Paris Things to Do Tips by GUYON

Musee Carnavalet (Paris Historical Museum) Musée Carnavalet Review

The Carnavalet Museum is devoted to the Paris History from Antiquity to 20e century.
As all the City of Paris Musums, its entrance for permanent exibit is free.
Open from 10AM to 6 PM, Closed on Monday.
If you wish to see different pictures of Paris through the centuries.
The museum mainly presents paintings, sculptures, furnitures, things and models.

Address: 23 rue de Sevigne - Paris

Directions: Metro : St Paul
In Le Marais Area.

Phone: 01 44 59 58 58

Website: http://www.carnavalet.paris.fr

Petit Palais, Grand musee Petit Palais Review

This museum presents art works from Antiquity to 1900.
Open from 10 AM to 6 PM for permanent exibit (8PM on Thursday for temporary exibits)
Closed on Monday.
The entrance is free for permanent exibit.

It is a good complement after the visit of Louvre and Orsay if you are not ... rid off art. There are several master pieces that come from various collections.

Address: 3, Avenue du Général-Eisenhower, 75008, Paris

Directions: Métro : Champs-Elysées-Clemenceau (ligne 1 ou 13) ou Concorde (ligne 1, 8 ou 12)
Bus : 42,72, 73, 80, 93

Other Contact: Metro :

Phone: 01 53 43 40 00

Website: http://www.petitpalais.paris.fr

Musee du Jeu de Paume

This museum is devoted to temporary exibits about photographes and pictures.
Open : noon to 7PM excepted Tuesday : noon to 9PM, Saturday and Sunday : 10AM to 7PM - Closed on Monday
Ticket : 6 euros
It is prohibited to take pictures.

Address: 1 place de la Concorde - Paris

Directions: It is in the Jardin des Tuileries near the Place de la Concorde - Metro : Concorde

Phone: 01 47 03 12 50

Website: http://www.jeudepaume.org

Musee de la Vie Romantique (Romantic Life Museum)

Often tourists ask for the Romantic places of Paris and I give us 2 addresses : the Parc Monceau which was built to be romantic and this museum completly devoted to the romanticism.
Yes, I know, it is not the right answer.
But I suggest to the people who are interesting in knowing more about the romantiscism to visit this museum.
It is settled in an old house, between the Grands Boulevards and Pigalle, which was rented by the Deutch romantic painter Ary Scheffer. His workshop is visible on the picture 5. After a rather long story, the house was sold to the State and transformed into a museum. There is a permanent exhibit showing Scheffer's paintings and from some others artists and there are temporary exhibits. The permanent exhibit is free.
If you wish to spend a quiet afternoon and may be a romantic one, I suggest a lunch in one of the restaurants located place Gustave Toudouze nearby and after the visit of the museum, a stay at the "Salon de The" which is in the museum.

Address: Hôtel Scheffer-Renan - 16 rue Chaptal - 9e arrt

Directions: Metro : Trinite
Not far from Grands Boulevards and Opera

Phone: 01 55 31 95 67

Musee Marmottan devoted to Monet Musée Marmottan Review

If you are interested in "impressionnism" and especially in the painter Monet, visit this museum which is located in the Paul Marmottan's mansion. Paul Marmottan was a director of a mining company and he has transmited to the country his mansion and his collection of paintings.
The museum has 3 main topics :
- Monet and his paintings of Giverny
- the furniture and paintings of the First Empire
- a collection of illuminations from the 15e and 16e centuries.
There is often an exibition. When we have visited the museum, the exibition was about the american artists who had reached Monet at Giverny to make "impressionist paintings".

We visited this museum with a couple of friends who are painters and we enjoyd their commentaries and explanations.

Open every day excepted Monday. 10 AM to 6 PM counter closed at 5PM (Tuesday 9PM)
Ticket : 8 euros (9 when there is an exibition) Student (less 25) 4.50 euros
Audioguide 3 euros
Photos are prohibited.

