Three Days in Paris - October - recommendations

[Greg Costello]

Like the title says. I'll be spending 3 days in Paris on a layover between Africa and Seattle in September. Looking for tips on places to stay, eat, visit etc. that aren't on the typical to do list. Merci beaucoup!

[davids]

My wife and I spent 10 days in Paris last spring, and I had three of the best meals of my life there:

Cafe Etamine, 13, Rue des Ecouffes, 75004 Paris (4th Arrondissement)

Tiny, warm and wonderful. My wife's TripAdvisor review: "We loved this spot and would have returned if it had been possible. It seems to be wholly run by two talented and very happy gentlemen who clearly enjoy every aspect of their craft from cooking to arranging the food artfully and providing warm hospitality without intrusiveness, the food is delicious and underpriced in comparison with other places. A real find."

La Fontaine du Mars, 29, rue Saint-Dominique, 75011 Paris (11th Arrondissement)

The only famous place we went to (the Obamas dined here), we got a late evening reservation and found everything about this place country-French exquisite. I had perfect Steak Frites, and my wife had a cassoulet that was even better. This place is quintessentially Parisian.

Le Bistrot de l'Université, 40 Rue Université, 75007 Paris (7th Arrondissement)

Kind of like Cafe Etamine, this was unexpected bliss. We went on our last night and I arrived at our table quite grumpy (we'd walked from our hotel near the Tour Eiffel, got caught up in an anti-gay marriage protest near the National Assembly and been forced to detour way out of our way, and I was tired, hungry and frustrated.) By the time I left I was relaxed, sated and happy. My wife's review: "Very nice service. We dropped by at 10 pm in this neighborhood where very little was open, much nearby can seem pricey and the blocks are long so there can be a lot of walking between restaurants making them hard to compare. Everything was perfectly prepared, the waiter even gave my husband an extra-large serving of Poire William "because this is not enough to leave in the bottle!" The food was top quality, well-prepared and while service was attentive, the atmosphere is very relaxed-almost like eating in your own sitting room!"

We also had an excellent meal at Le Petit Marche (9, rue de Bearn) but it was more typical of what we'd get at a fine US restaurant. My wife's review: "Really good food, nice service, relaxed atmosphere, good value. Just the right mix of French plus updated creativity. Very generous portions of lovingly prepared food."


We mostly stayed at Hotel Paris Rivoli (19, Rue de Rivoli, 75004 Paris) which was ideally located between the Siene and the Marais. Nothing fancy - a small room with a tiny balcony four stories above a major street. I highly recommend a central location that makes it easy to walk or bike anywhere. This hotel met these requirements. We also stayed in a small boutique hotel near the Tour Eiffel after returning from LBL. It was fine but I preferred our first location.

Other recommendations:

• Rent a bike. Like most great cities, a bicycle is an ideal way to get around.
• Visit lots of museums. I know this isn't exactly unique advice, but they are amazing. We did a museum every other day, and I feel like I got a taste of what is on view in these treasure troves. Go to the Louvre very early and enter through Lion's Gate. I walked right up to the Mona Lisa while the crowds began to pour up the stairs from the pyramid entrances. Go to Musée d'Orsay.
• Go to the top of Arc de Triomphe and soak in the views.
• Take one of the tours at Norte Dame. It was the twelfth century's version of the Apollo Program.
• Go to Sainte-Chapelle. Just go.

Or do nothing I recommend. I could go spend another ten days with a completely different itenerary and have just as great a time.

But do go to Sainte-Chapelle.

[jitahs]

Being from Seattle I'm going to assume two things: that you own a Kindle and drink coffee.

Download A.J. Liebling's An Appetite for Paris, read on plane.
Go to Deux Magots, get your coffee black avec pichet. Sit there and watch. Everything about the current coffee scene originates from that corner. IIRC a separatist attack on that same corner Metro stop happened a couple of decades ago.

Anyway wandering around, with food and other history in mind, is probably the best thing I can think of to do there.

[j44ke]

+1 on the Fontaine du Mars. Food is amazing. A lot of people you see there seem to eat at the restaurant frequently enough the waiters know them. They now have expanded their seating a bit, so it is easier to get in the door. Make reservations in advance of your trip though.

