Can people suggest good places to visit in Paris?

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Ms. Teak

Congratulations! Ms. Teak has visited Paris many times and counts it among her favourite of worldly cities to visit.

Guidebooks are predictably rife with where-to-gos. A do-not-miss site is Rick Steve's ( http://www.ricksteves.com) Europe Through the Back Door, and particularly, the Graffiti Wall which is replete with more tips and places than I could ever provide you with here. Instead, I will present you with my own personally-learned tips that will, one hopes, make your stay even more pleasant and memorable.

1) Memorize and/or take a cheat sheet of these very few basic phrases in French. Yes, you must. But really, it will be the difference between utter frustration and feal accomplishment.

Ou est .... ? (Oo-Ay): Where is...?
Je voudrais.. (jehVoo Dray): I would like...
Sil vous plait (See voo play): Please.
Merci (Myeh-see): Thank you.
Je nais comprends pas. (jehNay comprahn pah):
I don't understand.
Mais non, Je n'ai pas votÃ© pour Bush (MayNahn, jehNay pah vhoat pour Boosh): I did not vote for Bush.

These six basic phrases will make up 95% of what you need, and most 95% of the time Parisians will respond in English if you at least make the initial effort, with confidence and a certain 'Je ne sais quois' (that means, a certain I-don't-know-what). There is a reason which is not rooted in mere courtesy for this:

Because the French are a proud people, like Americans they tend to take affront to those who would deign to enter the country and expect everyone to speak their beautiful language.

However.

Because they are a proud people, they cannot stand to hear their beautiful language assaulted by your clunky attempts either, which will work almost immediately in your favor. Thus, they will generally butcher /your/ language rather than undergo the pain of you butchering theirs.

The French being terribly romantic that way.

Additional note: Always greet people with a proper 'Bonjour' before asking anything of them, period. Otherwise, all bets are off.

2) Can the smiles. The French have endured Roman invasions, wars on their land and were the initial creators of the term 'angst'.They do not understand why Americans smile so bloody much, and its considered a little crass. Not that you need to walk around dourfaced, but it is one of those distinguishing I-can-tell-you-are-an-American things that separate the tourist from the worldly wandering.

2) Be prepared to fall in love with the Metro - and buy a 'Billet', which is an all day ticket. The Metro goes nearly everywhere in Paris imaginable and is extremely easy to negotiate whether you know any French or not. There is literally a metro station every few blocks in Paris, and the routes are exceedingly simple to use. I promise, you do not need to ever taxi, the Metro is truly that easy.

3) You'll need an entire day for the Louvre. At least.

4) Do not plan on stopping at the Louvre on your last day - you will be exhausted.

And take Kleenex. Just trust me on this.

5) Parisian men. An entire essay could be written on the differences between American men and those of the Parisian persuasion. I will try to sum.

Modest clothing. Expect gazes. That is all.

6) Jim Morrisons' grave should be properly toasted, so do stop and get a small bottle of wine and perhaps some cheese for the occasion. However, do not get caught or the french guards will not be pleasant, I speak from experience.

If you are approached by a saucy, meditteranean entreprenurial tour guide known by the name of 'Raphael', consider it your very lucky day. He is shortish, wiry haired and absolutely beyond knowledgable about all things LeChaise and beyond. Hire him to show you virtually anything you want to see in the cemetary and ask him to take you to the restaurant mentioned below if you are so inclined. He is delightful, witty and a veritable font of knowledge. He will also want more money than you offer. 15 euros and a glass of wine is a fair sum.

7) To the east of Pere Le Chaise (facing it), and within walking distance, is the Jim Morrison hotel where Jim and Pamela lived for a time in an apartment upstairs. It's a delightful bar/restaurant with cozy ambience and worth the stop.

8)Wine will be cheaper than Coca-Cola. As in rump-kickingly good Pouilly-fuisse that would easily sell for fifty a bottle here. Indulge this economical difference as often as possible.

