Today’s guest post is from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.

One of the most famous museums in the world is the Louvre, or more correctly the Muse du Louvre, and it was one of the items that was high on my Paris must-see list. It is located on the Right Bank (of the Seine) in the 1st arrondissement.

Originally a palace, the museum is now home to some of the most world-famous works of art, including the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Aphrodite/Venus de Milo. It opened to the public in 1793, and since then the collections have grown to their current number of over 380,000. It’s not the largest collection in the world, but most art historians argue that it is the finest.

The main buildings of the Louvre look rather fortress-like, and much like I would imagine a fortress to have been, once inside the gates, there are all sorts of lovely things to see.

The central courtyard houses the Louvre Pyramid, and serves as the main entrance to the museum. The Pyramid was designed by architect I.M. Pei, and beneath it is the underground lobby to the museum. There are several entrances into the courtyard, and all will get you to the Pyramid, so if you are encountering crowds at one courtyard entrance, just walk around to another one.

The Louvre is organized into eight departments, displaying artwork up to 1848. You’ll see work by Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Van Dyck, and Leonardo da Vinci.

There is so much stuff to see, that tackling the Louvre can be a daunting task. It is too big to see everything in one day, so unless you have several days to dedicate to viewing it, you will have to come up with a plan of attack.

Continue reading for suggestion on the best way to see the Louvre –

The two best methods for making the Louvre manageable, I think, are to either select a couple of departments that interest you, or to make a list of specific items of art that interest you. A third option, and the one that I took, was a combination. I chose a couple of departments that held the most interest for me (paintings, prints and drawings, and decorative arts) and saw those in some depth. I zipped rather quickly through some of the sculptures and other departments, just checking out the highlights or major displays.

You can use the museum’s online interactive maps and floorplans to help you plan out your approach. You can also take a virtual tour.

To reach the Louvre via Mtro, use the Palais-Royal-Muse stop. If you’re traveling by Batobus, get off at the Louvre stop, quai Francois Mitterrand. Bus lines also stop in front of the main entrance at the Pyramid.

The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, and is open from 9 am - 6 pm daily, with extended hours (till 10 pm) on Wednesday and Friday evenings. It is closed some holidays, so if you are visiting during that time, be sure to double check for holiday hours.

There are several ticket options to see the Louvre. Tickets for the permanent collections are 9 (about $13.50) and provides access for everything except the temporary exhibitions in the Hall Napolon, and is also valid for the Delacroix Museum. Tickets for the temporary exhibitions are 6 (about $9). A combined ticket represents the best value, as is 9,50 (about $13.75). The Louvre is also covered by the Paris Museum Pass.

And how cool is this: Admission is free for the unemployed, minimum wage-earners, registered disabled (identity card required), those under 18 years of age, and teaches of art history, archaeology, and applied or plastic arts.

I recommend buying advance tickets, or the Paris Museum Pass, as doing so will allow you to bypass the lines using the Passage Richelieu, Porte des Lions, and Galerie du Carrousel entrances. Although the line wasn’t terribly long the day I visited, I still estimate that I was able to save about 45 minutes of time by heading to the front of the queue.

My reflection on visiting the Louvre primarily centered around the expectations that I had for the visit. While I VERY glad that I spent the time to see it, I realized fairly quickly that it was not my favorite art period. Still, I saw some pretty impressive pieces, works by some renowned artists, and go a sampling of European History.

Other observations: The Mona Lisa really is small like they say, and you have to stand way far away from it (behind me in the photo above). Venus de Milo is very cool. Napolean had some seriously great furnishings (photos above).

Not a bad way to spend a day in Paris.

Photo credit: personal collection

Share This

Today’s guest post is from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.

When I headed off to Paris a couple months ago, it was a bit of a last minute trip. I had been wanting to make the trip for quite some time, but had to make some changes to the actual travel dates at the last minute. You can make things work at the last minute, so if you find yourself in this position, don’t abandon your plans, just dig in and make it work.

