2 days in Paris...

[Lathum]

My Sister in law lives in London and is having a baby in March. My wife and I are going out to see the baby and decided to take a couple days and go to Paris.

I have never been and I realize 2 days if far to few to fully enjoy the city but wondering if anyone has suggestions, recommendations, etc...

We are obviously going to see the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame

any restaurant, food, hotel, etc...recommendations?

[DaddyTorgo]

Cool for you!

[Izulde]

A bit Captain Obvious here, but use the Metro for transportation. Fast, reliable, and easy to use IMO.

There was this restaurant I ate at once near Notre Dame that was quite good, but I don't recall the name of it unfortunately. It's a shame too, because in general, I find the food experience in Paris and France to be meh at best, and have never understood which it enjoys such a culinary reputation.

[JPhillips]

I'm spending four days in Paris in early June. My Dominican college is sending me to Fanjeaux and Paris all for free.

I'll also take any recommendations.

[Izulde]

As far as hotels go, I think the last time I was in Paris, I stayed in Montmartre, which was pretty cool to just walk around in, and the hotel was this very odd, yet fun place with brightly colored walls, narrow hallways, and a mishmash of different decor styles. Not sure if it's just you and the wife, or if the kids are going, though - It struck me as more of a single/couples place rather than a family one.

Outside of the obvious tourist destination places you've listed, I can't recall any specific go-to places that I've been to. It's just a really enjoyable city to walk around and soak in.

One thing to keep in mind at the Eiffel Tower - be prepared for scamming/begging gypsies.

[Lathum]

Just my wife and I. Kids are staying with the Grandparents which is wht we are going to take advantage and hit Paris.

I would love to stay close to the tourist attractions, somewhere nice. We realize that will likely cost extra but it is only a few days so money isn't a huge concern.

[cartman]

Paris Hilton

[cartman]

On my trips there I stayed out at Versailles, which is very impressive. If you can work that into your trip I'd highly recommend it. But there is so much to see in central Paris, it might be hard to do so. You can easily spend your whole two days just at the Louvre.

A note on the Metro. Last time I was there (around 7 years ago) the machines wouldn't take non-French credit/debit cards.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by cartman

On my trips there I stayed out at Versailles, which is very impressive. If you can work that into your trip I'd highly recommend it. But there is so much to see in central Paris, it might be hard to do so. You can easily spend your whole two days just at the Louvre.

A note on the Metro. Last time I was there (around 7 years ago) the machines wouldn't take non-French credit/debit cards.

I would love, love, love to go to Versailles but likely wont happen. I think we will spend a whole day in the Louvre and the other day seeing the Eiffel Tower, etc...

[Ramzavail]

you must go here for dinner one night

Le Relais de l'Entrecôte

all they serve is steak frites but its the best.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Ramzavail

you must go here for dinner one night

Le Relais de l'Entrecôte

all they serve is steak frites but its the best.

I'm a vegetarian....

[Izulde]

Versailles didn't impress me all that much, TBH. I think it was a combination of the hype and having seen other palaces/castles/noble residences before going there that I liked a lot better.

[Marc Vaughan]

I'd recommend just wandering around and enjoy the sites, strangeness of a foreign city ... and the peace and quite of not having kids with you tbh

With beggars I found if you don't look overly touristy they'll leave you alone (ie. no obvious camera's, souvenirs etc.) however I expect as with most places if they do hassle you a polite no will be obeyed (in most cities beggars are fairly polite or they'll get moved on really quickly).

I went with my wife around 10 years ago and really enjoyed it - we saw the 'usual' sites, but it was the time without the kids which made it feel 'special' more than the places we visited ... it was a chance to be 'young and carefree' like before we had children and responsibilities ...

(my favorite (non-English) European destinations would be Berne (Switzerland) and Venice - both are fantastic places to 'get away' from everything)

[Solecismic]

Versailles was a disappointment. It took three hours to get into the palace, then it was a wave of people. Yes, you're standing in the Hall of Mirrors... with 1,000 other people. Just spending time on the grounds was much nicer.

Musee D'Orsay > Louvre, though if there's something specific you want to see in the Louvre, that's great. It's simply too big to see in one day. It's kind of like Wal-Mart, except they have every priceless relic imaginable instead of every household item. Lighting is poor in many places and the whole museum needs a renovation more than FOF needs a graphics upgrade. Mona is smaller than you'd think, and you have to wade through all of humanity to get a good look.

