Notre Dame! Climb it or Regret it! and other Paris, France Things to Do Tips

Climb the towers of Notre Dame cathedral to get a great view of the city for only 2-3 Euros! It's only about 150 spiral steps up to the top and the views are worth it.
See the 15 ton bell "Emmanuel" in the South Tower as well.

Leave a Comment

Address: Ile de la Cité
Directions: Center of the city.

I took a bus from the south of Paris and got off on the North side of the city (near the Garnier' Opera and the Gar d'Nord train station).

The ride was cheap, free in fact since we (the two people I did the bus ride with never got tickets! We entered the bus when the driver was out getting a snack between his route times and we were never questioned about stamping tickets or buying one either which I thought was odd but I saved the couple of Euros so I was happy.

The bus ride showed me a lot of the city in only one hour and I got to mingle and fit in with the native city people of Paris, something I wouldn't be able to do on a tour bus.
It's cheap, easy to use and fairly timely and a great way to see the city without feeling like a tourist.

Leave a Comment

You can climb the cathedral for some of the best views of the city. You can easily see Montemart and Soucre Cour, the Eiffel Tower, the Seine and quite a few of the other major landmarks of the city.
I had to wait in line for about 1 1/2 hours but it only took me 5 mins. to climb up to the oberservation level. You can climb up the South Tower as well but the tower steps were closed when I was there.
You can also go into the bell tower and see the 14 tonne "Emmanuel" bell which Victor Hugo had Quasimodo swing from in "the Hunchback of Notre Dame" yelling "Sanctuary!"

I had to come back one day because the tower staff were on strike one day and back at work the next.
If you can take the waiting, the effort is well worth it and it only costs a couple euros.

Leave a Comment

Address: Place du parvis de Notre Dame , 75004
Directions: M?tro: Cit?; RER: Ch?telet-Les Halles, Saint Michel-Notre Dame

Woven around 1490, the tapistries show the 6 senses.

FOLLOWING COURTISY OF WIKIPEDIA
The pennants, as well as the armor of the Unicorn and Lion in the tapestry bear the arms of the sponsor, Jean Le Viste, a powerful nobleman in the court of King Charles VII.

The tapestries
Taste
The lady is taking a candy from a dish held by a maidservant. Her eyes are on a parrot on her upheld left hand. The lion and the unicorn are both on their back feet reaching up to pennants that frame the lady on either side. The monkey is at her feet, eating one of the candies.

Hearing
The lady plays a positive organ on top of a table covered with a turkish carpet. Her maidservant stands to the opposite side, and holds the organ in place. The lion and unicorn once again frame the scene holding up the pennants, but in this scene, their positions are reversed so that they are inside the frame, and each is on the opposite the side of the lady that they are on in all the other tapestries.

Sight
The lady is seated, holding a mirror up in her right hand. The unicorn kneels on the ground, with his front legs in the lady's lap, from which he gazes at his reflection in the mirror. The lion on the left holds up a pennant.

Smell
The lady stands, making a wreath of flowers. Her maidservant holds a basket of flowers within her easy reach. Again, the lion and unicorn frame the lady while holding on to the pennants. The monkey has stolen a flower which he is smelling, providing the key to the allegory.

Touch
The lady stands with one hand touching the unicorn's horn, and the other holding up the pennant. The lion sits to the side and looks on.

A Mon Seul D'sir
This tapestry is wider than the others, and has a somewhat different style. The lady stands in front of a tent, across the top which reads "A Mon Seul D'sir" (To my sole desire). Her maidservant stands to the right, holding open a chest. The lady is placing the necklace she wears in the other tapestries into the chest. To her left is a low bench with bags of coins on it.

Leave a Comment

Address: Boulevard St-Michel
Directions: Where Boulevard Saint-Michel meets Boulevard Saint-Germain... couldn't be easier. Metro Cluny-Sorbonne (closer) or Saint-Michel (not far at all).

Once inside Nortre Dame, be sure to look at the balconies on either end of the naive.
Be sure to walk behind the high alter and look at some of the stained glass there and the cross from behind.
Be sure as well to look at the famous Rose windows, still with their original glass.

I sat down for a high mass at 6:30pm on Feb. 6, 2005 and got to listen to a 35 min. homily by the Cardinal of Paris, Jean-Marie Lustiger. It was one of the best things on my trip to be able to say "I took communion from the Cardinal of Paris in Notre Dame cathedral."

