Favorite place to see in Paris, France?

Paris/France "must see's"?

• okay, We will be in paris in 2 weeks and I was wondering what are some of the 'must see' things in paris and france (appart from the obious in Paris!) Thanks!

• Answer:

  The problem in Paris is not finding things to see but in figuring out how you will manage to pick and choose among the vast number of sights and shoehorn them into just two weeks. Paris has been a center of civilization since the days of the Roman Empire. That's a lot of history, culture, art and architecture to look at. Being a "good tourist" requires a lot of preparation. After all, unless you're a millionaire, your vacation time is limited so every moment should be used to best effect. I really suggest that you take the time to sit down with any competent guide book and very carefully look at all the possibilities. In the end its what interests YOU that will make some things "must see" sights and others that can be ignored or left for another day. And while you're at it, read some of the books written by people about their experiences in Paris. there are a lot of these type of books too. Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast" is a great one but even a funny book like Art Buchwald's "I'll always have Paris" is worth reading. There's also a lot to Paris that is beyond the tourist sights. Its the ambience and the attitude of Paris which need to be lived and felt. You should spend some time just strolling around the city to appreciate its architecture and to get a feel for its medieval layout, the Belle Epoch improvements of Baron Hausman, and the modernizations seen in places like the Les Halles Forum and the new Opera in the Place Bastille. You should take a little time to just sit in a cafe in the Latin Quarter or St. Germaine and people watch. Enjoy some of the nightlife of Paris. Not the tourist ripoffs like the Moulin Rogue or the Lido but the vast number of fantastic music venues, from the jazz joints to discos. Be a bit courageous when you eat. Go to places that don't cater to tourists and don't have English menus. Just point to things on the menu or, better still, walk into a cafe at lunchtime and ask for the daily special which you'll almost always see displayed on a chalk board. don't worry if you don't know what it is! Try it! The worst that will happen is that you'll have a hilarious story to tell about how you got served a calve's head with cream sauce or something else too weird for you to eat. Keep your eyes and your mind open. Paris is a great place. Enjoy yourself.