Paris

[AjcW]

Taking my girlfriend to Paris for her Birthday(and struggling to keep it a secret )

Any advice for doing Paris in the least touristy, least conforming to the crowd way possible, would be greatly appreciated.

Hotel etc booked already.

[Jon the Hat]

Unless you have already done the touristy stuff then why?

[AjcW]

Unless you have already done the touristy stuff then why?

Obviously going to do the odd thing, I just mean, we've always liked to go to cities and do things a bit differently, you know like finding unknown restaurants and little cafe's/bars.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

I found Paris very dull, compared to London, and Rome.

Don't mean to put you off. Enjoy yourselves.

[AjcW]

I found Paris very dull, compared to London, and Rome.

Don't mean to put you off. Enjoy yourselves.

no worries, its exactly why i'm asking, because I can imagine theres some great places that aren't particularly well known whereas all the well known stuff possibly gets a little samey.

[Bryn]

Taking my girlfriend to Paris for her Birthday(and struggling to keep it a secret )

Any advice for doing Paris in the least touristy, least conforming to the crowd way possible, would be greatly appreciated.

Hotel etc booked already.

You might find the graveyard at Pere Lachaise interesting, it does get tourists but its the kind of place you can ignore them completely. Some famous people in there.

Also found this http://www.aparisguide.com/alternative/index.htm

[AjcW]

You might find the graveyard at Pere Lachaise interesting, it does get tourists but its the kind of place you can ignore them completely. Some famous people in there.

Also found this http://www.aparisguide.com/alternative/index.htm

Nice one, cheers mate!

[ousefox]

I found Paris very dull, compared to London, and Rome.

Don't mean to put you off. Enjoy yourselves.

Have to agree with that, although the weather wasn't great and every tourist attraction was packed when we went.

[Legend_in_blue]

Go to the Eiffel tower first thing in the morning. Watch out for dodgy characters while you're at it.

I went down into the catacombs as well as I was getting annoyed with the heat. Can't remember where the entrance was but it was "nice" and cool down there.

I don't get the Paris is all romantic thing. Prague for me is far superior in that respect.

[jonthefox]

Take her to watch paris st germain.

[Trav Le Bleu]

Go to the Eiffel tower first thing in the morning. Watch out for dodgy characters while you're at it.

I went down into the catacombs as well as I was getting annoyed with the heat. Can't remember where the entrance was but it was "nice" and cool down there.

I don't get the Paris is all romantic thing. Prague for me is far superior in that respect.

Going to contradict on the Eiffel Tower here. Go late at night, after dark, say about 9pm (it's open until midnight-ish I think). It's not so busy and looking down on Paris all lit up is much more romantic! Oh yes and every hour there's a five minute light display on the tower, which is impressive from below, but amazing when on it!

On a nice day buy some cheese and wine and whatever you want and have a picnic on the Champ De Mars (the long strip of greenery leading up to the Eiffel Tower) with the Parisians.

The Metro beats the Underground hands down (though I found the staff a bit stuffy (so like London then)). A trip to Trocadero gives great views of Paris too.

Having been to Paris, Rome and London, I'd say that Paris is hugely more romantic than London, but slightly less cool than Rome... Romans are great and and you're just swimming in history and culture from the time of Christ until the Renaissance! (Okay - so they slept on their laurels a little since then... )

[AjcW]

Cheers for all the reply's I'm liking the sound of this strip of grass picnic idea! (it was the cheese and wine that sold it to be fair )

To be honest, wading into the romance debate, i chose Paris simply for the fact we like traveling and places we haven't been to yet and Paris was one of them.

[Alexikokopops]

Going to contradict on the Eiffel Tower here. Go late at night, after dark, say about 9pm (it's open until midnight-ish I think). It's not so busy and looking down on Paris all lit up is much more romantic! Oh yes and every hour there's a five minute light display on the tower, which is impressive from below, but amazing when on it!

On a nice day buy some cheese and wine and whatever you want and have a picnic on the Champ De Mars (the long strip of greenery leading up to the Eiffel Tower) with the Parisians.

The Metro beats the Underground hands down (though I found the staff a bit stuffy (so like London then)). A trip to Trocadero gives great views of Paris too.

