A few tips for your Paris trip

Hello Readers, it’s been a while! In this post I wanted to share some of the highlights of my Paris/Burgundy trip with you all.  My husband and I recently returned from Paris and a side trip to wine country in Burgundy (to be posted soon). September is an awesome time to visit Paris – the Parisians have returned from their summer vacations, the city is gorgeous, and the weather is crisp.

There are plenty of guidebooks and blogs with Parisian tips and itinerary planning. So I won’t go into detail about what you should do on your trip, but I will offer a few insider tips that I received courtesey of a work colleague who used to live in Paris.

1. Buy a Museum Pass as soon as you get to Paris. There are Kiosks everywhere, we bought ours at the Notre Dame. It’s worth the value to get the 2 day pass and hit up the Louvre, Orsay and Versailles. You’ll definetly end up saving 20 bucks.
2. Visit the Louvre. But don’t go in through the Pyramid with all the Tourists, use the “secret entrance” instead at theat the Porte des Lions, on the lower arm of the Museum as it reaches around the Tuileries. There is rarely a line there. This door is open every day except Friday. That entrance also takes you very quickly to the Mona Lisa (“La Jaconde”) without having to go through the whole museum. I love the Grande Galerie because it has Raphael, Leonardo, and Caravaggio.  Afterward sit outside on the lawn with all the cool other Parisians enjoying the day.
3. Hit up Angelina’s for fortitude before or after the Louvre. It’s on the Rue de Rivoli, just opposite the Tuileries metro station and a block and a half to the west. Make sure you order the “chocolat chaud.” It’s world-famous and utterly divine. The pain au chocolat is to do die for…..
4. Paris is one of the world’s easiest cities to bike in, there are bike lanes everywhere. Rent a bike or a Velib (the drop off – drop on bike system) and go for jaunt. We rode our bikes all the way up to Sacre-Coeur, which is a gorgeous cathedral known for its stain glass windows on top of a hill overlooking all of Paris. Renting a bike on certain days of a week can be tricky so plan ahead if you’re not using the Velib. The Velib can be hard to use for American tourists because it doesnt seem to accept US credit cards.
5. Buy the Paris Metro Passes in 10 packs, it’ll save you a bundle.
6. And lastly if you have time do go to the Opera. We bought our tickets last minute in the stand by lane for 10 euros each. It is an experience you won’t forget. If you are seating in the upper echelons, you will have your own chambers..

Read Full Post »