Good stuff in Paris?
- Thread starter Cloo
- Start date
When are you going?
They're making floating gardens on the river
Not sure they will be ready for a couple of months though.
They're making floating gardens on the river
Not sure they will be ready for a couple of months though.gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
ooh *subscribes* - going with some girlfriends in February. Mostly to eat to be fair. But good thread Cloo!
Cloo
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Last weekend of this month - so not expecting much to be doing city events-wise.
Thus far, I think we will be strolling round the Marais (Jewish quarter), which my parents recommended. I'd like to go up to Montmatre again. And, though it's old hat, maybe see some of the Louvre, as the one time I went to Paris (26 years ago!) we didn't go there.
Thus far, I think we will be strolling round the Marais (Jewish quarter), which my parents recommended. I'd like to go up to Montmatre again. And, though it's old hat, maybe see some of the Louvre, as the one time I went to Paris (26 years ago!) we didn't go there.
If you go to the Louvre, don't forget the modern art bit (under the glass pyramid) which got added on. Also, remember that Momartre isn't just the bit above ground; I seem to remember that the metro tunnels there had some pretty interesting buskers.
yeah the catacombs full stop. try and get on a tour with the illegal catacombers if you can track some down (warning, will be very wet and muddy but proper good), if not then the legal tours are also worth it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris
The Shakespeare bookshop on the opposite side of the river to Notre Dame is worth a look. Also just bumbling about Paris drinking coffee, wine and eating cheese in various establishments is a nice way to spend time.
this appears to be the place where all the good little gigs go on if that appeals to you http://www.timeout.fr/paris/en/bars-pubs/la-mecanique-ondulatoire
i also had a good meal here that wasn't too expensive. it was a very lively, rough and ready sort of place.
http://www.qype.fr/place/1571845-La-cantine-de-belleville-Paris
and the area is worth a wander round http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belleville,_Paris
http://www.qype.fr/place/1571845-La-cantine-de-belleville-Paris
and the area is worth a wander round http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belleville,_Paris
Go to La Mosquee, the Paris mosque that serves great North African food. It also has a lovely tea garden where you can sip mint tea and enjoy a sheesha. If you do go, make sure it is not on a Friday.
http://www.paristopten.com/en/topte...n-terraces/cafe-maure-de-la-mosquee-de-paris/
http://www.paristopten.com/en/topte...n-terraces/cafe-maure-de-la-mosquee-de-paris/
Cloo
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Sounds nice - we definitely like North African food. Usually good for my veggie other half, too.
gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
ah! veggie other half you say. We're going on a veggie jolly... we're all veggie. We have a few places lined up but always open for more suggestions if you have any. Between us we know Paris quite well but threads like these do throw up good suggestions.. that Paris Mosque suggestion is a goodun!
Cloo
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Getting quite excited now... it's looking like there'll be quite a lot of wandering around interesting districts. We had a lovely time in Bruges a few years ago when we didn't really 'visit' anything as such, we just walked about and enjoyed the place. Thankfully my dad gave me quite a lot of Euros he had left over from a trip, so we shouldn't have to spend too much of our own money while we're there.
Johnny Canuck3
Well-Known Member
19sixtysix
Life as viewed from a Gay Gorbals Garret
Take the bus not the Metro. It's good to just watch paris pass by on the way to different places. If they still have then standing on the buses with the balcony at the back is good.
A quick seach of internet found this "Bus #29 has an open platform at the back, which makes it fun for sightseeing – it runs from Gare St Lazare past the Opéra Garnier, the Pompidou Centre, through the Marais and past the Bastille to the Gare de Lyon"
A quick seach of internet found this "Bus #29 has an open platform at the back, which makes it fun for sightseeing – it runs from Gare St Lazare past the Opéra Garnier, the Pompidou Centre, through the Marais and past the Bastille to the Gare de Lyon"
19sixtysix
Life as viewed from a Gay Gorbals Garret
The market at clignancourt is good.
19sixtysix
Life as viewed from a Gay Gorbals Garret
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spitfire
Walty McWaltface
I don't want to put a downer on the bus suggestion because it looks very cool but I've just spent 6 months living and working in the areas that bus runs through and I never saw one in that style. They may have finished the service. Definitely worth checking before planning.
On a more positive note, go to Harrys Bar on Rue D'Anou just down from Opera Garnier for a drink, amazing interior, been there for ever. Hemingway drank there.
I had planned to go on the guided tour of the Opera Garnier and when i saw the scale model in the Musee D'Orsay I realised the mistake I'd made, it looks well worth the visit.
There is a tiny museum opposite the Musee D'Orsay all about the Legion D'Honneur, which is presented to people from all walks of life, not just military. Free to get in and ignored by the vast majority.
If you are staying near the Gare du Nord then there is a covered market near Gare de l'Est Marché couvert Saint-Quentin that has some lovely food stalls.
Whilst on the subject of food there is a cluster of shops at the bottom of Rue des Martyrs at the junction of Rue Lamartine. Cheese, fruit and veg, rotisserie, more cheese and many other things. Depending on where you are in relation to the Gare du Nord then it may be within striking difference. If you could say I may have some more specific suggestions.
Also on Rue Lamartine at No. 7 is an amazing Turkish/Greek/Persian/Moroccan style deli/market thingy. You won't get dinner there but you will pick up some nice pastries, sweet and savoury. Baskets full of nuts and spices and all sorts.
