# Paris



## dmc (Feb 27, 2013)

Going to Paris with my girl in May...
Anybody been?  Anything that I should really see and not see?


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## hippiechick (Feb 27, 2013)

Yep, was there for 4 days, long time ago. 

You MUST get a chicken and cheese crepe. Must. Most people think 'crepe' and they think dessert, creme filled fruit all that. But look for crepe street vendors (like hot dog stands...) and they'll usually have chicken and cheese. Holy shitbananas. It's been forever, and I can still conjure up that taste. 

What are your interests? See the sights? Or something more 'niche-y'?


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## Nick (Feb 27, 2013)

Obviously you have to see the eiffel tower and the Louvre.


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## ctenidae (Feb 27, 2013)

Go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rue_Mouffetard,_Paris

It runs up a hill. At the bottom is a farmers market, at the top is a big circle with a bunch of bars. All the way up the hill it's lined with restaurants and shops, and the little side streets have lots of great food. One street off the side is Rue du Pot de Fer with a restuarant Chez Robert, which my wife and I loved both times we went to Paris. Which, I'm realizing after just looking up the restaurant, was 12 years ago, and things have changed...

The Jardin des Plantes over near Gare d'Austerlitz is nice and chill. If the weather is nice, the park south of the Eiffel Tower is very nice, and has a higher percentage of locals than you'd think. The Tower is cool as well, even though it's a tourist haven. At the very least, watching the water vendors evading the police is entertaining. The Opera area is prettty cool. The whole Latin Quarter is fun to wander around in. Gare du'Norde is neat if you want to relive scenes from Jason Bourne movies. The Cemetery at Montparnasse is truly incredible.

Good god, has it really been 12 years since I was in Paris? Yikes.


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## marcski (Feb 27, 2013)

Nick said:


> Obviously you have to see the eiffel tower and the Louvre.



Sorry Nick, I disagree.  Personally, when I visit a new city, I'd much rather walk around and see the City and get a feel for the people and the place.  I live within about 20 miles of NYC, which houses some of the world's finest museums.  I don't go to them, so, why would I want to spend a few hours of what is most likely a limited time in this new city stuck inside a museum?  I don't.  We walked around Tuileries Gardens and the area around the Louvre, but we didn't step foot inside. Now, if you're into art...that's an entirely different story.


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## marcski (Feb 27, 2013)

Nick said:


> Obviously you have to see the eiffel tower and the Louvre.



Sorry Nick, I disagree.  Personally, when I visit a new city, I'd much rather walk around and see the City and get a feel for the people and the place.  I live within about 20 miles of NYC, which houses some of the world's finest museums.  I don't go to them, so, why would I want to spend a few hours of what is most likely a limited time in this new city stuck inside a museum?  I don't.  We walked around Tuileries Gardens and the area around the Louvre, but we didn't step foot inside. Now, if you're into seeing art in a museum...that's an entirely different story.


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## dmc (Feb 27, 2013)

We're big into art and I really want to go to the places where the impressionist painted...   Like I want to go to Giverny and see Monet's house and the water lilies... So museums are definitely on the plan... The Louvre for sure..  Also the Musee d'Orsay and Musee de l'Orangerie...

I also want to see the palace of Versailles..  Always dreamt of going there..


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## Nick (Feb 27, 2013)

marcski said:


> Sorry Nick, I disagree.  Personally, when I visit a new city, I'd much rather walk around and see the City and get a feel for the people and the place.  I live within about 20 miles of NYC, which houses some of the world's finest museums.  I don't go to them, so, why would I want to spend a few hours of what is most likely a limited time in this new city stuck inside a museum?  I don't.  We walked around Tuileries Gardens and the area around the Louvre, but we didn't step foot inside. Now, if you're into art...that's an entirely different story.



So here's my caveat on that one. I've always enjoyed seeing "attractions" but also getting to know the city. 

When I went to Venice about 2 (actually ... 3??) years ago we went and saw some of the more touristey stuff ... the Rialto bridge, the glass blowing in Murano, etc. 

But we also talked to our waiter and he recommended local bars, so we went to those one night and had dinner and drinks with real Venice residents ... and it was awesome. 

I've always enjoyed doing both. If I went to Paris as cliche as it is though I would definitely want to see the Eiffel Tower. But then I would also want to go see other stuff too.


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## dmc (Feb 27, 2013)

marcski said:


> Now, if you're into art...that's an entirely different story.



Yes - I'll be spending a lot of time in museums.. There's some things I want to see for myself..
But I'll also spend time walking around too...  We have 6 days..  

In Japan last year we walked all over the place and spent a ton of time outside in gardens but also had our museum time too..


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## dmc (Feb 27, 2013)

Nick said:


> But we also talked to our waiter and he recommended local bars, so we went to those one night and had dinner and drinks with real Venice residents ... and it was awesome.



I have a good friend that grew up there..  He lives in London now.  He's Moroccon / parisan / english... haha..
He's going to help me with some stuff and meet me later in the week... stoked...


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## dmc (Feb 27, 2013)

And I want to see Jim Morisons grave too...


