Going to Paris: What must I do?

[amateurmacfreak]

I'm leaving day after tomorrow for Paris. =]

I'll be there for about 6 days (the reason being that my dad is a musician and is playing a gig there) and... just ideas on what one has to do while in Paris?

And it's my first time there. AND I will be going on a class trip to France in the spring, where I will be seeing a lot of the common tourist places to go.

Any tips for just cool neighborhoods and sections of Paris to go to would be great. Or any things that I just HAVE to see. Oh, and we're staying in the 16th District.

And I'm a 13 year-old girl. So idk, just to get that out there in this land of males? ;)

So anyways, I don't know where I'm going w/ this, but any suggestions for things to do would be great. Thanks. =]

(and yes, my parents will actually listen to my suggestions on what to do, thank God...)

[®îçhå®?]

First fact, do not expect the Parisians to help you much. Even the rest of France is ashamed of them because they give them a bad name :) Best thing to do is to doordinary things in life, ie go on the bus etc. If you live in the US, i advise you to go and watch a proper sport (football/soccer to you), Paris Saint-Germain is a good team. The tourist stuff and that is really all that i got.

[wimic]

quick to do list:

- see the eiffel tower for the first time at night... it's much more enchanting that way

- visit notre dame (take a few minutes to really appreciate the architecture)

- take a night cruise down the sienne and take lots of pictures

- visit a bistro or a small, non-main-stream cafe, sit, look, listen and absorb the culture (it's amazing how much you can miss out on by getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of travelling)

- visit versailles... the gardens are phenominal

- visit the Arc de Triomphe, and La Defance but read about them before you visit.

- try a real french croissant, crepe and gelato (thanks to your close proximity to italy!)

- Visit the Louvre... see the Mona Lisa, but don't be oblivious to all of the other amazing works of art around you (FYI - the mona lisa is going to be a let down). Be sure to see Venus de Milo - it's breathtaking.

- Don't be tricked by "innocent" tourist or pedestrians... they're likely not innocent. Pick-pocketing is extremely common and tourists are most often the target.

- Wear a Canada Flag... you'll be treated a lot better if you do.

[extraextra]

Try to avoid being too touristy! Seriously. They'll pretty much ignore you. Annnd dress nice. If you dress in your everyday average clothes you'll feel trashy there. :( I went out in a sweatshirt and jeans and felt horrible the rest of the day because everyone else had decided they were going to look amazing just to walk around the street.

Don't throw random French words in. "Oui," is the only thing you know? Don't say it. Better to just stick to all English rather than throwing in a few mispronounced French words.

This has been my experience. I dressed nicely for the most part and acted indifferent (ok ok, and I speak French so it was easier to get by) and I loved it there. Lol :p But have fun!

[Silencio]

Go to the Musée d'Orsay (18th-19th century art) and/or the Centre Pompidou (modern art). Both are amazing museums in their own right. Yes, I know it's easy to get overarted in Paris.

While visiting Notre Dame, be sure to visit St. Chappelle further down on the island. Amazing, huge stained glass windows -- spectacular on a sunny day.

If you want to get out the big city for a few hours, take a train ride out to Chartres. It's about an hour outside of Paris. Check out the cathedral and the grounds.

Have fun!

[amateurmacfreak]

Saint-Chappelle is a definite yes, as my French teacher raves about it all the time. And of course Notre Dame.
And I will try to dress nicely and be as not-touristy as possible. :/ I really don't want to be viewed as the stereotypical American; I hate our current government and what they've caused America to be viewed as by the rest of the world. Honestly, I think Europe's generally a much cooler place.
And I will try to take the time to sit down and enjoy a croissant and soak in the culture.
The Musee D'Orsay is also a go. I'm looking forward to this trip as a chance to more soak in the culture; Traveling with a clump of adolescents in the spring will be, um, "fun" but I'm sure we will be viewed as obnoxious American youth who dress in blue jeans and have no apprieciation for culture.
And we'll be with people who have been to Paris repeatedly, so hopefully we won't stick out... as a horridly bad blemish of fat cultureless humans on the world. Ah bah, bad description, but I'm tired. :o

EDIT: Centre Pompidou sounds great. =] I'll mention it to my mom and stuff. I'd love to see some neat art museums.

