<p>Jules Verne is probably not a good choice for a young single, unless he is a gourmand. The last time we were there, we sat next to a bride and groom (in full wedding attire), just to give you an idea - it’s a very special occasion restaurant.</p>
<p>Bofinger is a good choice - very lively and decent food. Another good brasserie is Julien at 6, rue du Faubourg Saint Denis. Beautiful setting and wonderful food.</p>
<p>For lunch or coffee, Angelina on rue de Rivoli</p>
<p>Use the metro - really easy, clean and safe. Take a cab ride just to see the Eiffel Tower and a few main sights.</p>
<p>The Louvre shouldn’t be crowded this time of year. He should really try to spend a few hours there.</p>
<p>I had a day in Paris myself in September. I booked a bus tour out to Versailles and toured the palace, gardens, and watched the musical fountain show. It was great.</p>
<p>"Are you guys kidding me – I’m like ‘Museum Girl’, and I would never suggest a first-time visitor with less than one jet-lagged day tackle the Louvre, d’Orsay or Sainte-Chappelle. </p>
<p>Mais non! Forget all that – he will go back when he has more time! </p>
<p>Here’s what he will do – he will eat. In the Eiffel Tower. Yes, it’s touristy, m’enfin.
Le Jules Verne
He can even make his reservation on line."</p>
<p>I have spent several summers in Paris, and I agree with the above.</p>
<p>I think it really depends on the kid. I used to have layovers in London all the time when my parents lived in Africa. I always went to museums. But I’d been to London before.</p>
<p>Part of my reason for recommending St. Chapelle (besides its proximity to the best ice cream in the world) is that my son* still* talks about it as the one thing he really remembers from his trip to France when he was six. All those WW2 battlefields HE dragged us to? He barely remembers them, but that room blew him away.</p>
<p>He should pick one thing (maybe two if they aren’t too big) and not try to rush around too much. I wouldn’t do the Louvre myself - I find it overwhelming and it’s too easy to end up feeling like all you’ve seen is those horrible Rubens paintings of Marie de Medici and a green Mona Lisa behind glass in a horribly crowded room.</p>
<p>Which airport? Doesn’t the RER from Ch.deGaulle end at the Gare du Nord? It’s a one hour trip; it would be quite expensive by taxi. I like the suggestion of Bofinger or Le Train Bleu and ice-cream on the Ile St. Louis (30deg? We in MA eat ice-cream in any weather).
If that’s his first time in Paris, I don’t suggest going to museums. Instead, explore the city. The Arc de Triomphe is best experienced in the evening when it’s lit. I’d suggest walking from the Place de la Concorde. I agree that Ste. Chapelle is wonderful. Don’t go on buses or taxis. He’ll fall asleep. Better walk along the Seine and soak up the atmosphere.
If he liked Amelie, he could go to Montmartre and explore there.</p>
<p>Drop stuff off at airport hotel (and shower if he has early checkin, otherwise just go without). Bring a small guidebook with a good map. Then immediately go into the city, probably RER since he will have to luggage but if it is a business trip anyway and taxi fare would be covered, I would take a taxi and traffic on a Saturday morning probably won’t be that bad. </p>
<p>If weather is decent and he likes to walk, he might consider lunch (with croissant or pastry) at Bread and Roses cafe near Luxembourg Gardens, then a walk through the gardens and wander downhill toward the Seine along various streets to Rue Bonaparte–great pastry shop along the way, churches in wandering distance (St. Sulpice, St. Germain). Walk around as much as he is in the mood for–to me that part of the Left Bank is quintessentially Parisian yet very accessible to an American tourist. Walk halfway across Pont des Arts and then head toward Isle de la Cite and Ile St Louis–Notre Dame obviously, and Berthillon. There is also a Monument to the Deported (at the very tip of Ile de la Cite that doesn’t take very long to see but is an interesting counterpoint. Incidentally, the lines for Ste Chapelle can be awfully long–might nto be worth the wait given the limited time frame even though it is worth seeing at soem point in one’s life.</p>
<p>This may be too much all one day but if he is just touching on things and doing a long walk, it might work. Or he can make his first walk the two islands and then walk in the Marais, saving the Left Bank for another visit. </p>
<p>Toward evening take a trite but worth it boat ride on the Seine. Depending on amount of daylight he might then also do another walk, perhaps near the Place de la Concorde, brights lights, lots of gold statues. Return to hotel, try to stay awake until 9:30 10 p.m. local time.</p>
