i'm going to paris!

[skizzy the wonder lizard]

my parents have actually offered to buy me a ticket to paris for spring break. i thought i would never see europe. my parents rule.

anyway, i've never been, and will prolly never afford to go again, so i want to make the most of it. for those of you who have been/live there, what are some good places to visit? eat? shop?

also, if anyone knows of some cheap hostels, that'd be awesome, because it turns out that i can't stay with my friend.

[Alex]

*cries* *kicks*

I hate you!

I'm dying to go to France

[hyperflutterby]

*silly french accent* Ooh la la! Gay Paris!

I went there... 5 years ago. Wow, has it really been so long? Anyway, it is gorgeous. I can't offer you many tips on where to stay because it has been so long, but France is so cool. I want to go back so bad!

[Dragonfire]

Ooh, that's cool! Paris is so much fun. You HAVE to go to the Berthillion Ice Cream Shop on the St Louis Island (Ile St Louis). It's not the island that the Notre Dame is on, it's the smaller one. This shop has absolutely the BEST ice cream in the entire world. Oh man, that ice cream was soooooo good. And the flavors they have change every day. Very good ice cream.

I suggest you go see the Pompidou Center, which is where all the art from I think the 1920's to today are located. The building itself is cool, along with the fountains.

I suggest NOT going to the Hard Rock Cafe. The French meat is very lean, so the hamburgers are horrible. I do, however, say that you should eat at "Le Louchebem", which is famous for it's wonderful ham. La Poutre on Montmartre is okay. There also was this other restaurant where the salmon was so wonderful, but I forgot the name. >.<

For shopping, Les Galleries Lafayette is like the biggest deparment store I have ever seen. The main part is like six stories tall. And that doesn't even include the guys section and the food court.

I also suggest going to this website to get more ideas.

My last piece of advice: Don't go to the Louvre to see JUST the Mona Lisa. It's not worth it, as it's like in it's own little room and there are so many people that you can't see it.

(If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me. xD)

[hyperflutterby]

My last piece of advice: Don't go to the Louvre to see JUST the Mona Lisa. It's not worth it, as it's like in it's own little room and there are so many people that you can't see it.

I second that comment! The Mona Lisa was very disappointing, but I loved exploring the rest of the museum. I highly recomend setting an entire day aside to see the museum, if not more. I only had 4 hours and I plotted a course where I managed to cover about 1/4 of the museum in that time and I was incredibly disappointed that I didn't spend more time in certain areas and that I hadn't seen more of the museum. Anyway, the Mona Lisa was a let down, but it was ok because all the other priceless-one-of-a-kind artwork made up for it.

[Dragonfire]

I went to Paris with some people from my school, and when we went to the Louvre with the guide it was horrible. She wanted us to see every little thing when all of us wanted to see the important stuff, like the crowning of Josephine, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Liberty.

[Igg]

Oh, you're going in Spring?

Nice place. Er, don't know about residence because when I went we were actually staying in Bayeux.

But be warned, it'll be pretty darn cold and may well rain.

[Sable]

You might look into geting a museum pass. We got ours from our travel agent when we went, but I think you can buy them from AAA as well. You can get a pass good for a few days, a whole week, or even two weeks and it'll allow you to bypass the longer lines in most places. It's really worth it.

Another thing is to seriously watch out for pickpockets. I was once almost pickpocketed by a little boy (he bumped into me in a shop, then followed me about suspiciously) and then he followed me onto the metro without me noticing, but I saw him on the train and got off at the next stop. Keep most of your money/credit cards in a money belt worn underneath your clothes. If you have to fish more out, you can always step into a bathroom.

And finally my two cents on what to see: Notre Dame is nice, but Saint Sulpice and Saint Chapelle are much prettier. Saint Sulpice is the church featured in The DaVinci Code and the rose line really does exist. Saint Chapelle has the most gorgeous stained glass you will ever see. Sacre Couer is another lovely church and the surrounding neighborhood of Monmarte is a colorful place to see, not to mention there's a great view from the top of the hill. On the back side of the hill is a big cemetary with the most interesting gravestones. It really is worth a quick stop just to wander about and see the interesting ways people have honored their dead (unless that sort of thing creeps you out). But be warned, in that same general direction is the red light district, so a map is very important.

Good luck with your trip! I'm sure you'll love Paris!

[Dragonfire]

Those churches you said reminded me of something. If you are able to get out of the Paris area, I suggest going to Chartres and see the cathedral there. The stained glass windows are very beautiful, and nobody has been able to recreate the same exact color of blue used in the window, and they have no idea how those people made that color.

I don't suggest going to the Palace of Versailles, as even though it's really cool to see it, there are way too many people there.

[Monique]

I went there once but it was over 7 years ago so I might not be any help. I'm not much on the sightseeing to tell you the truth I was always dragigng my parents along because I kept getting bored nad my feet were always hurting. I agree with everyone when they say that the Mona Lisa was rather disappointing, it really was. The rest of the Louvre was quite fascinating though, and had a lost of benches to sit down on. The main reason that I went there though was to visit family so we went to some small town that where a ways outside the city. I think I had the most fun there, I felt a little freer and like I could just explore anytime I wanted. Paris really was beautiful though and when you mentioned the shopping thing in your post I couldn't really thing of any specifc stores, however I did love going to the markets. There are markets all over Europe, it's the greatest. Anyways I know I wasn't but help, but if you really do plan on going to the louvre, you would need at least a day for this, and even then you wouldn't see everything. I'm not a person who is relly into art and paintings and stuff, but I did love it. I think it might have been my favourite place in all of Paris.

[Silja]

Well, I have no energy to write down all the places you should visit... but I wanted to rant about that I'm going to Paris too In the end of may think, my second visit there (last time I was there was last spring in may)... but damnnnn I love that city.

[fallen_enigma]

*climbs into your pocket*

I'm going, and you can't stop me!

[spacecase33]

I have to agree with everyone who's said just going to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa isn't worth it. In fact, when I went to France five years ago with a group from my high school, I got lost in the Louve because of the Mona Lisa! The rest of the group I was with had managed to fight through the crowds to see the painting quickly. I am very short, and it took me much longer to get to an area where I could see. The rest of the people in the group thought I had moved on to the next exhibit and left me behind. Trying to find my way out of the Louve without a map was certainly an interesting experience. Somehow I managed it, but to this day I'm not sure how.

You must see the Eiffel Tower, of course . That area of Paris right along the Seine is gorgeous.

I actually liked the rest of what I saw in France better than Paris. The blue windows in the cathedral at Chatres are beautiful . We also saw the Normandy coast, the small fishing village of St. Malo in Brittany (Bretagne), several chateaux in the Loire valley, and my absolute favorite, the French Alps. The town of Chamonix is absolutely the most beautiful place I have EVER seen, and I've done quite a bit of travelling.

[Sock]

My last piece of advice: Don't go to the Louvre to see JUST the Mona Lisa. It's not worth it, as it's like in it's own little room and there are so many people that you can't see it.

I second that comment! The Mona Lisa was very disappointing, but I loved exploring the rest of the museum. I highly recomend setting an entire day aside to see the museum, if not more. I only had 4 hours and I plotted a course where I managed to cover about 1/4 of the museum in that time and I was incredibly disappointed that I didn't spend more time in certain areas and that I hadn't seen more of the museum. Anyway, the Mona Lisa was a let down, but it was ok because all the other priceless-one-of-a-kind artwork made up for it.

The Mona Lisa was really underwhelming.

On another note, the Lourve is very easy to get lost in. Especially when they have a bunch of their exits closed off.

[Jen]

Don't eat the salad.