Paris Thrice as Nice, With First Timers

Personally, what I like most in most major cities ( and that is very much the case in Paris), is not necessarly the major sightseeing points, but simply to walk around an area, and see and enjoy what turns up. Sit down in a coffee shop and people watch, browse through a market, try an interesting looking "exotic" restaurant etc.

As for actual attractions (besides the ones you have mentionned): the musee d'Orsay is amazing (both the building and the exhibits). If you like impressionism, the Orangerie is a "must". I also like the centre Pompidour, and the "market" feeling in and around Les Halles. If you are there on a weekend, the flea market around the Porte de Clignancourt is also great fun. Other ideas (there are so many possibilities and it depends on your interests): the Piere Lachaise cemetary, La Defense, walking around the Quartier Latin or around Le Marais etc.

Buy your girlfriend a good guide to Paris and study it with her. Download the RATP app. Get a good map of Paris. Both of you study the official Paris website.

Take her to lunch at La Maison Fournaise on the Ile des Impressionistes. Maybe visit a guinguette. Explore the Belleville market and have fabulous Asian or Lebanese cuisine at one or the other end of it.

Ménilmontant has thriving nightlife.

A good guidebook will also list many great sights which are not the top 10 - I would encourage you to check out the LOnely Planet guide for example. A member here who knows Paris well has also written on such sights - http://www.minorsights.com/search?q=paris

Having followed some of his great suggestions, I definitely recommend you to check out his articles. I really enjoyed walking through the 10th arrondissement, which is a diverse area full of Turkish and other shops, restaurants etc - very enjoyable atmosphere with some historical landmarks too.

Other suggestions: check out markets - I really enjoyed the Rue Daguerre market in Montparnasse but of course there are others. A walk around Belleville (Rue Denoyez has amazing street art) with a view from the park, a walk at the Petite Ceinture - great and calm.

Hi Ben!
Have a look at my blog World In Paris ,for some travel inspiration. We write about the alternative (sometimes quirky) side of Paris.
Have a great trip :-)

I think for a first timer it's still great to see all the world famous sights, like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysees, Sacre-Coeur, Notre Dame and the Louvre.

I've been in Paris at least 10 times and have not seen anything so far (still missing Musée d' Orsay or the Parthenon for example).

But my two last visits brought me for example to this (less visited) places:

Montparnasse Tower (view platform on top of a high riser, but with the advantage to see the Eiffel Tower from there, and it has far fewer visitors and therefore almost no waiting time)

Jardin de Luxembourg (a nice park)

the cemetary of Pére Lachaise (with lot's of famous people, burried there Victor Hugo, Jim Morrison from the Doors and many more; head for a map to the flower shop opposite the main entrance)

Parc de Buttes-Chaumont, another nice and quite suprising park (and somehow famous for beeing a poster on the wall in one of the appartements in the sitcom "Friends")

and finally
the Cathedrale of Saint-Denis, where many of the old French kings who came after Charlemange are burried

I agree with much mentioned above and also feel that Paris is a walking city and you will discover many sites of interest. I also suggest you and your girl friend watch this video on Paris to get a lot of ideas. There are many more videos on Paris you might want to watch to see what is available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6ooG1ebQGg
Once you have an idea of what your want to do, do some research on the Internet so you can make best use of your time.

For one day you may want to get a batobus ticket for the day instead of using the metro and at the same time get a view of Paris from the river.http://www.batobus.com/en.html#

stcirq mentioned the official Paris website, here's the link:
http://en.parisinfo.com/
I measure other big city tourism websites against this one; none come close.
On the other hand, I'm the kind of person who doesn't (even with multiple
trips to Paris) go look at the Tour Eiffel. I saw it from Sacre Coeur, that was
enough.
But there is a travel forum which focuses on individual accounts with photos
taken by the writer and the section on Paris is a treasure chest of things no one
else will tell/show you about Paris:
Kerouac2, a major contributor, lives in Paris and seems to find new things to
explore and share often.

http://anyportinastorm.proboards.com/board/46/paris
I agree with louisxiv; it's also a less expensive, easier way to ride on the Seine
than taking a cruise. One trip I'd planned on a ride on the Canal St Martin but
it was absolutely pouring the morning I'd booked so I cancelled. It is an
interesting neighborhood, not as famous as the Marais but has its own charm.
Hope you enjoy every minute---

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