Post
by chrysalis33rpm » Thu Nov 02, 2006 7:03 pm
I live in Paris, I have for a few years.
I'd skip some of the suggestions above, especially if you will only be here for two days and want to relax. Skip the Louvre, skip the musée de Quai de Branly, they will be very very crowded. Skip Montparnasse - its a fine skyscraper, but, its just a skyscraper.
Montmartre (the Sacre Coeur cathedral) is wonderful, especially at sunset or sunrise, a great view of the city and the most Parisian of neighborhoods in some ways. Just move quickly through the men trying to sell you bracelets and do not stop in the nearby tourist traps.
The Eiffel Tower is also worth a visit - climb the stairs to the observation platforms (you must be fit!) to avoid the hours long lines to get up the elevators.
Go to the Canal Saint Martin, near the place de la Republique. Walk along it, stop in the cafes and get a beer to drink on the canal. If the weather is nice people will be hanging out with guitars. The heart of the neighborhood is where the canal makes a bend right between the Gare de l'Est (train station) and the hopital St. Louis (hospital). There are plenty of cafes and cool shops, and the Point Ephemere (good club) is where the canal St. Martin ends at the Place de Stalingrad.
The cemetery of Pere Lachaise is worth a visit even if seeing Jim Morrison's grave doesn't interest you - its very beautiful and peaceful, parklike. See Oscar Wilde's tomb, which is covered with kisses!
The Luxembourg gardens, more central in the city, are also a great place to relax and picnic (weather should be clear and cold this weekend, so dress warm!) Walking from the Luxembourg gardens to the Odeon though the Saint Germain quarter and across the Pont des Arts (bridge) will take you to the Louvre and the Tuileries,also a fabulous park. Keep going north you will be at the royal palace which has a cool art installation in the courtyard now. Le Fumoir is a fabulous restaurant across the street from the Louvre - rue de Rivoli and rue de l'Admiral de Coligny.
Anyway, you should have a great time, I agree with whoever above said the best thing is to just walk the streets, just kind of vaguely aim and when you get tired look for a restaurant that looks good (there are many).
Have fun>
...thanks chrysalis33rpm...