Parisians: My partner and I will be in Paris in mid-December for a week, and I would appreciate your thoughts on places to go/things to see and experience that are more typical of life in Paris than the usual tourist things. Don%26#39;t get me wrong--we will do many of the must-do things in Paris; however, I tend to be drawn toward experiencing life as much like a local as possible when I visit any city.
Your thoughts/recommendations? I am particularly interested in seeing how Parisians prepare for the holidays since we will be there just a few days before Christmas.
Thanks in advance for your help.
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To the extent one can really %26quot;go native%26quot; in just one week in on place, here is few hints from a local :
- Be aware that attendance of the %26quot;sights%26quot;, as in other major tourism destinations, is 60-80 % non-local. You won%26#39;t see much of local life around the Eiffel tower of Notre Dame, but you may stumble on your grocery store cashier there,
- Try to find accommodation OUTSIDE the areas usually recommended on travel forums, in the case of Paris the 4th to 7th arrondissements, which are also the most expensive ones, and bordering on dysneyfication for some. There is a life beyond Saint-Germain, the Latin Quarter and the Marais,
- Explore the the outlying arrondissements, especially the food shopping streets, which will be busy before Christmas, such the rue Daguerre (14th), the rue du Commerce (15th), the rue Levis (17th), the rue des Martyrs (9th), the Place Gambetta (20th). Check out on the city of Paris website (www.paris.fr) the dates and locations of outdoor markets,
- Do not let yourself be drawn to the tourist traps (the awful streets south of Notre Dame such as the rue de la Huchette, improperly referred to as the %26quot;Latin Quarter%26quot;, which in fact covers a much larger area, or the tacky Place du Tertre in Montmartre),
- Avoid the eating places that look %26quot;so French%26quot; to you (especially those with those red-checkered tablecloth, the nearly infallible sign of the tourist trap),
- Do not feel obliged to %26quot;enact the cliches%26quot; (no beret-wearing, no %26quot;wine and cheese on public benches while watching the Eiffel tower sparkle%26quot; or to eat the revolting stuff you have heard about (snails, frog legs, etc), which , as regional specialties, are actually rarities in the daily diet of the modern French,
- The starving %26quot;French artist%26quot; has long been gentrified out. The art you%26#39;ll see on sale in some locations is %26quot;tourist art%26quot;,
- Concerning Christmas : department stores will be mobbed (and open all Sundays in December), and the main avenues, shopping streets, or shop windows will be nicely decorated. However, do not expect an anglo-saxon %26quot;Christmas spirit%26quot;, (no caroll-singing, no bell-ringing..) as this holiday is primarily a family affair with many people moving in or out to visit relatives. Do pay a visit to the ice-skating rinks which are installed in various locations of the city,
In short, persuade yourself that the Paris of Hemingway or of %26quot;An American in Paris%26quot;, if they ever existed, is gone, and show curiousity for modern urban life in France!
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I agree 100% with Trudaine%26#39;s advice to choose a hotel far from the tourist scene as being the best way to get a bit native.
As for the holidays, chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. 80% of the chocolate sold in France is sold for the holidays. Iced chestnuts and log shaped cakes are the other holiday %26quot;must haves%26quot;. That means there are often out-the-door crowds that are worht watching at chocolate shops and the bakeries have great displays that are a treat to see, if not necessarily purchase.
Ice skating at the Gare Montparnasse is a winter thing enjoyed by many locals (less tourists than City Hall rink).
Hot Spiced wine at the Brasserie de L%26#39;Ile St Louis. The location is tourist central, but the bar has a fair share of regulars and the wine divine.
If you really want to get in to the x-mas spirit, take an overnighter to Strasbourg. They have a great Christmas market with a livelyholiday scene.
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Trudaine and Phread,
I%26#39;m interested in this since I also enjoy learning about the local culture far better than visiting %26quot;sights%26quot;.
What would be your favourite %26quot;non-touristy%26quot; arrondissement? I like places with a strong community feeling, kids playing in squares, etc... Any such place in Paris?