<p>Gourmetmom, funny, I was going to mention Angelina, not for lunch or coffee, but for the best hot chocolate in the world, hands down, no contest. However, it’s a pretty “girly” place, he will get plenty of admiring glances from “femmes d’un certain age” if that’s what he wants.</p>
<p>So if lunch in the Eiffel Tower seems like a pretty big bite for a first visit, my second suggestion would be – he should take that same RER (C or B) and get off at St-Michel. Cross over the Pont Saint-Michel and walk through and around Notre-Dame. Having thus worked up an appetite, cross back over the bridge and around the Place St-Michel head right, to the rue St-Andre des Arts. Stop in the Creperie des Arts for some good crepes. After, head back to Blvd St-Michel and go right. One block after the intersection of St-Michel and Saint Germain on the right is the Musee Cluny. This is a small perfect haven of medieval art, including the unicorn tapestry cycle. He can see the entire museum in around 2 hours with very little walking. Back out on the street, if he heads back down St-Michel, all the tiny streets between Boul Mich and Place St-Germain is the “Latin Quarter” which has been a young, hip and vibrant student area since, oh around the year 800. Closer to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, there are lots of galleries, antique booksellers, small shops with oddities, and cafes. If he wants an outrageously overpriced cafe experience, he can snag a table at the Cafe Deux Magots. (I spent many hours at Deux Magots with my artist/poet/writer friends, rubbing each other’s backs and pretentiously discussing Sartre, LOL).</p>
<p>Here are links:
[place</a> st. michel - Google Maps](<a href=“Google Maps”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>Forgot to say that the Eiffel Tower actually is one of those things that looks better before you get there–great views of it from those tour boats and also from the grounds of Les Invalides. Like Ste Chapelle I am not sure it is worth the time to actually go up into it on this particular trip.</p>
<p>I have been to Paris quite a few times and have never gone up in the Eiffel Tower. There are several places from which you can overlook the city that have neither lines nor entrance fees. One of the first things I like to do in a new city is take a Gray Line type tour that gives you a quick orientation. They hit the highlights, then if you have time you can go back on your own. A quick tour, then a cafe, restaurant and museum (the Orsay would be my choice).</p>
<p>Paris in January is cold and often rainy. Have DS check out bus routes - some are very scenic, and it’s a nice way to see parts of the city while staying warm. </p>
<p>My suggestion - your DS should visit the musee Rodin (The Thinker). It’s a nice museum without being too grand (and, hopefully, too crowded) He should go later in the day because right up the road from it is Les Invalides (Napoleon’s tomb). It might be the most beautful building in all of Paris when it is lit up at night. From there it is a quick stroll to the Eiffel Tower - also very beautiful at night. Tons of restaurants and patisseries all around the Eiffel Tower (rue cler is just a few blocks away from le tour eiffel - a great place for food.) </p>
<p>This little mini tour will give your DS a great “French” experience with little walking. Le metro stops and cabs abound in this area for an easy ride back to his hotel.</p>
<p>P.S. Paris restaurants post their menus outside for a quick view of what’s to eat and prices. Your DS will be able to see what each restaurant offers before going inside - an easy way to pick out a place to eat.</p>
<p>P.P.S. Just looked it up - the musee Rodin is currently including works of Matisse in its exhibit. It’s open until 5:45 pm and the metro stop is Les Invalides.</p>
<p>Sorry to disagree with most of you – but if it’s the OPs son, we are talking about a kid in his 20’s, who will be time-challenged and jet-lagged. What would be fun for us might not be fun for him. Strolling around the Rodin Museum or taking a bus tour? Hm, not sure. I don’t think it’s really a quick stroll from the Musee Rodin to the Eiffel Tower. It’s kind of a boring walk considering the walks you can take in Paris. </p>
<p>(I’m not a fan of those bus tour companies anyway, as they had a hand in shutting out the private tour business I owned in Paris)</p>
<p>Wow. No reason to be hurtful. I was 20 yo the first time I went to Paris. The first thing my roommate and I did was to take a 20 minute walk to see the Eiffel Tower. And, yes, it was at night. Very beautiful. We walked through Paris neighborhoods to get there and loved walking through “everyday” Paris. </p>
