Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation and other Paris, France Things to Do Tips

This is the memorial to the French who were deported during World War II. It's a good idea to read the plaque before you enter so you understand the symbolism.

After reading the plaque, you go down the stairs until you are nearly at water level of the Seine and you are inside the memorial that was designed to give you the feeling of being closed in that the deportees must have felt.

There is a room inside that has a small light for each deportee who did not return. It is a stark reminder to see all the little lights shining down the long hallway. It really gives you a feeling for what was lost.

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Address: Square de Ile de la France on Ile de la Cité
Directions: You walk around to the back of Notre Dame, cross the street and look for the break in the hedge. The small park is at the eastern tip of Ile de la Cité.

The Place des Vosges is probably the most beautiful square in Paris. Everything matches perfectly. The buildings are brick and stone and you can walk around the entire square under the arcade. In the center is a beautiful little park with statues, fountains, grass, seats and a play area for children. This is surrounded by perfectly trimmed linden trees so all activity is framed.

You'll see lots of well-off Parisians with their beautifully dressed children passing the afternoon there. There are several nice restaurants, many art galleries and the Maison de Victor Hugo . . . not to mention classical music played under the arcades!

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Address: Place des Vosges in the 4th Arrondissement
Directions: Stepping off point to the Marais and perfect walk-through to the Picasso Museum.

The Tuileries Gardens right outside the Louvre are an amazing place for children. There is a large fountain and you can rent small sailboats your child can sail in the fountain. It's a great way for the kids to play and parents to sit in a nearby chair and relax for a while.

In summer there is a carnival set up in the Tuileries with Ferris Wheel, Merry-Go-Round (Carousel) and other rides. They have stands where you can get snacks and there are always art exhibits. It's just a great place for the entire family.

Check the view from Place du Carrrousel. Facing away from the Louvre, you look down the main path of the Tuileries to the Place de la Concorde with the Egyptian Obelisk and on down the Champs Elysées to the Arc du Triomphe . . . all at the same time!

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Address: West of the Louvre in Arrondissment 1
Directions: Just west of the Louvre is the Jarden du Carrousel adjoining the Jardin des Tuileries and it runs from the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde.

The first time we visited Paris, we had major jet lag and decided to just leave our hotel and start walking. We headed toward the Seine and finally arrived. We turned left and walked west along the river.

We arrived at the Jardin des Plantes and immediately felt the charm of the matched lines of very well-trimmed trees with the walkway between them. We stopped momentarily to enjoy the ambience and then continued along the Seine.

As we approached the Pont de Sully, I looked ahead and as if by magic there was the Notre Dame Cathedral we had seen in countless pictures. It was really there and even more lovely than we had imagined.

We walked on to the cathedral and entered.

Try to attend a Gregorian Mass during your visit. We've heard their boy choir and their adult choir and they are wonderful. There are also free organ recitals at 4:30 PM on most Sundays. If you want a seat arrive a little early. The organ and the acoustics are incredible. The tourists popping flash bulbs and talking are also incredible but in a different way. If you're an observer, please respect those who are there for the music. 8^)

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Address: Place du parvis de Notre Dame , 75004
Directions: Métro: Cité; RER: Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint Michel-Notre Dame
Website: http://www.cathedraledeparis.com/EN/0.asp

The Musee d'Orsay is a transformed train station and the architecture is nearly as fascinating as the art collection inside. The former Gare d'Orsay, closed to trains in 1973, was inaugurated as a museum in 1986 by then-President Mitterrand.

This is where the Impressionists are exhibited, where you find Van Gogh, Pisarro, Manet, Monet, sculpture by Rodin, Renoir, Cezanne, Seurat, Millet and the list goes on.

Many people expect these paintings to be in the Louvre and are disappointed when they don't see them. If you are looking for them, be sure to visit the d'Orsay and enjoy. Be sure to climb to the top floor and view the inside of the museum. Also view Sacre Coeur from behind the very large window clock facing the basilique on a hill. It's a magnificent view of Paris.

It can get very crowded inside the museum so we like to go a bit later in the day and start at the top floor and work our way down. One of my husband's favorites is "The Angelus" by Millet and we always visit that before we leave.

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

This has got to be one of my favorite squares in Paris. Not because it is the most beautiful but because it is always great fun. It faces the Pompidou Center on one side and Eglise St. Merri on the other.

The wonderful Stravinsky Fountain is the centerpiece of the Place and there are always tourists snapping photos around the fountain. I love the marvelous and amusing sculptures of Niki de St.-Phalle and Jean Tinguely. Many of the sculptures move and many are fountains in their own right. On very warm summer days you often see tourists wading in the fountain. I'm sure this is discouraged but it's fun to watch.

This marvelous fountain is surrounded by outdoor cafes so you can sit and watch the action as long as you like. It's a great place for a refreshing break for your feet.

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Address: Place Stravinsky by the Pompidou Center
Directions: Rue St. Merri

Update 2009:

We were pretty disappointed visiting the Picasso Museum this afternoon. It is in the middle of renovation. Photos are no longer allowed inside the museum. The wonderful displays in the crypt-basement are closed. They are adding wall space that covers much of the beautiful old mansion housing the collection. Much of the collection is going into storage for a 4-year renovation. We'll try it again in 2014 and see there is an improvement, but it wasn't a great visit today. What was available was not well displayed and all the walls weren't even complete yet. There were paintings on one side and beams on the other . . .