[Raid]

Hi there amateurmacfreak,

I recently was in Paris (just after the Tour de France) and I have to say wimic has all the right ideas. I would also add that the Museum of Man had some interesting exhibits and I think it was the "Musée des Arts Décoratifs" had a copy of Rodin's "The Thinker" in their garden... At least I think it was that Museum, I only saw the statue on one of those 'hop on/off' tourist buses as we drove by. :(

Paris is a fairly friendly city, but you might run into some egotist protective of "true parisian french"... I only had one bad experience using my horrible grade 9 Quebecois french on some geezer, other people were very polite when I was speaking french (some were even surprised!)...I guess the moral is that if you show an effort in trying to communicate with the natives, you will generally be rewarded! :)

Wimic also had it right with the pickpockets so keep your Euros out of sight. While I didn't have that experience personally we did run into a couple of tourist scams there. The first one was a friendly guy/girl comes up to you with bits of coloured string saying they 'want to show you something' and ask for your wrist. What they do is tie the string on in an impossible-to-remove knot and then demand that you pay an outrageous amount for it (I think the victim we saw was quoted €10, and the dad 'bargained' them down to €5). Another one we heard about in the hotel was a sketch artist approaches you and is very complimentary when he/she talks to you, then they ask if you could sit while they sketch you, the rub is that afterwards they try to sell you the picture for €20!

We ran into both of these scams, each time my wife had a briliant and effective way for a female to escape the situation... she simply smiled and said "I'm sorry, but I can't talk I really have to go pee!" :D Might not work for guys, but I'm sure you could make good use of it. :cool:

Finally to avoid attracting the scam artists in the first place all you have to do is not speak english, to the scammers it's a homing beacon that just screams 'tourist'.

Enjoy you're time there, while I've devoted a large segment of this post to the more negative side of Paris it's truly a wonderful place with rich culture and experiences... almost everywhere you go will amaze you!

[Graeme A]

Go to the Musée d'Orsay (18th-19th century art) and/or the Centre Pompidou (modern art). Both are amazing museums in their own right. Yes, I know it's easy to get overarted in Paris.


Oh yes, the Musee d'Orsay... I so enjoyed this place when I lived in Paris, they had a great Van Gogh exhibition on at the time, and it made me appreciate his work a lot more than just looking at photos in a book.

I loved the model of old paris that they have in the floor and the cross section model of the Opera, and its more accessible than the Louvre.

For tips, use the metro (work out your journey and lignes/directions beforehand), avoid the usual scams like the people telling their life stories (je suis sans resources, or chomeur) and then coming around with their hand out.

Have an air of indifference for everything around you, and you will be taken for a natural born Parisienne.

Practice a few select French phrases; "Est que tu pense que je suis une touriste Americanne" -- Very helpful when your taxi driver is trying to rip you off.. Ca fait chier -- I am not impressed by that.

Don't ask for Cafe (espresso) in Cafes, try Cafe Elongee... Its a regular black coffee which lasts longer if you are doing some people watching.

Avoid the back streets around Les Halles and behind les Grands Magasins... No place for a youngster.

[Felldownthewell]

Paris is my favorite city in the world. Of course it is often nicer if you speak french (which I do), but the french seem to like teenage girls so you won't have too hard a time ;) :D

Anyway, I've been to Paris 3 or 4 times and all over France and the rest of Europe (I am 16), and my most of my favorite things have already been mentioned- I have two to add.

First of all, never eat anywhere the near the attractions. My strategy is to walk for a few miles away from where ever i just was, get lost, find a place full of locals, eat, then try to find my way back. If i can't, get a cab and tell the driver where you want to go and he'll get you there, although he will probably hate you for being alive.

Second this is go to Sacre Coeur. I am jewish, so it wasn't a religious attraction, but Monmartre is one of my favorite places in all of Paris, even if it has become touristy. Amazing views and crazy priests who will beat you to death with a condle stick for wearing a hat or a short skirt inside. Recomended.

Also, while Parisians in general may hate you for not being one of them, I've found that many of them are very nice. The nicest people, it seems, are those who work in small resteraunts or behind the counters of little shops; the more money any given Parisian has (or is exposed too, in the case of waiters) the meaner they are. Of course that sounds like a sweeping generalization, which it is, but it is true in my experiance, if not the experiance of others.

I also took a trip to Paris in 8th grade (I was 14) in the spring- you don't go to the French American/Gilkey int'l school in Portland do you? (No I am not a creepy 50 year old man, I am just curious, especially as my sister goes there now.)