Having been to Paris, Rome and London, I'd say that Paris is hugely more romantic than London, but slightly less cool than Rome... Romans are great and and you're just swimming in history and culture from the time of Christ until the Renaissance! (Okay - so they slept on their laurels a little since then... )

I was about to mention going up the Eiffel Tower at night. In fact, I think it was the very same advice you gave Fez and I when we went there a couple of years ago that lead to us doing it and realising how good it is.

(Those were taken on the iPhone)

[Smudge]

Head for the Left Bank.

Frommers Guide might help

[Trav Le Bleu]

I was about to mention going up the Eiffel Tower at night. In fact, I think it was the very same advice you gave Fez and I when we went there a couple of years ago that lead to us doing it and realising how good it is.

(Those were taken on the iPhone)

Yes it was. I was 99% certain I'd mentioned it to you on here and was going to say, but didn't want to risk the 1% getting it wrong and looking a tit (well, more of one! )

[SOCCERROO FOX]

A cruise down the seine at night is awesome, also agree Eifell tower at night is quiet good.

Also if your after something to get you off the beaten track hire a bike for the day, go at your own pace and you will get to see more of the city.

I went to Paris thinking i wouldn't like it as i'm not in to that romantic crap, but i really enjoyed it just a nice pretty city.

[broughtonblue]

If your bothered about how busy it will be, just turn up in a german uniform, all the French will run off !

[Part Of The Crowd]

The Catacombs and put a bit of research into little jazz clubs/cafes. Nothing like some soft jazz with a glass of wine in the evening with a Parisian background.

[samjohnson]

Whenever I go anywhere, I tend to have a quick tip over Wikitravel (Paris Link here)

It always gives you a decent insight of places to go, what you should avoid and those oh so useful phrases that have slipped from your mind from GCSE periods!

[lcfcadam]

Definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely (etc) go HERE

Truly awesome place, really easy to get to but you'd hardly believe you were still inside a major city. Whenever I've been in the past it's not struck me as a well-known tourist spot at all, and if the weather's nice it'd be perfect for a picnic (or alternatively there's a really smart cafe / restaurant at the top if you fancy treating her !)

[AjcW]

The Catacombs and put a bit of research into little jazz clubs/cafes. Nothing like some soft jazz with a glass of wine in the evening with a Parisian background.

Sounds like a plan, this was what i was getting at really. Cheers.

Whenever I go anywhere, I tend to have a quick tip over Wikitravel (Paris Link here)

It always gives you a decent insight of places to go, what you should avoid and those oh so useful phrases that have slipped from your mind from GCSE periods!

I dont remember anything from GCSE French . Im as keen to forget about GCSE French as a Choir boy is to forget about an evening with the priest!

Definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely (etc) go HERE

Truly awesome place, really easy to get to but you'd hardly believe you were still inside a major city. Whenever I've been in the past it's not struck me as a well-known tourist spot at all, and if the weather's nice it'd be perfect for a picnic (or alternatively there's a really smart cafe / restaurant at the top if you fancy treating her !)

Looks nice, like something out of Da Vinci code(That bit that they go to at the end) . Picnic does sound like a plan. Going in June so the weather should be nice I suppose.

Cheers everyone

[SOCCERROO FOX]

Taking my girlfriend to Paris for her Birthday(and struggling to keep it a secret )

Any advice for doing Paris in the least touristy, least conforming to the crowd way possible, would be greatly appreciated.

Hotel etc booked already.

Seens your going with your missus a nice pinic under the eifel tower with a decent bottle of wine. Sounds corny but she will love it.

[Dr The Singh]

Seens your going with your missus a nice pinic under the eifel tower with a decent bottle of wine. Sounds corny but she will love it.

Never happen the street sellers would ruin it!!! It's a shit place, well overated, and some of the most horrible people I have ever met on this planet!!

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

I have to say that croissants and coffee are usually very good at a side walk cafe.

Beware crossing the road, the Parisian taxi drivers tend to go everywhere in a hurry.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

Never happen the street sellers would ruin it!!! It's a shit place, well overated, and some of the most horrible people I have ever met on this planet!!

I did it and had no issues there was a big group of us, only issue we had is we didn't have a cork screw for the bottles of wine so i had to run over to a restaurant and get them to open them for me.

I found the french people to be reasonably nice even got given some key rings from a restaurant owner cos he loved our accents (or the girls i was dinning with)