Thank you, if you don't mind me asking who did you book your tickets through? I have been looking and it seems there are a lot of places to book! Just curious.
Thanks Again and thank you all for the recommendations! Greatly appreciated.
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Travel Advice - Paris France
- Thread starter rhett7660
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Thank you, if you don't mind me asking who did you book your tickets through? I have been looking and it seems there are a lot of places to book! Just curious.
Thanks Again and thank you all for the recommendations! Greatly appreciated.
I booked everything myself and made a planning. For hotels, booking.com, for Champagne, TripAdvisor & for flights Transavia. For Château de Versailles, their website.
Ha... that is funny, I do a spreadsheet for tracking also. I usually do all my own bookings also. Didn't know if you had a certain site you were using etc.
Thanks
Thanks
Yes and I asked my boss to approve & sign, just for fun🤣
Well I can say, Paris was a blast. We did just the city with a day trip to Versailles. So here is what we liked and something that were just ok.
The good:
The good:
- Versailles, freaking loved it and wish we could have done a whole day in the gardens area. We wanted to rent one of the golf carts, but they were books, so we checked the day of, and they were still booked. Grrr. But the area as whole is incredible.
- Eiffel Tower. WOW. Pictures and video's do not do it justice.
- Notre Dame, WOW. Even though we couldn't go inside as it is still under construction, the sheer size of it is something to behold.
- Louvre Museum, WOW. Another one you don't really get how big it is until you get there and then once you get in side, the sheer size of it all is breathtaking. The fact they have walls from the original castle inside the place. WOW.
- Arc of Triumph, pretty darn cool, the road leading up to and the location where the Obelisks is located are very cool to see and read about while you are there. Knowing folks lost their heads there...
- Taking a short'ish cruise on the Seine. Awesome. We did the mid afternoon to sunset cruise and it was worth it.
- The Latin Quarter and Napoleon's Tomb... pretty darn cool.
- The architecture in general especially those along the Seine. All of the little streets and "alleys" we found and went down just because of the way they looked. Loved it.
- The catocombs. LOVED THEM! Also visited some of the graveyards in the area including Jim Morrison's grave site. We are weird that way, but found these areas to be really cool and the fact they go back so far!
- While we didn't get to go inside, the Sainte-Chapelle is something else as well as one of the court houses we went by. For a court house, it was something else to look at!
- The cafe's and various eating shops (bread, coffee, sweets, etc) was amazing! We had one meal that was just ok, but everything else was mouth watering.
- The various parks we visited, walked through, sat down and took in the scenes, etc. Awesome!
- Pantheon... The sheer size of it! I wonder where the Supreme Court got it's influence from!
- Place Vendome... the giant column with the statue on top!
- Shopping! We wish would could have gone to the flee markets, but they were only going the day we arrived or the day we were leaving, but the shopping in general, outside of the tourist area was great. We really dug going into some of the shops that had antiques etc in them.
- The ability to get around the city! Loved the fact they had bike lanes around it all! We ended up renting a few electric bikes and scooters to see a lot of the city stuff. No regrets and highly recommend this if you can!
- The food... good lord the food was amazing. We actually did the cheeses and a few meats in one of the parks. Good stuff as we were tired from all of the walking.
- Did I mention the food!
- I know I am missing stuff, but we had a great time and didn't have tooooo much trouble talking. It is almost like as soon as we walked in, folks knew we were not from around these parts. And almost all of them, with the exception of a few spoke English to some degree.
- The weather was strange for us. 60 degrees with 80-90% humidity. Didn't know if you wanted to be cold or sweat your butt off.
- The smoking, good lord, there was a lot of smoking!
- Folks not cleaning up after their pets on the side walks... come on people!
- One thing that I am assuming is a by-product of covid, is everything closed around 2200 hours. We were so busy site seeing one day and we got home around 2300 hours or so and nothing was open but the local McDonalds. So we had it delivered to the hotel!
- We didn't bump into a lot of things we didn't like.
