Ot Visit to Paris

[The Oldman]

Help Please. The Missus and I have never been to Paris. I know, shocking innit?

Anyway we are going this weekend as her birthday treat.
Would welcome any tips as what to do or not to do. Obviously aware of all the top attractions but what about the non tourist things to do which make a weekend break special? Plus:
Is the metro easy?
Hop on and hop off buses?
Good places to eat.
Etc, etc, etc.

Over to you with grateful thanks for any help.

 

[Notters]

Musee D'Orsay is great.

Metro is very easy, not as deep as the Tube, one ticket gets you anywhere... Get a "carnette" (sp?) of tickets.

 

[The Large One]

Metro - piece of piss. Buy a 'carnet' (book of tickets) at the kiosk or dispenser. You need to know the end points on each line, as that is the direction the train goes, as opposed to 'northbound, eastbound' etc.

Good places to eat - it's Paris, nuff said. A bit expensive, mind.

If you lurve your missus and like the soppy hand in hand stuff, a leisurely walk along the river, from the tower to Notre Dame (about 2 miles) can't be beaten. Alternatively, a walk up and around Montmartre to the Sacre Coeur is SUPERB. You'll love it...

 

[Bozza]

Went a few weeks back with my good lady and my little lady.

Beautiful place - shouldn't have taken me 37 years to get there.

Agree on the above - the metro is quick and easy. We bought carnets which were, I think 10 tickets, for a few Euros. You use one per journey.

Can't offer too much advice on eating - we just grabbed food as and when due to having a 6 year old in tow. Fine dining was not us.

Be prepared for the prices though, especially for drinking out - horrifically expensive - often 8-9 Euros for a beer, cokes not much cheaper.

 

[Jack Straw]

Brilliant place.
I would recommend;
Eifel Tower at night. Get off the metro at Trocadero.
Eifel Tower in the day. Get there in the morning to reduce queueing time, but queues do seem to go down quite quick. Go right to the top in the lift.
Take a Seine river tour. There may be people offering cheap tickets at the time, rather than book up.
Go on top of the Arc de Triumph.
When pestered by beggars asking if you speak english, just look at them as though you're daft and say nothing.
Do a bit of people watching outside a typical parisian cafe with a coffee or beer or two.
Metro is doddle.
You'll love it.

 

[Gwylan]

Metro is a doddle. Buy a carnet (a group of 10 tickets) as they're a lot cheaper than single tickets. There are also leisure passes that are good value if you're going to use the Metro a lot over a few days. You do have to make a note of the end destination of the line you want though - you follow the arrows for destination rather than north/south bound.

There are so many good places to eat in Paris, you're spoiled for choice. Avoid the Champs-Elysee, Montmartre and the Left Bank as they will cost you un bras et une jambe. I like wondering down the rue Mouffetard in the 5th arrondisement, there are some decent restaurants down the whole street. It's hard to know what to suggest without knowing your interests but there's plenty to do there/

General advice is to avoid tourist traps as prices rise astronomically and don't be offended by the rudeness of the Parisians - they're rude to everyone including the French.

 

[Gwylan]

LOL...everyone mentions the carnet.

One other thing, if you want to go to the Louvre get there early, the queues are mad.

Musee D'Orsay is more civilised and the Rodin Museum is fantastic too.

 

[Jack Straw]

I forgot.
If you're there Sunday, get to Montmartre - Sacre Coeur, for the service about 9.00am or whenever it starts.
It is a very beautiful spiritual experience.
Don't try to brazenly take pictures inside though, as a plain clothed bouncer will appear from nowhere and attempt to bash your camera out of your hand.
Do it very sneakily!

 

[Highfields Seagull]

Alternatively, a walk up and around Montmartre to the Sacre Coeur is SUPERB. You'll love it...

I can also recommend this.

Has anyone mentioned getting a carnet?

 

[Beach Hut]

Sacre Coer is very good

 

[Beach Hut]

The Louvre is very good as well

 

[essbee]

For a few cracking bars and restaurants - around the roads leading off
the Pantheon is an absolute *cracker*....

Not far from the Sorbonne also which is also worth a look....

A low key area - safe and cheap.

 

[Jamon Jamon]

get off the metro at Pigalle or Blanche and take a walk up 'them' steps you always see on arty posters. they take you up to the square at Montmatre and the Sacre Coure (Sp?) great views. Pigalle's a bit like Soho at night. The Moulon Rouge is expensive and a bit overrated (IMO)

 

[London Calling]

posted for details last year - got loads of great references. Go to search.

PLus times on line 16 September 2009 just did a great guide to secret paris. Independent 48 hours is also a good search.

 

[London Calling]

and we used the buses, you see a lot more. I recall 38 and 42 do the sights and pass from Gard de Nord and the Gard de Est.

PLus use the Paris LA river bus that stops at all the main sights on the river from the Eiffle to Notre Dame.

 

[Was not Was]

I suggest walking most places.

Paris is MUCH smaller than London, and lots of the metro stations are a short distance from each other.

Walking around the Marais is a particularly fine and romantic thing to do, if you can live with not just ticking off the main tourist sites.

Oh, and you should get a carnet for when you don't fancy walking - did anyone mention that?

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

I suggest walking most places.

Exactly, do people not use legs anymore? The missus and I went in July for a weekend, used the Metro to get to our hotel and that was it, two glorious days of walking from one end of the city to the other, taking in everything we wanted to see. If the football juggling guy's still shinning up lamp posts at Sacre Couer he's worth a look.

 

[Gwylan]

I suggest walking most places.

Paris is MUCH smaller than London, and lots of the metro stations are a short distance from each other.

Walking around the Marais is a particularly fine and romantic thing to do, if you can live with not just ticking off the main tourist sites.

I remember walking back from a club in the north of Paris to a hotel in the south and being staggered how short a walk it was. Paris is a doddle to walk around.

The Marais is wonderful - it's a totally bizarre mix of the very old, the very Jewish and the very gay. It's great if you want to buy a falafel AND a man bag to keep it in.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

When pestered by beggars asking if you speak english, just look at them as though you're daft and say nothing.

I opted for the "No I'm sorry I don't speak english" reply, which confused them a little.

 

[Barry Izbak]

A 2 or 3 day Batobus ticket is the best value river boat ticket. Its cheaper than a 1 day, and if you're there for a few days its a great way to do the river tour and get from one end of the city centre to the other. Its hop on hop off as many times as you like.