[amateurmacfreak]

I also took a trip to Paris in 8th grade (I was 14) in the spring- you don't go to the French American/Gilkey int'l school in Portland do you? (No I am not a creepy 50 year old man, I am just curious, especially as my sister goes there now.)
Haha, nope, I don't. =]

[amateurmacfreak]

And thanks for all the advice! The Sacre Coeur is another place I would like to visit; My French teacher has talked repeatedly about it also.

And I have some basic French, but not tons. I'm not even all the way through French I yet. :o

I plan to try to use French to blend in, but the Parisians will probably be craving for me to speak English so they don't have to listen to a teenage girl single-handedly butcher the French language. :o We will be, although, with people who speak French fluently, and I hope to really speak a little bit of French in the first real setting I have since Quebec, which at the time I knew almost no French.

[Graeme A]

one more thing that may or may not rock your bateau...

The area around Place d'Italie (5th and 13th arr.) has a bunch of roller bladers on Friday evenings after 8pm I think. Hordes of people on blades, skates, etc. just following a route... Its great to watch but, so painful if you are in a taxi at the time with the meter running...

[Stampyhead]

Traveling with a clump of adolescents in the spring will be, um, "fun" but I'm sure we will be viewed as obnoxious American youth who dress in blue jeans and have no apprieciation for culture.
Don't worry, French teenagers are the same, you won't stand out as much as you think.
These are all great suggestions. Man, I'm so jealous. I haven't been to Paris in years. If you have time take the Métro up north and visit the Basilique St. Denis. It's a beautiful old church where many of the past kings and queens of France are buried.
Also, don't forget to go shopping! And no, I'm not just saying that because you're a girl, there are lots of awesome stores and cool fashions you can't get in the US.

[amateurmacfreak]

If you have time take the Métro up north and visit the Basilique St. Denis. It's a beautiful old church where many of the past kings and queens of France are buried.
Also, don't forget to go shopping! And no, I'm not just saying that because you're a girl, there are lots of awesome stores and cool fashions you can't get in the US.
Ah, the Basilique St. Denis, yet another place my French teacher mentioned. :)
And yes, I will go shopping. I think I'll like the style. I'm not the typical mall-going Abercrombie-shopping teenage-girl, but I like style more than, erm, maybe they do since they're all wearing the same stuff. :eek: ;) :)

[gauchogolfer]

I was in Paris a week ago, for the first time as a tourist (I live in the south of France). I agree with all of the above comments (especially to take advantage of the métro, as your feet will be very tired after hiking all over and standing around in museums). If you go to the Centre Pompidou, make sure to go up to the very top floor (it's a café). The view of Paris from up there is great, as good as the Tour Eiffel, I would say, because while it may not be as high, it is perfectly located.

Wandering and (window)shopping on the Champs-Elysées and Rue Fauborg is also a must.

[Queso]

For clothes and shoe shopping, the Boulevard Haussmann area is pretty damn good, better than the Champs Elysée IMO. I'll also second others recommendation of Montmartre, especially for the art markets.

And if you do go to La Louvre (which you really should do) on top of the Venus don't forget all the Egyptian artifacts and Michelangelo's The Dying Slave.

And get a Metro map as they don't have the lines labelled as Northbound, Eastbound etc. at stations, so if you don't know the network it's easy to jump on the wrong train.

[Abstract]

And thanks for all the advice! The Sacre Coeur is another place I would like to visit; My French teacher has talked repeatedly about it also.

Sacre Coeur is so overrated. And be careful in that area. Lots of pickpockets. When you go down the hill into the area with the Moulin Rouge (forgot the name, although I've been to Paris like 3 times), be careful of pickpockets there as well. Not the best area. ;)

You can go to La Louvre, but go after 3pm and get a discount. You won't need hours and hours there. ;) Don't get me wrong. I like art. I just don't necessarily like looking at hundreds of paintings of Christ, some angels, Joseph and Mary, etc.

If you need to go to a major museum, the Musee D'orsay is much better. It also used to be a train station.

Beyond that, I'd go to Versailles and the gardens at the back. I'd also take the suggestion others have given about going on a night cruise down the River Seine. Paris will be fantastic for night photography. :)

[iAlan]

Paris DUI (http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/26/paris.hilton.dui.ap/index.html)

:D :p :eek:

[Glen Quagmire]

Go to every public square and yell "J'aime President Bush" at the top of your voice.