For wandering, we really liked the Latin Quarter. During the day, following the Seine is nice. For food, we enjoyed a traditional croissant and tea breakfast, grabbing a baguette and some ham and cheese for lunch, and just wandering into places wherever we happened to be for dinner. Go where it's a little more crowded - the locals seem to know where to go for a dinner out. The Metro will get you anywhere in the city fairly quickly.

And, yeah, the credit card thing threw us for a loop. I had read that just about everywhere, you need a card with a chip. American Express assured me that wasn't true. The result? My American Express was just about useless. Fortunately, my backup debit card tied directly to my bank account worked in most places. But getting Metro tickets was extremely difficult (after the first day, just found a way to buy a book of 20 and we were OK). And buying gas for our rental car when we were outside of Paris was even worse.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by Izulde

One thing to keep in mind at the Eiffel Tower - be prepared for scamming/begging gypsies.

Be aware of the scammers at every major tourist attraction in Paris.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I would love, love, love to go to Versailles but likely wont happen. I think we will spend a whole day in the Louvre and the other day seeing the Eiffel Tower, etc...

If you go to the Louvre, go for the entry in the shopping centre or the Porte des Lions to avoid the queues at the pyramid. Remember that it is closed on Tuesdays.

As for tickets, if you are staying in the centre of Paris, buy a Paris Visite ticket. If you go out to Versailles it will cost just over €3 each way.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Ryan S

Be aware of the scammers at every major tourist attraction in Paris.

I spent 5 years in Seattle so an used to dealing with beggars and vagrants and my wife and I have traveled a lot and are pretty cautious of scammers. Growing up in New Jersey helped with that also.

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by cartman

Paris Hilton

Spend the night, itch forever.

[Alf]

If you want to to absolutely visit a monument or museum, book your tickets in advance via their website (ot will avoid you wasted hours of queueing). Especially if you want to "climb" up the Eiffel Tower. For the Eiffel Tower, it's best to get out of the Metro at the "Trocadero" as that's where you have the full view of the Tower and the "Champ de Mars". From there, walk down to the Eiffel Tower.

For fooding (since you are vegeterian), I would recommend the "Marais" area. I know (and everybody knows) it is the gay part of downtown Paris, but this area, Quartier Latin and Montmartre are really what Paris is all about.

Also, you could PM BreizhManu as I think he has been a "Parisian" for 4/5 years now.

Edit : for mental safety, assume all frenchman are morons, obnoxious and don't speak english at all

[Julio Riddols]

So much cool shit to see in Paris.. When I went years ago, I got to see Notre Dame, La Sorbonne, The Louvre, The Latin Quarter, The Eiffel Tower, Took a tour on the Seine, Sacre Coeur (Absolutely astonishing views of the city from there) - All of it was worth the trip. I left wishing I could live there the rest of my life. The food, the amount of beautiful stuff to see and do.. The wine. The pain au chocolat for breakfast.. My recommended way of seeing it all would be on your own time, so you can relax and take as much time as you want to admire the amazingness. There wasn't a single place I went in my time there that I found the slightest bit underwhelming. Even their banks are insanely beautiful.

I never experienced anything as far as beggars or anything of that sort, probably because I have pretty heavy european ancestry so I kind of looked the part I guess. I did however have trouble ordering food and whatnot because I am terrible with french, even when reading it off a menu. The friend I was staying with probably went a long way toward making my stay as enjoyable as it was - She was a New York native who was bi-lingual, and her parents had a house just outside the city that I got to stay in, so I kind of got an idea of what daily life there is like for people of affluence (Her mom is a TV producer, her step father is the artist for the graphic novel series Blacksad). That may have been part of the appeal.

The weirdest part of the whole trip for me was getting used to a french keyboard when trying to email my mom to let her know how the trip was going.

[Castlerock]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

Musee D'Orsay > Louvre, though if there's something specific you want to see in the Louvre, that's great. It's simply too big to see in one day. It's kind of like Wal-Mart, except they have every priceless relic imaginable instead of every household item. Lighting is poor in many places and the whole museum needs a renovation more than FOF needs a graphics upgrade. Mona is smaller than you'd think, and you have to wade through all of humanity to get a good look.

I agree. My first time in Paris, I had 2 days plus one morning. We went to the Musee D'Orsay and loved it. Loved it so much that when I was wondering what to do for the ~2 hours I had free on the final morning (alone), I wend BACK to Musee D'Orsay. I had always been kind of 'meh' about Van Gough. Now I understand how great he was. Musee D'Orsay just seems so much more intimate.

[King of New York]

If you get a chance, check out The Pantheon (burial place for French luminaries--very interesting).

The Jardin de Luxembourg/Luxembourg Gardens is beautiful, and a good place to hang out, chill, and people watch.

