Paris… the city of light, among other nicknames.I can just hear that solo musician—a middle-aged man, raggedy clothes, dark hat, thumping his feet— playing what is to me soothing yet upbeat, happy, and quintessentially French music on the street right now. This image/sound is so stuck in my head at the moment that I had to find a clip to share: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP758fDX9j4 Anyways, if you’ve never been to Paris or to France before, make sure that when you do go, you spend a moment to take in this music. I’d fly all the way back to the country this instant just to pick up a croissant and stroll around the boulevards, taking in the sounds, people, and atmosphere all around.
Things to do during your visit:
-Do a bike tour through the company called “Fat Tire”, it lasts about half a day and is an awesome way to start getting acquainted with the city while also seeing some of the main attractions it’s been known for. Every stop gives you an interesting and funny history lesson so you’ll actually enjoy the tour and learning a few facts. You start off at the Eiffel Tower and go to the Louvre, Napoléon’s Tomb, Alexander III Bridge, Musée D’Orsay, break for lunch at the Tuileries Gardens, then continue onto Les Invalides, Grand & Petit Palais, Ecole Militaire, and Place de la Concorde
-Pick up breakfast at an authentic boulangerie. Purchase lots of different types of pastries to taste and share. They are so good you won’t be satisfied with just one
-Make sure you sit at an outdoor café for either lunch or an afternoon coffee
-Have dinner at an authentic French restaurant
-Might I recommend “Le Grand Colbert”, I was with my parents who were visiting friends and I in the city that fall, and they took us to this special place… I remember large seafood platters, chicken and fish dishes, and wine and dessert. It has also been featured in the movie “As Good As It Gets”
-My parents were renting an apartment in the 7ème and loved all the Constant Restaurants
-Pregame in front of the Eiffel Tower. ‘Nough said.
-Visit the touristy things you came to Paris to see
-Divide and conquer with museums, pick one or two (not seven) for your day(s) visit and get the most out of them
-After visiting the Louvre a few times already, my friends and I ventured to the Musée d’Orsay. What an amazing collection of Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, etc…
-Walk down the Champs Élysées for window shopping, and once you’re at the end, cross the street to the underground passageway and you’ll pop up in the center of the Arc de Triomphe. It’s truly magical
-Visit Montmatre, the Marais, the parks
-Go to a daily foods market (usually in the mornings) or a flea market (“le marché aux puces”—my parents and I went to one about 30 minutes outside of Paris in Saint-Ouen)
-Versailles: quite the “hunting lodge” Louis XIII had back in the day. Make your journey there an afternoon visit so you can see all the salons, king and queen’s chambers, gardens, and of course the Hall of Mirrors
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