A reader question:
Muffy,
As a long time reader, I value your follower community’s feedback and recommendations. That said, we are planning a 40ᵗʰ birthday trip for my wife to Paris and we’re wondering what recommendations you and your readers had to avoid tourist traps and make the most of the trip?
Go off season.
ReplyDeleteAh, Paris. If you can do it, Le Pavillon de la Reine at the Place de Vosges for accommodations. The Louvre of course but don't try to go at 9 am. Go after a lovely lunch when the crowds are decreasing. Don't try to see it all the first day. Go back again, and again. The D"Orsay is sublime. Again, take your time and see it at your own pace. The Eiffel Tower is a must. Don't miss Les Invalides and Jardin du Luxembourg. Find little out of the way cafes and coffee shops. My friend was recently the Rector at the American Cathedral on Ave George V. Catch Sunday mass or a concert. Lastly, Notre Dame... Our Lady of Paris. Bon Voyage!
ReplyDeleteMake sure to buy a museum pass. It will save you so much time, it really is a must have. Also highly recommend Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre as it has great views of the city. Bit of a walk but worth it. Also, the Metro is so easy to use and color coded, you can get anywhere cheap and easy,
ReplyDeleteHere’s a list of some restaurants I have enjoyed over the years
Le Servan
Bistrot des Tournelles
Lao Siam
Le Florimond 7th arrondissement
Le Dome
La Tour de Montlhery
Au Pied de Cochon
Chez Georges-Michelin
Jacques Genin choclatier
Au Bon Acccueil -near Eiffel
La Tour D’argent-Michelin
Berthillon Ile Saint Louis-near Notre Dame (ice cream)
Hotel Le Bristol.
ReplyDeleteThis will be a SWNE post I save for years in case I ever get to Paris!
ReplyDeleteYou MUST! It's simply amazing and a must see. Go in autumn or winter.
DeleteJust enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHighly recommend the Hotel de l’Abbaye in the Saint-Germain district, a converted abby that once housed Benedictine Sisters. A true neighborhood gem, on a small cobblestone street and a 5 minute walk to the Luxembourg Gardens. Have stayed multiple times and continue to be enchanted.
ReplyDeleteMonoprix, food hall @Galeries Layfayette Hausman (buy bread, butter, brebis maybe some smoked eel dine al fresco, good luck ordering coffee, read David Liebowitz, Breizh Cafe for crepes, Septime, ignore the filth...
ReplyDeleteAlthough it has been years and years since I was in Paris several things stand out in my memory...the stunning stained glass windows of Sainte Chapelle (endure the lines and tourists) and day trips to nearby Chartres and Reims cathedrals. As well of course as places mentioned above.
ReplyDeleteYes! Absolutely Sainte Chapelle. If there is an evening concert--DO NOT miss out. Go to any evening concert that you are able to attend. Sublime.
DeletePick a neighborhood cafe and go there everyday for your morning coffee and croissant. Make sure it has a cat. Patronize restaurants with limited menu options. The fewer the choices the better the food. Make certain you say “bonjour” to the salesperson in any shop or boutique you enter. This is a must. Make certain you have your Sunday dinner restaurant choice lined up in advance. Many Paris restaurants are closed on Sundays. Pick a neighborhood outside the core tourist
ReplyDeleteattractions and just wander around. Deep six your wristwatch, get lost. Drink calvados. Try and speak some French. Parisians are not snobbish with someone who tries to speak the language. They like to engage with visitors who they think show appreciation for French culture. Try and figure out why the custodians in the city parks sweep clean the sidewalks using what look like old fashion witches’ brooms. If you really need to buy an English language book you can wait in line to get into Shakespeare & Company or, go around the corner to the Abbey Bookstore which has none of Shakespeare’s cachet but has a huge selection of second hand books. Of course, don’t miss D’Orsay and the Louvre (buy your tickets online). But check out international cultural centers like the Latin American or the Italian. They frequently stage interesting exhibits and the entry fee is negligible, if there is one at all. If you are so inclined don’t be afraid to order a hamburger. You think the French can’t make a good hamburger? If you like flea markets follow hand made signs to a “brocant.” These would be the French version of a neighborhood tag sale. Under no circumstance whatsoever do not miss the Rodin Museum. If you see a really crowded pharmacy go into it. There will be excellent prices on makeup and “personal care” items. Buy à tube of French toothpaste. Bring it home. Use the toothpaste when you get up every morning as a reminder of your trip. The French are not big on street food. But at the Boulevard Raspail Sunday morning Marché Bio buy a galette from the gent at the far end of the market. There’s a reason you’ll likely have to wait in a bit of a line. Buy a baguette and eat “the nose” first. Make way for children scampering and weaving in and out of sidewalks at the end of the school day, even in tourist areas, especially on the Left Bank. Paris, unlike midtown Manhattan is lived in. If you are travelling with children yourself and they need their fast food fix, remember Paris Burger Kings are much better than Paris McDonalds. Go into a quiet neighborhood church and sit à spell, you may happen upon an organist practicing. Sit à spell in the chair in Luxembourg Gardens where Hemingway sat writing a letter to his grandmother in Chicago asking her for $12 so he could go to Spain for the weekend. Flip through magazines at a newspaper kiosk. Remember magazines? Buy something from a bouquiniste along side the Seine. When you cross the Pont Neuf stop in the middle, and look around at the wonder of it all.