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## dmc (Feb 27, 2013)

ctenidae said:


> Go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rue_Mouffetard,_Paris
> 
> It runs up a hill. At the bottom is a farmers market, at the top is a big circle with a bunch of bars. All the way up the hill it's lined with restaurants and shops, and the little side streets have lots of great food. One street off the side is Rue du Pot de Fer with a restuarant Chez Robert, which my wife and I loved both times we went to Paris. Which, I'm realizing after just looking up the restaurant, was 12 years ago, and things have changed...



PErfect!!!


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## ski stef (Feb 27, 2013)

Oh man I'm jealous! I loved Paris but my journey was short (2 days) so I visited the Eiffel Tower, ate good food and just strolled about Champs-Élysées... I would go back in a heartbeat! enjoy!


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## Cornhead (Feb 27, 2013)

Will you be staying at the Paris Hilton? :wink: Sorry, couldn't resist, hey, maybe you are. Have fun, I've never been, but my Sister has been twice, she loves it.


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## dmc (Feb 27, 2013)

Cornhead said:


> Will you be staying at the Paris Hilton?



Why yes... And I have permission to use the back door...


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## octopus (Feb 27, 2013)

dmc said:


> Why yes... And I have permission to use the back door...


prob pretty easy to get into


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## Nick (Feb 27, 2013)

octopus said:


> prob pretty easy to get into



:lol:


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## dmc (Feb 28, 2013)

octopus said:


> prob pretty easy to get into



There's a waiting list..


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## octopus (Feb 28, 2013)

first come, first served?


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## ctenidae (Feb 28, 2013)

octopus said:


> first come, first served?



Take two of these, and call me in the morning...



_(penicillin)_


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## gladerider (Feb 28, 2013)

dmc said:


> We're big into art and I really want to go to the places where the impressionist painted... Like I want to go to Giverny and see Monet's house and the water lilies... So museums are definitely on the plan... The Louvre for sure.. Also the Musee d'Orsay and Musee de l'Orangerie...
> 
> I also want to see the palace of Versailles.. Always dreamt of going there..




looks like you have laid out your schedule right there. giverny is a day trip really. i would rent a car for that trip. you can do versailles in a half day if you don't walk the entire garden and the inside and you can take the metro for the trip.  if you love the modern art, the place to go is centre pompidou. if you want to do the louvre, you need to choose wisely. you can spend several days if you wish. look at the layout before you go and decide. but, the building itself is a work of art and can take a whole day to checkout. 
i would also suggest taking a boat ride in the seine. there are a few operators and you can jump on it quite easily. you can do this after you check out the latin quarter or the notre dame. gotta go now, but will give you some more later.


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## Euler (Feb 28, 2013)

Definitely spend some time in some cathedrals.  Sacred spaces are grounding and uplifting at the same time.  Second the rec on the Centre Pompidou for modern art....it's the place to go to see many works by Matisse, Picasso, Miro...  Also there is a cool and lively street art scene on the plaza outside the museum.


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## gladerider (Feb 28, 2013)

i'm back. here is another suggestion. 6 days is not a lot to cover paris especially since you want to take day trips. so plan out your days in sections. one strategy is to take a day or two to check out north of the seine river and another day or two to check the other side of the seine. i also suggest checking out the champs elysees during the day but definitely in the evening. 
if you are definitely going to giverny, consider stopping by auvers-sur-oise on the way back to paris. that's where van gogh is buried. you can check out where he lived. i like that town. van gogh painted quite a few of town scenes and you can check out where he painted some of them, like the famous church in town.
and of course, his tomb stone.
when you are on the eiffel side of the town, check out les invalides. napoleon is buried there. for hanging out later in the evening, i like st. germain des pres area.
if you want to check out a fancy restaurant, you prolly want to reserve before you get there. have fun.....


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## noski (Mar 1, 2013)

Mr. noski and I were there during the elections last May. That was pretty cool actually. The media can't talk about polls, statistics, odds or anything at all for the 24 hour leading up to polls closing on Sunday night. Then the whole world heard the winner at the same time - at 8:00pm. that Sunday night.
Three of the favorite things we did was:
1. Sainte Chappelle Cathedral - The stained glass was breathtaking;
2. the 4 hour guided Seine walking tour (http://www.sightseekersdelight.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=4 )  
3. Fat Tire Bike Tour to Versailles (www.fattirebiketours.com)

I missed doing the Eiffel tower due to a kidney stone attack. Fail.


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## Geoff (Mar 3, 2013)

I've been to Paris a dozen times over the years.

Some tips:
Get yourself a "chip and PIN" RFID credit card before you go.   You'll encounter situations at kiosks where a magnetic strip credit card doesn't work.   The Paris Metro is the most painful since you often get stuck in a huge queue to get your metro pass from a human.

Depending on where you are staying, the Air France bus from de Gaulle can be an easier way into the city than the RER commuter rail.   The kiosks for the RER at de Gaulle will be your first place where a US magnetic strip credit card won't work.