9) Ditto delicious cheeses such as Camembert and Brie. You will purchase these at places entitled 'Fromageries'. A caveat: Unless you are truly a foodie, you will want to stick with the cheeses that you know. The french, known for their inexplicable taste in embracing the strange (such as Jerry Lewis), are decidedly keen on, how-do-you-say? -Stinky Foot Cheese.

10) Forego not the perfect lunch of crusty french bread, a hunk of Camembert and a bottle of wine under the Eiffel Tower. These should be consumed between long, deepfelt kisses. You are in the City of Love, after all.

11) Neglect not the street vendor crepes, found everywhere in Paris and utterly delectable. Tear them with your fingers and feed them to each other with adoring looks and more kisses.

12) There are Parisian public bathrooms on many streets which operate for a sum of .20 euros, and which I have a horrific anecdote to impart, and would were I not such a delicate creature. Suffice it to say they can be tricky to figure out. You have been warned.

Along that same note: This will be no time for your blushing bride to be without feminine protection, let us say. One hopes that things do not decide to make their untimely appearance during such a wonderous excursion, but be prepared all the same. The streets of Paris are an unkind place for a woman to find herself lacking the proper hygenic accoutrements, if you see my meaning. Doubly so with the absolutely impossible-to-figure-out street toilettes.

12 a.) Should you have foregone the above advice and now the worst is upon you, look for a store entitled 'Monoprix'. These are the equivalent of a department/drug store and are very user-friendly for items from toiletries to fresh fruits and pens.

13) The strange, large green cylindrical objects you will see on many streets with circular openings just big enough to fit a hand in, and which you will puzzle over as to their usage for days are bottle recyclers for wine bottles.

14) Never address a waiter by the term 'Garcon'. If you need to get his attention, a simple "Pardon, Monsieur' will suffice.

15) There is a delightful cemetary at the foot of Montmartre that is exceptional to visit. When a local highway was erected over it, they had to spend exceptional amounts of money to configure the engineering around the mausoleums. A definite thing to see if you are in the area. Also a good place to sneak more kisses.

16) It costs more to eat in cafes if you choose outdoor seating.

17) Round up to the next euro for tipping as a rule - 5-10% at most. Parisians are not like we when it comes to tipping. You are, however, expected to modestly tip your concierge at the end of your stay.

18) The Catacombs are legend and well worth the visit if you are so inclined. - seven million Parisians are enterred there. The entrance is just across the street from the Denfert-Rochereau Metro station, map located here:

http://uk.maps.yahoo.com/py/lg:uk/lc:uk/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&addr=Place+Denfert-rochereau&city=Paris&state=&slt=48.834200&sln=2.332600&name=&zip=75014&country=fr&BFCat=&BFClient=&mag=6&desc=&cs=8&newmag=7&poititle=&poi=#Pyt=Tmap&addr=Place+Denfert-rochereau&city=Paris&slt=48.834200&sln=2.332600&zip=75014&country=fr&mag=6&cs=8&newmag=7&env=F

And further information here:

http://triggur.org/cata/

Ms. Teak should not have to remind you that the Catacombs are a massive, spiralling 180 mile network of labyrinthine twists and turns and that this will not be the time to exercise any undue wanderlust. As long as you keep to the main public routeways, you shall be fine.

19) There is a cafe just across from the main gate of Pere le Chaise called 'Cafe du Monde'. It has wonderful hamburgers if you absolutely get a yen for American food.

20) Do not pass by an opportunity to buy french pastries when it presents itself. These will be entitled 'Boulangeries' and 'Patisseries'. You will not really need to know those names however as the lush and massive displays of crusted delectables will be mesmerising all of your senses from the shop window.

To order, enter the store and cordially greet the shopkeeper with the requisite 'Bonjour'. Peruse the delights and when ready to select, simply state 'Je voudrais (I would like) ..' and point to your selection. It is highly recommended that you take one or two back to share in your hotel room later in the evening. You will come to thank me for this as french pastries are the best in the world.