one must not, can not flip through magazines at newspaper kiosks!
DeleteThey use those old school willow brooms because it is the best way to get cigarette butts out from in between cobble stones
DeleteAgree with the first comment. Visit Paris in November and December. The crowds are gone. The Christmas decorations are not over the top, but the shopping might be. And the chill in the air makes your superb cafe chocolate chaude taste all the better.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend lunch at the restaurant du Palais Royal, located in the gardens of this beautiful palace and featuring exquisite cuisine of Michelin 2 star quality.
ReplyDeleteBecome familiar with the arrondissement Paris map. Paris is easy to navigate on foot or the metro. Read Hemingway's A Moveable Feast. I prefer to stay on the left bank in the 6th or 7th arrondissements. Besides the classic sites, wander through outdoor markets and enjoy relaxing at outdoor cafes to people watch. The film "Midnight in Paris" can also be inspirational.
ReplyDeleteA lot of recommendations on this blog: https://jeanninebergeron.com/category/travel-tips/the-paris-postcard/
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy to read it (and see wonderful photos).
Bon Voyage!
the restored Notre Dame is SPECTACULAR, STUNNING!!!! Please do not miss this amazing opportunity (seeing a centuries-old cathedral which appears "brand new" ... colors/lights .... but was restored to be historically accurate)
ReplyDeleteAlso, was the Rodin Museum already mentioned? It is terrific. Canal St. Martin.
It's been 20 years since I was in Paris, but I think the following are still relevant:
ReplyDelete1. If possible, take a short French class. I took a 10-week one at the local junior college and was able to have simple conversations with French people. They are not offended if you make mistakes, only if you do not try.
2. Attractions and sights are fine, but I had the most fun interacting with various residents and just walking the streets. I did see some "attractions" but you can see those in a book. What you can't do in a book is meet people, stop in at a random restaurant, notice how people dress and eat. Notice the cars, the architecture, advertising, stores, and all the random things you just accidentally run into.
3. Ask locals if there is anything interesting in the area.
4. Don't try to fit in or act like a local. Remember - to us they are exotic, but to them we are the exotic ones. I was always openly and unapologetically American, and got into some great conversations about the diffrences in our cultures.
5. Always be polite, respectful, and remember that you are the guest.
6. Ride "le Metro"
7. Sit on a park bench, eat a baguette, and feel completely free and relaxed!
I guess most of those can apply to any destination. Just my semi-coherent two cents :-)
There is a wonderful restaurant, Les Papilles. Follows the fewer the choices the better the food approach, as mentioned above. They serve one main entree (with a fish option). It’s a small restaurant. Exquisite. But I’m not going to give the location. Readers will have to find it on their own. The last thing I want is a fellow tourist in line before me for the last reservation.
ReplyDeleteFor someone like me who lives in (and prefers) a small New England village, Paris can be a bit much—huge buildings, monuments, streets, crowds, and tiny hotel rooms. I suggest staying in as nice a hotel as you can manage. It's refreshing to return to the quiet and comfort of a fine hotel after a day in the bustle of the city.
