Do you have two or three days and a small budget to explore the French way of life by visiting its most famous cities? It is very easy if you are well organised! To begin with, head for Paris, the City of Light.
Paris, the glamorous city
Four different environments for day 1: begin with a visit to
Montmartre. Built at the top of a hill, the basilica gazes down on a beautiful panorama of the capital. It is a lovely area to stroll around, with a picturesque, village-like feel. From here you can proceed to the Boulevard Haussmann with its large
department stores, temples of shopping: two miles of pure Parisian elegance leading all the way to the
Parc Monceau, regarded as one of the loveliest parks in Paris. The day ends at the Trocadéro and its gardens laid out in the English style, with a view of the
Eiffel Tower. Art lovers will also enjoy the opportunity to look around the Museum of Modern Art.
Paris – water under the bridge
On another day take a river cruise! What would Paris be without the
River Seine and its romantic riverside walks? Discover Paris’s famous buildings from a different angle. You can also walk along the riverside, through the
Tuileries Garden and on to the
Louvre museum of art and antiquities, or off to the Saint Germain des Près area on the left bank of the Seine. The Café de Flore, the Vieux Magot and the Brasserie Lipp are legendary eateries, time-honoured resorts of intellectuals and philosophers in the 1950s. If you love culture, keep going until you reach the
Odéon: arty, experimental cinemas, art galleries, bookstores, cafés, restaurants and little shops – all together make this a lively place to be. For something calmer, relax in the
Jardin du Luxembourg.
Paris – historic, yet trendy
A new atmosphere for your third day, in areas very suitable for pedestrians. Yesterday “the belly of Paris”; today the temple of fashion, the eclectic district known as the Halles.
Rue Montorgueil, Rue Quinquempoix, the
Pompidou Centre (museum of modern art), Saint Eustache's church, the stock exchange and the
Jardin Nelson Mandela (garden): lose yourself in those places and let the crowd carry you along. Then come back down to earth in the
Marais, where history goes hand in hand with modern trends. Mingling in the bars, cafés, restaurants and other places of entertainment that enliven these streets, you will also find designer shops and contemporary art galleries. And why not get around Paris in a more unusual way – with an electric bike?
Paris – the art of food
While you’re in Paris, try some
Ile-de-France specialities: the ham and butter sandwich, the Paris-Brest (a cream pastry), the croque-monsieur (a fried ham and cheese sandwich), the croissant, the flan parisien (French custard pie), the famous blanquette (veal stew) and the œuf mayo (hard-boiled egg and mayonnaise). Look into a Paris brasserie (café serving light meals and beer) – they’re a Parisian institution!
Paris offers many free deals so you can visit the capital even on a limited budget! You’ll remember Paris, along with Lyon for the food and Marseille for the multiculturalism, as one of the many French delights.
