Off to Paris. Any hints & tips please.

As the title of the thread says, myself & Mr Dontone are spending a few days in Paris next month.
Obviously Notre Dame is out (but I think there is a nice looking church nearby, but can't remember the name of it). and we are doing the Effiel Tower, & planning to go to the Louvre.
Anybody got any hints & tips while we are there please?. We were wondering if there any must visit places, and decent places that you'd recommend to eat or shop. and what the public transport system is like.
We did Barca & Rome last year, so know about the pickpockets, lucky, lucky men etc, so we know to keep our wits about us too.
Thanks muchly in advance.
BEST EVER WINS WON IN ORDER (so far) = Sony Camcorder, 32" lcd telly, micro ipod hifi, Ipod Nano, Playstation 3, Andrex Jackpup, Holiday to USA, nintendo wii, Liverpool vs Everton tickets, £250 Reward Your thirst, £500 Pepsi, p&o rotterdam trip, perfume hamper, Dr Who stamp set, steam cleaner.

comping = nowt more thrillin' than winnin':T :j
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  • bradders1983
    bradders1983 Posts: 5,684
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    If you are using public transport, dont fall into the trap of buying the rip-off Paris Visite travel ticket.
    Sort yourself out a photo before you go, and visit a ticket office and buy the Navigo Decourvert, essentially the Paris version of an Oyster card

    https://www.transilien.com/en/page-editoriale/using-the-navigo-decouverte-card

    Only €22.80 to cover all zones for a "week" (Monday through Sunday) on all trams, Metro, RER and buses. If your journey covers just one week then this is a bargain, obviously if you are going Saturday through Tuesday (as an example) it may not work out so cheap.
  • dontone
    dontone Posts: 4,871
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    If you are using public transport, dont fall into the trap of buying the rip-off Paris Visite travel ticket.
    Sort yourself out a photo before you go, and visit a ticket office and buy the Navigo Decourvert, essentially the Paris version of an Oyster card

    https://www.transilien.com/en/page-editoriale/using-the-navigo-decouverte-card

    Only €22.80 to cover all zones for a "week" (Monday through Sunday) on all trams, Metro, RER and buses. If your journey covers just one week then this is a bargain, obviously if you are going Saturday through Tuesday (as an example) it may not work out so cheap.


    Going Sunday till Thursday, so this will probably be the best option. We do use the Metro/underground quite a bit when we go on city breaks (as well as a ton of walking, which we never learn from) so that will come in handy.
    Great. Thanks very much :T
    BEST EVER WINS WON IN ORDER (so far) = Sony Camcorder, 32" lcd telly, micro ipod hifi, Ipod Nano, Playstation 3, Andrex Jackpup, Holiday to USA, nintendo wii, Liverpool vs Everton tickets, £250 Reward Your thirst, £500 Pepsi, p&o rotterdam trip, perfume hamper, Dr Who stamp set, steam cleaner.

    comping = nowt more thrillin' than winnin':T :j
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,244
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    As always, get hold of a guide book. Anyway, some thoughts:


    Public transport: remember that the buses are pretty good and obviously offer far better views than the Metro (and you don't have to deal with all the steps between street and platform). If you arrive at CDG and take the RER into town, there is a long walk between RER and Metro platforms at Gare du Nord, so a different interchange station might be better. And walking around Paris is generally very pleasant, with distances between attractions being surprisingly short.

    The Eiffel Tower costs less if you are willing to use the stairs rather than the lifts. You may not consider it worth paying the extra to go all the way to the top: the view is better from the lower two floors. Allow enough time for the entertainment that is provided: when I went up there was a skating rink and cinematic museum halfway up, all free (or included in the entrance ticket). If your main interest is an aerial view of the city, you would do better with the view from Sacre Coeur in Montmartre or from the roof of the Arc de Triomphe.

    Do NOT attempt to buy a ticket at the entrance to the Louvre, since the queues are insane. There are many other places where you can buy the ticket without waiting. And check out what is in the museum and what you want to see: many art-lovers prefer visiting the Musee d'Orsay, for instance.

    If you want to visit the palace at Versailles, it is worth paying extra for the private tour so that you bypass the long queues for entry.
  • maman
    maman Posts: 28,493
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    edited 23 April 2019 at 9:34PM
    I'd take a boat trip along the Seine which has a commentary. And go out to Montmartre, good view from Sacre Coeur and interesting seeing the artists. I liked the restaurants there too. Galeries Lafayette is worth a visit. It's an upmarket department store but the building is beautiful. I like Versailles too if you enjoy stately homes.
  • Sharon87
    Sharon87 Posts: 4,011
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    If you want a view of Paris from up high that includes the Eiffel Tower, then montparnasse tower is the way to go. It's essentially just a tall building with a bar at top.

    I would definitely recommend the hop on hop off Seine cruise. I used it for 'commuting' around the tourist areas when I wasn't in a rush.

    Also Musee D'Orsay - Van gogh's works are on display here as well as the building itself being an old train station and it looks awesome. I would preorder Louvre tickets, and I would visit it at night when it's closed as the lighting is stunning, I would take a few photos there.

    Le Jardin de Luxenburg are gorgeous gardens if you want to have a wonder around any green spaces.
  • bradders1983
    bradders1983 Posts: 5,684
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    dontone wrote: »
    Going Sunday till Thursday, so this will probably be the best option. We do use the Metro/underground quite a bit when we go on city breaks (as well as a ton of walking, which we never learn from) so that will come in handy.
    Great. Thanks very much :T

    Just be aware that the "week" on the ticket runs Monday through Sunday and that is non-negotiable, so just use normal daily tickets on the Sunday and then buy the ticket on Monday. Think the picture size requirements are slightly different to passport size, a Google should bring up more info.
  • dontone
    dontone Posts: 4,871
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    Just be aware that the "week" on the ticket runs Monday through Sunday and that is non-negotiable, so just use normal daily tickets on the Sunday and then buy the ticket on Monday. Think the picture size requirements are slightly different to passport size, a Google should bring up more info.

    That's ok. We will be arriving Sunday afternoon, so it will be a case of pottering around for the rest of the day and then get tickets on Monday morning.
    Thanks for the tip :)
    BEST EVER WINS WON IN ORDER (so far) = Sony Camcorder, 32" lcd telly, micro ipod hifi, Ipod Nano, Playstation 3, Andrex Jackpup, Holiday to USA, nintendo wii, Liverpool vs Everton tickets, £250 Reward Your thirst, £500 Pepsi, p&o rotterdam trip, perfume hamper, Dr Who stamp set, steam cleaner.

    comping = nowt more thrillin' than winnin':T :j
  • PompeyPete
    PompeyPete Posts: 7,126
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    Much of central Paris is easily done on foot providing the weather is alright.

    I worked on rue du Faubourg St Honore in the 18th Arrondissement for 4 years in the 1990s, living just outside the Peripherique at Le Vesinet.

    A couple of places worth seeing off the well beaten Tourist Trails are the Paris Sewers, and The Catacombs, both on the Left Bank. The Sewers is a great experience, no smells, and a great insight as to how Paris has evolved over the centuries.

    I used to love lunchtimes just wandering around people watching.
  • joebob
    joebob Posts: 451
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    we did a free walking tour last summer excellent guide very informative lasts a couple of hours and at the end you can give them a tip if you want to . There are many walks to choose from we did one that started at the opera house and finished near the champs elleyse. walkingtours.com
  • AndyPix
    AndyPix Posts: 4,847
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    Have a nice walk up the champs elise (sp?) up to the arc du triomph and get a crepe of the street vendor there - they are awesome ..


    Nutella and sliced banana - mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :)
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