Quote:
Originally posted by robustpuppy
As part of a longer trip, my SO and I are spending two nights in each of London and Paris this summer. He's never seen London, I've never seen Paris. As for Paris, the only thing on my must-do list is to sit at sidewalk cafes & people watch. I could live without seeing the Louvre if the tourists are going to be out of control. Any recommendations for not-to-miss and easy-to-get-to sites/experiences in either city?
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A few thoughts...
1) Don't go to Paris in August. For starters, it's uncomfortably hot. Plus, most of the French take vacations in August, so many attractions, restaurants, and cafes are simply closed in August.
2) The Rick Steves' guidebooks are fine, but Rick's not the hippest man on the planet. I read the
Let's Go guidebook before planning a rather epic Bar Trip. If you've not traveled with your SO before, reading these can alert you to problems beforehand. Make a list of 10 things you want to do in each city. (If you list 10 museums and he lists 10 pubs, there might be a problem.)
3) If he's not been to Britain before, make sure to visit the British Museum. What's the use of 300 years of British imperialism if you don't get a chance to see the collected spoils.
4) If you can catch a performance of the The Royal Shakespeare Company at the Barbican, it's worth it. The last time I was there, the season had ended, but there are listings on the RSC website.
5) The Tate Modern is a great museum (even for people who don't usually go to museums.) If you're looking to fit more things into each day, I think it is open late Fridays and Saturdays.
6) The Centre Pompidou holds many wonderful modern art pieces. When I visited, they had a fantastic Hitchcock exhibit that mixed film props, sketches from art directors, and pieces of art that influenced him. (I'm sure that exhibition is long gone, but check a local newspaper to see if there's others worth seeing.)
7) If you're really into film, Paris is one of the best cities in the world to see a film. They will have a revival of some kind when you're there. Just look in the film listings for any title with v.o. after it. That means
version originale, so it won't be dubbed. If it's too hot to do touristy stuff, head for a theatre, they're in every arrondisement (neighborhood.)
8) Go to the cathedral atop Montmatre for beautiful views of the City. (It's the one in
Amelie.)
9. Don't go to the Moulin Rouge. I love how American girls pay serious money to see what is essentially a classed-up strip show just because they saw a movie with Nicole Kidman in it.
10. If you're going to the Louvre, make sure you go on a guided tour. Nothing seems more French than having your art history major tourguide say that the Mona Lisa is nothing special and that if you had any sense, you'd spend more time looking at the French paintings.
