time in years.
One particular scene is spectacular. Strether visits Notre Dame, drinking in all of its ambiance, when he spots a lovely woman at a distance. Shortly, he realizes that she is Madam De Vionet, Chad’s mistress and the reason for his not returning to America. She and Strether chat soulfully, stroll around the outer cathedral, then enjoy a leisurely lunch on the Seine. James’s prose is a reach – but worth it.
Enjoy Paris…
Oct 4th, 2011, 08:24 PM
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Here is an excerpt from my last trip and trip report to Paris:
From there I started my self-guided literary tour.
Oddly enough my first stop was an art atelier where Picasso painted Guernica (7, rue de Grands Augustins), the grotesque rendering of the bombing of that town during the Spanish Civil War. An apocryphal tale surrounds that painting. A German soldier walked into the studio and asked Picasso if he did that. Supposedly Picasso responded, “No you did.”
Next was a restaurant now called Azabu (3 rue Daphne) where George Sand, Flaubert, and Turgenev gathered for dinner and cigars. Unfortunately whenever I now think of Flaubert, I think of the brilliant book by Julian Barnes Flaubert’s Parrot. Part of the work is about obsessions, one of which was finding the stuffed parrot that Flaubert once kept on his desk. This worries me. My tour is about the facades of buildings, many of which have been razed, rather than the interiors where they wrote, eat, drank, and worse. What is my obsession?
The next site was something from Baudelaire. I have never read Baudelaire, why would I want to see his building? And with my sense of direction it is taking me twenty minutes to find a building next to one another. So I detoured to the Seine to change the itinerary. Besides I am reading Pere Goriot by Balzac which is a true insight in 1830’s Paris. It speaks of a middle class boarding house and other social conventions.
Almost immediately I pass the Hotel de Voltaire where Baudelaire lived, as did one of my favorite wits, Oscar Wilde, and Richard Wagner who played Mendelssohn with gloves on so his fingers would not touch the music of a Jew.
I cross the Seine into the Tuileries and I was told that I must purchase tickets for L’Orangerie at the FNAC on the Champs. I pass the Place de Concorde where there is a statue of Louise Colet with whom Flaubert had a tumultuous relationship.
Walking the Champs, I decided not go to the parade on Bastille Day. There were metal barriers yards away from the center of the street. I would have to get there by 8 AM for a parade that did not start until after 10 and the Metro along the boulevards was closed that day for security reasons. As you walk through Paris, you hear many languages but on the Champs I heard the distinct Valley Girl dialect. That sing song yeah that is now being used at Gitmo instead of water boarding. But I wonder if there is Loire Valley accent that drives the French insane? When I finally arrive at FNAC, I am told there are no available tickets until after I leave Paris. A conspiracy.
That evening I return to the Marais for the world’s best falafel and lemonade. This part of Paris is dominated by Sephardim, which are Jews more or less from Spain and the Mediterranean. Ashkenazi Jews are from Eastern Europe, knishes, bagels-Sephardim falafel, schwarma. Since I do not eat falafel often, it was the best I ever had and only waited 10 minutes. The pita was filled falafel and cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, and other veggies. (No onions.) The lemonade was fine, I am not prepared at this time to say world’s best.
On the way back to the hotel I pass rue de Buci where Verlaine once lived and Place des Vosges where at various times Victor Hugo and Georges Simenon resided. (Did you know that Simenon wrote by lining up hundreds of pencils and as one became blunt he would throw it aside and pick up another one until he completed the work which he tried to do in one sitting without sleep.)
To bed.
From there I started my self-guided literary tour.
Oddly enough my first stop was an art atelier where Picasso painted Guernica (7, rue de Grands Augustins), the grotesque rendering of the bombing of that town during the Spanish Civil War. An apocryphal tale surrounds that painting. A German soldier walked into the studio and asked Picasso if he did that. Supposedly Picasso responded, “No you did.”
Next was a restaurant now called Azabu (3 rue Daphne) where George Sand, Flaubert, and Turgenev gathered for dinner and cigars. Unfortunately whenever I now think of Flaubert, I think of the brilliant book by Julian Barnes Flaubert’s Parrot. Part of the work is about obsessions, one of which was finding the stuffed parrot that Flaubert once kept on his desk. This worries me. My tour is about the facades of buildings, many of which have been razed, rather than the interiors where they wrote, eat, drank, and worse. What is my obsession?
The next site was something from Baudelaire. I have never read Baudelaire, why would I want to see his building? And with my sense of direction it is taking me twenty minutes to find a building next to one another. So I detoured to the Seine to change the itinerary. Besides I am reading Pere Goriot by Balzac which is a true insight in 1830’s Paris. It speaks of a middle class boarding house and other social conventions.
Almost immediately I pass the Hotel de Voltaire where Baudelaire lived, as did one of my favorite wits, Oscar Wilde, and Richard Wagner who played Mendelssohn with gloves on so his fingers would not touch the music of a Jew.
I cross the Seine into the Tuileries and I was told that I must purchase tickets for L’Orangerie at the FNAC on the Champs. I pass the Place de Concorde where there is a statue of Louise Colet with whom Flaubert had a tumultuous relationship.
Walking the Champs, I decided not go to the parade on Bastille Day. There were metal barriers yards away from the center of the street. I would have to get there by 8 AM for a parade that did not start until after 10 and the Metro along the boulevards was closed that day for security reasons. As you walk through Paris, you hear many languages but on the Champs I heard the distinct Valley Girl dialect. That sing song yeah that is now being used at Gitmo instead of water boarding. But I wonder if there is Loire Valley accent that drives the French insane? When I finally arrive at FNAC, I am told there are no available tickets until after I leave Paris. A conspiracy.
That evening I return to the Marais for the world’s best falafel and lemonade. This part of Paris is dominated by Sephardim, which are Jews more or less from Spain and the Mediterranean. Ashkenazi Jews are from Eastern Europe, knishes, bagels-Sephardim falafel, schwarma. Since I do not eat falafel often, it was the best I ever had and only waited 10 minutes. The pita was filled falafel and cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, and other veggies. (No onions.) The lemonade was fine, I am not prepared at this time to say world’s best.
On the way back to the hotel I pass rue de Buci where Verlaine once lived and Place des Vosges where at various times Victor Hugo and Georges Simenon resided. (Did you know that Simenon wrote by lining up hundreds of pencils and as one became blunt he would throw it aside and pick up another one until he completed the work which he tried to do in one sitting without sleep.)
To bed.