[Palad1]

You can also check the "Musée rodin" out, it's located near the "invalides".

Still, 6 days are not enough for all the suggestions given here. I'd suggest you pick a theme and try to follow it through various museums.

6 weeks are not even enough for the louvre museum!

The weather is not too bad currently, so you may also plan to spend some time in the gardens (tuilleries or luxembourg are very nice).

If you like sculpture, you may also visit the pere-lachaise and montmartre cimetaries.

Enjoy your stay!

A bientôt, peut-être!

[amateurmacfreak]

Go to every public square and yell "J'aime President Bush" at the top of your voice.
Oh yes, thank you for trying to get me killed. :)

[KingYaba]

It would be worth the drive to go visit Normandy.

[iGav]

Any tips for just cool neighborhoods

Easy... you need to head to the 18th, which is just north of the Gare du Nord, it's the edgier side of Paris, populated by lots of musicians, artists and designers which gives it that slightly boho vibe, it's also massively cinematic in it's appearance, the epitome of film noir, par excellence. That and it also has Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen... and of course Tati. :D

[gauchogolfer]

It would be worth the drive to go visit Normandy.

You do realize that it's about 300 kilometers to the Normandy beaches (which is what I image you're talking about), and that the OP is 13 years old?

[Lyle]

Have an air of indifference for everything around you, and you will be taken for a natural born Parisienne.If that doesn't seem to be working, take up smoking and go without deodorant.
If you need to go to a major museum, the Musee D'orsay is much better.Agreed. The restaurant in the Orsay is also quite good (well, it was about six years ago, anyways).

[aricher]

All good comments so far. I'd also recommend the Picasso museum - fantastic.

[4np]

If you like contemporary art you should definately visit 'Palais de Tokyo (http://www.palaisdetokyo.com/)'; it's pretty close to the Champs Elysees. You could walk from the Eifeltower to palais de tokyo (across the Seine) as well. It also has a nice restaurant / pub with it with fancy lighting and nice menu's so you can go there for dinner as well :) It's a museum that many tourists somehow forget to visit; they all go to Musee d'Orsay, Louvre, Eifeltower, Mont Martre, des Invalides, centre Pompidou, Les halles, etc instead :P
http://aperosdujeudi.podemus.net/Image/cover-dsc04675.jpg
The pub / restaurant in Palais de Tokyo


If you want to visit the grave of Jim Morrisson (and other famous French like Edith Piaf), visit Pere Lachaise (http://www.pere-lachaise.com/).
http://images.43things.com/place/00/01/c0/114888lr.jpg
Pere Lachaise

If you have some spare time; you could take the train and visit Versailles (http://www.chateauversailles.fr/); the huge palace of Louis the 14th with it's massive beautiful gardens... It's a little trainride outside of Paris. If you do, go see Soffia Coppola's movie 'Marie Antoinette' (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0422720/) (which was shot on location at Versailles) at home afterwards ;)
http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/~kahogan/Paris/versailles-hallofmirrors.jpg
Versailles' hall of mirrors

If you like flea markets you can visit Europe's largest flea market: Antiquaires du Marché aux Puces de Paris-Saint-Ouen (http://www.parispuces.com/en/Default.asp). It's a metro ride out of the center (in the Mont Martre direction) and is indeed huge.
http://labrie.free.fr/agenda0405/puces_saint_ouen/img/img4.jpg

[calculus]

If you want to visit the grave of Jim Morrisson (and other famous French like Edith Piaf), visit Pere Lachaise (http://www.pere-lachaise.com/) ;)
The cemetary is a great place to visit - Oscar Wilde is also buried there and has a great tomb.

For getting around the centre of Paris the Bateaux Bus is a great alternative to the metro. You can get an all day ticket and it stops at many of the places you will want to see. Much better to see Paris from the river than underground!

[Mr Skills]

Whatever you do, get a travelcard so you can ride around on the Metro all day. The coolest and best-value way to get around. As well as the usual places, pick somewhere with an odd name on the Metro map - Paris is so characterful that even random places are bound to be interesting :)

Make sure you sit outside a nice cafe and watch the world go by for a while. And I DO NOT mean a starbucks :mad: For a light lunch, stop off in a cafe and have a croque monsieur (unless you are veggie) or a warm baguette... anything bread related will be amazing (unless you are in a crappy tourist cafe)

As with just about any tourist area in the world, the best places to eat and drink are never where the tourists are - with a guaranteed clientele they never have to make an effort. Go to one of the random metro stops I mentioned and choose a smoke-filled place full of locals :)

.