The restaurants in the neighborhood are rather expensive or crowdy and we found the good one (on our opinion) : LE BOIS LE VENT (Lebanese restaurant) 59 rue de Boulainvilliers 75016 Paris - 01.45.27.62.23 . We paid 28 euros per capita with the wine (tax included)

Address: 2, rue Louis-Boilly, 75016 Paris

Directions: Metro (line 9 ) : Muette
RER (line C) : Boulainvilliers
Bus : 32 - 63 - 22 - 52
The museum is near the Ranelagh Garden

Phone: 01 44 96 50 33

Website: http://www.marmottan.com/

Musee RODIN Musée Rodin Review

After watching the movie Camille Caudel, with Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Adjani, I wished to see some sculptures of Rodin and his pupill , Camille Caudel (Paul Claudel's sister). Unfortunately, the Camille Claudel's works were not at the museum but on an exhibition in Spain.
Rodin was a commercial sculptor with several teams to help him. He has left a large number of works, some have a real value : the thinker, the burghers of Calais, the kiss, the gates of Hell, the sahde, Ugolino, The age of bronze.
The temporary exhibitions are put in the old chapel at the entrance.
There is also a large park to visit.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:30AM to 4:45PM (cash desk closed at 4:15). From April to September the museum is closed 1 hour later.

Price : 9 euros
You can rent an audio guide : 4 euros

Address: 79 rue de Varennes, 7e arrondissement

Directions: Metro : Line 13 - Station : Varennes
Bus 69. 82. 87. 92
Near les Invalides

Phone: 331 44 18 61 10

Website: http://www.musee-rodin.fr

Attend a free show

On the web site billetreduc.fr you will find free invitations for some Paris theaters. There are mainly comedies which need to understand French very well but there are also some musical shows. If there are no payment, the common habit is to leave some euros for the artists. Some others ask for a payment of 3 euros. The website is paid by a compulsory toll phone call.

Directions: Shows in Paris and suburbs

Website: http://www.billetreduc.fr

Boat race in the Bois de Boulogne Parks, Gardens, and Squares Review

On Sunday, go to the Bois de Boulogne to see the boat races organized on the ponds of the park.
The Bois de Boulogne is larger than Central Park in NY (+ 150 pct) and has a lot of marvellous "promenades".
To avoid by night because of the prostitution.
To go there : metro Porte Maillot then bus (line 241).
If you see a grey Renault Scenic at 8AM crossing the Bois de Boulogne, say "hello". It's me, going to the office.

Other Contact: More on the travelogue Gardens

Visiting the museums Museum Passes Review

With these cards you can visit without queueing 70 museums in Paris and nearby including :
Arc de Triomphe, Army Museum, Centre G. Pompidou, M. Canavalet, Cité des Sciences, Institut du Monde Arabe, Louvre, M. de la Marine, Thermes de Cluny, Notre Dame Crypt, Orsay, M. Rodin, Sainte Chapelle, Vincennes Castle

Directions: To buy: in museums, major subway stations, Tourism Offices Paris, FNAC, Batobus.

Foire de Paris

Yearly, in May, there is the Foire de Paris during two weeks.
It is the fair of the fairs.
Everything is in exibit : cars, furniture, garden equipments, pools, kitchen, food and wine, goods from each country of the world, clothes, computers, services, the salon of inventors (concours L?pine), etc...
Nethertheless, I regret the time when each stand gave a sample and it was alloowed to taste every food. Now, there are few samples and it is possible to taste only wine with the concern to escape when one says to the vendor : "I do not buy".
Go on working days and on the morning, because during the week end it is crowdy.
Cost : 10 Euros but I never pay, it is so easy to get a free entrance coupon.

Address: Parc des Expositions - Porte de Versailles

Directions: Go by Metro (Porte de versaille) or by bus (PC line).
Avoid the car (long line on the beltway and parkings full).