dear internet,
I'm being sent to Paris for work (rough job, I know, I know) in early or mid-September and I've never been there before.
What do you recommend I see or do?
I will have maybe two days at most of my own time and the rest will be fully taken up with work activities . . .
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The Louvre.
Spend a couple of hours wandering around Montmartre... buy some fresh strawberries from the market there... pick up a baguette and a half bottle of red wine, and maybe some bizarre cheese you've never heard of, and go have a picnic lunch in the Jardins de Luxembourg.
Go to the Rodin museum, and if you have time, the Musee d'Orsay (skip the Louvre - there's just too much to see in a short visit, unless there is something specific you simply MUST see.)
Go up the Eiffel Tower. It's touristy and contrived but hey, you've gotta do it...
If you're like me and you have a morbid idea of fun, you might like Pere Lachaise cemetery. You can leave a lipstick kiss on Oscar Wilde's grave, and say hi to Jim Morrison while you're there.
Sit at a pavement cafe and drink espresso and people-watch.
Hi Iseult - I am a regular Paris-visitor, but I am blessed with friends there so usually end up doing non-touristy things. But I love being off the beaten track anyway.
Remember question 2049? Well this is the same conundrum for me!
I would recommend:
Go to the "Institut du Monde Arabe" on the Southern bank of the Seine, quite close to Notre Dame. It is a fascinating building, you can get in, there's a gallery and stuff, and you can get on the roof - for free. Not half as busy as most other visitor platforms, but a good view of Paris. Even better, there's a posh little Cafe at the top so you can sip Arab coffee or tea while looking down on the people bustling. Limited opening hours, I think the top closes at 6pm.
Maybe I add another one or two :0)
There is this wonderful hot chocolate cafe near the louvre. Even Rick Steves likes it! I can't remember the name at this moment, but I shall try to look it up for you, but truly, the hot chocolate is to die for!!
i actually dislike paris, though ive been a few times. im not an art museum type so i havent been inside the louvre in years.
a place i want to go, if a bit touristy, is the catacombs. i hear they are some of the best in europe. also, very touristy, but the moulin rouge, because of the bygone era that now costs 100 euro and probably isnt worth it but id like to go anyway because i dig that time period.
i usually just wander the back alleys and wish i was in italy.
I'm told that Tour Montparnasse is actually preferable to the Eiffel Tower. Why? Because Tour Montparnasse is ugly as sin, and if you're standing on top of it, you get to see the Eiffel Tower - but if you're on top of the Eiffel Tower, you have to look at Tour Montparnasse :-)!
I don't know if it's open to the public, though.
Anyway, I really loved Sacre-Coeur and Montmartre, and I'd also recommend one of the cemeteries, if you have the time. Very peaceful, and you get to see many famous peoples' graves.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I can't wait to go . . .
Of course there's always the idea of a very expensive trip to the UK to see David Tennant play Hamlet with the RSC . . . but I don't know if I'd even be able to get tickets. Dang.