Heading to Paris with the wife and wanted advise

Fchat I need your help. I havent been to Paris in decades and my wife and I are planning to take a trip in april 2016 (she's never been).

1. Can you guys recommend some things to see? My list so far is as follows:
A. Eiffel tower
B. Louvre
C. Arc to triomfe
D. Statue of Liberty
E. Palaiss Garnier Opera house (where can i get tickets?)
F. Mont st michel (3.5 hr drive east?)
G. Notre Dame
H. Sacred heart basilica

Did i miss anything? Is this too amitious for a one week trip?


2. I was planning to rent a car for the longer drive if we go to mont st michel but for around town i was debating renting a scooter. Is this a bad idea? I have had a motorcycle license for 16 years but riding in an open vehicle in an unfamilar city may not be a wise decision. Im not only concerned about the safety but also finding my way around, parking(this is where I thought a vespa would be advantageous) , as well as theft. Id like advise from experienced members. Should i bag the vespa idea and just take cabs everywhere? What about renting a car for an entire week? My primary concern with a car is finding parking. Is uber available in paris?

3. We love restaurants and bars. What do you recommend we enjoy nice dining and lively nightlife.

Thank you everyone.

 

Do an open top bus tour

Isn't the Statue of Liberty in New York ?

Paris is walk / taxi not scooter territory

Your hotel should be able to arrange day trips to MSM if you want to go that far - why not the magnificent Palace at Versailles if you feel like getting out of town

There's a few other threads with ideas if you search Paris in this section

My favourite two museums are Jacquemart Andre & Cluny Moyen Age - google to see if they might appeal - also Napoleon's tomb

 

Hello,
For me its an easy recommandation as a French . I used to live and work in Paris so I have an insider outlook.
I will not recommend any scooter or motorcycle ride in Paris for 2 main reason: The weather could be not that good and it's very dangerous because of the nature of the traffic and the paved roads.
Renting a convertible is a great idea , mostly at night because Paris at night is really a beautiful city . I will avoid the bus tour .
Take an hôtel near Opera so you will be at the heart of great restaurant/shopping/museum
St Germain quarter is a great place for café / restaurant ( like Voltaire's restaurant one of the oldest )
For Mont St Michel its a different story because that mean you are on a Tour De France and not only visiting Paris .

 

Hope that you have a great trip.

Found the attached site to have a lot of interesting up to date information.

Paris by Mouth

Cheers

 

If you like art I'd suggest a couple of the impressionist museums:

Top Impressionist Museums in Paris France

wife & I went to 1, 2, 4 & 5.

If you're going to go to Mt St Michel, and are a history buff, I would take in one of the Normandy-related venues. Wife & I went to the American cemetery @ Omaha Beach; extremely powerful & thought provoking. Likewise, there is a WW1 cemetery near Belleau Wood.

Depending on time and if you have the transport, I'd get out of Paris. Sure, it's one of the greatest cities on the planet, but like a lot of big cities, including my home town NYC, it's fully of grumpy people in a rush! We found the French to be very friendly & great to meet, very pretty countryside, etc. once we got out of Paris & into the country side. We focused on the Champagne region & Normandy. Stop in at a hypermarche, or better yet, find the small shops that specialize in cheese, wine, bread, etc. & do a picnic lunch, and just find a nice spot to chill & enjoy people watching…T

 

You can also visit Paris on the Seine river with "bateaux mouches"

Diner croisière Paris

The best is "by nigth"

 

Lot's of scooters in Paris, but if your not familiar there (+ traffic, wet cobblestones) I wouldn't rent one.

Been their a couple times and walking + the extensive metro network is a great way of going about in the city.

And Mont St.Michel is 3,5 hours drive WEST

 

Firstly, if you want to get back in one piece, I too would forget the scooter idea.

+1

My G/F got me into "river cruises" - be it for lunch, dinner or just a run along the river; We've now done them in Tokyo & Paris among many others; She even convinced me to do one in my home town of London! A great, low stress way to see many of the "sights" IMO.

I definitely concur about getting out of Paris. There's some truly beautiful areas and much "nicer" folks the further you go! High speed train down South maybe? (First class was a very neat way to travel last we did it.]

Enjoy,

Cheers,
Ian

 

Lunch or dinner at the Tour D'Argent, ordered the pressed duck. You will get a number and join a long list of people who since 1890 have had a numbered pressed duck. Wonderful views.

 

This sounds cool its an entire duck? Do i need reservations far in advance?

 

Visit the river.

Visit a bakery for breakfast.

The rest on your list look good.

Robb

 

This from a grumpy parisian, having been « imported » in Paris from the country thirty years ago, and having still not yet really adapted to the capital city…

Transportation: FORGET ABOUT THE SCOOTER, it is simply too dangerous. The “métro” is fine for traveling inside Paris, and most french people are nowadays able to explain the direction in english should you get somewhat lost; the rest will be better done by walking: Paris is rather small (not as small as Rome, but smaller than London or Berlin).