When I set my travel dates, I set them around my schedule, and didn’t pay attention to what was going on in Paris. It turned out that the Rugby World Cup was being held during the time I planned to be there. The downside of that was that all the moderately priced hotels were booked up. In fact, I couldn’t find hotel availability at all, even stretching the budget to $500 night.

While my traveling companion would have been perfectly happy to stay at a local American chain, and that was the back up plan, I was determined to find something oozing with French charm and ambience.

Undaunted by the seemingly Herculean task in front of me, I checked out all the hotel websites that had anything in Paris. I sent off lots of emails and reservations requests. The answers were all the same — no availability for the time I was going to be there.

Next I emailed friends and bloggers who were in Europe, or those who had recently visited France, asking for suggestions and ideas. I got a ton of responses and helpful suggestions, but I still didn’t find any place with availability. Until one friend suggested trying to find an apartment.

Hmmmm! I hadn’t thought of that. What a great idea! With less than 48 hours before I had to get on an airplane, it was an idea that needed to be acted upon quickly.

There are a number of companies that handle apartment rentals in France. If I had thoroughly checked them out, I would be happy to list and link to them here. But I didn’t do any due diligence (something that I never recommending skipping), instead trusting my bank of travel karma to make it all work out.

I found a listing for a studio apartment in the 4th arrondissement, close to the Bastille mtro, that sounded promising and affordable. There were photos, and although I tend not to trust these type of photos, I wasn’t in a position to be too choosy. It was conveniently located in a nice neighborhood, so it had to be full of the charm and ambience that I was looking for.

I placed the call, spoke to Michael, a very nice guy in New York, and with hours to spare we handled the business end of things. Before you could say bon voyage I was on a plane en route to Paris.

So how did it work out? Keep reading to find out. . . .

Upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport, I took the train into the city, made one transfer, and found myself coming out of the station for my first view of Paris.

The apartment was a very short walk from the mtro but because of my bumbling about it took me about half an hour to walk the block and a half. I chalked it up to flying all night, little sleep, and my lack of French language along with a healthy dose of excitement about FINALLY getting to Paris.

The entrance was through a large green double door that opened into a terrace with a couple of small tables and chairs. I’m sure that during the warmer weather this is a very popular place to sit and have morning coffee or a glass of wine.

The apartment itself was just as described, with a lovely salon, a remarkably spacious and efficient bathroom (with shower), and a small kitchen (which I only used for opening wine and keeping water and cheese in the refrigerator).

Over the week that I was there, the neighborhood became familiar and comfortable. I felt safe walking around during the day and in the wee hours as well. I found my favorite cafe for my morning coffee and croissant, a frommagerie and wine shop, and some local restaurants. It was a perfect location for my days of exploration, whether by train or foot. It was everything that I had hoped for more.

While I certainly don’t recommend that you wait till the last minute to plan a trip, don’t let the fact that it’s a last minute opportunity get in the way. There are ways to make nearly everything work.

I didn’t stay in the hotel room that I had originally planned. But what worked out was even better. For a very short time I could feel like a resident of Paris.

NOTE: For anyone interested in specific information about the apartment, you can email Michael at paris@idiom.tv.

Photos: personal collection

Share This

Today’s guest post is from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.

Since a good portion of my time in Paris was spent visiting museums, the Paris Museum Pass was both a money saver and time saver.

With the pass, you get admission to a number of monuments and museums in and around Paris. Best of all — you don’t have to stand in those long lines — you get to bypass all those people and go straight to the front of the line. Temporary exhibits at the museums are usually excluded, though.

The pass can be purchased for 2, 4, or 6 days, and currently costs 30, 45, and 60 euros respectively. (Check the website for pricing changes.)

On your first visit to one of the museums or monuments, the pass is activated, and your time starts running. This allows you to buy the pass in advance, should you wish. You can buy the pass online, at participating museums and monuments (I purchases mine at the Louvre), or at any Paris Tourist Office.

