"Visiting Paris - what to see" Topic

Hi,
On a trip to Paris. Will visit the history museum of course but can anyone recommend anything else worth visiting relating to military history?
Mike

I thought the tombs of all the marshals in Pere Lachaise was interesting. You can also check out the tombs of Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison while there.

It's a day trip but the hall of mirrors at Versailles is worth seeing.

The arch in the garden at the tuileries and the bronze column in the Place Vendome made from the bronze of cannons captured at Austerlitz are worth seeing also.

I really enjoyed the Carnavalet Museum – a museum about Paris itself. link Plenty of Revolution stuff as well as the June Revolution. There were models and a nice collection of just interesting displays and labyrinthy corridors. Kind of cluttery and overstuffed but lots of nooks and crannies with odds and ends everywhere. Plus you'll learn more about the very city you are in.

If you are in the neighbourhood then the statue of Marshal Ney is worth a look. It's at at the intersection of Boulevard du Montparnasse and Avenue de l'Observatoire.

Admittedly, it doesn't always look quite as dramatic as Brassai made it appear …

Second Pere Lachaise Cemetery and the Army Museum at the Invalides.

The simplicity of Davout's grave surrounded by his military descendants is striking when compared with the more ornate graves of other marshals.

Visiting the Luxembourg where Ney was executed was also worthwhile to me. The White Terror was truly the 'anger of sheep' against lions who fought for France.

B

Kind of obvious but – the Eifell Tower is worth seeing. Pre-book your ticket on-line and you can jump the 2 hour queue….

Sacre Cour – great views from up the tower, and you can grab a beer or a coffe in monte-marte which is very touristy, but quite fun anyway.

Invalides – good to see.

maritime museum is superb (if you like ships !)

It's worth seeing the Louvre & Musée d'Orsay.

If you're going to see a lot of museums then it's worth getting this : en.parismuseumpass.com

Try and go to the light show & fireworks at Verseilles – great fun. They sell food (burger/baked spud/crepe type of thing) and drink (coke/beer/water) inside. It's a great and memorable way to see the gardens.

Have a great time.

The Arc de Triomphe is another one of those cliche sites, but as Napoleon's monument to himself is worth a close look. The more human-scale Arc de Austerlitz (near the Louvre) is also interesting. And on the Left Bank, the catacombs show how Revolution era Enlightenment thought transformed the city. Plus it's full of dead people.

I'll second Les Catacombes!

If you are with a significant other then a meal on a river boat in the evening followed by a trip up the Eiffel tower is a must. expensive but a must.

Note in the evening you cannot get all the way to the top of the tower so still do it in the day (queues are usually long though), but to see Paris lit up a night from the tower is lovely.

have lunch in cafe Procope which existed also in the French Revolution

The Arc de Triomphe is another one of those cliche sites, but as Napoleon's monument to himself is worth a close look. The more human-scale Arc de Austerlitz (near the Louvre) is also interesting.

Both the Arc de Triomphe and the Austerlitz Arch at the Carousel at the entrance to the Tuileries were built in honor of the Grande Armee, not by Napoleon for Napoleon.

B

The Château de Vincennes is a must for a military history enthusiast

en.chateau-vincennes.fr

you cannot get all the way to the top of the tower so still do it in the day (queues are usually long though),

Not if you pre-book : they have a seperate door and you significantly jump the queue.

Says the man who didn't pre-book – but then it seems hardly anyone does!

On top of the the stuff mentioned above, go to the Breisz Café, rue Vieille du Temple, in the Marais. They do fantastic Breton crepes (savoury, not sweet) and make delicious salted caramels.

The Lafayette Escadrille. Memorial six miles outside Paris in Marines la Claudette. The memorial may be reached by train from gate st-lazarus in paris to the ststion of arches marines la Coquette. Although there are 68 sarcophagus forces those members of the Lafayette Escadrille and Flying Corp who died oing combat not all contain a body as many were never recovered. But you can pay your respects to Raoul Liberty, David Putnam and many others.

Agreeing with most of above, the must-sees for me are:

1) Musee d'Armee and Napoleon's tomb

2) Louvre (many classical battle paintings)

3) Arc de Triumph – worth the long walk up for the view

4) Versailles (gives good insight into the mind of the Sun King – plus great paintings)

Another recommendation for the Musée de la Marine (opposite the Eiffel Tower on the north bank, Métro Trocadéro).

The ship models, real-size figureheads and other exhibits are endlessly fascinating, as are the series of huge paintings of French ports by Vernet – take the time to look closely at all the activity going on at the quayside; pre-napoleonic, but extremely interesting.

The main Napoleonic naval exhibition is currently at Versailles however, so you could see the palace there and the exhibition on the same day.

link

strange that nobody mentions

Musée de Carnavalet, excellent contemporary military paintings about the French Revolution, a must when visiting Paris

Carnavalet…Flashman14 mentioned it in the 3rd response …..look waaaaaaayyyyyyy up!

You might want to go to Malmaison.
Napoleon's and Josephine's private residence.

Père Lachaise Cemetery is always worth a look.

