I%26#39;ll be spending 2 weeks in mid-March in Paris and would like some recommendations for little-known (or visited) museums, street markets, cafes, historic sites, churches, etc.
Also, ideas for some day trips using public transportation would be appreciated.
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Chantilly/Senlis is a splendid day trip, the museum has an impressive collection, lots of nice hiking in the area and a quaint historic village.
The Richard Lenoir street market on Sundays is a fun scene.
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Visit the cathedral at St Denis and see the tombs of the kings of France.
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In addition to the ones already mentioned, CHRATRES is an easy (70 minute direct) daytrip from Paris-Gare Montparnasse. The city of ROUEN is also an easy (75 mins direct) from Paris-Gare Saint Lazare. You could also get down to DIJON in 1:45 or just a bit farther to LYON by fast TGV from Paris-Gare de Lyon AMIENS in as little as 70 mins. from Paris-Gare du Nord. REIMS in 1:40 from Paris Gare d%26#39;Est. All of these interesting cities are easily accessailbe via direct SNCF trains and once there, relatively easy to get about in on foot from the train station or with their own public transportation systems.
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I second Senlis and Chantilly! Reims sound wonderful. D-Day beaches tour is doable in a day. Train to Belgium is a day trip. Monet%26#39;s Garden and home in Giverny takes you back in time as well. Rodin%26#39;s home and gardens in Paris is great. Discover the BHV Department Store--loved it--great hardware, art supplies, bedding %26amp; linens, etc. It doesn%26#39;t look like much from the outside...but I could have spent hours there (not a bad little cafeteria there also).
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Have you seen the Cluny and the Carnavalet?
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The Musee Jacquemart-Andre - the private collection of a rich couple - and a lovely salon de the %26amp; restaurant.
The %26quot;hotel particulier%26quot; -fabulous kitchen- of Musee Nissim de Camondo ( http://www.ucad.fr/ucadgb/indexgb.html ) -all the european history is in this family)
For modern art and architecture: Fondation Cartier pour l%26#39;art contemporain ( http://www.fondation.cartier.fr/flash.html ) and the Fondation Le Corbusier ( …asso.fr/fondationlc_us.htm ) and Villa Savoye at Poissy-sur-Seine ...
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Hi,
In addition to whats been offered, try a trip due north of Paris to St. Denis, on the metro, I believe....A wonderful old cathederal there with almost all the kings and queens buried from Clovis on. Go on a tour behind the alter offered a few times a day.
St Germain en Laye....north of Paris is a nice town, big chateau with huge grounds.
Fountainblue is wonderful, RER from Paris.
Malmansion, Josephines home is great. Take publc bus from La Defense.
Go out to Chateau de Vincennes, just outside Paris on the east side...bus #46 will get you there. Interesing area to wander around. Parc Floral a nice large park with a lake. permanent exhibits and sometimes music in its open air pavallion.
Parc des Buttes Chaimont is huge and interesting.....best on a warmer day I would think. Hills, caves, lakes.....different.
Wandering around the Marias on a Sunday amid the many people is fun. Eat in a Jewish deli or one of the million restaurants or cafes around or near Place des Voeges. Several (free %26quot;City of Paris%26quot;) museums there perhaps you havent been to....Musee Carnavalet, Archives, Victor Hugo. The Piscasso museum is in a wonderful restored old Paris mansion....A great old church often missed and said to be the oldest in Paris is St Gervis, just behind the big hotel d%26#39;Ville..(Jesuits thrown outta there several times for radical ideas). Arts et Meters not far, in the 3rd, I believe.
If you havent explored the rue Mouefftard (5) area, thats fun, day or night. Usually on Sunday mornings at the foot of it in front of St. Medard is a French sing a long........interesting. Arenes de luttece, old Roman ruins is in that area too, right on rue Monge.
On Friday nights a claimed 10000 roller bladers take off at 10 PM from gare Montparnasse to roll around Paris...........join em or just watch them go.....stopping Paris traffic. Many great old well known places (some with very interesting characters in them today) eat in one of them or stop for a drink along blvd Montparnasse..... %26quot;beat generation%26quot; hang outs.
The Institute de monde Arabe is interesting if you havent been. Up on the top floor is an observation deck and a cafeteria restaurant with some unusual food and people watching.
The big weekend markets at Porte de Clignancourt or port de Montreuil are wild and different. Bastille has a fair sized one every Wed and Sunday mornings. Place L%26#39;Aligre (12) has a daily market till 1 (closed Mondays)...and a walk along rue Antoine is interesting. Take a public bus on a Saturday morning and just get off if you see a market.......then take the same bus back to where you started. Wander around at the foot of Sacre Cour in the discount stores........
Have a drink in the old Train Blu on the top of gare de Lyon. Parisians fought to save that restaurant.
If I think of any more, I%26#39;ll post em.
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Check out the Pere Lachaise cemetery but read up about it first. Very many strange strange things there. Also a great walk on a sunny day.
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I can suggest Fontainebleau--very wonderful chateau and extensive gardens/grounds, beautiful small town--shops, restaurants about 40 minutes from Gare Lyon. Also Blois--very picturesque old, hilly town with chateau on high bluff overlooking Loire, shops, restaurants, a bridge across Loire that you can walk across to the other part of town. Its 1.5 hr from Gare St. Lazarre.
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I would second the visit to Chartre. The WWII Museum
in Caen was extremely interesting. In Paris the
Marmatton Museum has wonderful Monet paintings,
Fountainbleau, Pere Lachese Cemetery and the
Cluny Museum.
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