[grdawg]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

So much cool shit to see in Paris.. When I went years ago, I got to see Notre Dame, La Sorbonne, The Louvre, The Latin Quarter, The Eiffel Tower, Took a tour on the Seine, Sacre Coeur (Absolutely astonishing views of the city from there) - All of it was worth the trip. I left wishing I could live there the rest of my life. The food, the amount of beautiful stuff to see and do.. The wine. The pain au chocolat for breakfast.. My recommended way of seeing it all would be on your own time, so you can relax and take as much time as you want to admire the amazingness. There wasn't a single place I went in my time there that I found the slightest bit underwhelming.

I would echo everything said here. I went about 8 years ago with my now wife and we felt the same way about Paris. We were there for about 5 days and could of stayed more. We pretty much walked as much as we could and tried to immerse our self into the city. We didn't go nuts with having to stay so long at each place or be on a strict schedule just enjoyed it on our own time. Amazing city.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Castlerock

I agree. My first time in Paris, I had 2 days plus one morning. We went to the Musee D'Orsay and loved it. Loved it so much that when I was wondering what to do for the ~2 hours I had free on the final morning (alone), I wend BACK to Musee D'Orsay. I had always been kind of 'meh' about Van Gough. Now I understand how great he was. Musee D'Orsay just seems so much more intimate.

Everything I have read basically says the same thing. That being said I think I have to visit the Louvre. We are lucking since my brother in law and sister in law live in London, and we are planning more trips out there, that we will be able to make return visits.

[scooter]

My wife and I went to Paris 10 years ago and stayed at Hotel de la Paix near the Eiffel Tower. We liked the location because it was close to the Tower as well as the Seine, Arc, Champs, etc. Prices were reasonable at the time. The rooms were small, but it was a nice place to stay. It had a breakfast included, but its proximity to Rue Cler (and its markets) meant that we could find our own provisions.

My main suggestion would be to keep your plans flexible. We were in Paris for only a couple days, but the first day we were there, the Metro workers had a strike and the Metro was not working. Getting across town to see something was out of the question. So I suggest having a plan, but always have a Plan B.

Some of my favorite things were Sacre Couer (for the view of Paris), Notre Dame and most of all Saint Chapelle. Being an architect and having sat through hours of architectural history classes, it was incredibly cool to see some of these places in real life.

And a note on "rude" Parisians: my wife studied for a year in France and had some really good advice - attempt to speak French. People will be much nicer to you if you make a good attempt to communicate with them in their own language. Some may even take pity on you and speak English Imagine if someone came into your business and started speaking a language you knew little or nothing about, you would lose patience with them pretty quickly too.

All in all, I hope you have a great time there. Some people hate Paris, but most people love it and try to find ways to get back there again [raises hand].

[Super Ugly]

If you have any interest in literature, pay a visit to the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore, which is right by Notre Dame. A lot of history in that place.

[DaddyTorgo]

Is this a sequel to One Night in Paris?

//really ashamed nobody made that joke yet

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Is this a sequel to One Night in Paris?

//really ashamed nobody made that joke yet

My only foray into this thread was to see how fast it would take for someone to make this comment.

[path12]

I love Paris. Agree that D'Orsay > Louvre, but if you like modern art you shouldn't miss the Pompidou either.

As far as sights go there are just way too many to rank -- the boat tours down the Seine are fun, Luxembourg Gardens was one of my favorite spots, others have named a bunch of other cool sights, but the fact is that unlike any other city I've been to, Paris is a place where there is something amazing to see like every three blocks which makes it a wonderful place to just wander as well.

And do take the time to just hang at an outdoor cafe and people watch. Fuck, now I want to be back in Paris.

[Suburban Rhythm]

How has this not spawned a 'One Night in Bangkok' parody thread?
You disappoint me FOFC!

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Is this a sequel to One Night in Paris?

//really ashamed nobody made that joke yet

I hope there will be a lot of fucking in the sequel.

[Lathum]

I think this is where we are going to stay

Hotel Britannique (Paris, France) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor

great reviews, central location, ambiance, etc...

[Jon]

We went on our honeymoon in October 2012 and we loved it.

We thought the vagrants for the most part were much less than we've encountered in NJ and Seattle, so it shouldn't be a problem if you're used to that IMO.

And the metro machines took our cards without any problems. I would definitely recommend getting the unlimited pass---it looks like it's available for 2 days.

Our favorite was going to the market every few days, picking up some nice fresh cheese and a baguette.

