# What to do in Paris? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 26, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976 "2003-09-26T14:51:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/1 "2003-09-26T14:51:12Z")
The office called me last Thursday, telling me to go to Paris for a school. Five days lqter, one week has just turned into two, so I’m here over “le weekend”. Whqt eciting things can I get up to here? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/2 "2003-09-26T17:14:08Z")
If you’re just sightseeing, go to Sacre Cour and The Louvre for starters. Take a walk down the Champs Elysee from Place de Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe and check out the architecture along the way. From there take the subway over the the Eiffel. From there to Notre Dame and Hotel de Ville. Get a copy of Fodor’s or Lonely Planet or some such, and a Michelin restaurant guide. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/3 "2003-09-27T03:52:33Z")
You might find some useful information in this thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=191398](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=191398) Paris is an amazingly beautiful city–some of my favorite memories are from just walking along the streets and through the squares and gardens (Luxembourg Gardens are very beautiful; the walk from the Louvre up through the Tuileries Gardens is also very nice). And, of course, strolls along the River Seine–particularly along the quays. Innumerable museums–the Louvre, of course, is the biggie. If you like 19th-century and Impressionist paintings, then you should see the Musee d’Orsay; if you like medieval art, then you should visit the Musee Cluny. And so forth. And be sure to eat a lot of crepes, which are sold just about everywhere. Especially crepes with Nutella. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/4 "2003-09-27T04:14:45Z")
See what’s up at the Jeu de Paume or Pompidou museums. See what’s up in the bars on Rue Oberkampf. See what’s up on Sunday morning in the Marais district. Find a little bar called “Le Caveau” on a side street near Palais Royal and have a very nice pint and a game of darts. For ultimate culture confusion, stop in the “Higuma” Japanese noodle house on Rue Saint Anne and have a big plate of yakisoba, with gyoza on the side. Sit at the bar and watch the flames from the woks sear the cooks’ eybrows off. Have a wander along the canal between Bastille and La Villette, but give the science museum there a miss; it’ll bore you to tears. Catch a flick at one of the cinemas that shows old American and British classics with subtitles (see the Pariscope weekly for listings). Good luck. Whatever you do, it’ll be more fun than trudging out to Le Blanc Mesnil like you’ve been doing :D. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/5 "2003-09-27T09:27:36Z")
[Parc Astérix](http://www.parcasterix.com/som.htm) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/6 "2003-09-27T10:50:58Z")
My fav was visiting Jim Morrison’s grave in Monmatre (sp?) ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/7 "2003-09-27T14:01:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by China Guy \* > \*\*My fav was visiting Jim Morrison’s grave in Monmatre (sp?) \*\* Jim Morrison’s Grave is actually in the Pére Lachaise cemetary located in the 20th. district . Montmartre is located in the 18th. district. There is a cemetry in Montmartre which does contain famous people , including Nijinsky and Francois Truffaut. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/8 "2003-09-27T17:58:03Z")
Hey, almost forgot the huge flea market out at…Ponte…hmmm… Clignacourt? Can’t remember, but it’s at the end of one of the subway lines. Great place to browse on a weekend, but watch the grifters and pickpockets. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/9 "2003-09-27T20:12:08Z")
The flea market is called Les Puces. My grandparents used to do a lot of buying there for their antique business. Best peoplewatching anywhere! (I can’t remember the Metro stop, though.) Come to think of it, peoplewatching pretty much anywhere in Paris is wonderful. But don’t forget the Cathedrale de Notre Dame…if you’re lucky like I was, you’ll get there when they are ringing the bells and/or when the choir is rehearsing for Mass. Bets cheapo lunch in Paris: a nice, crusty baguette, some goat cheese, and some apple juice (or wine) on a park bench. If you go to Versailles, tell me how it is; I’ve never quite made it there. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/10 "2003-09-27T22:22:12Z")
Paris is the only city in which I \*\*never \*\*run out of things to do or see or experience. The only hard part is leaving. But don’t ask me about their strikes (Grrrrrrrr). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/11 "2003-09-28T00:00:17Z")