Finally at the top of the Musee De L'Armee in the attic are a load of huge relief maps that Napoleon had made for his various campaigns, really detailed, very large. Some of them are bigger than flats I've lived in.
These are my recommendations, there may be better but this is from my personal experience and I like them.
Finally, the best bread I have ever eaten is from a bakery at the top of Rue d'Athenes near the junction of Rue d'Amsterdam. they sell a thing called "Crockys" and if you like your bread crusty, light and just on the right side of burnt you will die happy.
Extra finally, don't go to the aquarium, it's shit.
On a more positive note, go to Harrys Bar on Rue D'Anou just down from Opera Garnier for a drink, amazing interior, been there for ever. Hemingway drank there.
I had planned to go on the guided tour of the Opera Garnier and when i saw the scale model in the Musee D'Orsay I realised the mistake I'd made, it looks well worth the visit.
There is a tiny museum opposite the Musee D'Orsay all about the Legion D'Honneur, which is presented to people from all walks of life, not just military. Free to get in and ignored by the vast majority.
If you are staying near the Gare du Nord then there is a covered market near Gare de l'Est Marché couvert Saint-Quentin that has some lovely food stalls.
Whilst on the subject of food there is a cluster of shops at the bottom of Rue des Martyrs at the junction of Rue Lamartine. Cheese, fruit and veg, rotisserie, more cheese and many other things. Depending on where you are in relation to the Gare du Nord then it may be within striking difference. If you could say I may have some more specific suggestions.
Also on Rue Lamartine at No. 7 is an amazing Turkish/Greek/Persian/Moroccan style deli/market thingy. You won't get dinner there but you will pick up some nice pastries, sweet and savoury. Baskets full of nuts and spices and all sorts.
Finally at the top of the Musee De L'Armee in the attic are a load of huge relief maps that Napoleon had made for his various campaigns, really detailed, very large. Some of them are bigger than flats I've lived in.
These are my recommendations, there may be better but this is from my personal experience and I like them.
Finally, the best bread I have ever eaten is from a bakery at the top of Rue d'Athenes near the junction of Rue d'Amsterdam. they sell a thing called "Crockys" and if you like your bread crusty, light and just on the right side of burnt you will die happy.
Extra finally, don't go to the aquarium, it's shit.
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
The velibs are worth using as well, (maybe not at this time of the year, lol), as is the metro. Check the map first though, sometimes, as in London the walk is better.
Get the carnet of 10 tickets, you'll probably use them between you. Although Paris is a great city to walk in sometimes it just makes more sense.
And I visited this, http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attrac...Deportation_Memorial-Paris_Ile_de_France.html
it's tucked away round the back of Notre Dame, near the padlock bridges, You'll be in and out in 10 minutes but it's worth a visit if you're in the area.
Get the carnet of 10 tickets, you'll probably use them between you. Although Paris is a great city to walk in sometimes it just makes more sense.
And I visited this, http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attrac...Deportation_Memorial-Paris_Ile_de_France.html
it's tucked away round the back of Notre Dame, near the padlock bridges, You'll be in and out in 10 minutes but it's worth a visit if you're in the area.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
Bumping this as I'll have a few days in Paris in a couple of weeks.
I've been to Paris a few times before so have seen the obvious stuff but the last time I was there was about 10 years ago.
Not interested in looking at crap street artists in Montmartre or going on a Seine cruise.
Any suggestions for interesting stuff outside the Peripherique? Even just areas to walk through to understand what Paris is about, outside the central area?
Any long-ish walking routes that are good?
Where to go at night...what does Paris do well, night-life wise? Anything?
I've been to Paris a few times before so have seen the obvious stuff but the last time I was there was about 10 years ago.
Not interested in looking at crap street artists in Montmartre or going on a Seine cruise.
Any suggestions for interesting stuff outside the Peripherique? Even just areas to walk through to understand what Paris is about, outside the central area?
Any long-ish walking routes that are good?
Where to go at night...what does Paris do well, night-life wise? Anything?
teuchter take an RER (suburban route train) out to somewhere in zone 3 or 4, maybe further, and just walk around in broad daylight. Not all the bits outside of the peripherique are the dreaded banlieues, a lot of it's ordinary commuter towns. You'll still find cafes, charcutiers and all bakers doing all the pastries, but not at the prices charged in tourist hot spots.
The musee de la resistance nationale in this link ticks two boxes; it's out at Champigny-sur-Marne, a relatively safe suburban town, and you probably haven't been there. It's not huge, and even the journey there shows you a more ordinary side of Paris.
http://www.musee-resistance.com/spip.php?article247
The musee de la resistance nationale in this link ticks two boxes; it's out at Champigny-sur-Marne, a relatively safe suburban town, and you probably haven't been there. It's not huge, and even the journey there shows you a more ordinary side of Paris.
http://www.musee-resistance.com/spip.php?article247
prunus
Tick tock.
Rodin museum. Breathtakingly, ethereally beautiful sculpture. Hands emerging from the stone - I found it hard to believe that it was carved by human hands and not placed there by some supernatural being. The larger pieces are all outside in the large and lovely gardens, too, so it's especially nice on a nice day. Take a picnic. I always visit if I can when I'm in Paris - it's like a spiritual renewal. Haven't been for years though 
Cloo
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Funny to see this thread again! We had a lovely meal at Le Verre Volé in Marais: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/paris/restaurants/bistros-brasseries/le-verre-vole Very atmospheric and also friendly.