France is not Paris.  Rent a car for a day and go out to the Loire.   Chateau de Chenonceau built on a bridge over the river and Chateau de Chambord with the (attributed to) da Vinci double helix staircase and massive scale are worth the trip.   Chambord is about 2 hours from Paris and Chenonceau is another 45 minutes.   Spend some time in the small town countryside.   Check out the vineyards.  Drink some wine.

When I think of France, I think of a simple outdoor cafe breakfast of cafe au lait and a basket with fresh baked sliced baguette with butter and strawberry jam.   I've traveled all over the country. Bakeries are standardized and it's the same everywhere.   

As for Paris, just walk the city for a few days using the Metro occasionally.   Here's my last walk-about on a free day in October, 2011
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2054062466848.2096879.1103153592&type=1&l=b572ca86e0


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## ScottySkis (Mar 3, 2013)

Gore is heavenly today.:beer:


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## ctenidae (Mar 3, 2013)

Geoff said:


> When I think of France, I think of a simple outdoor cafe breakfast of cafe au lait and a basket with fresh baked sliced baguette with butter and strawberry jam.   I've traveled all over the country. Bakeries are standardized and it's the same everywhere.
> 
> As for Paris, just walk the city for a few days using the Metro occasionally.   Here's my last walk-about on a free day in October, 2011
> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2054062466848.2096879.1103153592&type=1&l=b572ca86e0



What he said.


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## dmc (May 12, 2013)

Awesome time.... Great city... Walked/strolled and took the Metro all over the place.  The Metro was super easy and we got a weeks pass...  
Didn't have issues with the credit card chip... Just bought our train tickets with cash.   Was warned about pickpockets all over the place..  Some sketchy people around for sure.

Spring had sprung and the city was gorgeous.. 
Coffee and croissants for breakfast everyday at little cafe's on route to wherever we planned to go to..    Ham and cheese baguettes and wine in the park or square for lunch... Ducked into restaurants at night... Stumbled into a couple Jazz restaurants.  Mixed with locals in some places off the beaten path..  Dirty city... Lot's of dogshti everywhere..  Kinda nasty...

Saw the Louvre... Glad I got a "cut the line" tour...  Place is absolutely insane.  Chinese tourists running from picture to the picture to get a picture of themselves in front the piece.  We stayed the whole day so i revisited a couple of the popular pieces just before closing..  Way less 
people...    
Also checked out the Musée d'Orsay which holds a ton of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces...   So much more chill than the Louvre..  People seem to be there for art more that pop culture...   
A smaller and kind of cooler museum is the Musée de l'orangerie which has the Monet water lily murals housed in 2 rooms  - just fukcing incredible...  
Also went and saw the Panteon and all the revolution art there.  Cryptes were pretty cool..   
Also near the was Musée de Cluny - which houses Medieval and Renaissance art..

Went to the top of the Eiffel Tower - was on the second level at sunset - nice view...  Sat in the field next to it for a while with a bottle of champagne watching the light show and all the freaks..   

Checked out Versailles..  Holy crap....  Talk about the 1%.... damn...  The  place is amazing... We got a tour guide that took us to the private rooms not on the public tour which was nice.... The gardens are just amazing..  

Really LOVED Notre Dame.  Great location to just hit it to check out the inside... Or climb up the tower.. Or just hang out outside..  

Walked all over the Latin quarter - Rue Mouffetard was great... Shopped and ate over there.. 

Missed the cemetery with Morrison...  And a couple other things..
i could see myself going back again.


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## ctenidae (May 13, 2013)

Glad you liked it- Paris is a cool city- there's so much going on at all times.


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## dmc (May 13, 2013)

ctenidae said:


> Glad you liked it- Paris is a cool city- there's so much going on at all times.



thanks for all the advice...


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## dmc (May 13, 2013)




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## hammer (Sep 24, 2014)

Looks like I'll have to go on business in the near future, think my work will be near CDG airport...any advice for a quick tour on a Sunday after the red eye flight?  Also hoping I can avoid having to get a car.


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## Savemeasammy (Sep 24, 2014)

We honeymooned there.  We took the train from the airport right into the city.  There are plenty of subway stations.  We enjoyed just exploring around some of the neighborhoods away from the touristy stuff.  We really enjoyed eating out in France.  They expect you to linger for a while...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Funky_Catskills (Sep 25, 2014)

hammer said:


> Looks like I'll have to go on business in the near future, think my work will be near CDG airport...any advice for a quick tour on a Sunday after the red eye flight?  Also hoping I can avoid having to get a car.



Trains are easy there..   You can download Paris metro offline apps for your mobile..

Don't rent a car in Paris..  Just take the subway..


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## andrec10 (Sep 25, 2014)

Funky_Catskills said:


> Trains are easy there..   You can download Paris metro offline apps for your mobile..
> 
> Don't rent a car in Paris..  Just take the subway..



You Don't want to drive in Paris. It gets CRAZY! The subways work great!


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## hammer (Oct 13, 2014)

hammer said:


> Looks like I'll have to go on business in the near future, think my work will be near CDG airport...any advice for a quick tour on a Sunday after the red eye flight?  Also hoping I can avoid having to get a car.


Trip cancelled but I have another one to Germany (Frankfurt area) a few weeks later.  Been there several times but it's been 10 years since my last trip.


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