What did you see in City of Paris, France ?

I am getting odd answers on facebook!


And you think you'll get 'even' (rather than odd) answers here???? LOL!!! :p














(The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee, walked along the Seine, Notre Dame, Sacre Couer, Montmartre, food, food, food, Arc de Triumphe.....which we covered in 18 hours. We did plan on 3 - 4 days in Paris but we scored an invite to go stay with someone living an hour north of Paris for 3 nights. We thought it was an offer too good to refuse so we traded in our time at Paris to go stay with a French national. And the French hospitality we experienced was AMAZING!)
 
Is Paris Disneyland? Or in Paris? Or in the France section of Epcot?

Or are you asking about the appeal of Paris Hilton as a pop culture celebrity?

I'm not sure your query is particularly clear.
 


Paris Disneyland (of course), Paris Catacombs (confronting, but interesting), Moulin Rouge (not particular impressed), Eiffel Tower (elevator, not stairs), Louvre (a few hours goes quickly and the crowd around the Mona Lisa is crazy), Notre Dame (main floor and the tower climb which required a long wait in the rain), Arc De Triomphe (just a big roundabout), Palace of Versailles (palace is okay, but the reproduction "village" is straight out of a Disney film and completely adorable), general meandering along the Seine and Champs Elysee and some general wandering to "get lost" which is always fun in a new city.
 
Best bit getting lost and just roaming the streets with the amazing architecture, patisseries and cafes, bookstores and art galleries, basically making your own discoveries. Several visits as had a girlfriend who used to live there so highlights include Notre Dame, strolling along the Seine on both banks, views at sunset or at night from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, 360 views of Paris including the Eiffel Tower from the near deserted observation deck of Tour Montparness (going up is a must if you have never been but getting it in your pics is great too - a bit like Empire State Bdg vs Top of the Rock in NY), La Promenade Plantee (the inspiration for NY High Line), the Louvre - dipped into for a couple of hours at a time as too big it'so overwhelming and crowds awful, Sacre Coeur, Montmartre - side streets stretching down the hill, Isle de la Cite and Isle Saint Louis. Not yet seen but on the next list the Musee d'Orsay and Jardin des Plantes.
 


We had 1 night in Paris on our arrival, and then came back for 2 more nights on our way through to Disneyland. Here's what we did:
  • Notre Dame Cathedral - beautiful and highly recommend (we went mid-morning - the line for the tower was too long and we were planning to come back for that at another time but never got around to it)
  • Champs d'Elysse - I honestly thought it was a pretty standard high-end shopping strip, really didn't do anything for me (I did enjoy the walk there though through the gardens around the Louvre)
  • Walked along the Seine - worth doing, but you'll probably find you do it anyway in the course of your other explorations
  • Carriage ride departing from the Eiffel Tower - this was a birthday present for my mum, and was a lovely thing to do, but probably doesn't make the list of top attractions for most people lol!
  • Bike riding tour through Fat Tire Tours - this was a birthday present for my dad, and was an interesting way to see some of the sights from afar
  • Went to see the Eiffel Tower lights twinkling at night - worth doing for 'pretty' factor
  • We had a 'behind the scenes' tour booked for the Eiffel Tower, but unfortunately we got snowed out. We did enjoy wandering around the area in the fresh snow though - very pretty
  • Because we didn't end up doing the Eiffel Tower, we decided to get our views from the Arc de Triomphe instead - we all agreed that this was probably better really because our views had the Eiffel Tower in them! Very enjoyable activity
Feel free to check out my TR for further information about any of the activities we did.
 
when I wen to visit Notre Dame after we left a few blocks from the cathedral we saw a Hunchback!!! I couldn't belive my eyes it was awkward and at the same time a very "complete" visit
 
I've been to Paris many times and I speak French. Having said that, I think Paris is frought with problems for many visitors. Especially the idea of waiting on long lines, trudging from one monument to the next, or to see something that you are 'supposed' to see that maybe you are not really interested in.

Of course, any Disney vet should be familiar with long lines, but maybe save those for DP itself.

If you really need to visit something, then figure out how to not wait in line, just like you would at Disney. Or if something is not a priority, you should then skip it.

My favorite thing to do in Paris is to take the stairs to the rooftop of the Basilque du Sacre Coeur in Montmartre. There is a small admission fee, and it is a lot of stairs. Here you will have the best view of Paris, plus you get to see up close the amazing architecture of the Basilica. You will have the Eiffel Tower in the view. In going up the Eiffel Tower, you don't have the Tower itself in the view. Personally, I am completely underwhelemd by going up the Eiffel Tower. But if you feel like you must, then reserve your lift tickets way in advance. Montmarte is a sublime, atmospheric neighborhood in Paris, actually on a mountain. There will be more tourists per inch here than anywhere, but the architecture is so gorgeous. Do not eat in any of the cafes, though.. The food can be horrible and a really bad ripoff.

My next favorite thing to do is on the weekend, which is to visit Les Pouce de St Ouen, a historic and dazzling antiques flea market. It is actually a dozen markets put together. The oldest market, Marche Vernaison, was featured in the movie Midninght in Paris. It is very old.

Go see the Dome inside the Galleries Lafayette, a department store. It is spectacular.

Walking around the historic tiny streets of the Marais neighborhood, the beginnings of Paris, is also very special. Some of the shops, like Mariage Freres (a tea shop) on rue Bourg-Tibourg are so old that it is like entering a time machine. Walk through the beautiful Place Des Vosges. Get a good walking tour map of the Marais.

Strolling the Champs Elysees is a waste of time, just like being in any big city.

Get out of the lines and stop and smell the flowers.
 

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