Avoid going there in winter
by stefy73
I think Paris is a town one can love bit a bit, not in its general view. Beautiful views of the town ( les bateaux au long de la seine, la cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris, les bistrots etc.) remain inside me, but in general I found it a grey and sad town. Paris is really a melting pot. I went there to welcome the new year and passed the last few hours of the old one in the Street, namely the Champs Elysees. What a crowd!! It managed to warm us despite the really arctic weather.
Just for info: due to the ice, the upper floor of the tour eiffel was closed, so if you want to go up to the French stars, do not go there in winter!
Monmartre starts from the artist...
by Lilasel
The hill of Monmartre has been associated with artists for 200 years. Theodore Gericault and Camille Corot came here at the start of the 19th century, and in the 20th century Maurice Utrillo immortalized the streets in his works. Today it's full of portraitists (Place du Tertre) The talk with them takes off every euro minute by minute. Me and my russian friend Youlia received great portraits almost for free because this chatty artist was sure I'm french! When he discovered the truth he was so surprised that gave me his works with a very reasonable price... :-) Sometimes it is useful to speak good french without an accent :-)
Ice-skating at L'Hotel de Ville
by barryg23
One of the most popular activities in Paris during the winter is ice-skating. And it's completely free. Though you will have to pay to hire the skates. I'm an awful skater and normally avoid it completely, but on one visit, with practically everything else closed on New Year's Day, I decided to give it a go. It was really good fun though I spent most of my time at the side or falling on the ice. The location at L'Hotel de Ville is excellent and there are good views of Notre Dame and Ile de la Cite in the distance.
Pamper Yourself!
by Geisha_Girl
Besides the shopping, the arts, the cuisine, the people-watching, and the nightlife, one of my other favorite pastimes in Paris is pampering myself at one of their salons.
It seems that every block in Paris has at least one beauty salon! This goes to show how the Parisians take their style and beauty seriously!
There's nothing like getting a soothing head massage and shampoo after walking the boulevards of Paris all day!
Note: Keep in mind that if the hair stylist says "10 minutes".......... in REAL time that's 30 minutes! ;-)
Adapters, cameras, clothes
by GracesTrips
In the winter - scarves are a must! If you don't want to appear like an obvious tourist, you would wear dark, solid colored clothing. Nice slacks - polyester blend or gabbardine. No tennis shoes or flip flops. Hard closed up shoes with a slight heel. I took a trench coat instead of a thick wool coat and that worked well for me. Digital recorders/cameras are a must have! And, spend the money for the titanium batteries - they last. I was constantly reviewing my photos to make sure they were good and this process uses up the batteries quick. Don't just bring one adapter and don't count on the people at Radio Shack to tell you this is all you need. If it wasn't for my friend, she brought several (a kit) and only a couple of them worked out for us. Also, your high watts dryers, straighteners or curling irons will blow out the electrical - you need to bring electronics with low watts. We had 4 curling irons and my $6 iron was the only one that worked.
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Saint Honore Cake
Left luggage at Gare du Nord
Inside the Batobus
Discover Paris On A Cruise - Pic #16
