One night in Paris - what to do?

Question

We have one full day & night in Paris and want to make the most of it. We've never been. Can you please share with us the following:

1) If you had one tourist thing to do, what would it be.
2)What's the best area to stay in for walking around and seeing the true Paris (whatever that may be!)
3)any good hotel recs? - under $500
4)any restaurant recs? - either really nice or low-key locals place.
5) What did you wish someone told you before visiting Paris.

Thanks for any feedback!

Answer 1

The list of tips is rather long for places to see in Paris. http://paris.c-lafrance.com/ will give you plenty of ideas which may help you on top of the tips you already got above.

Unless you really want to spend your time to see spots at yout own pace (use in that case the Open Tour bus), and as you can afford paying $500 for your hotel, it may easier, faster and less tiresome for you to get into a taxi ride around Paris. For the hotel, get one in the 9th (Opera area), 8th district (side streets of Champs-Elysées Area).

The advantage of the 8th district is along the "chic" area for shopping (golden triangle, champs-elysées, and rue faufourg st-honoré) and night-clubs or shows (Crazy Horse, Lido, ..)

The true Paris is around Montmartre (nearby the sacre coeur church) : the hotels around that area (18th district) is not as good as those in the 9th-8th district. Some really typical and romantic places to stay is along the Canal St-Martin or Marais (nearby the Bastille place), the boulevard St-Germain, boulevard St-Michel and Montparnasse area (all those in the neighbourhood of the Latin Quarter, the Student quarter)

In the first instance have a look at the link above to browse through what Paris has to offer to you.

Hope this is helpful. Have a nice stay !

Answer 2

One Night In Paris Full

Answer 3

From personal experience, I would suggest that you stay in Montmartre. Beautiful area and within walking distance of Sacre Coeur (I think the best tourist place in Paris). You can go to the top of the cathedral and there is a panoramic 360 degree view of Paris (it's the highest point in Paris). There are many restaurants in the square just below that are quite good.
I've seen some people suggest that you should go to the Louvre, well it's just too big to see in an hour or two. It's too big anyway. If you want to visit a museum that is doable in that amount of time, go to the D'Orsay. It has amazing works by Rodin, Latrec, Monet and Van Gogh just to name a few.
Paris is very accessible due to their metro, so it just takes a little planning to figure out where you are and where you want to go.
We found a rather inexpensive hotel in Montmartre (under $300 EU). For the life of me, I can't remember the name of it.
All restaurants have their menus posted on the windows (some even have them in English if you don't speak French).
I wished that someone had told me to not bother to try and learn any French before I went. Parisians can be a little rude when you try to speak French with an American or British accent.

Answer 4

I'm going to Paris for a day and a night.
According to our tour guide the city center is so small we can walk everywhere.
Here is our tourplan, you can take out and add what you like, but it covers that basics in a short period of time:

Friday
12:15
Arrive at Paris Hotel
13:00
Louvre Museum, Glass Pyramid – walking tour starts.
14:30
Notre Dame and Ile de la Cite
15:00
Latin Quarter Lunch and Shopping
16:30
Seine River boat cruise (optional)
18:00
Eiffel Tower
21:00
Trocadero; Eiffel Tower Lights
22:00
Moulin Rouge and Red-light district.

Saturday:
10:00
Montmarte excursion
15:00
Free afternoon. Maybe shopping at the famous Galeries La Fayette or visit to Disney land
Evening: Champs Elysees . Depart 20:43 for London

I cant tell you any good restuarants or hotels, but I hope the tour guide helps.

Answer 5

1. if the eiffel tower is still open, I'd recommend going to it. Champs et Lysee will be buzzing for most of the night, so you really should go there and shop/eat/people watch. The louvre is next to impossible to get into, (at least the line was so long it put me off) and of course is open during the day.
2. Champs et Lysee's probably a mix of "real" paris and tourists (sort of like a big times square), maybe the left bank or just the area around whatever hotel you stay in.
3. I stayed at what was a family hotel, don't know if that's the case anymore: http://www.castex-paris-hotel.com/
It's more of a budget place, so if you're willing to pay up to $500 you probably want something more central. Still, it's blocks from the bastille metro station, so it's easy to get whereever you want to go.
4. Tons of choices in the latin quarter, near the sorbonne. (these would be low-key different ethnic foods).
5. To stay longer! Next time I will.

UPDATE: another for #5: I'm glad I found out on my own the importance of saying "Bonjour madame/monsieur" when entering shops and restaurants. The French do this and so the employees expect it as a show of respect. It's when you don't do it that the French may become "rude" because in their eyes you think you're better than them.

Answer 6

Paris presents the greatest concentration of tourist attractions in France, and possibly in Europe therefore begin find Paris with Hotelbye . Besides some of the world's many famous museums, Paris has a vibrant ancient city hub, a lovely rivers cape, a thorough range of traditional monuments, including cathedrals, chapels and palaces, and something of the very famous nightlife moments in the world. The Louvre is one of the areas most visited in Paris and also among the world's great artwork galleries. With projects like the Mona Lisa and functions nearly all the maximum painters The Louvre is really a key museum. In Louvre you will also find an exceptionally rich collection of antiquities and artefacts, including Egyptian mummies, Classical bronzes, and artefacts from around the world.

Answer 7

If you just stay one day in Paris I advice you to go to the Latin Quarter that is to say the 5th arrondicement. Indeed that's the real center of Paris, the most authentic place to visit. If you want to see the true Paris you should better go there than in Montmartre which is really packed with tourists, even though there are tourist everywhere in Paris. Moreover from this place it is very easy to visit other places places in Paris because of its central position.

So 1st visit "Notre-Dame" wich is one of the most beautiful cathedral in the world

2nd go to the small street that surround the cathedral to see the true Paris

3rd go to the "L'ile Saint Louis" wich is a wonderfull island in the river "La Seine" (5 min from Notre-Dame)

4th try the restaurant "Au temps perdu" (close to L'Odeon-5th arr.)) for a real good french food

5th go by the "Boulevard St Michel" and walk in "Le jardin du Luxembourg"(a beautiful garden in the center of Paris-6th arrondissement)

6h go to the bar called "La guillotine/Le Cavau de la Huchette" to listen to jazz performers in a cool atmosphere(in the quarter St Severin-5th arrondissement)

Trust me if you are less than 50 year old you will really enjoy the Latin Quarter as it is a mix between the true Paris and the Paris of youngsters with all the pubs and the restaurants.

Answer 8

I thought you were talking about the porno for a second with Paris Hilton, haha. I was about to call you a perv. You should wear a dress, Make your hair wavy, Wear simple pearls.

Answer 9

Eiffel Tower and montmartre

Answer 10

find a lover...they said french are full of love....maybe u may find one..