Your program for museums, etc…depends mainly from your “center of interests”, AND THOSE of your wife! some people like to spend time in museums, others hate it; some people need two hours to visit a capital city, other two months…advising someone on this without knowing what’s make him tick is really difficult. In thirty years, I have never been to the Eiffel tower; seen it, yes, many times, but never been there.

In Paris itself, pay attention to the prices in restaurants; some of these may have very high prices for not so good food. Don’t be afraid to take advice, depending on what you like to eat, and how much is too much for you: there is no need to get rid of too much money just for the sake of it. I never go myself to the most expensive restaurants in Paris, I see no interest in this. I value more typical places, “brasserie” or “bistrots”, and don’t care about having lunch or dinner in famous and expensive place. I consider “la haute cuisine” as armed robbery (but that’s just me).

If you have the time, and want to have a better perception of what France is indeed, and its diversity, having a trip “in the country” is very much recommended indeed. Either in one of the major cities that are connected to Paris by the High Speed Train (Bordeaux is only 3 hours, Strasbourg 2h40, the port city of La Rochelle also 2h50, Nancy or Metz 1h20, Lille only 1h00…and Brussels, Belgium, 1h30) or deep in the country itself if you can. You’ll find that people are usually more relaxed, food is less expensive, etc…

You could also have luck with the weather in Paris in April, but rain is not excluded.

Rgds

 

I'm heading there as well but without the wife. Are there any car things to see there?

 

Renault and maybe Citroen & Peugeot too have galleries in central Paris with exhibitions way beyond their current range

And then there's the Air & Space Museum at Le Bourget

 

In the suburbs, you have the "conservatoire Citroën" at Aulnay-sous-Bois; and the "musée Renault" at Boulogne-Billancourt (Technically a suburb, but almost in Paris in fact).

But in so far as cars are concerned, nothing beats of course the "musée Schlumpf"...the only problem is that it is in Mulhouse, which is not the next door from Paris.

Should you like areoplanes, I second Jimmie's opinion, the "Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace" in Le Bourget is interesting.
Should you like ships, the "Musée de la Marine" is in the center of Paris itself.

Rgds

 

Despite recent events, I am considering coming to Paris for New Years Eve. Any suggestions are where to stay or what to do on the 31st?

 

I would visit the Tour Auto:

https://peterauto.peter.fr/en/evenement/presentation/id/157/nom/Tour%20Auto%20Optic%202000

Edit: meant for the OP, who goes in April.

 

Nice suggestion, Peter; if the dates match, certainly, especially if the cars are still exposed in the Tuileries.

Rgds

 

I commend you on going to Paris. A great city in a great country, which deserves everyone's support. If you've not been before, I'd recommend the iconic places - Eiffel Tower, Champs de Elysee, etc. Wife and I stayed at a hotel in the Best Western, near Place de la Madeleine, in the 8th Arrondissement IIRC. Very close to all the good stuff.

If time permits, I highly recommend a tour of the Champagne region and, if you're a history buff, the Normandy Beaches. You cannot do much better than being in the French countryside, enjoying the sights and people, eating good food, drinking good wine!
T

 

Thanks. Was there in '83, but it was the typical tourist speed tour. May have to reserve the wine tour for spring time. Especially since I would be that close to Le Mans. Can't pass that up. I am actually considering taking a cooking class while I am there. Something indoors since its the height of winter.

 

Yep, wine tour probably much better in spring.
Moet was best among places we went to. Mercier was very good too. Generous pours.

I've had two friends do cooking classes, both in Provence though. But, I'd imagine you could find some great classes in Paris. I loved shopping at all the specialized food shops, one for cheese, one for wine, one for bread, etc. Great place for a foodie. You'll have a great time!

T

 

From my point of view, “weather-wise”, the best periods of the year for visiting Paris and enjoying the city are:
-mid-April to mid-June
-mid-September to mid-October

July should be avoided, as “slightly too warm”; and occasionally rather hot: we had 40°c /104°f this year at the beginning of July; it is usually “not that” hot, but unpleasant when warm, like most large cities: no fresh air, etc… and the city is still crowded by parisians.
August usually has the same type of weather, but the second and third week of August, Paris is empty of most Parisians; the drawback is that some restaurants are also closed.

In winter, Paris is usually “not too cold”, except for a few days when it might freeze and snow, but this is rare indeed.
New year eve is usually celebrated on the Champs-Elysées, but be careful here for your wallets and passports: Champs-Elysées is now a favorite playground for pickpockets.

As for visiting the rest of France in winter, for instance doing a wine tour, I would advise against it, this due to the weather. Bourgogne and Alsace are usually rather often under snow, circulation would be difficult at best. The Bordelais would not have that much snow, but I’m not sure that all the Châteaux would be open. Only the Côte d’Azur (the French Riviera) would have mild weather in January/February.

Rgds