What (photographic) to see in Paris this July?

B

Benjamin Marks

Veteran
Local time
11:48 AM
Joined
Mar 27, 2005
Messages
3,340
I will be in Paris for five days at the end of July. Any RFF recommendations for things that must be done/eaten/seen while I am there? I haven't been there since the mid-1980's, so it has been a while.

Favorite photo museums/exhibits?
Favorite photo galleries?
Must-taste budget eats?

Ben
 
Always fun to visit the Foundation Henri Cartier Bresson. The old circa 1850 images in the Orsay are fun too.
 
Jeu de Paume for photographic exhibitions.
Musee d'Orsay for inspiration (doesn't matter if you have been there a dozen times before!)
Coffee in a Cafe, what could be better? Have a great trip.
 
Try to find a copy of the french "Photo" - they list the major galleries and their shows. Dont miss "Chambre Clair" on Rue san Sulpice. One of the gteat photographic bookstores in Paris.
Apart from that, sit in the shade at a cafe' and watch the world go by.
 
Ben,

You may want to see if you can meet up with Gabriel (Gabriel M.A. here on RFF) - he now lives in Paris proper and may be able to offer some insight. He was helpful when I was there last year.

Cheers,
Dave
 
Tour de France 12 months ago. Crowded? Yup. Colorful? Yup. Good vantage point for pictures with a rangefinder? Nope. Would I do it again? In a heart beat.
7684801936_b998c56b16_z.jpg
 
I agree with the above and most certainly sit in a cafe and just watch what goes on around you. Great fun. Get up early before the city becomes busy.
 
I would skip the Louvre because it is very crowded with people. Very.

Try hard to go to the Musee d'Orsay - wonderful place and experience.
I stared at Olympia 'til my wife found me and dragged me away.
 
As mentioned above, Le Marais (or Jewish quarter) and, of course, Montmartre, where you can see Le Moulin Rouge and the big church on top of the hill (it used to offer great city views, but now the trees block them).

Also, walk along the Seine, especially where Les bouquinistes (old book sellers) can be seen. L'ile de Saint Louis is a nice area, and so is Les Vosges (beautiful park, interesting neighborhood).

I would like to go to Paris and spend some good time there in the summer of 2015. Let's see how things are by then... Hopefully, by that time you'll be the one giving me pointers.

Ah! Before I forget, the Place de l'Hotel de Ville used to be a great spot for people watching. As for eateries... restaurants in Paris tend to be fairly reliable. If I were you, I'd try the ice cream in the Ile de St Louis (cannot recall the name) and eat patisseries daily. :) They're really good!
 
Wonderful timing for this thread, I fly to Amsterdam on tomorrow and head to Paris on the 21st. Can't wait to capture the world moving around me from a cafe.
 
DustyWalker said:
La Basilique du sacrée coeur


The name is Berthillon ;)

In case you go rue Saint-Louis en L'île (where severals little Berthillon shops are), you may appreciate the "Café Saint Régis".
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot, Dusty! I was lucky to spend two summers in Paris, one in 1992 and then in 1994, and forgot a lot of details that I believed were in my DNA already.
 
SolaresLarrave said:
As mentioned above, Le Marais (or Jewish quarter) and, of course, Montmartre, where you can see Le Moulin Rouge and the big church on top of the hill (it used to offer great city views, but now the trees block them).

Also, walk along the Seine, especially where Les bouquinistes (old book sellers) can be seen. L'ile de Saint Louis is a nice area, and so is Les Vosges (beautiful park, interesting neighborhood).

I would like to go to Paris and spend some good time there in the summer of 2015. Let's see how things are by then... Hopefully, by that time you'll be the one giving me pointers.

Ah! Before I forget, the Place de l'Hotel de Ville used to be a great spot for people watching. As for eateries... restaurants in Paris tend to be fairly reliable. If I were you, I'd try the ice cream in the Ile de St Louis (cannot recall the name) and eat patisseries daily. :) They're really good!
Click to expand...

I can second most of these suggestions (I'm not familiar with Place de l'Hotel de Ville). Let me add couple. Ile de la Cite is right over the bridge from Ile de Saint Louis. That is where Notre Dame Cathedral is. There are fun restaurants on both these islands. Autour de Notre Dame is an interesting restaurant right across from the cathedral. And across the bridge from Notre Dame to the left bank, if you scout around a bit you will find "Shakespeare and Company'" a famous bookstore with books in English and French.

On the right Bank, across from Ile de Saint Louis, within walking distance, is the monument that commemorates Bastille Day.

My wife and I enjoyed several museums, but none more than Musee l'Orangerie (hope I spelled that right). It is in the tuileries (I'm sure I got that one wrong), and is easily reachable by the Paris Metro. l'Orangerie has great impressionist paintings; and outside, at elast when we were there, the Rodin sculpture, "The Kiss." There is good view from there, too, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Avoid the Pomidou center. We didn't think it was worth it. And there are no Picassos in the Picasso museum. It's a collection of paintings he liked by other artists.

Another highlight for us was the Arc de Triomphe. You can go in it, and from the top, you can see all around: the Eiffel Tower, and you can look down the Champs Elysees. And I might suggest a walk down the Champs Elysees.

I will suggest not bothering with the Eiffel Tower, at least not when trying to make the most of a short visit. It's very crowded, with long lines to get in.

That's all I know about it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom