Paris is one of the most romantic and beautiful cities in the world. Here are some sites and some info to help you make the most of your trip. Make sure you plan plenty of time for sitting in sidewalk cafes and rambling through side streets.
The Must-See Sights of Paris
- Left Bank
- Walk the Boulevard St. Germain - the heart of intellectual Paris - it has the most historic cafes of the American ex-pat era. Stop for a glass of wine or cafe creme at Le Deux Magots or Cafe de Flore and picture Hemingway chatting with Sartre at the next table.
- Jardin du Luxembourg - the best park in Paris for getting a real understanding of the Parisian lifestyle. It is a lovely place to wander and is usually full of interesting activities.
- Musee Rodin - Beautiful sculptures in a lovely chateau that Rodin lived in for the last years of his life. Behind the museum is a fabulous garden with a cafe and plenty of Rodin sculptures that you can enter for only 1 euro (It's also included in admission to the museum.)
- Musee D'Orsay - A vast museum in a former train station filled with people-pleasing impressionist paintings and sculpture. VERY popular with the tourists. See it if you have the time.
- The Eiffel Tower - of course.
- Ile de la Cite and Ile St. Louis - the heart of the city. Get lost wander around these two islands. You can't get too far. Wander down the bank of the Seine and check out Notre Dame if the line's not too long.
- Berthillon Ice Cream - for sale all over both Islands. France's best ice cream. Don't miss it.
- Right Bank
- The Louvre - do it, but don't overdo it.
- Rue de Rosiers - The Jewish section of Paris. Amazing schwarma and some great Judaica shops.
- Musee Picasso - fabulous collection of Picasso's artwork.
- Place de Vosges - Victor Hugo used to live in this great square around a lovely park. Great place for a picnic.
- Top of the Arc de Triomphe - fantastic view of Paris down the Champs Elysee.
My Best Tips for Making the Most of Paris
1. Learn a little bit of French. Just enough to begin the most basic of conversations. Nearly all Parisians - especially those in service industries - speak English, but beginning a conversation in French and demonstrating an attempt to speak in their language will get you far. If nothing else, learn "parlais vous Anglais?" (Par-lay voo Anglay) - and at least ask if they speak English before you start in with it. I also find knowing how to say "excuse me" in every language is important. In this case it is "excuse moi" (excusay m-wah).
2. Get a Paris Museum Pass - It comes in 2, 4, and 6 day options and you can buy it in any participating museum or online before you leave. Not only do you get to skip all the fees for each museum, you get to skip the ticket lines as well! (This especially can pay off at the Louvre where you can go in a separate entrance and skip the pyramid security line also.) (It's available on a myriad of websites, just use google.)
3. As I mentioned above, and I will keep mentioning, one must not run around Paris at break-neck pace. Paris is to be savored - literally and figuratively. Make some time to sit at a cute cafe with wine or cafe and watch the world go by. Then get up and run through the Louvre.
4. You will not conquer the Louvre. Do not try - you will spend your entire vacation making a valiant attempt. Pick a few things you want to see in different parts of the museum and walk around to get to them. You'll see enough. I recommend the Michelangelos. I will not try to talk you out of the Mona Lisa, but I will tell you - you'll be disappointed.
5. Buy a walking tour book and take some self-guided walking tours. Make sure one of them is of Montmartre. It's a remarkable and really different part of the city.
6. Don't get crepes with ice cream in them. They're for tourists and they're impossible to eat. If you want to approximate a real local - go for something with nutella in it.
2. Get a Paris Museum Pass - It comes in 2, 4, and 6 day options and you can buy it in any participating museum or online before you leave. Not only do you get to skip all the fees for each museum, you get to skip the ticket lines as well! (This especially can pay off at the Louvre where you can go in a separate entrance and skip the pyramid security line also.) (It's available on a myriad of websites, just use google.)
3. As I mentioned above, and I will keep mentioning, one must not run around Paris at break-neck pace. Paris is to be savored - literally and figuratively. Make some time to sit at a cute cafe with wine or cafe and watch the world go by. Then get up and run through the Louvre.
4. You will not conquer the Louvre. Do not try - you will spend your entire vacation making a valiant attempt. Pick a few things you want to see in different parts of the museum and walk around to get to them. You'll see enough. I recommend the Michelangelos. I will not try to talk you out of the Mona Lisa, but I will tell you - you'll be disappointed.
5. Buy a walking tour book and take some self-guided walking tours. Make sure one of them is of Montmartre. It's a remarkable and really different part of the city.
6. Don't get crepes with ice cream in them. They're for tourists and they're impossible to eat. If you want to approximate a real local - go for something with nutella in it.
Our Favorite Restaurants and Hotels in Paris
Just some friendly suggestions...