Also worth a visit is the Panthéon, where the "heroes of France" are burie. Including the grave of my favourite marshall: Jean Lannes. (The panthéon is also a very impressive Neo classical building,originally a church build in the second half of the 18th C. From the dome you have a good view of the City. Behind the louvre (near rue saint honoré) just in front of the "Palais royal" there is a very nice shop af collectors "toy" soldiers" with great 54 mm figures, expensive though…

Not sure if it is till open (was under restauration when I was last in Paris) The musée de la legion d'honneur, small but very interesting for people into the Napoleonic period, it is right across the entrance of the musée d'Orsay

Thanks everyone for your help. Some of these were on my list but many were not. New schedule made out and ready to go;)
Mike

If you want to plan a day trip either Malmaison and Fontainebleau are great too.

The Arc de triomphe was built by Napoleon but not terminated by the time he died. It was supposed to be ready for his wedding to impress his wife but works took a slow pace. The architect offered to prepare a mock version for the wedding.
Robert
(Not directly Nap related, the aristocratic Place de Volges in the Marais neighborhood is stunning).

Depending on your periods of interest, and not covered above:

Musee de moyen age on the left bank a short walk from Notre Dame – stunning collections including 'Dark Ages' textiles and personal effects. It is built into the palace of the Bishops of Cluny and adjoins the 4th Century Roman baths.

The Great War Museum (La Musee de la Grande Guerre) at Meaux just outside Paris. I haven't seen this one (yet) it only opened in late 2011 but the write-ups are all very strong.

Will second the Musee de Moyen Age, complete with Roman Baths, but surprised no-one has mentioned La Conciergerie, just up from Notre Dame, where prisoners were held before an appointment with Madame le Guillotine. Very interesting with a lengthy history before its use in the Revolution.

Has anyone metioned Île de la Cité ?

You can't really go to Paris and not see Notre Dame, but you should also go to the Concierge (and Louis IX's Sainte-Chapelle).

We tried twice to go to Musee de Moyen Age but timed it badly – one day it was closed, the other it had a late opening due to some event. It looked really good (from the outside).

You'll never see everything, and the thing you'll remember most is relaxing with a beer outside a cafe looking across to Notre Dame (or some such) in the warm evening sunshine.

I want to go again, right now.

Doh! All in the post above (except for the beer, make sure you have that beer…..)

If you follow the advise of 20th Maine and actually have beer on a terrace along the banks of the Seine or on the Champs Elysées, especially at night, what you will remember most is the price of that beer… (prices in many Paris cafés vary if you take a drink at the counter,sitting at a table, or sitting outside on the terasse and sometimes extra if after 10 PM.

Well, if you've made the effort to go all the way to Paris….one pricey beer won't break the bank. And the view across the Seinne is mighty pretty.

The cafe at Les Invalides does a range of beers as well…

….yes I did drink my way around Paris. It was August. It was really hot (really, really, hot) and beer is a better thirst quencher than coke.

Although I agree with 20th maine that beer is a great thirst quencher, in Paris you should really drink wine, Ah la France, le bon vin…" (and ofter cheaper than ber or even a soda)
If you want to drink a beer you better come to Brussels. Actually that is quite possible: a train from Gare du Nord will get you there in 1hours and 20 minutes (perfect for a day trip) and Brussels has a great army museum with some really nice pieces on the Napoleonic era (as well as a lot of WWI stuff etc etc) and from Brussels it's only a stone's throw away from Waterloo…

The military museum in Brussels is too big ! An afternoon was not enough :-(

On a very hot day I had a beer at the bar at the top of the Atomium – that was a great view. And the selection of beers at the cafe in the Musee Belvue is enough to make a culture-vulture of anyone. These are the moments which really stick in the memory (for me anyway) – although I loved the medieval carving in Eglise Notre-Dame du Sablon, and Place du Petit Sablon was a wonderful resting spot after a busy day of sight seeing. I love Brussels.

But we're not in Paris anymore.

Get a Jambon-Beurre at the Petit Vendome.

Oh dear…. "The White Terror was truly the 'anger of sheep' against lions who fought for France." Who fought for a dictator, rather than for a country.
"Both the Arc de Triomphe and the Austerlitz Arch at the Carousel at the entrance to the Tuileries were built in honor of the Grande Armee, not by Napoleon for Napoleon."
Yes, of course, which is why Buonaparte and his victories feature so prominently. Even if the Arc de Triomphe was built by Buonaparte to honour the Grande armee, rather like the Vendome Column, it was also, of course, to honour himself, its leader. It is a classic early example of a dictator glorifying himself and his rule with grandiose architecture. Many copied him….
I second the rest of the Paris "must sees". For a cheap yet good dinner in interesting surroundings, try Chartier bouillon-chartier.com/en .
Mont Valerien is worth looking at link and Fort Issy for an interesting view of Paris. fortdissy.info

Drink "pression" (draught) in a cafe, "un demi de seize s'il vous plait", then wine with your dinner.

