Paris first timers

[emmetgirl]

Me and DH are going to Paris in November for 5 days, neither of us has been before.
We're going to do a few of the obvious tourist things but does anyone have any suggestions for places there that aren't in the Paris "top 10" things that you loved?

Watch the traffic from the top of The Arc De Triomphe - brilliant.

We went to Paris in September and loved it, my teen dd wanted to go to the Petite Palace which was a free art museum and we both enjoyed it. There's also a lovely cafe there which is a bonus.

The Luxembourg gardens are lovely. The Tuileries are nice too.

The catacombs are cool. La Pere Lachaise cemetery too.

St Germain & La Marais are great to wander around.

Galleries Lafayette for shopping and the gorgeous roof.

The Water Lilies gallery in the Tuileries is AMAZING. (Muse de l'orangerie)

Lunch in the cafe in the Musee D'orsay.

Jim Morrisons grave at La Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Second vote for the roof in Galleries Lafayette. Came here to say it but PP beat me to it. Best view of Paris and basically free (though you’ll end up spending something while you are shopping!)

A bit different but I loved the Grandee Mosque, beautiful place.

Also the art gallery that used to be a squat, 59 Rivoli. Fabulous.

Les Invalides

I always say the same things and they are fairly obvious tbf but hey:

Musée d’Orsay – wonderful Impressionist painting in a converted station that is such a gorgeous building
Sainte-Chapelle – go on a bright day if possible, unbelievable medieval stained glass
Monmartrobus – free (if you have a Métro pass) mini bus tour of Montmartre
Père Lachaise but not so much for Jim Morrison’s over-visted grave as those of (for example) Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde (tho that one is also now behind glass), Abélard and Heloise, Sarah Bernhardt... and lots of marvellous tombs of people you have never heard of
Iconic cafes in the sixth – pretend you are Jean-Paul Sartre

Lots of good suggestions here already - have fun!

Even though Mont Martre is extremely touristy, it’s still feels lovely up there. I really enjoyed the Mont Martre Museum and it has a full on city vineyard just behind it and amazing views.

If you've never been before, you really don't need to go scouting round for unusual things to do. All the popular tourist things are fabulous and you'll have an absolute ball seeing the Ieffel Tower, going on a river cruise, seeing the Mona Lisa, eating in wonderful pavement cafes etc. Save the unusual stuff for your 2nd visit!

I walked through the Luxembourg Gardens on the way to visit the Curie museum, which is what I came on to suggest and agree that the Luxembourg Gardens are indeed lovely and I also enjoyed seeing a statue of Liberty (apparently there are about 7 in Paris - Google seems uncertain about whether it's 6, 7 or 8).

Is the Palace of Versailles one of your obvious tourist things? It's an easy train journey out from the city.

Seine dinner cruise and a walking food tour were 2 highlights for me

I really like Place Des Vosges and the shops in the Marais, and the Rodin musem is wonderful. Rue Mouffetard.

We went on a cycle tour - I think I booked it via AirBnB. It was an 'off the beaten track' tour and was fab.

We got the metro to the Eiffel Tower (we didn't go up as we've been before) and then walked back along the river. That was really nice - there were bars and street food places, and you pass other impressive/famous sites along the way.

The Canal du Midi area was nice in the evenings. Nice bars and places to eat, and the locals come out to play boules (maybe not in November, but they did in the spring!) We watched them play and chatted to them, which was nice.

The exhibition boards on the side of Notre Dam were interesting - looking at all the information about how they're rebuilding it etc.

I loved the TukTuk tour!

St Chapelle is definitely worth a visit. I only got to go on my last trip and I’d been to Paris several times.

I also love walking down to the river to see the Eiffel Tower twinkle at night.

If you have time for an art gallery the Monet water lilies at Musee de l’Orangerie or the Musee d’Orsay.

Personally I don’t rate the views from Mont Martre. I preferred the view from the top of the Pompidou Centre.

Definitely the musée d'orsay. The paintings are amazing, I swear that the people in the back of a la moulin de la gallette by Renoir are actually dancing.

Shakespeare & co bookshop on the left bank near Notre Dame -

The Abbey Bookshop is another cool one not far from Shakespeare and Co, it's run by a Canadian and teeny tiny!

The Fragonard Museum was a highlight of my last visit but I'm a zoologist working in a veterinary department. Not for the faint of heart but fascinating. A bit far out from town though.

Another vote for the rooftop of the Galeries Lafayette, the Jardins de Luxembourg and also the Pantheon (award-winning patisserie nearby).

The Jardins des Plantes was another tip I think I found on MN, it's very relaxing.

We have only been once, just after watching Amelie. Enjoyed spotting places in the film, the same probably applies to Emily in Paris if you like it.

Another vote for Musee D'Orcay, brilliant things to see in every room. Also thumbs up for a Seine dinner/river cruise, though not sure if they operate this time of year or if you've time to book.

Edit: sorry, just realised you wanted not the usual stuff, in which casehow about the Shakespeare and Company bookshop, very famous and quirky.

Mint tea at the tea room of the Grand Mosque.
The view from the roof terrace of Tour Montparnasse is the best view in Paris.
The view from the roof terrace of the Institut Le Monde Arabe is the second best view in Paris.

Walk. It's the best way to find the best bistro for lunch or dinner - one down a backstreet that does a set menu of the day.

Musee Marmaton Monet, a metro ride away.

Another vote for the Rodin museum. I knew nothing about him and was so blown away I booked another holiday the next year to go back again!! The museum is in his former house, and you wander through the rooms seeing these utterly mind-blowing sculptures. It's not like an art gallery at all - you can literally see lumps of rock turning into human beings. And it's not expensive.