So with travel and accommodation sorted, we began to plan what to do. Now we’ve been to Paris several times before, and have done most of the big tourist spots. But Paris is more than the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre and so on. There are many, many things to do, even on a budget. And this is where the trippie gets its title, because several of them begin with an M.
Our first M is the Montparnasse Tower, just down the road from our hotel. Finished in 1973, this is one of Paris’ few skyscrapers, and one of the tallest buildings in France. It’s loathed by many locals as a huge 1970s tower block doesn’t really go with the elegant buildings around it. On the other hand, the view from the top is often called the most beautiful in Paris – not least because you can’t see the tower…!
So we searched around for the best deal and pre-booked a trip to the top through Hotelopia (since Peter gets 12% discount from work). It doesn’t specify a time, but we’re thinking we’ll probably go at sunset so we can see the Eiffel Tower light show. We’ve been up the Eiffel Tower during the daytime so it will be nice to have a night view of Paris.
Our second M is Montmartre, where we’ve booked a food walking tour for Peter’s birthday. This one is slightly above our budget but it’s a birthday present from my parents. We’ve booked through Secret Food Tours and got a 15% discount as it’s our first booking. They know it’s Peter’s birthday, so you never know, he might even get a little extra!
Our third M (and this is only a possible activity) is a wander round the Marais area. We’ve been there before, having downloaded an audio walking tour of the area before we went. However, we hadn’t taken into account that there’s a significant Jewish community in the area – and we went on a Saturday. So we had to listen to mouthwatering descriptions of famous bakeries, which were all closed! Not making that mistake again.
Near our hotel are the famous Luxembourg Gardens, which I can’t make an M out of – except to say that if it’s cold or wet, as per the current forecast, it’s an ‘Mmm… maybe not!’ But if it’s nice we will probably have a wander there.
If the weather is against us then we have another M up our sleeve – Museums. Our Eurostar tickets get us 2 for 1 entry into several museums and galleries including the Musee d’Orsay, which has quite a few other M’s – Monet, Manet and more!
Our final M concerns Music (OK, that’s a bit of a cheat) as we’ve booked a tour of the Opera Garnier. Again, Hotelopia with 12% discount was the best deal. We’ve got this planned for our last morning.
Of course there’s another M that we’ve only touched on – Mmmmm, Meals! Besides the food tour, we’ve also planned in some nice and reasonably budget-friendly restaurants. This is where it got tough. On previous trips we’ve relied on our trusty copy of Sandra Gustafson’s ‘Great Eats in Paris’ which never failed to lead us to those little places only the locals know, where you can get a wonderful meal for a good price. But the last edition of this book was 10 years ago now, so we’ve had to search food blogs and Tripadvisor instead. And we’ve come up with some interesting suggestions:
On our arrival night we plan to eat at the Montparnasse branch of La Criee. This is primarily a fish and seafood restaurant, part of a chain. We’ve eaten at the Val d’Europe branch on a previous DLP trip and had an enjoyable meal there. We haven’t booked, so we may change our mind at the last minute, but it should be a reliable choice for a good meal.
On the Tuesday we’ve gone for something completely different. Again in the Montparnasse area, near the tower so we can go there after our trip to the top. It’s called ‘La Vache au Comptoir’ (The Cow on the Counter) and it’s basically a burger restaurant. But these aren’t your Maccy D burgers. They include options such as the ‘burger Iberico’ with steak, chorizo, Alpine cheese, onions and jalapenos. Or the vaguely healthier option, the ‘No regrets burger’ with lean steak and sauce on the side. Reviews are good and prices are reasonable, and it will be a change from fish and seafood!
Wednesday is Peter’s birthday and lunch will be taken care of by the food walk, which finishes with a group picnic of all the goodies our guide has collected on the way. For the evening we’ve booked somewhere a little special - La Coupole restaurant. It dates from 1927 and is an Art Deco dream. Pretty much anyone famous in the arts has eaten here – Picasso, Hemingway, Sartre, the list goes on. According to their website the restaurant is famous for shellfish and for their lamb curry, served from a trolley by an Indian waiter in dress uniform. Apparently the curry was the last meal of Francois Mitterand, so I’m not sure whether that’s a recommendation or not…! Since we are on a budget we are intending to stick to the set menu which is priced more reasonably – but you never know, it’s a birthday after all and it is our last night.
Thursday will be our last day. After our Opera tour we’ll head to Gare du Nord station, firstly for lunch at Brasserie Terminus Nord (pre-booked lunch deal, thank you Expedia) and then get our train home.
The major unknown quantity for our trip is of course the weather. Just like parts of the UK, Paris is being visited by ‘The Beast From The East’ at the moment, and snow is forecast in the next few days. We’re hoping temperatures will recover a little next week, but we could find some of our plans changing in favour of warmer pursuits. Time will tell.
And that’s about it for now. Au revoir, mes amis!
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