I have been to Paris, the capital of France, several times but never as a tourist. But I managed to find 10 top fab favorites while visiting without a problem. The problem was more to decide which 10 things to blog about when there is so many to choose from.
Champagne + Taxi = not so good
But be careful if you drink champagne in a taxi. I did and spilled champange all over my dress when the taxi driver hit the breaks by a traffic light. I quickly jumped out of the taxi to get some napkins from a restaurant by the street.. and left my handbag and mobile in the taxi.... when I turned around the taxi drove off and I was standing in the middle of Paris. I didnt know were I was, had no money, no mobile and didnt speak French. I was kind of releaved when I saw the taxi stop a little bit further down the street waiting for me. He had just driven a few meters to find a place to park.
Top 10 things to do in Paris
1. See the MonaLisa painting at the Louvre museum, go there early to get first in the long queues. I was there on a marvellous cocktail party, a fab feeling. The Louvre used to be a palace of King Louis XIV but was turned into a museum in 1793. The museum displays Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Victory of Samothrace and another 35,000 (!) works of art displayed in over 60,000 square meters.
2. After the culture go shopping. Paris is like shopping heaven.
If you don´t have a lot of time go to the Lafayette department store to buy some expensive designer label souvenirs. (The word souvenir comes from French word for memory). Another nice department store is Printemps.
3. Montmarte is a lovely part of Paris, it is an old art district. Visit it to buy art in the street, eat at cozy restaurants and enjoy the atmosphere. Many famous painters worked here, such as Dalí, Monet, Picasso and van Gogh.
4. When in Montmartre you should also visit the beautiful church Basilica of the Sacré Cœur. It is definitely worth the walk up the hill.
5. The Laperouse is one of the most romantic resturant in Paris.
It was founded in 1766 in a beautiful private mansion on the banks of the Seine River. The bar was started by the the Master of the King’s Beverages to King Louis XV. The restarurant has been visited by many famous stars such as Émile Zola and Alexandre Dumas.
Book one of the small private chambers for a romantic gourmet dinner.
6. The Budda Bar is one of my favourites for a fab evening out with great Asian food and loud music. The bar looks out over the dining area where a gigantic Buddha sits on its throne. Don´t forget to buy the Buddha Bar cd before you leave so you can bring the feeling to your home.
7. A wine tasting class at the wine museum, Musee du vin, was a lovely exepriecnce and I learned a lot about wine.
We had a marvellous wine tasing followed by a nice meal in the historic surroundings. The Wine Museum is housed in what used to be crude limestone quarries that were mined between the 13th and the 18th centuries to provide the dressed stoneused to build Paris.
8. After walking on the famous street Champs-Élysées go to the beautiful monument the Arc de Triomphe and take some pictures.
It stands on the Place Charles de Gaulle and is the second largest triumphal arch in the world.
The monument is huge, 50 m in height and 45 m wide and I read that Charles Godefroy flew with an airplane through it in 1919.
9. The perfect ending of a day in Paris is a dinner at the Eifel Tower
10. followed by a slow one hour cruise on the Seine River. You can book it through a tour operator.
Where to stay? Well if you trust Coco Chanel´s good taste, the Ritz Paris hotel is the choice for you. She lived here for many years and it is one if the most luxurious hotels in Paris.
More shopping?
The best markets in Paris are Marché Pual Bert and Marché Serpette, The market in Saint-Quen Paris 18e.
Didier Ludot, 33 rue Valois Paris 1 for vintage clothes, close to Palais Royal.
I also got a recommendation for these restaurants but I haven´t tried them yet.
* La Tour d´Argent is apparently the most famous (and expensive?) restaurant in France and a Tsar and a few Kings and Queens have dined here.
* A lunch in the garden of restaurant Laurent looks marvellous and the beautiful pictures on their website makes me want to call them to reserve a table immediately.
* The restaurant at Hotel le Meurice, 228 rue de Rivoli, also try their spa
* Caffé Burlot, 9 Rue de Coliseé Paris 8e and Italian restaurant with beautiful interior design. Nice food and beautiful place.
PS. Did you bring your kids? Stay an extra day and go to Eurodisney, totally fun for the young ones. But avoid to go there in July-August when it is totally overcrowed.
Three must-visit-parts of Paris according to Ving is:
* Marais with restaurants, art gallery, a hectic nightlife and the most romantic square in Paris: Place de Vosges.
* Saint-Germain-Des-Prés, the area between Seine the the Luxembourg garden is an exclusive area for designer shopping and cafés.
* Montmarte, the area for art and culture.
