The Do's Of Paris

A few months ago I traveled to France and spent ten wonderful days exploring the country. The following is what I deem "What You Must Do, If You Are An American and Have 10 Days In France, And Don't Want To Spend An Outrageous Amount of Money": (It's a work in progress title.)

Paris

Museum Pass

Of course, this should be your number one stop. I mean, it's Paris. However, here's what I recommend if you go. First, think long and hard about the Museum Pass that all guidebooks and museum entrances will advertise. I purchased the pass and then spent the next two days running from museum to museum in order to make it count. In retrospect, I wish I had just chosen a few museums I wanted to see, paid the admission price and enjoyed a more calm museum experience. I think because Paris offers so many museums you think you have to see them all, but in actuality walking around Paris is a wonderful experience in itself. So, again, think about what kind of tourist you want to be: walking all day in a museum looking at French art and statues, or laying on the grass by the Eiffel Tower with a baguette? If given the choice again I think I would have saved my money and eaten more crepes.

Hotel

For four nights I stayed at the Le Meridien Etoile, which is located just a few minutes from Champs Elysees. I was really impressed with the service of this hotel and the modern decor. However, I found the location to be perfect for our sightseeing excursions. Located just around the corner was a metro stop, and if you wanted to walk, you were close to all the major sites.

Food

To be honest, our best meals were getting fresh croissants and pastries in the morning and warm baguettes for lunch. I was constantly amazed how, no matter what pastry shop you walked into, the croissants and baguettes tasted the exact same - which was good because we tried a lot of them. The French definitely know how to bake so make sure you forget about calories and fat content and go to town - you won't taste anything like it. As for crepes, there was not the same quality control. Sometimes they were amazing and sometimes they tasted a little old. Make sure you only buy crepes that are made right in front of you. We made the mistake of buying a crepe from a shop that already had a stack of crepes made that they just warm up before serving. Don't waste your money on these! And lastly, for dinner, it's a little hard because there are so many tourist traps with really crappy food. Try to stay away from restaurants near Champs Elysees or museums. And if all else fails, but a baguette, get some cheese, find a nice park and have a quiet dinner for two.

Tomorrow we leave Paris.