.

[amateurmacfreak]

Thanks a lot for all the advice guys. I love MR! :)

So, leaving tomorrow, I'll keep all these suggestions in mind definitely. :)

[Abstract]

Make sure you sit outside a nice cafe and watch the world go by for a while.

This is the advice always given to people going to Paris, and I really don't understand it. If you're in ANY big city, this is a worthwhile thing to do. Do it in Paris, but do it at home too. You'll really love it.

[Mr Skills]

This is the advice always given to people going to Paris, and I really don't understand it. If you're in ANY big city, this is a worthwhile thing to do. Do it in Paris, but do it at home too. You'll really love it.

True, but there is an entirely different atmosphere about French cafes. It is perfectly acceptable to nurse one drink for a whole afternoon as you read a book or watch the world go by. It's hard to explain, it's just... natural. Yes, it's nice anywhere... but it's special in France :)

[Abstract]

People only think that because Paris has an image of being "sophisticated", so all these tourists go there, go to the "Frenchest" cafe they can find, and just sit and pretend to be "that person" for an hour, quietly.

You can sit and watch the world go by near the beach I live close to. Different environment to Paris --- no fancy buildings, and definitely not sophisticated --- but I've been to Paris 3 times (once with friends), and I went to 2 cafes and sat there with them, chatting a bit, drinking wine while being silent, had bread with something on top that didn't taste good, and i'm sure it made them feel really good somehow. It just made me feel like a tw*t. :D

When I go to the beach and sit and have a drink, or lie down in the sun, watching people surf, swim, or run around, or even taking photos near one of the beaches or near the lighthouse, I don't feel like such a phoney. I'm there because I want to be --- because going there and doing these things is just a part of my routine. If I go to France and I schedule in "3:00 pm: Sit down and watch the world go by", I just feel like a total poseur. Do that sort of thing when/if you want to. If you're only doing it while in Paris because you're in Paris, it probably bothers the people who are there because they have to put up with 1 or 2 Americans who just sit there and pretend to be doing what they're doing. :p

I don't want to be a Holden Caulfield, but sometimes, that's how I see the world and some of what we "have" to do just because we're in a place like Paris.

[Phat Elvis]

The area around Place d'Italie (5th and 13th arr.) has a bunch of roller bladers on Friday evenings after 8pm I think. Hordes of people on blades, skates, etc. just following a route... Its great to watch but, so painful if you are in a taxi at the time with the meter running...

We ran into this a few years ago. I don't know where it starts now but back then it started at Les Invalides and I don't know where it went from there. We walked a bit from the start line and saw thousands of people on rollerblades going by - easily one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

And I'll put in another vote for Musée d'Orsay.

[jakochampolska]

FORGET ABOUT THE LOUVRE. (and this is coming from an art student whos been to Paris a million of times) ITS A WASTE OF TIME. Ha. Seriously if you want to exprince something awesome go to the pomideu.
also, I dont know the name of the area but I know its near novotel (a hotel) which is next to the pomideu, there is this square where all these goth kids round up and hang out. I always go to that square whenever i'm in paris, even though I dont fit in AT ALL. lol but its cool to watch them.
also, there is this place next to the court house,a 'big' alley way where they're are cool cafes and its just really peaceful :)

IF you're into fashion then there is a Dolce and Gabanna store kinda sorta next to the lourve. just head towards the champ-elyees, and it should be on your right. Also, I think its St. Honere street where there is this high fashion department store called "Collete".

OK OK I know my direction of places is POOR but maybe you'll find the names of places helpful :)

God your so lucky your going to PARIS. I've been going there every year since the 3rd grade (also part of my dad's job). I love this city. LOVE IT. I just feel this awesome feeling when I'm there.
have fun :)

[amateurmacfreak]

Just had a great first night in Paris!

The Musee D'Orsay sounds like a must, and I'll try to check out one or two modern art museums.

Tired, Jet-lagged, and Happy,
Emma

[Kingsly]

Going to Paris: What must I do?
IMHO (and the 'O' is the key word!) the best thing to do in Paris is leave. :(

[MarkCollette]

Wherever you go, go early, because everything closes early by North American standards.

And how come no one's mentionned Moulin Rouge? :p

[4np]

so... how was paris? ;)