Paris tips

[Poppywell]

Hi everyone - anyone been to Paris? A romantic trip in summer to celebrate a birthday!! Any nice restaurants etc? Wine tour - any little hidden gems?
was going to book the Seine cruise with dinner? Do the usual tourist spots etc! Have booked accommodation but can be cancelled so if ye have any places that were good please let me know xxx thanks so much

 

[Former_Antelopee]

I haven’t been but I know people on the holidays thread have given advice to other people and if you ask I’m sure someone will give more advice

 

[strawb]

Hi everyone - anyone been to Paris? A romantic trip in summer to celebrate a birthday!! Any nice restaurants etc? Wine tour - any little hidden gems?
was going to book the Seine cruise with dinner? Do the usual tourist spots etc! Have booked accommodation but can be cancelled so if ye have any places that were good please let me know xxx thanks so much

i was just in paris last month and i was so pleasantly surprised, i loved it!

nice areas:

• montmartre
• le marais
• latin quarter (my fave)
• pont neuf area
• jardin du luxembourg

places to visit:

• orsay (my favourite museum) - i'd say you'll need about 3 hours
• louvre (of course) - make sure to get a timed entry. take at least 3 hours or more
• versailles (if you have time for a day trip) - also get a timed entry
• the catacombes - not for everyone but i did a guided tour and found it extremely interesting
• sacre coeur - free and no need for a timed entry. go in the morning so it's not as busy
• sainte chapelle - you need a timed entry. incredibly beautiful, highly recommend
• the eiffel tower - tbh nothing special during the day, in the evening it sparkles every hour so i'd say do that!
• l'orangerie
• hotel de la marine
• pantheon
• palais garnier
• *** if you like visiting museums and think you'll do a lot, get a paris museum pass, it's great value. but still book timed entries

food & drinks:

• la contrescarpe in the latin quarter - lovely garden area in the back, nice cocktails & cheese platters
• bofinger - traditional french restaurant, if you want to treat yourself to a nice fancier meal it's perfect
• pink mamma - they have a few locations, make sure to book well in advance. italian, great wine selection
• les deux magots - lovely cafe with food
• cafe d'empire - same. best french onion soup

shopping:

• galerie lafayette
• booksellers by the seine
• shakespeare & co bookshop
• the abbey bookshop

enjoy and send some pics!

 

[Ari-55]

Sorry to sound negative but my advice would be to research common scams so you know what to watch out for. I did this and it saved me twice! A lady attempted the “sign this petition” scam on me and a man tried the “tying a bracelet to your wrist” scam too, both in the Eiffel Tower area. There are police patrolling on horses but that doesn’t stop them. I’ve heard these people can get really aggressive so I just didn’t give them the chance and it didn’t put me off going again.

 

[strawb]

Sorry to sound negative but my advice would be to research common scams so you know what to watch out for. I did this and it saved me twice! A lady attempted the “sign this petition” scam on me and a man tried the “tying a bracelet to your wrist” scam too, both in the Eiffel Tower area. There are police patrolling on horses but that doesn’t stop them. I’ve heard these people can get really aggressive so I just didn’t give them the chance and it didn’t put me off going again.

no one tried anything on me but i did see a fair few of these bracelet sellers around the eiffel tower and sacre coeur too

 

[Hamburglar]

I had the petition thing in Rome loads but I always tell them to jog on didn’t realise it was a scam till I looked up when I got home.

For Paris;
- A picnic in the gardens outside the Eiffel Tower is nice, pop into a local shop and grab some cheese/meats/drinks (just watch for scammers/pickpockets as above)
- YSL have a little coffee bar next to one of their stores where you can get very instagrammable coffee/matcha etc and buy little souvenirs like matches, caps, lighters, water bottles
- Galeries Lafayette Hausmann has a roof terrace which is free and has spectacular views so well worth a visit. Also has a bar up there for drinks/snacks if you fancy.
- Going up the Arc de Triomphe around sunset is stunning
- Montmartre is my favourite neighbourhood, really quirky, lots to see.


The city is pretty well connected via the metro if you’re confident in using it, it’s a cheap and easy way to get around.