<p>Even at 20, I enjoyed great art and Paris’ wonderful museums. Strolling around the musee Rodin could just be the ticket for a young man. The sculptures there are evocative and erotic. Not exactly boring to a young man (at least my male friends liked them.)</p>
<p>It is an easy stroll to Les Invalides, and then the Eiffel Tower, from the musee Rodin. Stop at a restaurant along the way, and you have been immersed in the French culture without all the hype. </p>
<p>There are lots of wonderful walks all throughout Paris. In fact, just about every arrondissement has something to offer. That’s why it’s Paris. </p>
<p>I don’t know what the OP’s son is looking for, but there’s no need to trash posters’ suggestions.</p>
<p>And I wasn’t talking about taking a tour bus. I was talking about getting on a city bus just to get an overland view of the city. Some of the routes are very scenic - like the one to montmartre.</p>
<p>I would not consider DS a “museum type”, but he had mentioned the Louvre. Me, I would not spend much if any part of a one-day Paris trip inside a museum - unless raining and maybe not even then.</p>
<p>Walking around and getting the feel of the city would be my choice. </p>
<p>Thanks for all of the suggestions. He has enough for about a full week here :). Question is: will he take any of the advice? I have forwarded all to him. He is enroute now - morning flight out to Newark and lo-o-o-n-g layover there. </p>
<p>So I guess we have wrapped this up. Again, thanks.</p>
<p>colmom2 – sorry, did not mean to be hurtful.</p>
<p>It seems that, myself very much included, we all would like to pass on our very cherished memories of our youthful days in Paris, and we are falling all over ourselves to talk about it!</p>
<p>It reminds me of a big row that got really loud during a family reunion over which room was named which (“that was the BLUE room”, “NO, that was always called…so and so’s room”) in my grandparents’ country house. They sold that house in 1976, but so many childhood memories came from there, and people remembered it differently.</p>
<p>My kids and I did a one day trip to Paris and it was a lot of fun. We went to the Eiffel Tower … which I would recommend (it is awesome) … however on a weekend your son is likely not going to have the time to go up the tower (the lines are too long). We also went to the Louve and did a quick tour checking out the “big 3” (which actually takes you through a lot of the museum). I actually like the bus tours but mostly for my ability to jump off (and back on) when I see something that looks interesting.</p>
<p>AM - Thank you for the apology. I just figured the guy might want to do something a little more low key at the end of his day after a day of sightseeing. Paris can be stimulating (over stimulating?!) so I thought I’d suggest some “down time” activities he can do besides sitting in his room. Les Invalides and the Eiffel Tower are truly beautiful all lit up. My first night in Paris, the above-mentioned roommate and I stood directly under the Eiffel Tower and looked straight up. With all the lights on it looked like lace. Gorgeous. </p>
<p>No matter what the OP’s DS decides to do, he will have a great time. There’s so much to see he’ll have to make sure he takes a longer vacation there in the future. So much to see, so little time to see it all.</p>
<p>I would pick up a taxi at the hotel and have the driver go past the Eiffel Tower, the Arch, down the Champs Elysee, along the river and deposit your husband at the Louvre where he can at least enjoy the courtyard. Then have him walk over to Notre Dame, wander around the Latin Quarter, buy a silly souvenir - grab a nutella and banana crepe from the sidewalk vendor on St Jaques & St Germain and head to a new location via metro or taxi so he can plop himself down at a sidewalk cafe and enjoy the ambiance. For dinner - I guarantee he will find a fabulous place to eat. Either taxi or metro back to hotel.</p>
<p>jmmon…would love to hear what your son ends up doing! So much advice and so little time. Even if he had 10 days, the advice would be conflicting since Paris means so many different things to so many different people.</p>
[quote]
This past summer, while returning home from Rome, we missed our connection in Paris and were “forced” to spend the night. We were put up at one of the airport hotels. While not the most economical decision, we decided to cab it into the city, instead of figuring out the train. We asked to be dropped off at Notre Dame, from there you can see the cathedral, walk around the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens, along the Seine- seeing the Bouquinistes, or maybe take a boat ride. Ste. Chappelle would be another option in the area. The Mus</p>