What to do in Paris over a weekend? Why, fall in love, of course! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/12 "2003-09-28T00:08:05Z")
What to do in Paris over a weekend? Why, fall in love, of course! ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_B.Phart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Capt\_B.Phart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_B.Phart)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/13 "2003-09-28T15:53:33Z")
Yay! Fall in love twice! If you’re doing Notre Dame, visit the nearby memorial to the deportees - those taken from France under the Nazi occupation to concentration camps. OK not a very cheerful idea, but it is an extraordinary and moving place. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/14 "2003-09-28T18:54:10Z")
> [@](#): > > France is the only country on earth that grows more food than it consumes. I doubt this very much. I believe we could feed the world’s population, now, by distributing what we can grow. This would be very unlikely if what you said was true. Cite? I was in Paris in July. See the Musee d’Orsay, Le Louvre and a smaller museum (such as the Picasso, Rodin, etc.) and something different like Les Catacombes. Don’t miss a day trip to either Fontainebleu or Versailles. Don’t go to Versailles on a Tuesday. Don’t forget the flea markets are only on the weekend! And get the Lonely Planet guide. Good food is all around you! I think the guide did imply Pere Lachaise was in Montmartre, but it’s a helluva long walk and I can’t recommend it! Take the metro to Pere Lachaise, or better still, visit worthier graves. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/15 "2003-09-28T19:06:21Z")
Just made a quick measurement on my Paris map and I reckon that the straight line distance between Montmartre and Pére Lachaise is 5 kM .So it is a hell of a walk. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/16 "2003-09-28T19:10:47Z")
I spent a long weekend there in January. Best bit of all was spending the Sunday in the Pompidou - some nice modern art (some really interesting stuff) and a brilliant cocktail bar on the roof. Sipping cocktails and beers as the sun sank over Paris, then heading back to the Eurostar - genius. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/17 "2003-09-28T20:15:32Z")
I’d second the Pompidou. Museum prices are reasonable, but FREE the first Sunday of each month, if you luck out. And I did walk to Pere Lachaise, which was good exercise and not worth doing. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/18 "2003-09-28T20:20:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dr\_Paprika \* > I doubt this very much. I believe we could feed the world’s population, now, by distributing what we can grow. This would be very unlikely if what you said was true. Cite? … The statistics have changed since I first saw them published, but this [site](http://www.jinjapan.org/trends00/honbun/tj000604.html) bears out the majority of my claim. Evidently, America has reversed its dependency on imported food since I last saw these figures. As you can see, France is still the leader and along with America, remains one of the only two countries on earth that maintain self-sufficient food production. Also, at 139%, America could hardly feed the remaining world. So, perhaps I should be asking you for a cite instead, eh? > [@](#): > > “Although there are several ways of measuring the food self-sufficiency rate, it is usually calculated on a calorific supply base. Different foods, such as grain, vegetables, and meat, are converted into the common measure of energy, or calories, and the ratio that can be supplied domestically is calculated. Among the developed nations, Japan has the lowest level of 41%, compared with, for example, **139% for France at the top** , 132% for the United States, 97% for Germany, 77% for Britain, and 59% for Switzerland (1997 estimates by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries based on materials of the Food and Agriculture Organization).” [sup]BOLDING ADDED[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/19 "2003-09-28T20:29:23Z")
Don’t miss the Sainte Chapelle- it’s like a little jewel. It’s on the Ile de la Cité, pretty near Notre Dame. Musée D’Orsay and the Louvre are also musts. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976/20 "2003-09-28T20:33:19Z")
Actually, the article only lists five countries and two of them are net food exporters. The other 180 or so countries aren’t mentioned. Canada certainly grows more food than it consumes. I’m not sure how you conclude that France and the US are “the only two countries on earth” that are self-sufficient. I have to go to work, but I’ll look for a cite later, hmkay? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-paris/203976.md?page=2)