Visiting Paris (besides the obvious touristy stuff)

Culture
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Sorry if this is the wrong section. I didn’t find anything recent on the topic in the suggestions box.

We’re meeting American friends in Paris at the end of this month for two nights and three days. We’ve been there before; they have not. They’re going to be doing one of those bus tours that spends a few days in Paris and then heads off to other cities. We’ll see them before that tour starts.

As they’ll get to see some of the obvious touristy stuff (Arc, Champs and Eiffel), and we’ve already seen some of it on our few trips, I’m hoping for suggestions of hidden gems that are not the obvious stuff. For example, an amazing boulangerie/patisserie, restaurants to try for lunch and dinner, museums that don’t take hours to visit, nice parks, cool historical sites that aren’t in every guidebook, etc. Also, is there a river cruise that isn’t a tourist/money trap?

We will still do some “usual” stuff, such as take them to Versailles since that’s not on their tour.

We’ve booked a hotel in La Defense since we’ve been there before, and we’ll have our car. However, we’re open to taking public transport or a taxi if it makes more sense to reach certain spots. I seem to recall parking in Paris is hit-and-miss on availability. Any other transport suggestions?

Should we know about any strikes or other issues at the moment? A colleague said a friend of hers was in Paris recently and had their car damaged by protesters.

Language shouldn’t be a problem, as we have a native French speaker amongst us. Cost is a minimal factor. Although we’d like to be budget-conscious, this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for most Americans so our friends are willing to splurge and we can handle it for a few days.

Thanks for any advice, we’re super excited! :star_struck:

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:joy::joy::joy::joy:

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Uh oh, should I have gone with non-existent?? :smiling_face: We’re in France regularly, it’s been several years since we went to Paris.

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I’ll look out some places for you tomorrow

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Here’s a rich pairing: go to see Monet’s Waterlilies in the Orangerie and then take a few minutes walk along the Seine to visit St Chapelle. If it’s a sunny day the latter is an even more incredible visual experience than spending time with the Monet’s. Post-Impressionism v. Gothic aesthetics of light! But you don’t need to know that - both are just unforgettable experiences

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Forget parking, use the metro. Cheap as chips but watch out for pickpockets (and their distractions). Go on a river boat from the Eiffel tower ( if you get off at Nitre Dame, there’s a great bistro across the road (can’t remember its name but very Allo allo :rofl:), go look at the artists work on the Montmartre, its very boho too.

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The Paris Catacombs, amazing place.

https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en

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Second St Chapelle, and then walk down to see how the work on Notre Dame is getting on. Big photos all the way round the hoarding and interesting explanations. The works are very impressive!

It’s the 4th anniversary tomorrow snd Macron is popping by, so will all be spruced up and tidy. And Île de la cité gives a grest impression on tbe river. And from there you czn do lots on foot. Which is the best way to see Paris.

I w

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It’s quite a way out and dead at night (I spent twenty-five years traveling to our EHQ there :roll_eyes:) so I suggest staying in the Marais instead, which is my preferred base whenever I’m in Paris. You can pretty well walk everywhere from there.

If you’re committed to La Defense certainly don’t drive into Town, take the RER from under the concourse. The one thing maybe worth doing there is lunch at the top of the Grande Arche. The food isn’t great but the views from the roof above the restaurant are :slightly_smiling_face: (note there’s no view from the resto, you need to go outside and up the steps to the top). You’ll need to book in advance and it’s not expensive. Here’s the view, if you zoom in on the centre you’ll see the Arc de Triomphe straight ahead.

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Despite having stayed in the Marais quite a bit this article was news to me. I’ll hunt this out next time I’m there…

Find Paris’s secret village hidden in the bustling Marais district

Independent shops and tranquil courtyards - you can forget finding the maze-like Village Saint-Paul on Google Maps

Saint-Paul is a ‘village’ unknown to most Parisians.

Even Google Maps gets it wrong, confusing it with a building occupied by a Monoprix between the rue Saint-Paul, rue Saint-Antoine and rue Neuve Saint-Pierre.

Village Saint-Paul is on the opposite block, ensconced within rue Saint-Paul, rue Charlemagne, rue des Jardins de Saint-Paul, and rue de l’Avé Maria in Le Marais, Paris’ fourth arrondissement.

After the Google Maps fail, the only saving grace are the billboards that the mairie has placed near the ten-entrance vaults.

These lead to an inner maze-like greenery backdrop of six interconnected courtyards, where several shops occupy buildings in the oldest area of Paris.

Trees and cobblestone streets

Having passed through the vaults, it is hard to believe you are at the centre of one of the busiest cities in the world.

“It really feels like you are in a village. Everyone knows each other here,” said Alexandre Schrepfer, director of the architecture company Alexandre Schrepfer Architectes, who has rented a space here since 2006.

