All right, internationalista KPC fans. The Mungowitzei need some help, here. What are we going to do in Paris?
Check this weather forecast: We will be there for two full days, Monday and Tuesday....
Monday: Heavy rain, local flooding, thunderstorms, high of 23 C
Tuesday: Heavy continuous rain, extensive local flooding, high of 24 C
Not a lot of walking. Apart from the obvious (i.e., art museums), what should we see in the monsoons of Paris?
8 comments:
I'm not sure that I can add a lot that isn't obvious, but I will say that going inside Notre Dame is over-rated. It's a beautiful building to see, especially from the side with the flying buttresses - I've never seen architecture quite like that - and the inside is beautiful, but it's also very crowded and noisy. Unless you just want to say that you've been there, I'd just walk around the exterior and be done with it.
I'm not sure which station it is, and haven't been able to find it, but there is a metro station near one of the train stations which has a very cool, futuristic feel.
I didn't go on one, but they do have Segway tours around the city, if you want to see a lot of the highlights, and don't mind standing, but do want to walk.
The Place de la Concorde is the focal point of an architecturally interesting area. The obelisk there is 3300 years old.
Overall, most of Paris is so historic that there's very few directions in which you could go without running into something interesting. The best thing, I think, would be to find a way to make sure that you recognize those spots. Guided tours may be touristy, but they're a pretty efficient way of taking in the sights.
Many museums are closed on Monday, so check first.
Sainte-Chapelle is a must. It won't take long but you have to see it. Then walk by Notre Dame and cross the bridge to Île Saint-Louis to Berthillon's for the finest ice cream in the world.
Visit the Louvre and afterwords, treat yourself to Angelina's at 226 rue de Rivoli for a cup of their hot chocolate l'Africain. Continue back through the Tuileries Garden and see Monet's Lilly Pond works at the Musée de l'Orangerie.
If you are an opera or balletomane, the Paris Opera House is quite fun.
For dinner, try Le Coupe-Chou in the latin quarter (9 et 11 rue de Lanneau 75005 Paris) www.lecoupechou.com
If it is raining, go underground!
The Catacombs are simply amazing to see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris
And the sewer museum is surprisingly very interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Sewer_Museum
I've been to Notre Dame many different seasons, and always thought it quiet and peaceful. The one time it was really crowded was right after John Paul II had died and there was a memorial Mass. There are always crowds of tourists, but they are going around the perimeter looking at the stained class windows, so if you sit down in a pew it is quite calm. I think it's terrific and if you get there at the right time, there's a nice choir. I can stay there for hours.
Lots of art museums, easy for the smallish Picasso Museum to get lost in it all. The palace is cool too. Royal bed had a little fence with a gate around it. Make up your own joke. Forgot where Winged Victory is, but find it. Otherwise, just eat eat eat, like at this place: http://www.toptable.com/en-gb/venue/?id=2177
Versailles
Louvre, period. Indoors, plus you have the advantage of it being the size of a small country, by which I mean you can easily spend two days there.
"Sainte-Chapelle is a must."
I agree. Number one site in Paris.
Louvre is also a must.
Avoid Notre Dame - it's not worth it to spend any considerable time in it.
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