USVI-On-Line

Hi -

Ellen, Anthony's wife, here. I am usually just a lurker on our Forum, but with Paris I can't resist! We were just there a month or so ago and had a great time!

I did a lot of research - didn't go to half of the places I found, but I did put them all on a google map for our reference: http://goo.gl/maps/xFsq (most of the text I copied and pasted in from other people's sites and reviews, to jog my memory).

Some other info I found useful:

article about bike rental:
http://ohhappyday.com/2011/09/velib/

how to get to the paris flea market (highly recommended, once we found the fun areas of it - we were hooked!):
http://ohhappyday.com/2011/03/how-to-ge ... ea-market/

good looking restaurant list:
http://www.haveninparis.com/restaurants.php

L'Étoile d'Or -
great chocolate/candy shop where you can drop a fortune if you like
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/07/the-sweetest-wo/

We had a great (and reasonable, but not bargain)lunch at this simple-looking restaurant by the river:
http://www.letrumilou.fr/
Le Trumilou
84, quai de l’Hôtel de Ville, tel: 01 42 77 63 98, (M: Hôtel de Ville or Pont Marie). This hole-in-the-wall bistro serves well-made French classics without the fuss (or price) of other places. Classic French without any pretense. In season, you’ll find game dishes. Open seven days a week.

Gyoza Bar
(you'll have to love gyoza to want to go, because that's all they serve...but they are great!)
56 Passage des Panoramas
Paris, 2nd; Métro: Grand Boulevard
8 gyoza for 6 €, 12 for 8 €
Read about it here:
http://myparisnotebook.com/2012/01/29/g ... #more-1708


There's nothing mentioned in this thread, about museums etc, that I don't agree with. Pompidou is our most recent favorite museum...but there isn't a bad one in the bunch!

Have a great time! I can't wait to go back...
Ellen

Hi Ellen!
Thanks for the excellent information and links! I am wishing that I were planning a visit to Paris! For the moment though, this thread and all the interesting replies are bringing back some very good memories as well as provoking some great daydreams!

This is awesome as we are planning a Paris trip next year!

I knew I could count on all of you for ideas. I love all the links that you have provided. Keep them coming and more photos the better. I am a very bad bad bad camera carrier and if I see all of your shots, I can leave mine at home. It also gives a better feel of the city. Thanks for sharing yours.

As others have said, the D'Orsay is really amazing. I could have spent days in there. The depth of their collection is just mind blowing—every time you turn a corner there is another famous painting waiting for you. Here is a picture I took of the giant clock.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/6380566535/" title="orsay clock by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6110/6380 ... d87976.jpg" width="363" height="500" alt="orsay clock"></a>

The Louvre is fantastic too but the grand gallery gets really, really crowded. I found that I enjoyed going to the more out of the way spots in the Louvre, even if the paintings were not as spectacular. The crowds in the main gallery are just too much to stand for more than a short time frame. Make sure you visit Napoleon's apartment in the Louvre, it is really something to see. Just your typical Paris apartment

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/6380596707/" title="louvre chandelier by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6054/6380 ... f2f317.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="louvre chandelier"></a>

The museum pass definitely saves time. Ironically, John and I bought a four day pass and it only got stamped once! Every other place just waved us through after seeing the passes in our hands. They are good for a year.

As far as food, the simple baguette sandwiches at the various bakeries are cheap and one of my favorite things to eat. I think they are around 3-4 euro. We got crepes in the park near the Louvre too and they were tasty and cheap. All the food we had in Paris was good in general. The only "fancy" dish that I remember in great detail was from L’Atelier, a caviar topped egg in potato nest with smoked salmon and leek cream. It was totally over the top, and totally worth it:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/6380583761/" title="robichon egg whole by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6217/6380 ... b0f73b.jpg" width="500" height="395" alt="robichon egg whole"></a>

As Anthony mentioned, the river cruises are a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Also, the climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe is not too difficult and the views are really nice. The great thing about Paris is how walkable it is. John and I would leave the hotel in the morning and just walk and walk, not coming back until 3 in the morning sometimes!