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested, Michelin recently started ranking hotels: one, two, or three keys parallel to their restaurant star ratings. One key means amazing, two means stratospheric, and three means the best of the best. You can find the rankings of French hotels here:
https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/travel/all-the-key-hotels-france-michelin-guide-2024#The%20List
If you want to see Paris's quieter, more intimate side, I suggest the Seine islands. You will presumably visit the Île de la Cité anyway. It's where Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle are, and they are not to be missed. But, in addition to having magnificent churches, the island is a lovely place to ramble. Even better, in my judgment, is the Île Saint-Louis, which can be reached by the Pont Saint-Louis behind Notre Dame. The island has no significant monuments and no metro stop. It is an oasis of quiet in the heart of the city.
Additionally, the Jardin du Luxembourg is, in fact, two gardens--one in the French style and the other in the English. The English garden has lovely curving paths and mature trees that can offer a break from the crowds, noise, and traffic. Bon voyage!
This is where I spent my honeymoon: HÔTEL SPLENDID ÉTOILE https://www.hsplendid.com/en/
ReplyDeleteAll good comments here. One piece of advice..please keep your voice down. Americans, as a rule, talk too loud. Be nice..it pays off.
ReplyDeleteWhy I always hear about American dresses not so well, now talking apparently too loud. It’s not true. You probably confuse Americans with Germans. Ask any European for an honest answer and you will hear that Americans are actually very polite, well dressed and not loud at all. This is my opinion based on realu lot of travelling across the world for last 20 years, not just statistics.
DeleteGermans have been taking it on the chin lately. Last fall I had little adventure riding German trains. Afterward I was told French and Italian (!) trains both surpass - by à fair margin - the quality and service of the German rail system.
ReplyDeleteThe experiences I’ve had on German trains I wouldn’t wish on any traveller. As an example; on an overnight train last fall from Venice to Paris the train made a number of stops before arriving early in the morning in Munich. But there were no announcements of the station names at any of the overnight stops. And there was no conductor on board. When we reached Munich I asked, “why don’t they announce the station names?” The response, believe it or not, “people are sleeping.”
ReplyDeleteGo to beautiful Mallorca in the season. This wonderful island is overrun by loud, drunk Germans for last 3 decades. Now finally something started to change and the authorities are doing everything to get rid of this clientele. See on you tube events on Sylt island last year…disgusting and embarrassing. I don’t travel to Germany and I would surely not take a train. Americans are not loud, polite and well dressed people with very good manners. Believe it or not.
DeleteBetween November and March the Americans you meet in Europe are not your standard tourist. It’s too cold to wear cargo shorts. There’s no need to carry a water bottle everywhere. Tank tops might be worn but they are covered up with a jacket. Cafe life moves inside. Nobody is shouting out at friends from one end of the sidewalk to another. Beer may take a backseat to Beaujolais, a truck driver’s wine, but that’s ok.
ReplyDeleteI've been to several large cities like London, Edinburgh, Berlin, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Paris. (I've been to Oklahoma, too). Paris is the one place I'd like to visit again.
ReplyDeleteThe Cluny Museum is a treasure. - LollyG
ReplyDeleteOn a sunny day, buy a baguette, some goat cheese, and a half-bottle of wine. Go to the Musee Rodin, much of which is outdoors, and enjoy a pleasant lunch in the gardens among the statues. It's a very nice way to enjoy a small slice of Paris.
ReplyDeleteAlso, learn a little French. I've watched Parisiennes shut right down when confronted by someone speaking English, yet respond with warmth and kindness when even the most limited French is attempted.
Yes - speak some French. And as noted above you absolutely must greet store employees with “bonjour.” And… don’t be afraid to precede any comment to “the man on the street” with “pardonnez moi, s’il vous plaît, Monsieur le grand chef.”
ReplyDeleteWe have traveled to Paris three times, and have stayed at the Trianon Palace - Waldorf Astoria in Versailles each time. It's a beautiful property and borders the Palace of Versailles. The town of Versailles is on the metro line and is a very peaceful and calm change from Paris. But if you are a "city person", you might prefer staying in Paris. Don't miss visiting the Palace of Versailles, though, no matter where you stay!
ReplyDeleteBefore visiting France, I heard that the French generally don't care for Americans. Don't believe it. They are kind, respectful, and helpful - regardless of city/location. The only French "language" we knew was "merci" and "bonjour" and we were just fine. It's a spectacular country - enjoy your trip!
ReplyDelete