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What would you do with roughly three days in any of these cities?
Paris Amsterdam Berlin Prague Gimmelwald Innsbruck Rome Barcelona
We've got our travel and lodging figured out, but haven't planned much in the way of things to do (as Canadians, our one firm plan thus far is to spend a day watching hockey). I'd appreciate suggestions.
Posts: 148 | Registered: Feb 2000
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Notre Dame St. Chapelle (Note: this chapel is, IMO, far superior to Notre Dame in almost every way. But you should see Notre Dame, too, for comparison.) Musee d'Orsay Booksellers and artists along the Seine Eiffel Tower (preferably at night, to catch the Trocadero lights) The Montmartre Catacombs and Roman sewers One good meal Picnic breakfasts each morning from patisseries Ride the Metro out to a suburb -- or Versailles
You might consider the Louvre, but if you're into art it'll eat at least a day and if you're not into art it will fill you with a sense of touristy self-loathing.
Paris is all about architecture, nightlife, and the weight of historical cultural overload. If you have a favorite historical period, focus on that and go to town. Literally.
posted
Thanks kacard and TomD. I'll look into those.
Zamphyr: Cool, have fun. I'm saving the party smily for Thursday when I finish exams.
Moose: Uhh... way to do whatever it is you do.
quote:it will fill you with a sense of touristy self-loathing
Yeah, that describes my previous visit pretty well (Paris is the one city I've been to before). Our French teacher was rather appalled at how quickly we were sitting around the cafeteria.
Posts: 148 | Registered: Feb 2000
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If you do like art, and not just classic academic art, check out the Beaubourg (Centre Georges Pompidou). It's roughly half and half of early 20th century modernism and everything since. Lots of less-known Picassos and Matisses. Musee d'Orsay will be more recognizable stuff - Impressionism and other really neat 19th century pieces. The Louvre is cool if you're into Classicism, but I also really recommend the 19th century Neo-Classic and Romanticist pieces. They're HUGE. The Raft of the Medusa and the Coronation of Napoleon and the Death of Sardanopolous are HUGE. It's inconceivable.
If you like historic, you must see the Saint Chapelle (an easy walk from the Notre Dame area), and I also highly reccommend the Musee de Cluny. It's medieval art and artifacts and is very very cool.
Here's what I would do if I were to split up three days in Paris:
One day on Montmartre. See the Sacre Coeur, go inside (it's fantastic), wander around the cheesy tourist artists and through the streets, visit the Lapin Agile (again, only if you're arty). Right next to the Lapin Agile is a vinyard - a very small one, but very famous for producing wine inside Paris. I took a rather nice walk from Montmartre through Place Pigalle (that wasn't the nice part of the walk) down Faubourg Montmartre to the Opera and stopped at cute places along the way. There's a restaurant along the way called the Monte Carle that is the quintessential French Cafe. Great escargot, great couscous. Gotta love it. The district around the Opera is a good shopping district, and by shopping I mean looking at things that I can't afford.
One day on the Ile de la cite, and the left bank right across from it at St. Michel. St. Michel is a FABULOUS area for book shopping, and Ile de la cite has Notre Dame and all kinds of cool student-quarter stuff. Ile St. Louis is even better. That night, have dinner at Nos Ancetres les Gaulois, which is very pricey but very cool - it's down in a cave, and when else are you going to have Gaul cuisine?
I could spend another entire day on the Left Bank - last time I went, I stayed near Les Gobelins, which was a lovely district. There were great street markets every day. We were also really near the Arenes de Lutece - Roman amphitheater ruins right in the middle of the city. But you might want to spend a day doing the tourist thing, seeing the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees and the Tuileries. And the Eiffel tower, if you must.
I'm so jealous! I hope you have a lovely time.
Posts: 285 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Berlin -- do a walking tour, there's a company called "Berlin Walks" that gives a nice 3+ hour walking tour of major historical sites.
Posts: 2911 | Registered: Aug 2001
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