Paris mairie finished another overall renovation of the area in September 2021, which created more space for trees and flowers to flourish around cobblestone streets, after the first conducted by architect Félix Gatier from 1970 to 1981.

Saved from destruction in 1962

Village Saint-Paul is located in the former gardens of King Charles V, who reigned France from 1338 to 1380, and who ordered the construction of the Wall of Philip II Augustus, where farmers once used its excellent soil to grow fruit and vegetables.

The village was saved from destruction in 1962 by writer and Education minister André Malraux, who drafted a law that sought to preserve the îlot 16, as one part of 17 districts of Paris declared insalubrious after WWI.

It then comprised more than 50 run-down buildings of 28 square metres on average, with half of them having no running water in 1971.

“On most of these quays […] there are no outstanding monuments. This is privileged scenery that Paris has offered the world to see, and that we wish to protect with an equal consideration to its monuments,” Malraux said in a speech at the Assemblée Nationale on July 24, 1962, and which is now displayed in carved letters at the village.

Few people chance upon the businesses

Craft workshops, photography galleries, antique shops and restaurants compose most of the 40 ground-floor shops, with some having access from nearby streets.

One brasserie has put the emphasis on the rather uncharted territory, calling itself Bistrot Caché (Hidden bistrot.)

Cathy Abt, manager of the restaurant La petite maison dans la cour (Little house in the courtyard), often struggles to attract clients on weekdays, since very few people chance upon or wander around the courtyards.

Weekends and the summer season are better, she said. “There is a bit of an entre-soi atmosphere with everybody staying in their own bubble,” she said, highlighting the downside of the area.

Despite being previously unaware of the village, as Parisians Mr Schrepfer and Ms Abt benefit from competitive rents, since spaces are owned by the Régie Immobilière de la Ville de Paris, a public-housing agency maintaining affordable housing.

As a result, they seized the opportunity to install their businesses there.

“I do not see the appeal in moving to a building on Boulevard Sébastopol,” said Mr Schrepfer.

and….

I’d also advise putting the Musée D’Orsay on the must do list. And if feeling adventurous there are guided electric bike tours which we did a few years ago and really enjoyed.

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I always liked the Paris parks, but then maybe it’s because I was living in the city and it was a nice escape at times. I’d walk down to Bois de Boulogne (it’s fine in the day time!), and visit the beautiful rose gardens (Parc Bagatelle) or take the little boat to the island and laze out with the rabbits that live there.

The Albert Kahn gardens in Boulogne-Billancourt (just to the edge of Paris, but reachable by metro) is definitely worth a visit.

Parc des Buttes Chaumont (a former quarry) is also a very nice location, sitting in the north-east. Père Lachaise Cemetery was also one of my favourite haunts (no pun intended!) - it’s usually very quiet there, and beautiful in its own way. There’s a whole lot of interesting historical figures to visit.

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Take a torch or two.

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Definitely eat at Chartier, there are two or three in Paris. Good food and terrific atmosphere.

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You could try Au Pied du Cochon, went there a few years ago😋

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For seafood try Le Wepler on Place de Clichy.

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For a manageable museum set in a lovely building:

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Thanks for all the tips so far, much appreciated! :+1: We’re committed to staying in La Defense with hotels already booked, and it’s where our friends’ trip group will be staying. However, a visit to the Marais area sounds nice.

A few questions about transport:

  1. Do we need to know anything in particular about taking our car through town, such as needing an environmental sticker or anything? My husband read that certain areas are not accessible by car unless you have a particular colour of sticker. We probably won’t drive much, but it’s good to know any rules in case we do.
  2. Is there a day or weekend pass for the metro?
  3. A friend suggested to get one of the transponders for the freeways since we visit France somewhat often. Is that possible with a non-French address? How much does it cost?

SF is a great resource, thank you!

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Yep, you can get a daily unlimited pass for the Metro. It costs approx €8,50 per person iirc. There’s a weekly pass but don’t know about a weekend one, so worst case scenario just buy the daily ones each day.

I’m afraid I can’t help with the other questions as I never drive in Paris. I just get the TGV and Metro.

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This may help? Although may not be entirely accurate - give way the the right, maybe. These days in many places there are now stop and “give way” signs for people coming up to roundabouts and turning out of side turnings.

Does your hotel have a carpark? If so, book a space, and forget your car while you are there - Paris is small and the metro is superb.

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For the tolls we have used toll tickets in the past and bip & go nowadays, it makes life so much easier especially with a RHD car.

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You’ll need a Crit’air sticker if you wish to drive within the Périphérique (which you’ll need to do to get to La Défense. Further info available here.

Apply for your crit’air vignette here.

Choose ’ Véhicule immatriculé à l’étranger’

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