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Delighted that you enjoyed yourself so much; in common with @arkitect, I love Paris, and, for a very long time it was probably my favorite city, while I was an unabashed - nay passionate - Francophile.Well I can say, Paris was a blast. We did just the city with a day trip to Versailles. So here is what we liked and something that were just ok.
The good:
The stuff that was not our favorites:
- Versailles, freaking loved it and wish we could have done a whole day in the gardens area. We wanted to rent one of the golf carts, but they were books, so we checked the day of, and they were still booked. Grrr. But the area as whole is incredible.
- Eiffel Tower. WOW. Pictures and video's do not do it justice.
- Notre Dame, WOW. Even though we couldn't go inside as it is still under construction, the sheer size of it is something to behold.
- Louvre Museum, WOW. Another one you don't really get how big it is until you get there and then once you get in side, the sheer size of it all is breathtaking. The fact they have walls from the original castle inside the place. WOW.
- Arc of Triumph, pretty darn cool, the road leading up to and the location where the Obelisks is located are very cool to see and read about while you are there. Knowing folks lost their heads there...
- Taking a short'ish cruise on the Seine. Awesome. We did the mid afternoon to sunset cruise and it was worth it.
- The Latin Quarter and Napoleon's Tomb... pretty darn cool.
- The architecture in general especially those along the Seine. All of the little streets and "alleys" we found and went down just because of the way they looked. Loved it.
- The catocombs. LOVED THEM! Also visited some of the graveyards in the area including Jim Morrison's grave site. We are weird that way, but found these areas to be really cool and the fact they go back so far!
- While we didn't get to go inside, the Sainte-Chapelle is something else as well as one of the court houses we went by. For a court house, it was something else to look at!
- The cafe's and various eating shops (bread, coffee, sweets, etc) was amazing! We had one meal that was just ok, but everything else was mouth watering.
- The various parks we visited, walked through, sat down and took in the scenes, etc. Awesome!
- Pantheon... The sheer size of it! I wonder where the Supreme Court got it's influence from!
- Place Vendome... the giant column with the statue on top!
- Shopping! We wish would could have gone to the flee markets, but they were only going the day we arrived or the day we were leaving, but the shopping in general, outside of the tourist area was great. We really dug going into some of the shops that had antiques etc in them.
- The ability to get around the city! Loved the fact they had bike lanes around it all! We ended up renting a few electric bikes and scooters to see a lot of the city stuff. No regrets and highly recommend this if you can!
- The food... good lord the food was amazing. We actually did the cheeses and a few meats in one of the parks. Good stuff as we were tired from all of the walking.
- Did I mention the food!
- I know I am missing stuff, but we had a great time and didn't have tooooo much trouble talking. It is almost like as soon as we walked in, folks knew we were not from around these parts. And almost all of them, with the exception of a few spoke English to some degree.
- The weather was strange for us. 60 degrees with 80-90% humidity. Didn't know if you wanted to be cold or sweat your butt off.
- The smoking, good lord, there was a lot of smoking!
- Folks not cleaning up after their pets on the side walks... come on people!
- One thing that I am assuming is a by-product of covid, is everything closed around 2200 hours. We were so busy site seeing one day and we got home around 2300 hours or so and nothing was open but the local McDonalds. So we had it delivered to the hotel!
- We didn't bump into a lot of things we didn't like.
Go back you forgot to visit l’opéra Garnier! 😛
Sorry next time I’ll get a decent pictures but it looks like this!
Very happy you enjoyed your trip!
Sorry next time I’ll get a decent pictures but it looks like this!
Very happy you enjoyed your trip!
And bonus, I hope you saw l’Orangerie and le Petit Trianon 😊
We didn't go in the first one... There was so much and yes we did see the bottom!!!!!! All I can say, is that everything seems so large and over the top, but in a good way!!!!
Even pre-pandemic, a lot of places closed for the night between 2000-2200, at least in Italy, France and Germany.
Distinctly recall rushing to the market after dinner in Venice, and the place was packed with visitors stocking up before closing time. In Milan, a bodega came to the rescue when the chain market was closed.
