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Paris, the dream city of France

Some people call it the city of lights and the romantic ones call it the city of love but for me, I prefer to call it the city of dreams because it has something magic, a city with a lot of histories and most of the places make my mind wanders.

I already knew Paris but in spite of this, each time I go back, I can´t prevent to go to the same place, after all we all have our favorite places. The month I like the most is the august because of Paris beach, free concerts… and also parkings in the street are totally free !!! A lot of funs and if the weather is generous, sunny day too.

The other months in this city, people have to pay to

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park the car not with coins but with a special card that you have to buy first in a place called “bar tabac” (a place where you can take a drink, lunch… with a space to sell cigarettes, lottery tickets…) and after insert it inside the parking meter. It is something that I can forget in august because normally I drive so I don’t need to go to a paid parking lot, not only in Paris but also in its outskirts.

For example, all parking streets around the Versaille castle (RER C versailles rive gauche) are free so I don’t need to go to the paid car park and if some streets are not free, a big panel will tell me the contrary.

Museums are very crowdy, specially the Louvre (metro L1/L7 palais royal musée du louvre) so I will suggest anyone to buy the ticket by internet in its official website to avoid the huge line or to buy the museum pass in one of the tourist offices.

Its garden, called tuileries garden, is very nice to walk and one of its sections is occupied by a funfair, a good opportunity to get in the ferris wheel and why not, win a stuffed toy for your girlfriend/boyfriend. The other museum I like is the Orsay (1 rue de la légion d'honneur – RER C musée d’orsay), walking from the Louvre, it takes more or less 20 minutes, less people so making the line it is very quick.

Between july 20 and august 20, there is the “Paris plages” (Paris beach). During one month, the Seine riverbanks and the Villette canal basin are transformed into a beachside resort where anyone can enjoy a pleasant walk, do roller skate or bicycle, play petanque, take a sun bath and much more activities.

To cycle, you can rent a bike by using the self service rental called Vélib, there are many stations so it should be not complicated to rent one by paying with your credit card, a simple system that everyone, tourists and local people, can use it.

Meanwhile walking along the Seine, you can use the batobus service, a good way to enjoy a ride on the water. The boat works like a public transport with 8 stops (eiffel tower, orsay, saint germain des prés, notre dame, jardin des plantes, hotel de ville, louvre and champs élysées).

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The other good things are the free concerts organized each weekend in the main square of the City Hall of Paris (metro L1/L11 hôtel de ville) and if you like classical music, each weekend, go to the Paris floral park (metro L1 château de vincennes) but you will have to spend a little money to get in. The outdoor cinema at the Villette park (metro L5 porte de pantin), a good thing to fight against the heat of the city during the summer time totally free.

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Other places, that you should go if it is your first time, are:

  • the luxembourg garden (RER B luxembourg)
  • walking on the champs élysées avenue (metro L1 george V)
  • the concorde square (metro L1/L8/L12 concorde)
  • notre dame church (metro L4 cité)
  • the sacre coeur and montmartre area (metro L2 anvers)
  • the montparnasse tower (metro L4/L12/L13 montparnasse bienvenue)
  • go up to the eiffel tower (if you are not afraid, use the stair :-) – metro L6/L9 trocadéro)
  • the Père Lachaise cemetery (metro L2/L3 père lachaise)
  • the saint ouen flea market (metro L4 porte de clignancourt)
  • the Printemps and Galeries Lafayette shops (metro L7/L9 chaussée d’antin la fayette)
  • the Garnier opera (metro L3/L7/L8 opéra)
  • the daumesnil avenue to find computer things (metro L6/L8 daumesnil)

There are a lot of places I like and when I’m in the city, I enjoy them like:

  • the chinese area (metro L7 porte de choisy) because in Spain, chinese food hasn´t an authentic taste
  • the saint michel area (metro L4 saint michel) to eat a turkish sandwich called “greek sandwich”
  • the mosque of Paris (39 rue geoffrey saint hilaire) to take a mint tea with an arab cookie
  • to walk on the mouffetard street, it is a very animated street with its market, its local shops, its local people and good place to lunch
  • the chatelet area (metro L1/L4/L7/L14 châtelet) for shopping
  • the saint louis island (metro L7 pont marie), a very romantic area to walk and to dine in a good restaurant
  • the saint germain boulevard, the opera area (metro L3/L7/L8 opéra), the saint emilion courtyard (metro L14 cour saint émilion) and the bastille area (metro L1/L5/L8 bastille) to have fun during night time
  • the “port de la gare” along the Seine (in front of the national library of France) to dine, to take a cocktail and/or to dance inside a boat...
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Well I stop here because there are so many things to discover and to wonder in Paris so the best is that you discover them by yourself ;-) and if you have kids, you can bring them to amusement/theme parks like:

  • Disneyland (RER A marne la vallée chessy)
  • Asterix (shuttle at “99 rue de rivoli“ - metro L1/L7 palais royal musée du louvre)
  • France miniature (bus 411 france miniature stop - first take the train direction Rambouillet from the Paris Montparnasse station and get off at la verrière station)
  • and/or to go to swim at Aquaboulevard (metro L8 balard)

For those who want to discover the most important points in one day, you can take the touristic bus, a simple and quick way to visit the city. Following one of my videos I recorded in the artist square of the Sacré Coeur. For more pictures, check my photo website Concept RT.