Things To Do In Paris

[Myriad2112]

My son has finished his Uni term and is using his easter holidays to go to Paris for his first solo trip abroad. Apart from the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre has anyone got any recommendations for a student to see or do.
Thanks

[AlwaysConfused]

Daytrip to a vineyard!

[Retrochic]

Go to the Latin Quarter, Monmartre, Centre Pompidou, Notre Dame,take a boat trip along the Seine, take a bus trip out to the Palace of Versaille. Steer clear of the Bois de Boulogne after dark or he may come back with something he really doesn't want ;-)

[jno]

riverboat cruise along the Seine; Musee d'Orsay art gallery (full of impressionists)... in fact lots of great galleries, go up the Tour Montparnasse or out to La Defense for the views, or the Sacre Coeur, wander round Montmartre. Take the train to Versailles to see the vast palace and grounds? Notre Dame and Ste Chapelle on the islands in the river. Lots to see and do.

[Jackdaw33]

By all means go and see the Eiffel Tower, but don't climb it. It is one gigantic rip-off. The entry price is extortionate and the staff shove you into the lifts like cattle. There is nothing to see, except that on a clear day you can see over Paris from the viewing platforms. This is not just my opinion, it is the opinion of Parisians in general. There is Notre Dame and Sacré Coeur, also the Père Lachaise cemetery where many famous people, not just French, are buried. A thirty minute train ride from Paris will bring you to the Chateau de Versailles. However, for entry to Versailles and the Louvre, be prepared to queue for a very long time. Entry to Versailles used to be free on Sundays but I don't know if that is longer the case.

[Jackdaw33]

Yes, the Bois de Boulogne after dark is France's answer to Hampstead Heath.

[Jackdaw33]

Does your son speak French? It's a great help. For a city which thrives on tourism they can be surprisingly uncooperative when faced with a non-French speaker. Also, if travelling on the Métro, tell him to keep his hands firmly in his pockets and look out for the Romanian pickpockets.

[Jackdaw33]

Another tip. If he wants a quick drink, whether it be alcoholic or just coffee, go and stand at the counter. Once you sit down inside or outside a Paris café the price automatically doubles.

[Ellipsis]

In addition to the above, the Arc de Triomphe/Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Palais des Tuileries and (when in Montmartre) the Sacré-Cœur.

One thing to watch out for is opening times - e.g. the Musée d'Orsay isn't open on Mondays. Not good if you go for a long weekend and save that one for Monday, as I did on my first trip to Paris ...

[Jackdaw33]

Good advice from Ellipsis as a lot of institutions and shops are closed on Monday as they are open on Sunday.

[jno]

go into the Louvre by the Porte des Lions entrance, there are seldom any queues there.

The Louvre closes on Tuesdays. In winter (ie October to March) you can get in free on the first Sunday of the month; not the rest of the year though, so I think that rules out easter.

If he's got some sort of student card it will get him into a lot of places cheap.

[Jackdaw33]

If he is going to use the Métro a lot it is cheaper to buy tickets in bunches of ten, a 'carnet'. If he is going to be there for at least a week it is even cheaper to buy a 'Carte Orange', for which he will have to provide a passport photo.

[Jackdaw33]

The Métro works on a flat fare system. Whether you are going one stop or travelling the length and breadth of the city the fare is the same, providing you do not break your journey.

[Myriad2112]

Thanks everyone. there's some brilliant suggestions here.

Yes he can speak some French and yes I have myself experienced paying £20 for a coffee many years ago. I already told him to follow the locals to the back streets for that sort of thing.

[xstitcher]

Eat snails in garlic butter.

[Jackdaw33]

Never £20 for a coffee? i remember paying £2 sitting down and £1 standing up. That was only 10 years ago. Do you not mean 20 francs?

[Jackdaw33]

One more thing to remember; if you visit a public park in Paris, of which there are many fine examples, do NOT step on the grass, otherwise the next thing you will hear is a loud whistle blast, followed by an angry park keeper who will tell you in no uncertain terms where to go.

[Mosaic]

Rather than climbing the Eiffel Tower, cross the river to the Trocadero at dusk and watch the area light up (not sure if the tower still has it's lights on but the Trocedero fountains are illuminated after dark)
That's all free so good for a student budget.
Take a walk through the fashionable shops around Saint-Sulpice - press your nose on the windows but don't even think of buying, you can't afford it.
Take the metro to pere lachaise and discover the graves of Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, etc

Be very wary of street traders especially the well-known trick of shoving items (eg flowers) into your hands then haranguing you for money

[Jackdaw33]

...and NEVER be tempted to play the three card trick (find the lady) on the street.

[Hymie]

The catacombs are something different, see here:-
http://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/homepage-catacombs-official-website

If you like underground things – a sewer tour/museum might be of interest:-
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Musee+Des+Egouts+De+Paris/@48.862622,2.30253,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x6723fc7871e89323