After catching a bus from Senlis, then a train from Chantilly, we arrived at Gare du Nord and made our way via the metro to our hotel in Paris. Although we have been to (or through) Paris somewhere between 5 and 10 times, we can always find a new area in which to stay, and new things to do. There’s a reason that France has been the most visited country in the world for over 30 years and, as the capital, Paris certainly gets many of those visitors.
This trip we stayed in a new arrondissement for us, the 11th. The 11th has a young population, is known for it’s cultural diversity, and has many fine restaurants. The most famous citizen of the 11th is surely Génie de la Liberté (the “Spirit of Freedom”), a bronze sculpture atop the 47 metre Colonne de Juillet in the middle of the Place de la Batille. This arrondissement sits right beside the Père Lachaise Cemetery whose 44 hectares (110 acres) are actually in the 20th, but the main gate is on the dividing street. On the opposite side, the 11th adjoins the Marais district which is home to the Musée Picasso, Maison de Victor Hugo, and the Musée Carnavalet, all of which were on our list.
We also wanted to revisit some A-list Paris attractions, some of which we hadn’t seen for over a decade. These included the newly re-opened Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Latin Quarter, the booksellers by the Seine, and the Louvre.
Tripadvisor has over 5 million reviews of Paris sights, so there’s probably not too much that we could write that would add to the world’s knowledge. However we have some great photos and will provide some short impressions of the places that we visited over three and a half days.
“New to Us”” Sights
- Just a few blocks from our hotel, the Place de la Bastille was photogenic, but the cafes and restaurants right on the square were crowded and not great.
- Only one of us checked out Victor Hugo’s house, but the square on which it sits, Place des Vosges, is the oldest planned square in Paris and is great for people watching.
- We had a great walking tour of Père Lachaise Cemetery, with lots of stops at the graves of the famous, infamous, and just plain odd. With over a million people interred there, it would take more time than we had to visit them all! (And yes, we did visit Jim Morrison’s memorial.)
- The Musée Carnavalet was perhaps a bit overly ambitious in trying to cover the entire history of Paris. However the detailed exhibit about Paris as the heart of the French Revolution was great. And the entryway display of old Parisian store signs was fun.
- The Musée Picasso was thoroughly enjoyable (to at least one of us) and far better than the Picasso museums in Barcelona and Antibes (visited in 2023) because the Paris national museum covers his entire career.
“Visiting Again” Sights
- It seemed to us as we strolled through the Left Bank’s Latin Quarter that it was even more touristy than last time that we were there, if that’s even possible. The pâtisseries were as great as ever though!
- The crowd lining up to visit Notre-Dame was huge, although admittedly we were there on a weekend. We had not visited since before the big fire. There is still a lot of construction equipment about, and visits to the rooftop are still not back (gargoyle picture is from an earlier visit), but otherwise there’s not much change to be seen inside. And it’s still as impressive as always.
- It’s always nice to walk along the Seine, so when we headed for the Louvre we got out a couple of metro stops early and checked out Les Bouquinistes (riverside booksellers). We swear that they are still selling some of the same prints that they were when we first visited Paris together 46 years ago!
- When we reached the Louvre, there was a half-hour queue to get in even with a reserved time slot. Everyone who entered seemed to rush to see the Mona Lisa (see feature image above); we did eventually pass by too but enjoyed the other uncrowded galleries more. One big disappointment was that the Roman gallery was closed for restoration. We had hoped to see many of the objects that France had collected (stole?) from their former colonies and protectorates that we had just visited. Next time!
- When in Paris, the Metro is the quickest and easiest way to get around and is a community on rails. From beggars and pickpockets, to businessmen and buskers, everyone uses the Metro. See our short video clip below.
“Next Time” Sights
In addition to the Roman gallery at the Louvre, we added a sight for our next trip to Paris. Our guide at Père Lachaise recommended a visit to Les Catacombes de Paris and we’ll try to go on our next trip to France.
The Louvre was our last stop before a final dinner and a trip out to the airport the next morning. Things began so well with champagne in the Air France lounge before boarding and more after boarding. But then things went south as an unexplained mechanical issue turned a 9-hour flight into an epic 40-hour plus journey that involved airport food vouchers, an overnight stay out by Charles de Gaulle Airport, an unexpected stop in London Heathrow, and broken seats on British Airways. Looking on the bright side, we have lots of bonus air miles, airline compensation, and free vouchers to use on our upcoming trips! We wonder if seeing the Winged Victory of Samothrace and Venus de Milo at the Louvre subliminally planted the idea of returning to Greece sometime soon?
Check out our pictures from Paris. Thumbnails below, or see the images on Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/100countries/albums/72177720326872890
