Just stroll around and other Paris, France Things to Do Tips

One of my favourite things to do in Paris is just stroll around. There is art at every turn and if you do not walk, you will miss out.

There are lots of charming clothes shops and boutiques and an abundance of cafes to sit and people watch over a cafe noir, never mind the huge amount of galleries and art to see.
If you only have a couple of days, don't worry too much about the huge galleries like The Louvre, there are plenty of smaller galleries with some great art that you can visit without needing a longer stay.

As I say, strolling about with no plan gives you a large shot of culture without much planning at all!

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The Musée Picasso is in a 17th century mansion, centrally situated in a historical Le Marais district of Paris and houses a large collection of Picasso's paintings, sculptures, drawings and ceramica. It is perfectly sized for a long weekend visit with plenty to see, but not too enormous.

We had a very pleasant stroll around this initimate museum on our last day there, easily returning back to our hotel in time to catch our Eurostar train home.

Open April to september: 9.30 am to 6 pm
October to March: 9.30 am to 5.30 pm
Price 7.70 euros, children free.
Entrance is free for all on the first Sunday of every month.

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Phone: 01 42 71 25 21
Address: Hotel Sale; 5 rue de Thorigny
Directions: Metro #8 St. Sebastian-Froissart.
Metro line 1 or 8 : Chemin-Vert, St-Paul, St-Sebastian
Buses : 29, 96, 75, 86, 87
Website: www.musee-picasso.fr

A bit of an early morning scramble after a rather late night, saw us speeding by taxi to catch the morning mass at Notre Dame. Amazingly, there is a calm and tranquil vibe going on, even with the hundreds of tourists trapsing by during a mass - and Quel teatre! When the organ struck up at the end of the mass, it was one serious Gothic experience.

Not to be missed.

MASSES

Sunday
Saturday evening
6:30 (cantor)
Sunday
8:30 am
10:00 am (gregorian chant)
11:30 am (choir)
12:45 am (cantor)
6:30 pm (choir)

Weekdays
8:00, 9:00, 12:00 am
6:15 pm (cantor)

and a request from the Notre Dame Official Website :

"Respecting a holy silence is the only way to assure good conditions for those who come to meditate and pray and for the normal course of the Church services as well. This is the reason why the clergy has asked professional guides who explain in detail the iconography of the facade to take tourists through the Cathedral in a duly respectful silence".

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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

In Paris there is creativity at every turn.

Pictured here, a store front photographed by KB on one of our strolls around town, some buskers under a typical Parisian archway and a burst of colour in a small gallery.

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Les Champs Elysees looked beautiful all lit up with little white fairy lights for Christmas. One of the most famous streets in the world, it houses exclusive shops, cafes and bars, cinemas and it's own theatre.

They say this 2.6 mile avenue is the most beautiful avenue in Paris and there is activity at all times day or night. It will still be alive with people and cars at 3 am and I have even been in a traffic jam at that time!

The tree-lined wide pavements and general opulance make it a very pleasant place to stroll at any time. It is not just for tourists though, the stree is very full of Parisian life, with school children, workers, film stars, musicians and tourists alike, all adding to the bustling atmosphere. You will encounter mopeds darting across the pavements and traffic police blowing their wistles frantically in attempt to keep some sort of order, which all add to it's charm.

Take some serious money if you want to shop there, but a cafe in a smokey Parisian bar costs very little to soak up the atmosphere.

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Directions: stretches from the Concorde square to the Arc de Triomphe
Website: http://www.champselysees.org/

From the Place de la Concorde to the top of the Champs-Elysees in the the Place de L'Etoile, known today as the Place Charles de Gaulle, lies the Arc de Triomphe.

The monument built between 1806 and 1836 when Napoleon commissioned Chalgrin to build an arch to the glory of the French Army combined with the Place Charles-de-Gaulle which surrounds it, together form one of Paris' most famous landmarks.

Climb the 284 steps to the viewing platform and you can see the twelve avenues many named after Napoleonic victories and illustrious generals radiating towards every part of Paris.

Great and grand, it glows with a yellow ochre light and is not to be missed when in Paris.

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Address: Place Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile
Directions: Metro Line 1, 2, RER A : Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile

I had an all too brief visit with my French artist friend Bertr (cue Lou Reed song).... We zoomed off on his little motorbike in traffic madness for a cup of coffee on the Champs d'Elise and took some rather silly photos of oruselves at arms length in the foyer of the hotel.

That little bike ride made my trip - Great fun!

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Directions: Below is a link to more of Berts work. If you are freaked out by life drawings etc - I advise you don't go there, although Bert has a huge body of work on all manner of subjects and particularly talented with colour in my opinion.
Website: http://flickr.com/photos/lemoox/sets/705974/