Leave a Comment

Address: Place du parvis de Notre Dame , 75004
Directions: M?tro: Cit?; RER: Ch?telet-Les Halles, Saint Michel-Notre Dame

Once inside Nortre Dame, be sure to look at the balconies on either end of the naive.
Be sure to walk behind the high alter and look at some of the stained glass there and the cross from behind.
Be sure as well to look at the famous Rose windows, still with their original glass.

I sat down for a high mass at 6:30pm on Feb. 6, 2005 and got to listen to a 35 min. homily by the Cardinal of Paris, Jean-Marie Lustiger. It was one of the best things on my trip to be able to say "I took communion from the Cardinal of Paris in Notre Dame cathedral."

Leave a Comment

Address: Place du parvis de Notre Dame , 75004
Directions: M?tro: Cit?; RER: Ch?telet-Les Halles, Saint Michel-Notre Dame

Right in front of the tunnel that Princess Di and Dodi were killed in after being chased by overzealous papperazzi, there is a replica of the torch and flame of the Statue of Liberty.
This has become an impromptu memorial spot for Di affectionados.
I was led to the spot by a friend who wanted to see the spot or else I wouldn't have thought of going to see it.
It is worth it to see the spot in the tunnel where the crash happened (you can see the marks on the piller in the tunnel) and to see the flame.

Leave a Comment

Address: Place de l'Alma
Directions: North bank of seine, near Grand Palais

Right across the Seine river from the Louvre is the Musee d'Orsay.
The Museum, as is self evident as you enter into the main hall, is a former railway station that was built for the World Fair on July 14th, 1900.
Threatened with destruction and the building of a modern hotel on the site, the Orsay site was put on the register of Historical Monuments in 1973 and was put on the perminant Historical Monument list in 1978, with plans to turn the railway station and adjacent hotel into a museum showcasing the art of the latter 19th Century.
The new Musee d'Orsay opened to the public on December 9, 1986.
The museum is very impressive and can take a couple days to see in detail. But if you have only a few hours, be sure to hit some of the highlights.
Tolouse Lautrec's pastels, Manet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Degas, Rodin, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, etc....

The main hall is most impressive to see. It measures 138 metres (452'9") long, 40 metres (131') wide, and 32 metres (104'11") tall, along with the original railway clock on the glass wall which you can walk behind to get to the different galleries.

The museum is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9.30am to 6pm and on Thursdays from 9.30am to 9.45pm
Galleries start closing at 5.30pm, 9.15pm on Thursdays
The museum is shut on Mondays.

Full price : 7.5 Euros
Reduced rate : 5.5 Euros
On Sundays and from 4.15 pm (8 pm on Thursdays): 5.5 Euros
Free admission 1st Sunday of Month

Leave a Comment

Phone: +33 (0)1 40 49 48 14
Address: 62, rue de Lille
Directions: Métro: line 12, Solférino station; RER: line C, Musée d'Orsay station
Website: http://www.musee-orsay.fr/

"Beware! You are entering the city of the dead!"
The catacombs are a series of tunnels filled with millions of bones, formerly located in the cemetaries in the city above.
The tunnels are the former stone quarries of the city of Paris that were shut down in the 18th century. The entire tunnel system has still not been mapped and people have gotten lost forever in them....but don't worry. All you need to do is follow the black line in the ceiling which has directed visitors since Victorian times.
The ground level in some cemetaries had risen 10-20 feet in some places. Priests worked for 2 years nightly, carting bones through the streets from the cemetaries to the catacombs.

The catacombs are a morbid thing to see but also historically interesting. They're well worth the visit if you don't mind the climb down 100 stairs and back up 86 steps at the end.

I would recommend bringing a small flashlight to see better with your photographs. They don't allow flash photography.

Leave a Comment

Address: Place Denfert-Rochereau, 14e
Directions: Open Tuesday-Sunday 2-4 (also 9-11am at weekends) Metro Station: Denfert-Rochereau
Turn left from station towards Big Lion. Small green front building on left of road.
Website: http://www.triggur.org/cata/index.html

A small internet cafe with friendly, helpful staff next to a hotel.
There are about 14 computers available, about 6 with "English" keyboards (other countries have different key placements on the keyboards).
Rates are typical of downtown Paris. Rates are 5.40 euros/hour but you can buy packages to space out use.
If you need to mail home or check something quickly, this is a good place to go.

Leave a Comment

Phone: 01 42 60 79 04
Address: 5, Rue de la Sourdiere, Paris
Directions: map on website
metro: Tuileries ou Pyramids
Website: http://www.cour-jardin.com/