Fondation Henri Cartier Bresson is a good stop for excellent photography. Not just Cartier Bresson's but other artists as well. Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson

Musee du Quai Branly has one of the best ethnographic collections in the world. Really tremendous Pacific islands artifacts. Doesn't get nearly the traffic that the art museums do. musée du quai Branly: accueil

Cycles Alex Singer is sort of a pilgrimage site for cyclotouristes but it is enjoyable just generally and out of the way. Cycles Alex Singer - Construction de velos sur mesure. Réparation, entretien du velo de course et du velo de randonnée. Vente de composants, pièces de rechange, produits de comsommation. Toutes spécialités pour la course.

Marché Mouffetard is in most tourist books, but I never see that many tourists there. Again, it is away from the museums and such behind (sort of) the Pantheon. Excellent food you can buy and carry down to the church of Saint Medard and eat in the square there. Marché Mouffetard | Rue Mouffetard 5e | Shops | Time Out Paris

[Shinomaster]

Saint Chapelle
Notre Dame
Louvre is a big waste of time
Kebap in the Latin quarter with a can of Dutch beer
Muse d'Orsay
Walk around over a few bridges, Paris is very walkable.
Rodin Museum
Wish I made it to Montmartre.
Eat as many pasteries you can.
Double butter croissants
I just watched an Anthony Bourdain show about some of the new food in Paris.. he has some good shows about Paris you can find on Youtube.

[maunahaole]

We went to the sewer museum. It was actually really cool. Worth it if you geek out about infrastructure. Takes a couple hours, tops.

[davids]

Saint Chapelle
Notre Dame
Louvre is a big waste of time
Kebap in the Latin quarter with a can of Dutch beer
Muse d'Orsay
Walk around over a few bridges, Paris is very walkable.
Rodin Museum
Wish I made it to Montmartre.
Eat as many pasteries you can.
Double butter croissants
I just watched an Anthony Bourdain show about some of the new food in Paris.. he has some good shows about Paris you can find on Youtube.

I had a great time at the Louvre - after speed-walking to the Mona Lisa (it's a nice painting, but there's another DeVinci just as nice, around the corner where no one cares to look...) we ducked away from the masses of tourists and spent time in some less-famous galleries - the new Islamic art wing, the basement with the foundations of the original fortress, the Netherlands & Flanders painting on the 2nd floor.

But this is the Mona Lisa 15 minutes after the museum opens:

Attachment 68564

This is the other side of that wall, several seconds later:

Attachment 68565

Montmartre was fun but full of tourists. We took the tram to Sacré-Cœur, walked through it and then down the back of the hill. I liked walking through a real Parisian neighborhood more than through the preserved-in-amber bars of Montmartre...

I agree with everything else you said.

Oh, plus this:

Attachment 68563

[nrs5000]

Recent Kermit Lynch Paris eating recommendations here.

We've stayed a couple times the Hotel le Clos Medicis near the Luxembourg Gardens, and would stay there again. It was hospitable and a good value.

Plan to do some things but also leave plenty of time to just wander around.

[Shinomaster]

I had a great time at the Louvre - after speed-walking to the Mona Lisa (it's a nice painting, but there's another DeVinci just as nice, around the corner where no one cares to look...) we ducked away from the masses of tourists and spent time in some less-famous galleries - the new Islamic art wing, the basement with the foundations of the original fortress, the Netherlands & Flanders painting on the 2nd floor.

But this is the Mona Lisa 15 minutes after the museum opens:

Attachment 68564

This is the other side of that wall, several seconds later:

Attachment 68565

Montmartre was fun but full of tourists. We took the tram to Sacré-Cœur, walked through it and then down the back of the hill. I liked walking through a real Parisian neighborhood more than through the preserved-in-amber bars of Montmartre...

I agree with everything else you said.

Oh, plus this:

Attachment 68563

I spent two weeks there living right by the Luxembourg gardens. I just walked everywhere and had the city memorized for a while.. I love the Il de la cite.. I just loved walking over the bridges.. Louvre is great like the Met if you want to spend all day in a sterile museum environment. I went to about two museums a day for about two weeks.. got burned out. I was in art school at the time so it was a wonderful experience though. I really liked the Mussee de L'Orangerie fwiw. I actually really liked Versailles.. that was cool. Good to know about Montmartre, so I don't feel so bad now. I arrived the day apres Christmas though.. so the city was sorta empty and the people were very friendly. Yule logs everywhere.

[Shinomaster]

Made this when I got back. Boston seemed so lame when I got back in 1995. There were no crepes in Boston!

