So, last Friday I managed to get a round-trip ticket to Paris from Atlanta for less than $300. So, in January I’ll be headed there for about 9 days.
I may take 2-3 days and go to London - I’ve got some friend who live not far outside the city and it would be good to see them for the first time since they visited here. That’s not a long train trip and I’ll book that as soon as I can confirm with my friends.
The trip’s about 7 months out - which is good, it gives me time to plan and save money. The trip is also long enough that I should be able to look beyond the usual tourist destinations. I’m still a tourist and I’m happy to go to (some) of those places, though not all of them.
But there’s still plenty of time in Paris, and I’m open to suggestions/tips/etc as I start planning.
(note that key in my planning is getting some basic French phrases down. I work for a university so can take an Intro French class free in the fall semester - plus I’m working on the Duolingo app as well).
Make your friends come visit you in Paris. Nine days is not so long in Paris that I’d be wantin’ to cut it down for a London trip. Nine days in Paris will pass in the twinkling of an eye.
In a city like that, I would find out what exhibitions are happening at the museums, but I assume you know that.
As for less touristy destinations… if you can find out what happened to “Le Vieux Paris” in the rue de la Verrerie, let me know. That place is (was?) awesome. You had better enjoy singing bal-musette type songs with accordion accompaniment, though.
In terms of exhibitions, the one that will still be running in January is the Louvre’s Leonardo da Vinci blockbuster. While the Italian’s would beg to differ, this is the year’s most anticipated exhibition. It’ll sell out very, very quickly once tickets go on sale, so a high degree of advance planning will be required.
What do you like to do? Are you into museums, and if so what kinds? There are lots of choices in Paris; I particularly like the Musee D’Orsay. Some folks like this “Louvre” place. Notre Dame is unfortunately not an option but there are other amazing churches and religious sites in the city. The Catacombs are very interesting if you’re into that sort of thing. A dinner cruise on the Seine is fun, IMO.
There are lots of great excursions out of town. Besides Versailles, a trip to some chateau in the Loire Valley, the D-Day beaches (could be an overnight trip), Giverney for Impressionism, and the nearby cities of Riems or Rouen.
For a church in Paris, I’d suggest Sacre Coeur in the Monmartre district. Perched on a hill with a nice view, plus the district is interesting. And yeah, Reims has a great cathedral.
When I go there, I like to walk from the subway station that’s behind it, on Montmartre itself, rather than from the front. You walk uphill a bit through narrow, windy streets, and then walk along the side of what turns out to be the SC itself, into a stunning view. And then you get to walk down those long stairs, which is always better than walking up them
I still haven’t bothered enter the SC itself (definitely not my style), but - the view!
Thank you all for suggestions so far. Generally, I’m open to anything except clubbing - that’s not my cup of tea anywhere I am - so I’m mostly treating this as the adventure that it is. I’m going to plan some specific things, and leave myself open to some serendipity as well.
bonzer thank you specifically for the tip on that exhibition. I’ll definitely try to get tickets when they go on sale!
Pick a hotel that’s within a couple of blocks of a Metro station that’s a direct line to CDG Airport. Even with your luggage, you won’t need to take a taxi.
Don’t spend an entire day in the Louvre. Pick one section that you’re really interested in, and forget the rest. Instead, go to the Musée d’Orsay. It includes impressionism through art nouveau, and is in an absolutely stunning converted train station. It’s my favorite museum in the whole world.
Walk the straight line from the Louvre, through the Tuilerie gardens, and up the Champs d’Élysées, to the Arc de Triomphe. I take this walk every time I’m in Paris.
You can still see at least the façade of Notre Dame and the gargoyles.
Definitely go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It’s touristy as hell, but worth it.
And take advantage of all the wonderful street food, especially crepes and croques monsieurs.
Wear well-broken-in comfortable shoes. Pack lots of Moleskin and Molefoam.
There is plenty to do in Paris but I’d recommend taking some time out to do the London trip. 9 days in Paris seems like a lot to me. I mean, I like Paris but I think 9 days is a lot in any single city. without a change of scenery.
The Eurostar gets you to London quickly (just over 2 hours) and isn’t ridiculously expensive if you book early. An equivalent trip in November is about 90 euro return for a day trip and that would give you at least 12 hours in London. You also get the novelty of going through the undersea tunnel.
Rather than London (which is fine, but deserves its own trip) I think there are plenty of excursions in France that would enhance the Paris experience. The D-Day beaches, the Loire Valley, and Le Mont-Saint-Michel get you out of Paris and into parts of France that are different and interesting.
Don’t plan to spend lots of time at the Louvre. Pick a some specific exhibits to see (Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, etc.) But plan to spend more time at the Musee d’ Orsay. I’d also recommend a bike tour. These guys are awesome: Fat Tire Bike Tours.
Posting prompted me to poke around to see what the latest news on the ticketing was.
Seems they’re solving the problem of how to include the Mona Lisa, while still accommodating those who just want a selfie in front it, by not separating the temporary exhibition from the rest of the collection. In other words, rather than charge extra to those visitors who want to see the special exhibition, as is normal, anyone who gets into the building will be able to then just go round it.
However, as a crowd control measure, they’re requiring that everyone visiting the museum for the duration will have to advance book a ticket with a specified entry time, with quotas on the numbers. This is in contrast to the normal situation whereby most visitors queue, sometimes in immensely lengthy queues, to get in on the day. Numbers aside, their argument is that this will eliminate most of that queuing.
Tickets go on sale online on the 18th of this month. It’s unclear to me whether that’ll be all slots through to February, or whether they’ll release them in batches of dates.
Is this a good idea? The obvious danger is that a nuanced and scholarly exhibition gets overrun by those who wouldn’t otherwise bother with it (though that’s not necessarily all bad). Optimistically, my past experience in the Louvre is that most of the scrum around the Mona Lisa show no interest in any of the other Leonardo paintings just around the corner. They also apparently used the same system with their Vermeer exhibition, so it’s not an entirely untried experiment.
I’d also be surprised if this means that it entirely sells out, as the likes of Leonardo at the Court of Milan very much did in London in 2011-2. Even if the Louvre’s usual footfall is predominately tourists, some days will normally be quieter or busier than others. But I’d still suggest booking as soon as the day/slot that suits you becomes available.
Damn, and here my wife was bragging on finding a round trip American/British Airways flight to Paris in March for $600 each! We grabbed that sucker. Maybe the same as yours - Atlanta to Paris with a layover in London.
This’ll be Mrs. SMV’s second trip to Paris, and my first. Might skip the Louvre, but the Musee d’Orsay is definitely on the agenda.
A friend said the tour of the sewers was the best 15€ she ever spent.
Notre Dame is unfortunately not an option but there are other amazing churches and religious sites in the city. The Catacombs are very interesting if you’re into that sort of thing. A dinner cruise on the Seine is fun, IMO.