Who here's been to Paris??

Hi ladies! DH and I are off to Paris the second week of October. I have my wish list of things to do, but wanted to see who's been and if there are any must sees we should definitely check out? Restaurants, shops, neighborhoods, museums, underground stuff that might not be in the guide books...anything!

thanks!

I have not been, but I am going at the end of this month, send me your email address and I can let you know some places to visit and see.

I have!! There is soooo much to do... We used Rick Steve's guide book and it has a lot of great suggestions on where to go. Definitely check it out because it tells you which museums have discounts on what days - or free entirely. Great suggestions on restaurants too. I recommend The Eiffel tower, Louvre, Arc de Triumph, Notre Dame (take the tour to the very top that goes in to the bell tower), and the catacombs. The best part of Paris was our last day before taking the train and it started to snow... we bought crepes from a street vendor and it was absolutely perfect! OMG! Have a great time! You can PM me if you have any questions.

Ditto mwalsh & I would like to add the musee d'orsay.  A very cool contemporary museum :)  I cannot remember any restaurants or anything, but I can ask my SIL...she is from France.

Oh duh...and definitely the Champs-Elysées!

ETA: We also did a night time boat road along the Seine, that was amazing!!

We just went there on our HM!

The best thing to do, is to get on one of those hop on hop off buses, for two days. They take you to all the places you want to see: Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Moulin Rough, The Opera House, Jardin De Luxemburg, Champs De Elysee, Rodin Museum, Notre Dame.(Your bus ticket can include a ride on the Seine river just next to it, which is LOVELY to do and very romantic).

In pretty much every Paris hotel you will find information brochures about where to catch one. You can also ask at the desk.

You should take a train to The Chateau De Versailles. By all means, it is a MUST.

Paris is quite simply AMAZING! When you go to the eiffel tower, do NOT take the stairs, make sure you ride the elevator. You can get a coffee and croissant 1/2 way up, which is a very fun and romantic thing to do. From there I loved just walking around, We walked all over and saw some amazing things in between the 'big' stuff. just get a good map, and wear some comfortable shoes!

I second the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay! For any museums, you can often get tickets from your concierge to get in an hour before the regular opening and/or stay an hour after closing - soooooo worth it!

I love Paris, however I find it's one of those cities that is best experienced just by exploring on your own. Of course, the major museums and galleries like the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay (my favourite) are worth going to, as well as the Eiffel Tower (climb, don't take the elevator! You not only save money but it makes you feel like you conquered the world when you arrive at the top :D)... but the magic of Paris is found in the cobblestone streets of Montmartre, the tasty macarons at the random patisseries, the hunk of cheese and loaf of bread consumed on the bank of the Seine... oh and the "cheap" red wine from the marché that you can drink with your bread and cheese!

Have fun!!!

I sent you a friends request to see what you like and to know what to recommend. I definitely second the idea of exploring the city for yourself. I love books, so I made sure to find a few bookstores, one being the Abbey bookshop which made for such a wonderful memory. And one of my other favorites, you'd be surprised, was Notre Dame. It was so touristy, but it is so insanely beautiful. 

Here's actually my blog while I was there if you want to look at some of the things we did, I wrote about our travels everyday while we were there for 2 1/2 weeks. 

http://beaubourg.tumblr.com