I planned my museum visits so that I could maximize the value of the pass, taking note of the location, travel time, open days and hours of each that I wanted to visit. I knew that I couldn’t see everything, but with good planning I was able to save a lot over individual admission prices AND speed up the process by avoiding lines. You can find the full list of museums and monuments online.

With a four day pass, I was able to take in the following:

• Arc de Triomphe (regular admission is 8 euros)
• Centre Pompidou (regular admission is 10 euros)
• Conciergerie (combined admission with Sainte-Chapelle is 9 euros)
• Louvre (regular admission is 8,50 euros)
• Museum d’Orsay (regular admission is 7,50 euros)
• Pantheon (regular admission is 7 euros)
• Rodin Museum (regular admission is 6 euros)
• Sainte-Chapelle

For me this represented a savings of 11 euros (about $16) over regular admissions, and savings in time of several hours avoiding lines. Granted, I had to cram a lot of visits into a short period of time, but I tried to find a good balance of art, architecture, history, food, and fun every day. It worked for me, but it you would prefer a slower pace, get a longer pass.

Additional considerations when deciding if the Paris Museum Pass is for you: Most museums are free for those under age 16, and offered reduced admissions for those 16-25 years of age. Many museums also offer free admissions at least one day of the month.

If the museums and monuments are on your to-do list in Paris, a Paris Museum Pass can be a savings in more ways than one.

Photos: personal collection

Share This

This guest post is by Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.

If the thought of a fine bag, a decadent pair of heels, or the feel of the fabric of a finely crafted suit makes you swoon, then an afternoon on the Champs-lyses in Paris may be your definition of heaven.

Avenue des Champs-lyses is not only one of the most recognized street names in Paris, but in the entire world, and is lined with luxury and specialty shops, theaters, cafes and restaurants.  Its name translates to "Elysian Fields" a reference to the "place of the blessed" in Greek mythology.  With the prices you’ll see at most of these shops and cafes, you’ll need to be blessed, indeed, to make this your prime shopping district.

The street itself is a little over a mile and a quarter long (see photo at left), running from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe in the 9th arrondissement.  While its easy to get caught up in its current incarnation as the ultimate shopping location, originally, in the de Medici era, the area was a field and garden market.  It was also the location of the famous marches to celebrate the 1944 liberation of France, one march by the French and the other by American troops.  Today, the Champs-lyses is home to the annual Bastille Day parade and is the end of the Tour de France.

It seems like the Champs-lyses is always full of people, day or night.  You’ll find people stopping off to shop at places like:  Drugstore Publicis (filled with so many upscale products that it seems a misnomer to refer to it as a "drug" store), Louis Vuitton (its largest store in the world), Virgin Megastore, Adidas (its largest store in the world), and Nike Paris, as exclusive stores co-exist with the growing presence of large chain stores.

Above the street level stores, you’ll find offices, attracting still more people.  And, of course, day or night, patrons are flocking to the restaurants, cafes, and theaters.

I enjoyed wandering the street, stopping of at a few shops now and again.  Although the strength of the dollar was not on my side, I did manage to justify a purchase at Louis Vuitton, followed by lunch at cafe right in the heart of everything.  While lunching on the Champs-lyses is quite expensive (some might say over-priced), I considered it both a meal and an opportunity to do some people watching as I whiled away a beautiful fall afternoon in Paris.

Photo credit:  personal collection

_________________________________________

Share This

This is a guest post from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and blogger at Flyaway Cafe

Bateaux Parisiens is a cruise company that conducts sightseeing, lunch, and dinner cruises on the Seine, along with operating a river-boat shuttle called Batobus.

I opted for an evening sightseeing cruise, and for an hour we cruised the Seine while the hostess pointed out a number of attractions.  The commentary was pleasant and informative, and not filled with the typical puns and drivel that you so often get on tours.

Schedules vary, but details and information can easily be found in the city.  At the time I was there the sightseeing cruise operated every half hour until 10 pm, and cost 11.  It was easy to walk up and get a seat.  Reservations required, however, for lunch and dinner cruises.

Photo credit:  Jon Rochetti

__________________________________________

Share This