Have fun!

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/7301454206/" title="paris at night by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7301 ... c8a2ac.jpg" width="500" height="373" alt="paris at night"></a>

My daughter is in Paris right now for 3 weeks for a study abroad course and she is indeed having very good luck with popping into the random bakery for the baguette sandwiches and of course croissants, pastries, macaroons, etc., or, into the random café or bistro for salads and/or crepes.
Much of real traditional/authentic French restaurant food is too out there for us and too heavy on the mystery meats and stuff like Foie gras, Pig's cheek stew (I am not making that up), and who knows what else. You have to ramp up your gastronomic adventurousness to whole ‘nother level if you really want to indulge in that stuff.

But I digress. The main reason for this reply is that I was looking at helping her plan a daytrip out of the city and of course that would be by train, and happened to be steered to this site that explains really well how to book train tickets.
Good stuff to know if you might be adventuring out on your own and not part of a tour.
http://www.nickbooth.id.au/Tips/FrenchTrain.htm

Want to thank all of you for the great information about PAris. As usual, you guys can always be counted on to provide great information.

Let's do a forum GTG in Paris!

Here's a little photo tour of our '07 trip (excuse the inclusion of the interior apartment pics, which I took for the owner).

http://www.sarahbastille.com/paris07

lark22 wrote:Let's do a forum GTG in Paris!

Here's a little photo tour of our '07 trip (excuse the inclusion of the interior apartment pics, which I took for the owner).

http://www.sarahbastille.com/paris07

Okay, lark22, I'm dying here.

What a wonderful collection of some of the best Paris has to offer... beautiful! Well done! Thank you.

Please send GTG dates and info....

Thanks!

But it's pretty tough to take a bad photo of the most beautiful city in the world. Photographing in Paris is like shooting fish in a barrel...

We just returned from Paris the middle of April. I have three suggestions for anyone visiting the city of lights;
1) learn the metro, train, bus system. It is the best friend of your feet. We used only trains and metro's on our last trip but found the buses because there was a stop right outsid our apartment and our travel companions could not walk far. We even devised a kind of hop-on hop-off bus tour of our own.

2) You will find so many nice places to take in Paris scenery but one (kinda) secret place is the department store Printemps. You will find it by the Opera on Hausmann Blvd. On the roof terrace is a cafe that is open until about 5pm. I have seen the Parisian skyline from the Eiffel tower, the Ard de Triumph, Montparnasse Tower and Monmarte but the view from Printemps was the best in my opinion. It is in your face and at eye level. The view is free but the food prices are commenserate with the location so don't visit when you are hungry if on a budget.

If you visit Sacre Couer stop in the small church around the block I believe the name is St. Andrew of Monmarte. After touring the extravagance of Sacre Coure I found St Andrews so quiet, understated and relaxing.

shoemak38 posted this in another OT thread... seems appropriate here.

http://www.gillesvidal.com/blogpano/paris.htm

lprof wrote:shoemak38 posted this in another OT thread... seems appropriate here.

http://www.gillesvidal.com/blogpano/paris.htm

Wow! love that!

Wow!!!! How do you spell goosebumps? It did get me to wondering, please don't make fun of me but which side is the Left Bank and which is the Right. I figure that is a really silly question but my Forum friends will set me straight.

ShipwreckPat wrote:Wow!!!! How do you spell goosebumps? It did get me to wondering, please don't make fun of me but which side is the Left Bank and which is the Right. I figure that is a really silly question but my Forum friends will set me straight.

The Left Bank or Rive Gauche, is south of the River Seine. The Eiffel Tower is on the Left Bank and the Louvre is on the Right Bank or Rive Droite.

Have you seen this from Frommer's...
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/paris/62_maps.html