"Paris in the Springtime" a Paris Travel Page by uglyscot

We had to go to Paris for a business meeting, but it turned out to be a pleasure trip. As I'd never been before, I was afraid of being disappointed, but wasn't. We arrived about mid-day after an over night flight flight from Khartoum via Cairo and Amsterdam. It was very cold - temperature of 3 degrees. So after checking in we retired to sleep. The first evening we went to the Arc de Triomphe which was not far from our hotel. The next day was supposed to be business, but we were collected from the hotel at 9.30 and spent all day sightseeing with breaks for coffee and lunch, and a nap in the afternoon before meeting up again for dinner. The business was squeezed in during the drive to dinner!
The next day we decided to go on a boat trip along the Seine, and walk a bit, before heading back to sleep for an early flight to Warsaw.

In spite of the cold and windy weather, Paris was beautiful. The main buildings have been cleaned of the centuries of pollution and are now gleaming white. We went early in the morning to the main tourist places- Camps Elysees, Place de la Concorde, Left Bank, Notre Dame etc. As mid-day approached , the tourists arrived and by afternoon when we got to Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur the place was a hive of activity. So my advice is to move early to avoid the crowds.

Likewise, be prepared to queue for a couple of hours to get tickets for the museums, or order well in advance. We just didn't have the time to waste waiting.

The tower was originally meant to be a temporary exhibit, but is now the main landmarkm in Paris. You see it towering above buildings wherever you are. My first glimpse of it was when we went to the lounge in the hotel and saw it dominating the skyline. It is best seen from a distance as it is just too big to enjoy from close up. I found the best place was looking down over the Champs de Mars.