Other Things To Do

Everybody does it, but...

... it is worth going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, unless the weather is ugly, and unless there are huge lines at the entrance to the elevators;

... it is worth going to the Versailles castle, about 10 miles southwest of Paris; about $30 by cab, train service available from both Gare Saint-Lazare and Gare Montparnasse, or by express subway (RER), line C;

... it is fun to take one of the boat rides on the Seine, because it gives you a pretty good idea of the whole city; but all of that is not very much fun if it's raining, which often happens in Paris from September to April, and is less frequent but still not uncommon in May through August.

The older part of the city consists of the two islands (Cité and Saint-Louis), and the areas immediately north of Ile Saint-Louis (Le Marais) and south of Ile de la Cité (Quartier Latin). Explore the little streets. In Le Marais, visit Place des Vosges, a square lined with houses dating back to the early 17th century. In general, exploring the city on foot is not hard, since its historic center (the 1st through 6th districts) is fairly compact.

Here are now some things that not everybody does:

At the extreme eastern tip of Ile de la Cité, behind Notre-Dame cathedral, is a small public garden. Within this garden are two stairways that form the almost invisible entrance to a little-known, but very impressive sunken memorial to the victims of concentration camps. The stark simplicity of the architecture is extremely appropriate to the subject it evokes. Most Parisians don't know this exists. Don't miss it.

If you rent a car (see warnings further down), or if you have mastered enough of the suburban railway system to get there, the following castles provide interesting alternatives to Versailles, and can all be reached from Paris in an hour or less:

Chantilly Chantilly, about half an hour north of Paris. Take a train at Gare du Nord, then take a cab from the Chantilly station.

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau, about an hour southeast. Take a train at Gare de Lyon; the castle is within walking distance from the Fontainebleau station.

Vaux-le-Vicomte Vaux-le-Vicomte, also southeast of Paris, inspired Louis XIV to build Versailles! Take an express subway [RER] train to Melun, then take a cab from the Melun station.

Rambouillet Rambouillet, about 45 minutes southwest of Paris. Take a train from Gare Montparnasse; the castle is within walking distance from the Rambouillet train station, and the park is quite pretty).

Giverny Another favorite visite is Giverny, where Monet painted the waterlilies. You can see the pond, the house where he lived and painted, and a stupendous flower garden which must have inspired him if it was in the same state of floral exuberance in his time. Take a train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Vernon (about an hour), then take a cab from the train station to Giverny. It is advisable to make arrangements with the cab driver to pick you up later.
If you drive, take the A13 turnpike (toward Rouen). Exit at Vernon, about 80 kilometers from Paris. Follow signs to downtown, then cross the Seine and turn right (eastward) at the end of the bridge. There are signs for Giverny, which is about 5 km down the road from that point on.

	Chantilly, about half an hour north of Paris. Take a train at Gare du Nord, then take a cab from the Chantilly station.
	Fontainebleau, about an hour southeast. Take a train at Gare de Lyon; the castle is within walking distance from the Fontainebleau station.
	Vaux-le-Vicomte, also southeast of Paris, inspired Louis XIV to build Versailles! Take an express subway [RER] train to Melun, then take a cab from the Melun station.
	Rambouillet, about 45 minutes southwest of Paris. Take a train from Gare Montparnasse; the castle is within walking distance from the Rambouillet train station, and the park is quite pretty).
	Another favorite visite is Giverny, where Monet painted the waterlilies. You can see the pond, the house where he lived and painted, and a stupendous flower garden which must have inspired him if it was in the same state of floral exuberance in his time. Take a train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Vernon (about an hour), then take a cab from the train station to Giverny. It is advisable to make arrangements with the cab driver to pick you up later. If you drive, take the A13 turnpike (toward Rouen). Exit at Vernon, about 80 kilometers from Paris. Follow signs to downtown, then cross the Seine and turn right (eastward) at the end of the bridge. There are signs for Giverny, which is about 5 km down the road from that point on.