I spent 2 months in Paris: 8 highlights from my trip

[Kelsie]

1. Best places to stay are with people who rent out their homes for tourists. It is cheap and you meet interesting people. Or it is a lot of fun staying at a university with other students in dorm like halls.

2. The best places to eat would be not the popular tourist location cafe but the corner cafe a block around the corner. Lafayett is great for cheap cafeteria food. My personal favorite was in Marie d'Issy: cafe Wedo. You can get a 5euro bagel sandwich that will make your mouth melt. Or just by some food from the local groceries or street market. Like in Denfert Rochereu on Rue Daguerre. Just of Rue Daguerre their is a local corner pub in a blue painted door where the wine is good, the people are interesting, and the bar tender remembers your name.

3. If you like going to concerts. Try of La Fleche d'o. If you have ever been to Seattle and you like a venue like the showbox then this place is for you. It is free to get in but drinks are expensive. The cheapest drink you could buy is a bottle of beer for 5euros. But the music is great and you will most likely get a chance to meet the band. It is located on the east side of Paris and hardley anyone knows about because it is not in any tourist book. My friend found out about it in a local magazine.

4. If you are craving a little culture from home don't bother watching an expensive movie in the theaters. Take a trip that might be a little out of your way to the outdoor theater at Parc la Villete. Where you can look up the movie times online and check to see whether the film is in v.o. (version original) or not. Then bring a blanket (or you can rent a blanket or a chair), some wine, a badget, and some cheese and sit back and enjoy the surroundings. But make sure you figure out when the movie ends to make it back on the metro in time or you could just grab a taxi or the bus.

5. My favorite museums where d'orsay, the louver, pompidou, the Opera house (where the story of the phantom of the opera came from), and marmottan. Musee Marmottan is where you can see most of Monet's work. It is located on the far west side of paris in a little suburb. The museum is actually a very small mansion that blends in with the other houses so make sure you look carefully which street your are going down. It took me a while to find but it was well worth it. Go and a nice day because that area is a beautiful walk. I think it was only 5euros to get in which is about half the price of any other museum in paris.
But the opera house was probably my favorite. I learned more about France and its citizens by taking a guided tour through this opera house more than any other history class I had ever taken. It wasn't like a whole bunch of facts thrown at me but our guide just had a passion for telling us about what it really meant to be French, about why they do the things they do, and the beauty of the culture. When my parents asked me what my favorite tourist venue in Paris was, I said it was the opera house. The building itself tells about the culture of Paris and once I walked in my jaw just dropped. I was mesmerized by its beauty. It looked just like the movie. I highly recommend it + the tour!!!

6. The best shopping is on Rue de Rivioli. You can really get a lot of cute stuff in this area. I found my favorite paire of shoes here. Not to mentions some good tourist t-shirts. It is also really close the pompidou museum. You could hit two birds one stone kinda thing. Along Rue de Rivioli is a store called BHV. It is like Nordstrom combined with Target. It is amazing and I got everything I needed their. Like when my hair straightener broke I went there. If you are a big spender then you will really enjoy the Champs Elysees. Otherwise it is a nice place to window shop. Like when I went into LV I saw a famous person there from Brazil. I am not sure who they where but my friends from Brazil got really excited when they saw him. And the Champs Elysees always has fun car displays to look at for the guys to browse in and out of while the women are buying cl

othes.
6. My favorite all around tourist spot was the Latin Quarter near Notre Dame. You walk through all the pop-in restaurants and shop for little nick-knacks or Peruvian scarves. And pass the Shakespeare and Co. to get to Notre Dame. I loved Notre Dame so much I went back twice. The first time to walk inside the cathedral and below in the crypt. The second time to take the 400 hundred steps to the top. The line or "Q" as some may call it, took forever but there was a cute little crepes stand to keep you occupied while waiting. The view is well worth the wait. My friend described this little bit of Paris in the best way: "it is like you are living in a postcard."

8. If you are wanting to have a good time at night then go bar hopping in the Latin quarter. Not only are the people incredibly friendly but there is tones of entertaining events going on throughout the alley streets. It is almost like a Mardy Gras party every night. Just not as wild but still the same amount of energy. Or if you want to go club hopping on the seine their at least several boats lined up on the water with underground dancing and a few bars to line the sidewalk. But if you want to go dancing with the locals get off at the bastille metro stop. The best latin clubs and cheap drinks are around the corner. Fyi: never go in groups of more than 3 when entering a club. If you are guy, always walk in with a girl or by yourself. But break up your group and go in two or three at a time. Wait a 5 minutes after your friends get in. For some reason the clubs in Paris don't like big groups of people. They will think your are going to cause more trouble in large groups. I don't know why that is just the way it is. But Bastille is always fun especially if you like to dance. Even if you aren't a good dancer is doesn't matter. Someone is bound to ask you to dance.
Within the first 3 minutes of sitting down I was asked to dance. The rest of the night was fun from there.