Have a wonderful stay, Ms. Teak is now off to nibble a croissant.

Sans souci,

MT

Rillifane

If your wife is really a major fan of Morrison then I suggest you take her for a drink at Le Mazet at 61, rue Saint-AndrÃ©-des-Arts in the 6th arrondissement. This is where Jim had his last drink in public before dying.

You might find a hotel in the 5th or 6th arrondissements a bit more convenient if you're planning on hitting the Paris nightlife but the 1st is a nice location too.

Paris is a very compact city with a very dense transportation network so just about every tourist sight is an easy trip from anywhere in the center (and the 1st is certainly the center).

Le Bon Aloi at 5, rue Sauval is a very nice restaurant in the area and very close to your hotel. Its run by Philippe Limoges who has cooked at places like La Tour d'Argent. He's also worked in New York and Los Angeles. You maigh want to stick around after dinner for the karaoke in the basement on Friday and Saturday. It can be quite a hoot. http://www.lebonaloi.com/index_english.htm

The Slow Club at 130 rue de Rivoli, one of the most famous Jazz clubs in Paris, is just down the street form your hotel. Its a pleasant place to hear some music which tends to be New Orleans style Jazz on the weekends. Check out who's playing however because they have been known to have all sorts of styles. There is a 13 euro cover charge but its well worth it.

If you'll cross the Pont Neuf to the Ile de la Cite you should try the wine bar Henri IV for a light snack and an excellant selection of wine. A nice place for a light lunch.

DonnaBee

I agree. The Louvre is huge, and it would be nice to give each of the 3 main wings half a day each. Notre Dame is beautiful and peaceful. I'm not sure if they have guided tours at this time of the year. Sacre Coeur is also beautiful, as well as Versailles.

snowloverbloom

I have been to Paris France and I loved the tower Eiffel, and the Louvre, I loved the Eiffel tower so much because of the view, you can see every where around Paris, and the Louvre has so many paintings inside, I loved this the most because the expressions in the paintings were amazingly realistic to my thoughts on life.

Elliott J

Just returned from Paris. Louvre is more crowded and popular than it was 30 years ago.
Plan to spend at least 1 1/2 days to see the Louvre. I walked from St. Lazare to Opera to Louvre to Notre Dame to Rive Gouche down to Eiffel Tower to Arc de Triumph and down Hausseman street back to St. Lazare. You can see alot in that 8 mile trek.

Contact Paris tourism council. They have tons of info.

michaell

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Paris+France+guide&fr=ush-ans

John Benedict

I would recommend that you take your wife to Montmartre in the 18th Arrondissement. It is a bit out of the way from the center but it is a very romantic place to be. Montmartre has a bit of a French village ambiance. You can climb on the hill where Sacre Coeur basilica is located. The view over Paris is nice. It is a bit crowded but you can easily find some quiet little village square as you walk away from the Tertre square.

I agree with Rilifan comment about 5th and 6th districts, Latin Quarter has a busy night life. I find Le Marais Quarter 3rd 4th arrondissements the best place to go on Sundays because most businesses are closed in the other areas of Paris that day . It is nice to have lunch there in little restaurants on Charlot street.

If you are into electronic music Oberkampf street near Bastille in the 11th Arrondissement not too far from pere lachaise cemetery has some interesting places you might want to check out.
If you want to get more details about what other areas of Paris have to offer this website has a good overview with maps:
http://where-to-stay-in-paris.blogspot.com

1st arrondissement where your hotel is located is very convenient because it is central and at a walking distance from many sights, right near Le Louvre and the other Da Vinci Code sights. Get ready to walk a lot if you are doing the Da Vinci Code visit. The most efficient way I have found to do this was to take a tour with a guide. It was done in 2 hours for â‚¬20 with Classic Walks tours :
http://www.classicwalksparis.com/tour/walking-tours/da-vinci-code-walking-tou.shtml It was recommended to me by Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau and I was happy with it.

Have fun

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