Old review below:

There are two excellent reasons to visit the Musee Picasso. First, of course, is the marvelous collection of Picasso's works. The Archives are also open to the public and they include his copious correspondence. It is fascinating. There are also posters and sketches exhibited.

Secondly, the building is of historic importance. You would expect Picasso to be exhibited in a starkly modern building. Not so . . . The collection is in a delightful old Hotel Particular (mansion) in the Marais district of Paris. The lovely mansion was once owned by Aubert-de-Fontenay who was a salt-tax collector. See what tax collectors can afford to build!

If you haven't visited for a while, this is a good time to make another visit because the collection has been rehung and is very well displayed. They have hung a great many more paintings in the collection since our first visit many many years ago.

It is also great fun to wander through the building.

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Phone: 01 42 71 25 21
Address: Hotel Sale; 5 rue de Thorigny
Directions: Metro #8 St. Sebastian-Froissart or Chemin Vert
Website: http://www.musee-picasso.fr/
Other Contact: FAX: 01 48 04 75 46

You see Sacre Coeur perched on its hill from nearly every vantage point in Paris so at some point, you just have to see what it's all about.

Take the Metro to the Anvers station and exit. After you exit the Metro, look around and find the street with the very unlikely name of rue de Steinkerque. Walk up the hill on Steinkerque to Place St. Pierre where you are likely to find a carousel set up for the children.

Looming above you is the snow-white Basilique Sacre Coeur. You may walk up the steps with lots of company or use your Metro tickets (or Pass) to take the funicular to the top. The views of Paris from the top are nothing short of spectacular and it's worth the trip just for that if the day is reasonably clear.

You can visit the basilique. There is no photography allowed inside which is just as well since it is quite dark (and gloomy) inside.

Leave Sacre Coeur and walk over to Place de Tertre where the action is. There is the lovely little church of St. Pierre that is definitely worth a visit, if only to admire the magnificent carved doors. This is a Paris treasure not many visit and it is truly lovely

The Place du Tertre is where the artists exhibit and try to draw your caricature or paint your portrait. It will be crowded and busy. If you want a fun souvenir, have your picture drawn or pick up an inexpensive oil painting from the many. It's more fun than a post card even if it isn't great art. Occasionally you will see a quite nice oil and if it reminds you of your trip to Paris, it is your investment in memory if not a museum piece.

There are many cafes in the area and if you walk a block or two the prices will go down dramatically. There is also a little tourist train that takes you around Montmartre that leaves from the Place de Tertre. It's a fun way to get the lay of the land and rest your weary feet.

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Phone: 01-53-41-89-00
Address: Place du Parvis du Sacre Coeur
Directions: Anvers Metro stop and up rue de Steinkerque
Website: http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/
Other Contact: FAX: 01-53-41-89-10

Oddly, we had been to Paris several times before we visited Ste. Chapelle. That was a mistake. Now we visit every time and glory in the stained glass, although I must admit I am utterly in love with the ground floor and exquisite painting on walls, pillars and ceiling . . . and this is where the peasants attended church!

Ste. Chapelle is no longer a working church but is often used for concerts. There are many marvelous stories including one of a monk who spent a year at Ste. Chapelle following the Bible stories in the stained glass. You will see many people with detailed guidebooks and binoculars sitting along the sides doing the same thing. Persumably, they don't have a year to spend doing this.

If you want to see detail, I highly recommend the binoculars. If you just want to soak up the ambience, go on a sunny day and sit and marvel at the riot of colors.

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Phone: 01 53 73 78 50
Address: Boulevard du Palais
Directions: Sainte-Chapelle is inside the Palais of Justice on Ile de le Cité-- a few minute walk from Notre Dame. Métro : Cité, Staint-Michel, or Châtelet. RER: Chatelet -Les-Halles, Saint-Michel
Website: http://www.pbase.com/francist/chap&page=all

The Jardin des Tuileries is located just beyond the Jardin du Carrousel which is just beyond the Louvre Museum. If you visit the Louvre, you will probably want to walk through the Tuileries even if just to get to the Orangerie that has just reopened after major renovation.

Someone on the forum always asks about a most romantic moment in Paris and ours was in the Tuileries on our very first trip to Paris. We started walking through the Tuileries and suddenly there was a downpour. We had no umbrellas (see the packing tip) so we raced for the little outdoor cafe with umbrella tables. Oddly, everyone else in the park raced for the exit. We found ourselves alone at the little cafe, so decided to order a coffee and hot chocolate. When we ordered, Madame Cafe Manager had nothing else to do and no other customers so she struck up a conversation. Our French was nearly nonexistant at the time so it was pretty funny. She managed to convince us we really needed a cherry tart with the warm drinks. We returned to our umbrella table and soon received our warm drinks and a lovely warm cherry tart with two forks. We had a lovely hour watching the cafe workers clowning around, the ducks in the nearby fountain and the gardens . . . all just for our benefit. Soon the sun came back out and the people returned, but we had our magic moment and now always return to the Tuileries, rain or shine, when we are in Paris.

Incidentally, if you have childen, there are little sailboats for rent that they can sail in the fountain. It always looks like great fun. In the pond near the Orangerie, save a bit of lunch baguette and you can feed the fish in the pond. They are very well-trained fish!

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Address: Place du Louvre
Directions: Metro: Tuileries,Concorde
Website: http://www.louvre.fr