Paris Things to Do Tips by JulesH

We stepped out of the Metro station at Volontaires where our hotel was located and the first thing we saw as we turned our heads to the right was the Eiffel Tower reaching high above the Paris skyline. You can see this spectacular monument peeking at you between buildings as you walk around the city, and at night it is spectacularly illuminated in gold, a sweeping searchlight encircles the crest throwing out a beacon which can be seen for miles. Every hour, on the hour hundreds of strobe lights are set sparkling like priceless gemstones. It is a truly breathtaking sight.

Leave a Comment

Address: Trocadero
Directions: You can't miss it!!! We managed to get there from Volontaires simply by walking towards it. It was about 2 miles away.

This is a view of the tower from across the Seine as it began it's dazzling display. Unfortunately my little camera could not do it full justice. It's a sight you have to see to truly appreciate.

Leave a Comment

Address: The banks of the Seine

We arrived at the Sacre Coeur church at Montmartre at night and were a little in awe of it's silent beauty. The white stone was lit up from below like an etheral beacon above the velvet skyline. The church seemed to make onlookers fall silent as they gazed upon it and as we walked around inside, people seemed lost each in their own private world, either praying, taking advantage of the silence to gather their thoughts or simply to admire this beautiful building.

The view from the church grounds stretches for miles across the city, and although you can only just catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower in the distance behind the trees, Rob and I caught sight of it as it began it's hourly sparkle once again and stood holding each other, transfixed by the spectacle.

Leave a Comment

Address: Abbesses Metro
Website: http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/

Specific exhibitions of modern art...check locally for details as this changes regularly.

Leave a Comment

Directions: Métro: line 12, Solférino station; RER: line C, Musée d'Orsay station
Website: http://www.musee-orsay.fr/

The Louvre is famous for housing the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo amongst other things, but it is an immense expose of art and sculpture from all over the world, some ancient greek and egyptian artefacts, medieval and prehistoric colections and the building itself is pretty special too. From the contraversial glass pyramid at it's entrance you enter underground in the centre of the quadrangle and choose your direction using the maps provided. Even with the map however, it is extremely difficult to be sure you have seen all of this museum and it would take a whole day to do it justice.

Leave a Comment

Address: Palais Royal, Musee du Louvre

The picture shows the view I had of this famous statue as I descended the grand staircase and saw her shining white from beyond the crowds, framed by the exquisite architecture in this amazing museum. Somehow she wasn't quite as impressive close up.

Leave a Comment

If you think it was an easy task getting this picture then you can't truly experience the density of the crowds which are constantly crammed around this tiny painting, snapping away just in case the first 50 efforts didn't come out. They are a force to be reckoned with and I finally gleaned this picture by luck after holding my camera above my head and hoping for the best.

Leave a Comment

We climbed the stairs to the second level...the top floor was sadly closed when we visited. It is a taxing climb where you may experience some level of vertigo, but can save you money and keep you fit into the bargain. There are points of interest pointed out to you around the viewing platform, but unfortunately, most of the buildings that have been singled out as points of interest are not actually clearly visible to the naked eye! Conversely there are some monuments which I would have liked pointed out to me but which weren't mentioned. Still, a great view. the picture was taken at dusk. By the time we had climbed to the second level it was dark and the strobe lights were flashing away as we continued to climb!

Leave a Comment

Address: Eiffel Tower

At the risk of sounding cliched, I also recommend Disneyland Paris at Christmas. Although the parc is smaller than it's American counterparts, it has a crispness in winter which cannot be rivalled by the US! Christmas truly arrived for me when I stepped into Disneyland December 2001! Although it didn't actually snow, my memories tell me that it did. I went with my mum and we both reverted to childhood, walking around with eyes like saucers! The Winter Wonderland show was amazing...the audience is showered with fake snow at the end! I cried. It's beautiful.

Leave a Comment