Paris in general > Reviews > The Perfect Place for a Weekend Break

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around

Advantages:	Amazing art, fabulous food and serious shopping all in a beautiful city .
Disadvantages:	Too much to see in one weekend .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I love Paris, I love the art, I love the food, I love the culture, the shopping, the people watching and the nightlife.

Each time I go to Paris I try to see a different area in a bit more depth. On a visit to Paris most people will try to see the most famous sights such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur and Montmartre and the Louvre so omitting these popular attractions I will tell you some of my favourite places in Paris which include Musee d’ Orsay, the Tuileries gardens, forum des Halles, Place des Vosges and above all Versailles which I have written about in detail in one of my earlier opinions (the 6th op I think if you are interested).

Top of my list for art is the Musee d' Orsay which houses the famous collection of impressionist paintings. It is wonderful to be able to view the familiar paintings in real life and to discover less famous ones. The majority are far far better than one can possibly imagine but a few are a disappointment. I was particularly attracted by some of van Gogh's whom I had never liked before and impressed by the feelings expressed by so few lines in Lautrec's sketches.

The Musee d’Orsay is housed in what was originally a railway station. I t was opened in 1986 with collections from the Louvre, the impressionist gallery Musee du Jeu de Paume and from Musee National d’Art moderne, It has 4000 works of art covering the period 1848 1914. In addition to paintings it also has sculpture, furniture and photography from the same period.

The ground floor covers the period up to 1870 and walking round the galleries on the right hand side you are able to follow the evolution of painting from the more classical to modern period. The galleries on the left include Millet’s Angelus and works by Corot.

Upstairs, however, is where you find one of the most suberb collection of paintings in existence. The first gallery includes the very important Dejeuner sur l’herbe by Manet. Then you find yourself surrounded by famous paintings by Whistler, Manet, Degas, Monet, Renoir, Pissaro and many others. Further on are Cezanne and Van gogh. Turning round the corner you find the more innovative artists such as Gaugin, Seurat and Toulouse-Lautrec. It really is an outstanding collection. The pastels are sadly kept in darkened rooms to preserve them and are quite difficult to see.

The museum has a restaurant in the elegant former dining room of the station hotel and a cafe on the top floor from which you can get some stunning views across the Seine. There are also bookshops and boutiques for museum related mementoes. A beautifully illustrated 280 page guide costs 95FF.

There are several guided tours available at the museum but most are only available in French. If you visit between January and April a 1 ½ hour tour is available in English Tues – Sat at 11.30 – 36FF it is closed on Mondays. As with most Paris museums entrance is free on the first Sunday of the month otherwise it costs 36FF. However if you intend to visit several of the museums it is well worth buying a museum pass which gives access to 70 museums. You can buy them in the first place you visit (1 day pass costs 80FF, 3 day 160FF and 5 day 240FF)

For me a visit to Paris would not be complete without a walk through the Tuileries gardens. These classical formal French gardens stretching from the Louvre to Place de la Concorde have seen much violent French history but now are place purely for pleasure. The gardens were designed in 1664 by the same gardener who created the breathtaking gardens of Versailles. Amidst the fountains, statues and thousands of trees there are cafes to take refreshment and people watch. It is quite charming to watch the beautifully dressed French children enjoy old fashioned pursuits such as sailing model boats and donkey rides.

At the southwest corner of the Tuileries, near Place de la Concorde can be found Musee de l’Orangerie which houses another small but quite impressive collection of impressionist paintings which includes 24 Renoirs, 14 Cezannes, some by Picasso and Matisse, Henri Rousseau, Utrillo, Modigliani, and Monet's huge but somewhat overrated water lily pictures. This museum costs 30FF and closes on Tuesday.

The Pompidou centre houses the museum of modern art and is also well worth a visit if only for the trip up the lift and brilliant views from the cafes and restaurants. (Don’t be put off by the queues for the lift, most people are waiting to go to the free places like the library - priority is given to people who have bought a ticket to the museum of modern art) But the art is a matter of taste - some is very strange and weird but still an interesting experience. Outside the centre street artistes of various kinds perform and entertain.

In the same district as the Pompidou centre is a vast modern shopping centre forum des Halles much of which is underground. This is by no means the Champs Elysees but at least you can find affordable French chic here in the 180 shops. There are also quite a few fast food cafes in the centre which are reasonably priced. Adding a typical Parisienne touch to the modernity is a charming carousel for the children.

Another favourite of mine is the Place des Vosges which is in the fashionable Marais district and dates from the early 17th century. It has a beautiful formal park in its centre and is completely surrounded by an arcade in which there are many restaurants, art and antique shops. Here too is the Maison de Victor Hugo where he wrote Les Miserables and the square has seen many other famous inhabitants. The restaurants here vary tremendously in price but with the menus clearly on display and tables outside in the sheltered colonnades where you can get an idea of the food on offer you can easily select one to suit your pocket.

If you are planning a visit to Notre Dame try to spare some time to walk around the Islands. This is where Paris was born and where Julius Caesar conquered the ancient tribe called Parisii. On the Isle de la Cite there is a daily colourful flower market which on Sundays changes into a bird market. It is rather sad to see thousands of caged birds but their singing is quite joyful. On the Isle St. Louis are an assortment of reasonable priced places to eat frequented by locals.

Finally, if you have time you really must visit Versailles. It is one of the most impressive places in the world. I mention it only briefly here as I have given it an opinion of its own. But if you would like to visit Versailles do not feel obliged to go with a tour company as it is very easy and far cheaper to go by train.

A romantic conclusion to a day may be had by walking along the Seine very near the Eiffel tower. Right in the shadow of the brilliantly lit Tower is a cafe which sells pizza and champagne and may have some musicians playing suitably romantic French music to dance to.