hi , going to paris next month , just wondering if anyone has been and any advice they could give me about whats worth seeing and what i should avoid.....thanks in advance

Well, I'm sure everyone will say go see The Louvre but keep in mind the place is HUGE! I had ONE day in Paris so my friend and I wound up RUNNING through the Louvre and doing a 10 count in front of all the major art pieces. I'm not much of an art fanatic so my 10 seconds with the Mona Lisa were pretty memorable...

plus it's a fun story...

RenHoek said:

I have been to Paris several times and never went to the Louvre .
I guess the Eiffel tower and the Champs Elysées are a must see. What I liked best is Montmartre. It has a beautiful atmosphere .

Take the train outside Paris and go to the Palace of Versailles--one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I only spent a day there when I was in Paris this year and could have used up that time just walking in the gardens alone. Never even made it to Marie-Antoinette's estate.

http://en.chateauversailles.fr/

sextonseven said:

I just drove by Versailles and didn't go there either .

Serious said:

sextonseven said:

I went to Schloß Schönbrunn here in Vienna for the very first time last fall . And just because we were showing our guests around. But at least I had been to the park and the zoo of Schönbrunn several times before .

And I never have been to Buckingham palace either although I love London .

Serious said:

That's how it is when you live someplace that has lots of tourist attractions. I never go to the hot spots here in NY unless someone visiting asks me to take them and then it's my first time seeing the place in decades if not first time ever.

sextonseven said:

Yeah it makes you realize how beautiful your city is again .

Serious said:

Charlotte and the master were laughing at me when I took them places here because they would ask me questions about where we went and most of my answers were "I don't know. I haven't been here since I was 7."

sextonseven said:

I remember how impressed I was when I did a sightseeing tour with a local friend in Budapest some years ago and he knew everything about the city and it's history. He was amazing. I feel totally stupid as I don't know that much about Vienna. So you have to be forgiving when I show you around . Or will you believe everything I tell you after you had some Absinthe ?

Get the French Fries LOL

I love the Rodin Museum. It has beautiful gardens with Rodin's bronze sculptures and the gold dome of Les Invalides is visible in the distance.

If you want to see a lot of famouse 19th century/early 20th century art, in a more manageable sized museum, go to the Musee d'Orsay. The Louvre is huge; there will be crowds of people huddled around the Mona Lisa so much that it will be hard to see. (It's not a very big painting.)

In my opinion, the Place de la Bastille is not worth seeing. The Bastille is (obviously) no longer there, it's just a big column/marker.

There is a little church not far from Notre-Dame called Saint Chapelle; it has gorgeous, huge stained glass windows.

I adore Paris. Have fun!

sextonseven said:

have you been on the Intrepid? The master has

blackbob said:

Sacre Coeur - a breath taking church. You weren't allowed to take pictures but it's so beautiful I couldn't resist.
Notre Dame - Gorgeous stained glass window.
The Louvre - Even if you run through it in a couple of hours.
Champs du Mars -The park beneath the Eiffel Tower. Hanging out there on a Sunday . . .
Three best views of Paris.
Arc d'Triomphe
La Defense (Just south of the city proper. Outside glass elevator!)
Eiffel Tower (Natch)

Best view is the Eiffel Tower though

Get a subway pass for the duration of your stay. Great way to get around. Drivers in Paris are scary.

RenHoek said:

I could spend days in the Louvre. I'd already museum'd out my best friend in London so we spent less than a day there.

sextonseven said:

YES!
I spent a day at Versailles. I made it to Le Petite Maison.
But that place is HUGE!

Serious said:

In Montmartre, did you go to Sacre Coeur?

jone70 said:

Right across the plaza and the street. I dismissed it and walked right by it to Notre Dame. Left Notre Dame and went strolling through the Left Bank and never made it back.

sextonseven said:

I dunno. I live in the Bay Area and I've been to every tourist attraction except Marine World in Vallejo. .
I wanna see what it is that brings so many people here.

SUPRMAN said:

My then bf took these pictures of it:

SUPRMAN said:

Oh yeah, me too!! Standing on front of those room sized oils you just want to sit there and drink it all in... examine the details and just enjoy the story it's trying to tell...

but sadly, we jogged and ten-counted...

SUPRMAN said:

Maybe it's a NY thing then. A lot of New Yorkers have NOT been to the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, etc.

Serious said:

What time of the year did Peter take these? It looks rather empty. When I was there in the spring, it was packed with tourists.

Serious said:

After some absinthe, I'll believe anything you say and do anything you want.

sextonseven said:

December as you can see on these pictures he also took on that vacation

sextonseven said:

Serious said:

Those are beautiful. Where were the first and third pics taken?

sextonseven said:

Galeries Lafayette

That was a truly wonderful week we spent in Paris. The other times I have been to Paris are mostly bad memories, but that time was near perfect .

Serious said:

[Edited 7/25/09 20:51pm]