Headed to Paris - suggestions?

[Voltigeur]

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We'll be there for 8 days. Not my 1st time (ie have done all of the usual , Louvre, Orangerie, Pompidou, Tour Eiffel, Montmarte, Notre Dame etc).

Looking more ideas that the non-touriste would do. Will be in 11e so not far to Marais, Bastille etc. Last couple of days near Jardin du Luxembourg.

Was there last year - staying not far from Place de la Bastille.

Thanks!

[E90M3CDFR]

Voltigeur,

There is a very good collection of short trips put together in a book called an Hour Outside Paris; the author has put together, for those that lack a car but know Paris well, many of the interesting things to see just outside of Paris "intra muros". Here's a review: perhaps worth getting if you have a chance. http://www.francerevisited.com/main/node/194

If you are going to be here June 11/12, the 24 hours of Mans is on...and M3 GT2s will be running.

Have you been to Vincennes? Invalides (the military museum I imagine you have seen given your nom-de-plume). The Air and Space museum at Le Bourget is worthwhile...one of the best collections of aircraft and space platforms anywhere.

Other museums many don't have a chance to catch: Musee de Moyen Age, Musee Quai Branly, the Monet museum in the 16th (but check because their collection travels a lot). If you are coming with kids, the Cite de Science is fantastic and interesting for adults...there is a French attack sub suspended in a pit that you can go into and walk outside of.

PM me your dates and email/mobile and maybe we can try have a drink while you are here.

[33CV]

Hey Voltigeur,

There are a number of lesser known museums in Paris. Those places are great especially because there are fewer tourists so you're not going to be stuck waiting in long lines and you can take your time once inside.
I second the Marmottan (Monet) museum in the 16th. The collection is really impressive, especially the basement.

The Jacquemart-Andre Museum in the 8th is also great, as much for the furnishings and art as for the house itself. The cafe is also a really nice place for tea or dessert in the afternoon, and the nearby Parc Monceau is beautiful.

Have you done the Saint-Chapelle on the Ile de la Cite? I think it's easily the most beautiful tourist site in Paris with incredible stained glass. If you do go, you may want to check ahead as they've been cleaning the windows and you might not be able to see everything.

If you're looking to be outside more, there are some beautiful lesser known gardens such as the Bagatelle in the Bois de Boulogne.

You could also check out the covered galleries (pre-cursor to the modern department store) that run from the 1st above Palais Royale into the 9th. They get progressively seedier (and cheaper) as you go north, with some pretty cafes, chocolatiers, antique shops, and booksellers. That's a great activity especially if it's a rainy day.

[Voltigeur]

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Very cool ideas. I like obscure museums. Yes, have been to Invincibles but not Vincennes (heard of it though). Thanks both for the suggestions -

[Voltigeur]

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First, had a stupendous time in Paree - been 4 times and this was the best time ever (and one of the best trips w/ my wife).

Second, Parisiens are cool & any superiority is fully justified ;-) Just make a bit of an effort and don't come across as some arrogant Anglophone that expects everyone to speak English. My only negative experiences were in cafes anywhere near a major tourist area (and yeah, then the waiters do speak English) - which is what happens in any big city these days when the locals have to deal w/ hordes of clueless visitors (ie they get a bit jaundiced). And one grumpy crêpe vendor who was bloody rude to the locals as well Guess he just hated his business.

Third - even if you speak little-to-no Française and sound execrable (as I do) - try a few pleasantries & it pays to have a phrasebook so you can translate the menus. Our best meals were at small restaurants, < 40 places, run by a small team and we were the only visitors. Menus and waiters have no English and we're fine w/ that

Saw just ONE M3 in 9 days. Quite a few P-cars; 2 599s; even a McLaren SLR 722s; a Gallardo and one red Z06. Monday late morning, Jerez E92, driving around Place de la République; middle-aged guy w/ mid-length silver hair. Anyone here, or that you know?


Won't be our last trip. And we will be renting an apartment again: to go to the local shops; walk to the marché, Bastille, Les Enfants Rouges & buy fresh produce (the tomates were fantastic and at end of the day we got 2 kgs for 2 EUR; just wander around randomly - not trying to tick off a list of sites.

Got to see USA vs ENG in a rugby pub in Ste Germain - great atmosphere!

Ended up at a really nice boutique hotel in Ste. Germain. Maybe ~ 20 rooms; nice and modern.