[jitahs]

Recent Kermit Lynch Paris eating recommendations here.

.

Good stuff. Kermit's an ex-neighbor and funny guy, always driving around smiling with characteristic two hands on top of the wheel. Need to start reading his newsletters again.

[vertical_doug]

Saint Chapelle
Notre Dame
Louvre is a big waste of time
Kebap in the Latin quarter with a can of Dutch beer
Muse d'Orsay
Walk around over a few bridges, Paris is very walkable.
Rodin Museum
Wish I made it to Montmartre.
Eat as many pasteries you can.
Double butter croissants
I just watched an Anthony Bourdain show about some of the new food in Paris.. he has some good shows about Paris you can find on Youtube.

I went to the Louvre just to see the Chardin still-lifes.
Afterwards, you can go to the Orsay to see the Cezanne still-lifes, and you never need to see another still-life.

Ask the hotel where you are staying for directions to a farmers market. Cheese, salami, hams, pastries, just go nuts.

[maunahaole]

Farmers market should be easy to find.

Go sit with the polar bear at the Orsay.

[busdriver1959]

You can't go and skip the Louvre, you just can't. When you come out, head straight through the gardens to L'Orangerie as mentioned above. I didn't think I'd like it. I was wrong. Don't miss it.
I'd recommend buying the Museum Pass if you are going to more than one museum. You can buy it at the first one you go to. You'll be able to get in without waiting in the long lines at many of the museums.
I get a kick out of renting the "Velib" rental bikes that are all over the city. If your credit card doesn't have a chip in it you probably can't use it in their machines but you can go to their website before you go over there and sign up for a few euros worth. You will get access codes you can use instead of a credit card.
Since it's a short visit, I'd recommend learning how to purchase tickets and use the metro. You can get around quickly that way but do spend time walking around slowly. You won't regret it.
Paris is very safe but if young girls approach you with a clipboard and make motions like they want you to sign something, look them straight in the eye and say no firmly. Don't stop for them. Also, if somebody "finds" a ring on the ground right in front of you, again, say no firmly and keep walking.

[davids]

The Manets at Musee d'Orsay. The Manets.

I couldn't tell you how well I thought I knew "Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe". Then I stood in front of the actual painting and, oh my God. Oh. My. God.

[davids]

You can't go and skip the Louvre, you just can't. When you come out, head straight through the gardens to L'Orangerie as mentioned above. I didn't think I'd like it. I was wrong. Don't miss it.
I'd recommend buying the Museum Pass if you are going to more than one museum. You can buy it at the first one you go to. You'll be able to get in without waiting in the long lines at many of the museums.
I get a kick out of renting the "Velib" rental bikes that are all over the city. If your credit card doesn't have a chip in it you probably can't use it in their machines but you can go to their website before you go over there and sign up for a few euros worth. You will get access codes you can use instead of a credit card.
Since it's a short visit, I'd recommend learning how to purchase tickets and use the metro. You can get around quickly that way but do spend time walking around slowly. You won't regret it.
Paris is very safe but if young girls approach you with a clipboard and make motions like they want you to sign something, look them straight in the eye and say no firmly. Don't stop for them. Also, if somebody "finds" a ring on the ground right in front of you, again, say no firmly and keep walking.

Yes to every last one of these.
Get a chip and pin credit card. They're coming to the US, but still rare.
The ring thing - A friend of ours actually fell for this at Versailles. So we were warned and primed. When it happened to us - and, oh yeah, it happened - we laughed in the young woman's face. She seemed genuinely surprised.

[Greg Costello]

Great stuff everyone. Many thanks!

[Shinomaster]

I got to see this epic show at the Grand Palais. Good times; I guess it was 1996. I did not want to come back from Paris. If you like modern art the Centre Pompidou is worth a trip. Crazy building, fantastic collection on the top floor.

[Shinomaster]

This is my favorite da Vinchi at the Louvre fwiw. It's lovely. The Virgin and Child with St. Anne (Leonardo) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Mabouya]

Maybe you'll run into an old girlfriend:



This song has moved me since I first heard it in the early 70's. I love the rhymes -

"Je t'ai écrit cent fois, mais toujours sans réponse"

Je voudrais, si tu veux, sans vouloir te forcer
Te revoir à nouveau, enfin... si c'est possible
Si tu en as envie, si tu es disponible
Si tu n'as rien oublié
Comme moi qui n'ai rien oublié