If you are of the Left political persuasion make sure to visit the Communards Wall

link

Chouan,
Thank you for reminding me of Chartier…..
When traveling in Paris, during my student days, in the late 70's early 80's, I used to go there – as I remember it, it was a superb place for a 'less expensive' dining experience but with great ambience!
Excellent to hear that the place is still around, and still recommendable

That is how to enjoy Paris. Funny how the talk of military museums and artefacts turned progressively towards booze and food. Sounds good to me…………

Watch "Is Paris Burning?". Better, get it in French whilst in Paris "Paris, Brule t'il?"….even if you do not follow a word, the lips move better. Just ignore the casting of Patton…….

Walk down the Rue de Rivoli towards Le Meurice Hotel and imagine Karcher working his way along the colonnade. See La Prefecture (except last year the daft beggers removed all the bullet and shrapnel damaged stone work and destroyed their history)….

PS timed entry to La Tour d'Eiffel only gets you straight to the first stage. Then you queue with all the rest. Sang with booking is it could be day of rotten visibility. View from Sacre Coeur is nearly as good.

Malmaison is murder to get to.

Sacre Coeur is good at night, but beware of the drunks and gangsters/drug dealers on the steps. They may not always be obvious, but they're there. The light show on the Eiffel Tower is worth seeing, on the hour, and possibly on the quarter to/past and half past. Then walk round to the Place de Tertre, the Lapin Agile, then down towards Blanche & Pigalle, unless you like films, then go the the Metro station Les Abbesses and look for Amelie…. The cafe she worked in is on Rue Lepic down towards Blanche, where the Womens' Battalion fought during the Commune link link Just around the corner is the Moulin Rouge and Crazy Horse, in case you've got more money than sense!

Chartier hasn't changed for years, and I hope it doesn't ever. Confit de Canard, with Pate de foie gras to start, following a Kir Royale, with a nice Cotes de Rhone to accompany….

Just got back and wanted to thank every one for their help. Had awesome trip and find manage to squeeze a beer in;) highlights Napoleons tomb and wondering around the graveyard finding French Marcheals graves. I think the French may have something against Ney though as his grave was very badly kept. Pity.
Mike

One can avoid the two hour queue at the Eiffel Tower simply by taking the stairs.

I've done this twice with my kids. Both times to the second level. Way better experience than the elevator.

Stephen

That is true…..and rarely mentioned.

Wonder why? Try it….I have not

Read "Is Paris Burning?" and they tell you about the effort involved in getting to the top. From the base…….

A tip. When you get to the top there is a little bar that serves a thimbleful of Champagne for 10 Euros in a plastic glass. There are two possible responses to this offer, if getting to the top with the girl of your dreams. One is "This is a total rip off". (Actually, by Paris standards…it is not) The other is "We may only do this once, you are worth it". Guess which gains more Brownie points (I suspect the Rebel Colonies will have some equivalent to Brownie Points and know what that means in the UK or Irish Republic).

It is an XX chromosome thing. They "do" Champagne at the top of the tower. We were lucky. Unlimited visibility……but for beyond the curvature of the Earth.

That is true…..and rarely mentioned.

Wonder why? Try it….I have not

Read "Is Paris Burning?" and they tell you about the effort involved in getting to the top. From the base…….

A tip. When you get to the top there is a little bar that serves a thimbleful of Champagne for 10 Euros in a plastic glass. There are two possible responses to this offer, if getting to the top with the girl of your dreams. One is "This is a total rip off". (Actually, by Paris standards…it is not) The other is "We may only do this once, you are worth it". Guess which gains more Brownie points (I suspect the Rebel Colonies will have some equivalent to Brownie Points and know what that means in the UK or Irish Republic).

It is an XX chromosome thing. They "do" Champagne at the top of the tower. We were lucky. Unlimited visibility……but for beyond the curvature of the Earth.

Folks, I can only apologise. If my 33 year or my two 19 year old sons were here they would explain why this has appeared twice and simply cannot be deleted. I get this "locked out" message….and I select all… delete…but my sins still find me out.

My comments must be so profound that they cannot be removed. Paris is magical. I have taken every woman I have ever been married to, to Paris, even the other one I was engaged to…..that makes four. Mrs Deadhead has stuck with me for 25 years since so, when I saw the Champagne Bar at the top, I thought…..right, this time…….

Worked so far……

Speaking as someone with a fear of heights, the elevator trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower, where you step over a two inch gap that's a 1000 ft sheer drop was not something I enjoyed. Everything else, though: wonderful!

Am I right in thinking the Arc de Triomphe includes a couple of French defeats?

Fuentes d'Onoro is one, IIRC, but are there others or did I make that up?

Go to the Cafe Flore for a coffee and croissant (it isn't terribly expensive), sit outside and have Japanese, mainly, and American tourists take pictures of you, thus confirming to yourself that you are indeed a person of consequence…

If you're looking to range outside the city, go two hours south to see the amazing Chateau de Guedelon – a brand-new castle that's being built using traditional methods. An hour north of Paris is Compiegne, where the Armistice was signed in 1918 and where France surrendered in 1940. The little museum there is well worth the trip, although it's quite chilling to step in the footsteps of Adolf.