- Hotel Le Regent
- My favorite hotel in Paris - A 3 star hotel, one of the best locations at Saint Germain des Pres (6th arrondisment), to enjoy as much as possible the Paris way of life. Few minutes walking from the Louvre and Notre-Dame. Old mansion from the 18th century. Very comfortable rooms and brand renovated bathrooms. Kind and helpful staff.
- Hotel Jardin de l'Odeon
- Another great hotel in the 6th. This one was very recently renovated and is located in a charming area by the Odeon Theater and Luxembourg Gardens.
- Le Petit Pontoise
- A lovely restaurant in the Latin Quarter. Fabulous food and charming place.
- Le Coupe Chou
- The website is French, but you get the picture. So romantic and delicious. It's getting a little touristy lately, though.
- Rotisserie d'En Face
- 2 rue Christine 75006 Paris (6th)
Just when you think you might want to hit McDonald's just to get away from heavy French cooking, go here instead. Simple, delicious food from a well-regarded Parisian chef. - Bergamote
- Very creative and delicious modern French cooking.
- Bouquinistes (Les)
- 53, quai des Grands-Augustins
Another great restaurant from a famous French chef -- very trendy and fun place right on the Seine.
Websites About Paris
- Paris city guide - Time Out
- Highlights this month's events in Paris and provides details of accommodation, sightseeing and eating & drinking in Paris. Weekly entertainment listings, travel features, online shop and special offers.
- FNAC
- FNAC is like the ticketmaster of Paris. Drop by their stores to book concerts, plays, etc.
Good Paris Hotel Web Sites
The best places to find Paris hotels
- Venere
- A European website. It has great maps and search functions as well as excellent prices. You can search for hotels, bed & breakfasts, and apartments for rent.
- 123 France
- Another good French website - in English, of course.
- Guest Apartment Services (Ile Saint Louis)
- A great site of rental apartments available on the Ile Saint Louis, the romantic and mainly residential smaller island in the middle of the Seine. Quite possibly the most perfect location for an apartment in the entire universe.
- Paris Address Vacation Rental Apartments
- I've used this company to rent a lovely apartment on Rue de Buci. They were excellent. In my opinion, renting an apartment in Paris is definitely the way to go because walking in all those amazing markets and not being able to buy food to eat at home is torture!
Blogging Paris
- Paris Travel Guide - Paris Logue
- While many blogs spend a bit too much time waxing philisophical or ranting about French bureaucract, the Paris blog is quite straightforward. While there is the flair and personal touch of the author, it is also quite useful with entries about events in Paris.
- La Coquette
- This blogger's slogan provides an insight into the fun tone of the entries: "Don't hate me because I live in Paris!" This blog is light-hearted. It might be a little too 20-something-angsty at times, but it is a great glimpse at Paris through the eyes of an American girl who returned to her family's French roots by living in Paris' Latin Quarter.
- Chocolate & Zucchini
- If you love food and you love France, indulge in subscribing to this feed. It's worth it for the scrumptious French food photos alone. But the blog provides much more in the way of playful insight into French cuisine and culture. The author, Clotilde, is a 20-something French foodie (although the blog is in English) who lives in Paris' Montmartre neighborhood.
- The Paris Blog
- The Paris Blog is a group blog in English about life in Paris. More than two dozen bloggers contribute regularly for a kaleidoscopic view of the city. Most contributors are anglophone expats who have made Paris their home, although there are a few-including Loic Le Meur and Eric Tenin-who are French but write in English. The blog is edited by Laurie Pike with tech help from Brian Flemming.
Great Books That Take Place in Paris
A Moveable Feast
Hemingways memoir of his time in Paris - amazing to read before you go or while you're there.
Amazon Price: $10.55 (as of 12/30/2009) 
Paris to the Moon
The memoirs of a writer for the New Yorker who moved to Paris for a couple years with his family. He writes beautifully both about why he loves Paris and what he found hard about it.
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 12/30/2009)
Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris
Amazon Price: $9.36 (as of 12/30/2009)
Americans in Paris: A Literary Anthology
Amazon Price: $26.40 (as of 12/30/2009)
Le Divorce (William Abrahams Book)
Amazon Price: $11.25 (as of 12/30/2009)
Good Guide Books for Paris
Paris (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)
Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 12/30/2009)
Food Lover's Guide to Paris, 4th edition
An American chef who has lived in France for over 20 years. The best source for good restaurants in Paris.
Amazon Price: (as of 12/30/2009)
Walking Paris : Thirty Original Walks In and Around Paris
I can't say enough about this book. It is like having a guide walk around with you.
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 12/30/2009)
Pariswalks: Sixth Edition (Pariswalks) (6th Edition)
Amazon Price: $12.24 (as of 12/30/2009)
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