[Neuqua]

I'm thinking of making the same trip in August. Attending a wedding in London on August 2nd, and was thinking of making a trip out to either Paris or Amsterdam (or both) w/ the family & gf for a couple days.

[Sun Tzu]

I spent 10 days there in 2012. If you're only spending two days there, I would recommend skipping out on the Louvre altogether. It's a full-day affaire. You really can't begin to comprehend how absolutely massive that place is until you start walking around inside. You could spend a week in there, and still not see half of the really cool stuff.

I'd recommend taking one day to just walk around for hours on end. Walk up and down the Seine until you can't feel your feet. Eat crepes from food stands downtown. Drink a bottle of wine while sitting in the park. Just be Parisians for a day. Screw the touristy stuff.

On your second day, I would highly recommend doing a guided bike tour. They're relatively inexpensive, plus - what's better than riding around Paris on a bike with your Wife? The answer = nothing.

[BillyNYC]

Was supposed to be in Paris for 4 days a few years back. The Icelandic volcano hit and was "stuck" there an extra 4 days. The horror.

2 days isn't much time at all. I understand the desire to do the Louvre, but it's hard to do it justice in a very short time. Could be done though. In my case, went 90 mins before it closed due to poor planning on my part...but it forced me to make choices. Yes, I only saw a small fraction of it and didn't really have time to fully enjoy it, but it worked for me since I didn't want to spend 4-8 hours in one place.

Paris is definitely a city of neighborhoods. You'll probably hit some of the major tourist sites (and should), but I agree with the idea of roaming a little and just seeing areas. The area between the Sorbonne and Luxembourg Gardens and also by Sacre Coeur were 2 areas I particularly enjoyed.

Food rec: go to a bakery, go to a cheese shop. Get some stuff and make your own picnic.

The Catacombs were interesting, albeit a bit freaky: Homepage The Catacombs: Official website | Catacombes de Paris - Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de la ville de Paris | Paris.fr

You can't really go wrong. In 2 days, you won't possibly be able to do everything...and shouldn't be disappointed if you don't.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by Jon

We thought the vagrants for the most part were much less than we've encountered in NJ and Seattle, so it shouldn't be a problem if you're used to that IMO.

Our favorite was going to the market every few days, picking up some nice fresh cheese and a baguette.

I would quickly gain 20 pounds if I lived in France - solely on baguettes and cheese.

I'm not exactly a word traveler, but I am fairly big, and at no time in my life have I ever run into an aggressive panhandler - except in Seattle. Near downtown, it's crazy sometimes. No one ever made physical contact, but I thought I might have to defend myself (or a friend) a couple of times.

When I was in Rome a couple of years ago, I was prepared for the onslaught of children or panhandlers or pickpockets you read about. Wore a money belt under my clothes and kept only a little bit of money in my wallet. Even in crowded tourist areas, no one even bumped into me. The worst that happened (and it seemed worse for him than for me) was an annoying photographer who seemed to think we couldn't do the touristy photo stuff at Trevi without help.

The panhandlers in Paris were extremely passive. Part of it could have been a record-setting heat wave at the time - almost 100 in May.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by BillyNYC

You can't really go wrong. In 2 days, you won't possibly be able to do everything...and shouldn't be disappointed if you don't.

I won't be, we realize this is a very short trip and thought it would be a fun way to break up the 9 days in London. I understand everyones thoughts on the Louvre, but I just don't think I could go to Paris and not visit the Louvre. No matter what we do we will have fun and likely go back for a longer trip at some point.

Originally Posted by Solecismic

no time in my life have I ever run into an aggressive panhandler - except in Seattle. Near downtown, it's crazy sometimes. No one ever made physical contact, but I thought I might have to defend myself (or a friend) a couple of times.

Not to get to deep into Seattle politics but this doesn't surprise me one bit having lived in Seattle for 5 years. The leadership of the city, and many citizens, church groups, etc...are extremely wecoming of homeless and transients. They view them as poor down on the luck souls who need some help, when in reality most are freeloading druggies and drunks who are choosing that lifestyle. The city completely has turned a blind eye to the issue to the point where it hurts businesses and tourism.

This link is a little snippet as to how warped and naive people are about the issue

Local News | UW won't host Tent City 3 this fall | Seattle Times Newspaper

Tent cities are just one example of how the city caters to this lifestyle and does nothing to actually help people get out of it. When I moved they had just broke ground on a 7 story transitional housing facility for chronically homeless. The facility had no rules on guests, no sex offender screening, and no rules on drinking or being intoxicated. Rumor has it a methadone clinic was going o go on he ground floor. This was in a neighborhood with multiple schools and single family houses.

That city is pretty fucked.