“Each age has its pleasures, its spirit and its customs” – Nicolas Boileau
Do we really need this section? Just walking around is already half the fun. There are tens of thousands of things to see and do in Paris, and people’s interests vary from Tibetan restaurants to Roman ruins to locksmiths’ museums. There is no shortage of good times here. What your trip to Paris can and will be all depends on your personal tastes and interests, energy level, health, length of stay and, hélas, your budget!
Join Thérèse from Vancouver for a glass of rosé at the Closerie des Lilas – one of Hemingway’s favorite haunts!
Singing and Dancing on la rue Mouffetard. Fun for all ages
Often, the temptation is to pack everything one possibly can when visiting one of the world’s “great cities”. A word of advice- don’t do it! Be kind to yourself and, before you leave, know thyself. Are you a hard-core museums and monuments type, or more of a “go-with-the flow flaneur”? Are you aching to ride up the Eiffel Tower and lock eyes with the Mona Lisa? Are you a serious wine and foodie? A simple bon vivant? Are you pathological about pastries? Is this a shopping mission in which just want to go to the famous “Soldes” (huge sales) at Galleries Lafayette? Or, perhaps you’ve always fantasized about going to a risqué cabaret, such as the Moulin Rouge or The Crazy Horse…Pourquoi pas? Whatever your pleasure, you are sure to find it here. Just make a list of the “must-dos” and the “would be nice to dos”. If you can’t squeeze in something on this trip, don’t worry, the city of light is not going anywhere soon. Think positively and remember, you’ll “always have Paris” (round 2, or 3).
Also, when planning your trip, don’t forget you will need to factor in a bit of recoup time to get over possible jet-lag, depending on from where you are coming , along with some lead time for your trip back home (sniff, sniff)
One thing I recommend highly is taking a hop-on, hop off bus trip and/or a cruise down the Seine. Both options give you a great overview of the “must-sees” comfortably and at an affordable price. You’ll really feel that you’ve seen the stunning beauty of this poetic city… and can then spend the rest of your time drinking in her soul.
Check out some of these links or get yourself a couple of good guidebooks, and start planning! You can even purchase some tickets on-line and this will save you money and, very often, from terribly long line-ups!
An especially useful and easy-to-red guide is just called PARIS, and it’s published by Dorling-Kindersley under the Eyewitness series.
See:http://www.amazon.com/Paris-EYEWITNESS-TRAVEL-GUIDE-Tillier/dp/1564581853
La grande roue ferris wheel…
The magnifique Galleries Lafayette department store.
Foodie fun at one of many outdoor “foire” or food fairs- held across the city throughout the year.
A fun video interview with PFS’s own Keith Spicer about his 2009 book “Paris Passions -Watching the French Being Brilliant and Bizarre.”
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In addition to the recommended tour companies under “Fantastique Links” of this website, here is a one-stop list of Paris tours, cruises, activities and fun day-trips.
http://www.partner.viator.com/en/967/Paris/d479-ttd
Thinking about staying in Paris a little longer? You just might decide to! Since 1988, FUSAC (France-USA Contacts) has been helping the anglophone community in Paris find short and long term apartment rentals, jobs, friends, places of worship and so much more. Here is the on-line version. http://www.fusac.info/last/index.html
This English language website is an excellent resource echoed across Europe in other countries, is a must: http://paris.angloinfo.com/
Another all-purpose guide gives you hundreds of valuable leads and useful contact information:
http://www.paris-anglo.com/index.php
Something very fun and informative PFS recently did in Paris was take part in a special “Culture through Food and Storytelling” cooking class at le Foodist! If you love food and history, you will want to book one of Fréderic’s unique line-up of classes, hosted dinners, market visits, “daring pairings” and “sweet stories” pastry classes. Here is a link to le Foodist.
Looking for romance? Set up some meetings before you leave at these popular sites for over 50s:
and
http://www.senior-rencontre.com/
GOOD LUCK!
60 Second Paris - YouTube