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As a local, I enjoy the Place Gambetta neighbourhood (20th), the Buttes-Chaumont park (19th), the northern slope of the butte Montmartre, around Lamarck-Caulaincourt (18th), the Square des Batignolles area (17th), MY own area (avenue Trudaine, rue des Martyrs, place Saint-Georges in the 9th), the Paris-Bercy area - former wine warehouses- and Jardin de Bercy (12th), the André-Citroën park (15th). Other posters will have other ideas...
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I live on the opposite rive from Trudaine. I like the 15th and have a special affinity for the rue Daguerre market area in the 14th. I also love Chinatown and the Choisy/Ivry neighborhood in the 13th.
Closer to the tourist scene, I love the rue Mayet (there is a funky/cool hotel on the street) and that part of Cherche-Midi in the 6th.
rue de Bourgogne, to Lac Case and Bellechase in the 7th, between the Rodin and the Assemble Nationale has a strong blend of tourists and locals that I enjoy.
Rive Droit, In addition to Trudaine%26#39;s list, I love the rue Ste Anne and the Bourse neighborhood in the 2nd.
A BIT OF ADVICE: Tourists tend to stay resolutely on a well tread path. When all others turn right, go LEFT. Never come and go from your destination along the same path. When ever walking (transport of choice for discoverers) take the longest route possible to get where you are going and GET LOST.
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So more hints for the right bank, which, while more centrally located, are most of the time overlooked by visitors : the covered passages, the Place des Victoires and the church of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, the Place Gaillon, the beautiful Palais-Royal gardens, and the posh Place du marché Saint-Honoré.
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Thanks for the advice! I shall write in in my little Paris book for next time...
phread,
as for the walking tip, that%26#39;s always been our approach. Even when going from point A to B, my husband and I sort of follow a very %26quot;meandering%26quot; approach and take a different path going back. That%26#39;s when you discover real gems that may never make it to the tourist books ;) A friend of mine has recently been to Paris and stayed in the Place Gambetta area and LOVED it. She was staying with someone who lives there,so had a real insider experience...
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Trudaine
%26quot;no %26quot;wine and cheese on public benches while watching the Eiffel tower sparkle%26quot;
I would say that if there is one place where you do find alot of locals doing what can seem to be touristy things its just there doing that. I know so many people living in paris have picknick looking at the sparkeling eifeltower. I have some friends that go every week in the summer. Specially if you live in Paris and are young, thats the kind of thing you do! I think that if I were young for example and wanted to talk to french people (outside a sweaty disco) I think I would go to Champs de Mars and start talking to the people picknicking=) An other good place for this is the bridge close to the Louvre (always alot of french students) or if you are younger those amphi theaters by the scene, but there you have to take the 16 year olds, the ganja and the bongos;)
sdallenhou
%26quot;Your thoughts/recommendations? I am particularly interested in seeing how Parisians prepare for the holidays since we will be there just a few days before Christmas.%26quot;
They stress;)
I get your point, Im always after what you are after too. But I guess you want a little popped up version, cause everyday life in Paris is work and watch TV and then maybe go to a restaurant some time, and then I know some people with a big intrest for culture (and young people and old people that often get in for free) that sometimes goes to the museums, they go the cinema (pretty cheap in Paris) you like you do in Houston, usually not that much in other words.
But I guess you are after restaurants where locals actually go, to see non touristy part of the center? And maybe spend time with locals, cause that is what I always try to do, go to dinners at peoples house, parties etc, thats what I love when traveling, its a bit hard in paris though if you just have a week, mostly because they are not really social people (like most western Europeans) in Paris, and few people would invite you home just for beeing a nice guy.
My question for you is if you have ever been in paris before? If not I think you should stick to the touristy areas (they are touristy for a reason, that they are great, and I know so many people from paris dreaming about that beeing where they lived and stayed too) but maybe choose to eat at the restaurants etc recommended here by locals and nut run around like crazy, take your time to sit down and have that cup of coffe in that nice cafe. . Exactly when are you in Paris in december? Then I can see if something local is up then.
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Haha the Saine
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Ha ha, try again. It%26#39;s the %26quot;Seine%26quot;.
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