But perhaps not in Spain, which is famous for its late hours, but I intend to find out first hand in the future.
No 24hr supermarkets or running to Target or Walmart at 2230 like we can do here.
Another unusual thing from a US perspective was that all the checkout clerks conduct business while seated. Odd that their American counterparts aren't afforded the same luxury.
Sitting at a cafe with a solid coffee and croissant 
while watching the world go by is one of my favourite things to do in France / Europe in general.
while watching the world go by is one of my favourite things to do in France / Europe in general.
Interesting... We were looking up things on Yelp, yes I know it isn't the best thing, however they hours were showing open to say midnight or two in the morning and they were closed. And you are correct regarding the sitting down. I have seen this done at some of my Wal-Mart's, but overall, yup, most are standing.
We are planning an Octoberfest trip to Munich for next year with some site seeing thrown in!
Sitting at a cafe with a solid coffee and croissant
The coffee was something else and you are correct. We loved sitting and just watching people.
Attachments
I thought about it but as an American If IG ever went to France I would visit the WW2 graveyards in the North of Country!
That is one of the other items we want to do. We also want to go see a few other cities within France such as Nice, Bordeaux, and a few others. So we will be going back!
Yelp listings are maintained by the businesses, if they choose to claim them. I don't doubt some places have different hours in this post-pandemic world, but in general, conservative hours were in place beforehand.
After Paris, Munich will have a different vibe. There is still a fair bit of sidewalk dining, and drinking/smoking (including hookah) seems to be a favorite pastime for a lot of folks, who hang out on the street at night, but it's much more low key, and a smaller town feel.
If you're a fan of science and technology, the largest science museum in the world is in Munich, and has two annexes. Make time for it, and plan to take in the BMW Museum, and tour the factory. But reserve in advance one you know the dates, since the English language tours are limited in number and sell out.
Munich's public transportation system is very good -- efficient and clean (despite the age of some of the subway trains, still in excellent shape, but manual doors) -- and fare control relies on the honor system, with no gates or barriers. Tickets are time stamped (DIY), and only enforced through spot checks (which some seek thrills in trying to evade; not worth the 60 Euro fine). Buses, street trams, U-Bahn (subway) and S-Bahn (rail) are part of the same fare system. MUC airport is clean and modern, but a distance from the city.
I'd also rent a car, and head south toward the Alps, which are within a couple hours, to see some of the small towns. Gorgeous scenery there, and on the way there as well.
Mine, too, to be perfectly honest.Sitting at a cafe with a solid coffee and croissant
and Paris was where I first learned that coffee wasn't a vile thing for adults only!
And years later I also learned that a cotes du rhone would be fine for a party, assuming the indent in the bottom of the bottle was just so...
If you're interested in art, the Musée d'Orsay is another great option in addition to the Louvre. It's located in a beautiful old railway station. For a different perspective on Paris, take a boat tour on the Seine River. You'll get to see the city's famous landmarks from a different angle.
Agree with you re the Musée d'Orsay, especially if you are partial to Impressionism; a stunning setting for a museum dedicated to 19th century art, and some incredible artwork on display. Well worth a visit.
In addition to the previous comments, I'd just add that the Musée d'Orsay is interesting for art and architecture. Its use of a repurposed railway station was one of the first highly successful projects to transform a building thought to be obsolete and unworthy of preservation.
For contrast, the Centre Pompidou is interesting for its art and architecture as well but with a highly innovative design made specifically for its site and its activities. The surrounding area, Beauborg, is rewarding to visit as well as it was the former site of Paris' main food market, Les Halles, and traces and references to this history are fun to find.
Agree completely with what you have written about architecture, (as well as the superlative art in the museum).
That repurposed railway station is, itself, a spectacular (and gloriously light-filled) building.
And now a new reason to visit the Orsay (plus the Art Institute in Chicago for completists, ha ha):
apnews.com
France buys new masterpiece for Orsay museum with LVMH gift
France has acquired a stunning Impressionist masterpiece for its national collection of art treasures.