All good. And I'm still amazed - after seeing all the banged-up / scraped cars in Paris - that some m3posters are willing to drive their cars in the city


Centre Pompidou


From Arc de Triomphe (yes, I did adjust this image)


Night view


Cheers,

-- V

[E90M3CDFR]

Originally Posted by Voltigeur

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All good. And I'm still amazed - after seeing all the banged-up / scraped cars in Paris - that some m3posters are willing to drive their cars in the city
-- V

Glad you had a good visit. I ended up at Le Mans and enjoyed the trip (my 2nd) very much.

As far as driving in Paris with an M3, well going on two years, 38,000kms and car still looks brand new (except for a few stone chips in the front). I don't commute with the M3, and am pretty careful with parking (like most decent car owners, I'll risk a parking ticket over putting the car between two Peugeots, but generally I prefer one of the parking garages). You learn to be very good at parking and judging the width of car (with folder mirrors sometimes). In traffic, it does help to be in the nicer car. When I first got here, I thought it would only be a matter of time before one of the "motos" would do a bug impersonation on the side of my car...but the French riders are quite good at passing between cars. Except when a tourist wanders into the "perif" and doesn't realize that the space between the two left most lanes if bike turf.

Hopefully can catch up the next time you visit.

[E90M3CDFR]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

Suggestion...

Go to Germany instead. More fun.

I do, quite often...was stationed there too; close to the 'Ring, back when a lap was just DM14, my annual pass a pittance, and tourist fahrten was the norm not the exception.

I don't enjoy driving in Germany quite as much these days though...too much traffic at times to make good time, roads always under repair/construction and during peak times, the staus are killer.

I kinda like the French approach: make people pay extra for the highways and clear out the chaff and the whales. The tolls keep trucks off the autoroutes and the road surfaces are in excellent shape.

That said, there's nothing quite like an early Sunday morning run on the autobahn to get the juices flowing...

[Donbona]

If you play poker go to the Aviation Club.

[Voltigeur]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

Suggestion...

Go to Germany instead. More fun.

I go all the time - and love it too. Have lived there and spouse is German - so I need my Paree time for vive la difference!

[Voltigeur]

Originally Posted by E90M3CDFR

I don't enjoy driving in Germany quite as much these days though...too much traffic at times to make good time, roads always under repair/construction and during peak times, the staus are killer.

That's for sure: August driving in Deutschland is not so much fun. But w/ the trucks gone on Sundays, an early morning blast in, say, May, or Sept, is great!

[Voltigeur]

Originally Posted by E90M3CDFR

Glad you had a good visit. I ended up at Le Mans and enjoyed the trip (my 2nd) very much.

As far as driving in Paris with an M3, well going on two years, 38,000kms and car still looks brand new (except for a few stone chips in the front). I don't commute with the M3, and am pretty careful with parking (like most decent car owners, I'll risk a parking ticket over putting the car between two Peugeots, but generally I prefer one of the parking garages).

Hopefully can catch up the next time you visit.

I have to get to Le Mans. Hell, you're doing better than me (re body damage). TX roads throw up a lot of junk. And yeah, reckon one's parking skills get really honed there.

I did note that the parking cops are ubiquitous - as are the bright green sanitation workers

For sure will be back and we'll try to catch up

[Erissimo E90]

Hi all,
moved to Paris and picked up my 2008 M3 E90 last weekend. Would be good to meet/chat with M3 owners based here. Would appreciate any advice on useful hints in Paris re taking care of the car.

[runnerguy1979]

I only about 1.5-2 hours from Paris.

visited a few times, either by car or train, and have always loved my visits.

Would love to meet up with other M3 owners either in the city or for a group ride sometime soon.

I'm in Holland, near the three-border region so not far at all.

Brian

[Voltigeur]

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Good on ya Brian!

I know I'll be back - it's one of my very fav cities. And one of these days the 24-hrs of Le Mans is a must-do bucket list (along w/ Nürburgring 24-uhr and Spa GP).

But this year looks like München (no hardship! ) and maybe Barcelona.

[M3 vert]

Originally Posted by Erissimo E90

Hi all,
moved to Paris and picked up my 2008 M3 E90 last weekend. Would be good to meet/chat with M3 owners based here. Would appreciate any advice on useful hints in Paris re taking care of the car.

Hello mate, you still based in Paris?

I'll be here next month