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On my first trip, I had one evening in Paris; I took the subway to Notre Dame, explored the cathedral, then walked along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful introduction to part of Paris.
On my second trip, I spent one day at the Louvre (and wish I had a lot more time!). I also enjoyed the Musee' d'Orsay (much smaller venue).
Versailles is WELL WORTH the day trip, but, agian, I wish I had had a lot more time there than a single day.
I'm on the fence about Versailles. Crowds give me anxiety and I hate to spend too much time in one place when I have limited time. The place looks amazing and I'm considering it, but then again I'm considering replacing one trip there with trips to the Opera House, Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle and Saint Sulpice. It will all boil down to what days I can fit all of these in.
Last edited by southkakkatlantan; 11-12-2014 at 12:41 PM..
Get the Paris Museum Pass. It comes in 2/4/6 day versions. It's not cheap but it gives you free entry to up to 60 museums and the best advantage of all, it allows you to completely skip the queues. That's right. See the long lines for the Lourve? Ignore it and follow the signs for the special entrances for the Paris Museum Pass. Wave it at the guard and you're in. We always get the museum pass and I'm always amazed at the sheer number of people who don't bother getting it and complain about being stuck in lines for a long time.
Versailles is included in the museum pass, as is St. Chappelle. St. Chappelle is probably our favorite sight in Paris. It's a breathtaking jewel box of medieval architecture and in a very central location next to Notre Dame.
If you like ice cream, check out Berthillon ice cream shop on the Ile St. Louis island in the middle of the river. One of the best ice cream vendors in the world. They also have a few other locations.
Looks like the pass is about 70USD, correct? Does that sound about right?
For Euros, is the comma in the currency equivalent to a decimal point?
Thanks for the ice cream suggestion! I need as many dessert suggestions as possible.
In your case you'd be better off buying the two day pass and using it on Friday/Saturday. At 42 Euros, that works out to $52. It's not cheap but when you factor in the museum ticket prices and the sheer savings from not spending a lot of time in long lines, it's a solid value. You can probably get away without buying the pass if you solely go to the smaller museums but if the Lourve and Versailles are on the list, it's well worth the extra expenditure. Let's assume you visit St. Chappelle and Rodin on Friday and Versailles on Saturday, the total individual ticket prices add up to 33.5 euros. For an extra 10 euros you get to avoid the long lines!
While Paris is popular year-round, if you are heading to Paris within the next few weeks or after the Christmas season it won't be packed as it can be in the summer or right at Christmas. I wouldn't worry about crowds at Versailles, especially if you go there first thing in the morning before the tour groups arrives. You can visit Versailles for the morning, return to the train station and go on to Chartres for the afternoon. Chartres gives you a nice taste of a historic French country village as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by southkakkatlantan
Looks like the pass is about 70USD, correct? Does that sound about right?
For Euros, is the comma in the currency equivalent to a decimal point?
Thanks for the ice cream suggestion! I need as many dessert suggestions as possible.
It is also considered polite to say "au revoir" when leaving a shop.
Dress up. No jeans. Definitely no sweats. And avoid sneakers.
Attempt to speak the language, even if it is just bonjour and merci. The French will respond very positively to that and (if able) will happily switch to English.
Don't use a loud voice. That's considered rude.
We had a delightful time when we visited Paris years ago. But that's because we made an effort to fit in to their culture, rather than trying to impose ours on them.
I'm on the fence about Versailles. Crowds give me anxiety and I hate to spend too much time in one place when I have limited time.
Versailles is worth the visit if you have the time. The indoor tours can get very crowded, but there is plenty to explore outdoors too. Although you did say December: I have no idea how cold it gets that time of year.
French food - L'Atelier Joel Robuchon, Chez Dumonet, Premices, Les Papilles, Le Rubis Le Rubis | Paris by Mouth
Pastries - La pâtisserie des rêves, Carl Marletti
Baguette, crossaints - Julien, Eric Kayser
Desserts - Pierre Herme (ispahan), Aoki, Jean Paul Hevin (chocolates), Maison Georges Larnicol (macarons), Raimo ice cream, Grom gelato
Tea - Mariage Freres
Shopping - Galeries Lafayette, Champs Elysee
Local food market scene - Marche des Enfants Rouges
River cruise - Bateux Mouches
A tip (if not already obvious): don't start speaking English right away when you meet somebody, apparently people get offended if you don't first ask using the local language if they speak it.
French women now wear jeans all about the town unless they have a specific reason to dress up. And then carefully curate the accessories they wear with them- maybe a cute blazer, a nice scarf, and a simple pair of hoop earrings, but not too much more. Casual and elegant are not mutually exclusive.
what an empty visit you are planning
i suggest several tours
paris has 300 museums
where did you get the idea that paris was a good place for thrift stores?
too many people blow the opportunity by wanting to just "hang out' in paris
so much to see and do.
you should read up on the city before you go.
btw was there 5 days ago.
signed
a former resident
I'm on the fence about Versailles. Crowds give me anxiety and I hate to spend too much time in one place when I have limited time. The place looks amazing and I'm considering it, but then again I'm considering replacing one trip there with trips to the Opera House, Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle and Saint Sulpice. It will all boil down to what days I can fit all of these in.
Versailles is really good, but the waiting lines are just goddamn awful. You'd need to go early if you're including it in your itinerary.
The palace is very crowded, but the best part is definitely the garden. It's super huge so you don't really have to worry about crowds. I'd even skip the palace and just go for the gardens tbqh.
But again, I went there in July, so the crowds are probably a lot less overwhelming in December.
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