I highly recommend taking one of these cruises. I did so on my first visit to Amsterdam. When traveling solo (or otherwise) I like to get the "lay of the land/water" early in my trip so on the boat ended up meeting terrific people who I later met for art excursions, etc. and it was true travel I highly recommend taking one of these cruises. I did so on my first visit to Amsterdam. When traveling solo (or otherwise) I like to get the "lay of the land/water" early in my trip so on the boat ended up meeting terrific people who I later met for art excursions, etc. and it was true travel kismet.…see moresee less
Make sure to walk over to the Ile-St. Louis which is connected to the island where Notre Dame is by a footbridge. Less tourists, better place to grab a bite or ice cream (see Berthillon) and a cool neighborhood.
best bread in paris. you can walk down rue bonaparte from the seine (great art stores), stop at pierre herme (best chocolate in paris) then take rue vaugirard to turn around toward the rue du cherche midi. rue madame is pretty cute and will take you there.
Place de Madeline is a must-stop for me, and every I go, I head straight to Paris at the Maison de la Truffe for, you guessed it, truffles. It’s umami heaven.
WAY too many people being hearded like sheep through the castle to be able to actually enjoy it...if I went again I wouldn't go inside and instead spend more time in the beautiful gardens....which are FREE :)
I'll admit the views from here are great but you need to go with tour guide and it takes a while to get everybody up and then get everybody back down. The crypt is interesting (I think mostly because of what people leave there--giant wreaths and things for people who've been dead for 100 years), butI'll admit the views from here are great but you need to go with tour guide and it takes a while to get everybody up and then get everybody back down. The crypt is interesting (I think mostly because of what people leave there--giant wreaths and things for people who've been dead for 100 years), but if you don't have a lot of time I'd skip it.…see moresee less
George Whitman, the famous owner (that's not really the right word--curator is more accurate) went to that big bookstore in the sky recently (he was two days away from his 98th birthday), but hopefully the store will still retain it's charm and traditions. If you want a true Parisian adventure, you George Whitman, the famous owner (that's not really the right word--curator is more accurate) went to that big bookstore in the sky recently (he was two days away from his 98th birthday), but hopefully the store will still retain it's charm and traditions. If you want a true Parisian adventure, you can sleep in the store for a night in exchange for a little housekeeping. Good old George once tried to convince me to spend the day in one of the store's little reading nooks/beds reading a book I wanted to buy so I wouldn't have to spend the money, but I wanted the little Shakespeare & Co. stamp he placed on every book purchased from there so I bought it. He sure as hell helped an awful lot of travelers, tourists, Parisians, and probably homeless people through the years and I try to always purchase something from here to assure it stays alive especially now that George is gone.…see moresee less
They also have a room filled with full-scale models of dozens of famous sculptures from around the world, Michelangelo's David, Trajan's Column in Rome, etc. Definitely worth checking out.
Not sure if I added the right V&A. The one I'm recommending is the V&A Museum in S. Kensington. Just rediscovered the place on my last trip back to London -- a temple to human creativity and ingenuity -- from giant, ancient religious sculpture to contemporary fashion and jewellery. I'm not a museum Not sure if I added the right V&A. The one I'm recommending is the V&A Museum in S. Kensington. Just rediscovered the place on my last trip back to London -- a temple to human creativity and ingenuity -- from giant, ancient religious sculpture to contemporary fashion and jewellery. I'm not a museum person, but this is pretty unmissable.…see moresee less
One of my favorite stores in the world. Make sure to do a careful inspection of the outside as there are all kinds of incredible statues, bronzes, etc.