First Trip To Paris?
I am planning my first trip to Europe/Paris and I want to visit the Louvre of course and also the Eiffel Tower, can you suggest some other must sees or activties that aren’t necessarily a traditional tourist hot spot. Also do what is the safest way to travel w/ money. Should I get my money converted to Euros or use Traveler’s Checks. Thanks
Leave the Traveler’s Checks at home. I found them a waste. You have to hunt high and low for a place to cash them for you. And if you go to a bank, their fees will end up biting you in the arse. Stick with Euros and a credit/debit/ATM card.
You can either exchange your money prior to departure (all or you can get enough to last you one day) or hit up an ATM. Make sure you inform your bank that you are going overseas if you plan on using a card. If not, they may think your card has been stolen and freeze your accounts.
To keep your money safe, get a moneybelt or a neck pouch. Keep all your important stuff (money, ATM/Debit/Credit cards, plane tickets, passport) in the pouch and operate with a day’s worth of spending money in your wallet. If you are pickpocketed, your trip can still go on because they didn’t make off with everything.
As for siteseeing…depending on how long you’re in Paris and how many museums are on your itinerary, I would get a museum pass…you can get one at any metro ticket booth. They are available in 2-, 4- and 6-day passes. It allows you to bypass most museum lines. If you’re going to be using the Metro (fast and cheap), buy either a carnet of metro tickets…un carnet du dix. This is a packet of 10 metro tickets. If you’re going to be there Mon-Sun…you can buy a Carte Orange. It’s good for a week and you’ll need a 1×1 photo of your face for the pass.
As for sites of interest…the Louvre and Eiffel Tower are definitely the must-sees. Check out the Eiffel Tower after dark when it sparkles at the top of each hour, I believe. I love the Rodin Museum…the gardens are beautiful. It’s not far at all from the Church of Invalides where you can see Napoleon’s Tomb. Neither one are too crowded. Same with the Picasso Museum. A bateau mouche ride along the Seine (either during the day or after dark) is a great way to get a different view of Paris. Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore is just across the street (left) from the Notre-Dame Cathedral. The Carnavalet Museum is all things dealing with French history…it’s quite a nice museum and free. Pere Lachaise Cemetery is great…Oscar Wilde, Chopin, Jim Morrison, Heloise and Abelard. Black & white film looks great here. The flea market is always an adventure: Porte de Clignancourt is huge. Sacre-Couer Basilica…stand on the steps and you are blessed with a phenomenol panoramic picture of Paris. No photos inside the church, please. You will be “escorted” out. Montmarte is a lot of fun, though heavy with tourist traffic…stroll around Place du Tertre and check out the artists. A particularly fun restaurant on the weekend is Auberge de la Bonne Franquette, not far from Place du Tertre. Check out the entertainment but watch out for the accordion player. Musee Marmottan Monet is great…it was kind of difficult for us to find, but well worth it and not crowded at all. The bouquinistes along the Seine…great for old books, souvenirs and such.
The two best places to buy souvenirs: Rue de Rivoli, across from the Louvre and Tuileries Gardens, has very inexpensive souvenir shops with great deals. The other place to go is by Notre-Dame. The further you go from a major site, the less expensive the souvenirs seem to be.