Paris in the springtime!

[BumbleBee]

I'm going to Paris for four nights leaving May 1st. We're going to have three full days, a half day and an evening (arrive Sunday night, leave Thursday night).

In this time what would you recommend we do/see. We're going to spend one day at the Lourve and surrounding area and another at the Eiffel Tower, but that still leaves loads of time to kill. I've been to Paris before about 7 years ago and although we went absolutely everywhere I can't really recollect that much of the trip itself.

Also, I've heard the best way to get around the city is on foot, but surely we could be walking for hours to get from one place to another? Has anyone any experience of the metro system or should we use taxis?

I'd be interested in hearing what other people got up to on trips to Paris and any tips or advice for my stay!

[Girl_gunner]

Oh i paris. If you're into art go to the musée d'Orsay. the building itself is just marvolous. Its quite nice to walk around montmarte and visit the Sacre Coeur and the Dali gallery up there is fantastic.hmm i might add more later.

[lexijb]

montmarte is def place to go...
Jus sample lots of traditional cafes
Take a river boat they show you everything up and down the river! def worth it.
Agree with girl gunner Paris is an amazing place
If u feeling that silly, and not into the whole Parisien culture, ur only a train ride 2 disney!! hehe

[Girl_gunner]

yeh if you've not done bateaux parisiennes does a good trip down the seine and you can jump off at notre dame etc. *sighs* i can't wait till i go back

[BumbleBee]

Is the metro easy to use?
Eating out - do waiters etc speak English?

[ginner]

Get a Paris Visite Metro ticket, it allows you unlimited use of the Metro service, which is fast, easy and frequeny without having to think about buying a ticket for each journey and works out really cheaply. All of Paris is therefore within about 20 minutes journey time at any point so you can be spontaneous and not have to plan ahead.

My advice would be don't feel as if you have to spend your day visiting as many tourist traps as possible. Take at least some of your time enjoying the city, sampling the food and entertainment like a local. I liked the Museum of Natural History but then again I am a biologist. It's also worth climbing the Arc de Triomphe for the view. Added bonus with the Paris Visite - it lets you use a lift for free at the Sacre Couer

[Indrid Cold]

I've been there for 8 days with my school... As lexijb said, Monmarte is definitely somewhere to visit. And a river boat... Don't forget to check out the (real) Statue of Liberty!

[Butterflykisses]

If you go to Sacre Coeur, go at night - you can see the whole city lit up and it's unbelievable! I'm not a big fan of trekking around just to see the typical tourist sights; you get a much better feel for the city if you just wander around and see what you find. Paris has so many little treasures hidden down back streets: Shakespeare and Co is a gorgeous little old bookshop near Notre Dame, and there are lots of fantastic flea markets dotted around the place too. For nightlife, I'd recommend the Latin Quarter, also near Notre Dame, it's loads of tiny little cobbled streets that all run into each other and they're full to overflow with bars, restaurants of all varieties, clubs, and the friendliest people you'll ever meet - when I went in summer I spent most nights there because everyone's so chatty and fun and there are so many different things to try.

[BumbleBee]

I'm worried about the language barrier when eating out etc. Is it a huge problem?

(I can speak French, basic stuff like 'can I have the menu please' and 'I would like the salad' )

[ginner]

Originally Posted by BumbleBee

I'm worried about the language barrier when eating out etc. Is it a huge problem?

(I can speak French, basic stuff like 'can I have the menu please' and 'I would like the salad' )

Depends, I've forgotten most of what I learnt at GCSE. In the centre of the city the vast majority of restaurant, shop and hotel staff speak near fluent english. Part of my reason for travelling though was to improve my language skills so I always tried to make an effort. We stayed a bit further out near Place de la Nation and though the majority of people there again spoke english it's a bit more of a local area and you might find using French helps out a bit. All the people I met were very patient and helpful despite my murdering of their language, I wouldn't worry, if anyone gets arsey with you then it's easy enough to just go elsewhere.

Perhaps memorise the phrase "Je suis desole, mais je suis Anglais et je ne comprends pas, pouvez-vous parlez plus simplement et lentement, s'il vous plait?"