Champagne + Taxi = not so good
But be careful if you drink champagne in a taxi. I did and spilled champange all over my dress when the taxi driver hit the breaks by a traffic light. I quickly jumped out of the taxi to get some napkins from a restaurant by the street.. and left my handbag and mobile in the taxi.... when I turned around the taxi drove off and I was standing in the middle of Paris. I didnt know were I was, had no money, no mobile and didnt speak French. I was kind of releaved when I saw the taxi stop a little bit further down the street waiting for me. He had just driven a few meters to find a place to park.
Top 10 things to do in Paris
1. See the MonaLisa painting at the Louvre museum, go there early to get first in the long queues. I was there on a marvellous cocktail party, a fab feeling. The Louvre used to be a palace of King Louis XIV but was turned into a museum in 1793. The museum displays Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Victory of Samothrace and another 35,000 (!) works of art displayed in over 60,000 square meters.
2. After the culture go shopping. Paris is like shopping heaven.
If you don´t have a lot of time go to the Lafayette department store to buy some expensive designer label souvenirs. (The word souvenir comes from French word for memory). Another nice department store is Printemps.
3. Montmarte is a lovely part of Paris, it is an old art district. Visit it to buy art in the street, eat at cozy restaurants and enjoy the atmosphere. Many famous painters worked here, such as Dalí, Monet, Picasso and van Gogh.
4. When in Montmartre you should also visit the beautiful church Basilica of the Sacré Cœur. It is definitely worth the walk up the hill.
5. The Laperouse is one of the most romantic resturant in Paris.
It was founded in 1766 in a beautiful private mansion on the banks of the Seine River. The bar was started by the the Master of the King’s Beverages to King Louis XV. The restarurant has been visited by many famous stars such as Émile Zola and Alexandre Dumas.
Book one of the small private chambers for a romantic gourmet dinner.
6. The Budda Bar is one of my favourites for a fab evening out with great Asian food and loud music. The bar looks out over the dining area where a gigantic Buddha sits on its throne. Don´t forget to buy the Buddha Bar cd before you leave so you can bring the feeling to your home.
7. A wine tasting class at the wine museum, Musee du vin, was a lovely exepriecnce and I learned a lot about wine.
We had a marvellous wine tasing followed by a nice meal in the historic surroundings. The Wine Museum is housed in what used to be crude limestone quarries that were mined between the 13th and the 18th centuries to provide the dressed stoneused to build Paris.
8. After walking on the famous street Champs-Élysées go to the beautiful monument the Arc de Triomphe and take some pictures.
It stands on the Place Charles de Gaulle and is the second largest triumphal arch in the world.
The monument is huge, 50 m in height and 45 m wide and I read that Charles Godefroy flew with an airplane through it in 1919.
9. The perfect ending of a day in Paris is a dinner at the Eifel Tower
10. followed by a slow one hour cruise on the Seine River. You can book it through a tour operator.
Where to stay? Well if you trust Coco Chanel´s good taste, the Ritz Paris hotel is the choice for you. She lived here for many years and it is one if the most luxurious hotels in Paris.
More shopping?
The best markets in Paris are Marché Pual Bert and Marché Serpette, The market in Saint-Quen Paris 18e.
Didier Ludot, 33 rue Valois Paris 1 for vintage clothes, close to Palais Royal.
I also got a recommendation for these restaurants but I haven´t tried them yet.
* La Tour d´Argent is apparently the most famous (and expensive?) restaurant in France and a Tsar and a few Kings and Queens have dined here.
* A lunch in the garden of restaurant Laurent looks marvellous and the beautiful pictures on their website makes me want to call them to reserve a table immediately.
* The restaurant at Hotel le Meurice, 228 rue de Rivoli, also try their spa
* Caffé Burlot, 9 Rue de Coliseé Paris 8e and Italian restaurant with beautiful interior design. Nice food and beautiful place.
PS. Did you bring your kids? Stay an extra day and go to Eurodisney, totally fun for the young ones. But avoid to go there in July-August when it is totally overcrowed.
Three must-visit-parts of Paris according to Ving is:
* Marais with restaurants, art gallery, a hectic nightlife and the most romantic square in Paris: Place de Vosges.
* Saint-Germain-Des-Prés, the area between Seine the the Luxembourg garden is an exclusive area for designer shopping and cafés.
* Montmarte, the area for art and culture.
Paris is one of the most gorgeous and incredible cities in the world. There are plenty of places for visiting and you can’t avoid anything because all places are stunning and should visit there.
ReplyDeleteThe top places like La Madeleine, Orsay Museum, Eiffel Tower and Montmartre/Sacre Coeur etc.