13.41 - Dreaming: If I only had one day in Paris - #1
No matter how many times you've been to Paris we always dream of the next visit. But what if for some reason this was going to be your last visit to Paris & you could only be there for one day...#1/2
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If I only had one day in Paris - the first 8 francophile responses
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Dreaming: If I only had one day in Paris - #1
No matter how many times you have been to France, or in this case, Paris, it's always good to dream of the next visit. Paris is always a good idea, isn't it? But what if for some reason this was going to be your last visit to Paris and you could only be there for ONE day... I recently posed this question to members of the MyFrenchLife private Facebook group and I'm sharing 18 of their answers. Why? Well, I found it interesting and I expect that you might too! This is #1/2
These unedited dream responses came from a group, where some members live in Paris and others travel there frequently. In other words, Paris is well known to them all. So, this is not meant to be a list of places for first-time visitors to Paris to add to their itinerary, necessarily. This is a list of how those who know Paris well would choose to spend their last day in the City of Light.
Even though this was not the intention. This list has ended up being a perfect list of recommendations for someone who's never visited Paris before!
If you're not in Paris at the moment, are you ready for a little whimsy, a little head in the clouds, a little dreaming? Yes? In that case, let's go to Paris... come with me.
Only one day in Paris
Susan - Sit in a parc for a while, walk along the Seine, sit in a cafe and people watch, have a special meal, and just breathe.
Anna replies to Susan: I would do something similar. Maybe the Seine, maybe walking in Luxembourg Gardens. People-watch. Savor the essence of Paris. People-watch. Breathe and feel blessed to be doing this. Nothing more.
Lis - Having done exactly that a few years ago to see ‘L’heure Bleu’ the exhibition at Musée Marmottan Monet all about the wonderful Danish painter Krøyer…who was part of the famous Skagen group… I was dropped off at the TGV from Aix at 07.00…and collected again at 21.00…it only takes 3hs from Aix to Gare de Lyon…and I took a taxi everywhere in Paris especially as it was just after COVID…
Lis Continued:
After the museum visit, I had a booked lunch… can’t remember the name of the restaurant… but not worth mentioning…very disappointing… and after lunch I, of course, went up to Le Sacré Coeur… just chilling and enjoying the views… Long day…but felt like I had plenty of time and I totally enjoyed it…!
PS! I can highly recommend this museum in 16th arr… and if you are a Monet fan… they have the biggest collection of his paintings there… also the ‘in-house’ collection which is there all year round is just beautiful!
Jocelyne - I would enjoy a visit to the Musee d’Orsay, relax with a hot chocolate at Café Flore, and marvel once more at the beauty of La Sainte Chapelle, before wandering in the streets to admire the Hausmanian architecture, but I’d probably run out of time halfway through…
June - If I had only one day in Paris, I would not do something new. I would have lunch at Willi's Wine Bar then go through the Tuileries to the Orangerie to spend some time with my favorite Renoirs and Monets. Then I would meet up with my friend for a glass of wine.
Sue - I would avoid all the tourist spots and wander around the back streets of the Latin Quarter and St Germain. If the queue wasn't too long I'd try to visit beautiful Sainte-Chapelle one more time.
Marykay - Dinner at 10 pm Grand Colbert or dinner on Bateau Mouches.. shopping Gallery Lafayette all day.
And that's NOT a wrap! You can read about the remaining 10 Paris Dream Day visits in this FREE le Bulletin next week. See you there then.
AND… here is Part 2 of this post.
What would your dream day be in Paris? Please share in the comments.
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Hi Sara
Thank you for your response to this:
« No matter how many times you have been to France, or in this case, Paris, it's always good to dream of the next visit. Paris is always a good idea, isn't it? But what if for some reason this was going to be your last visit to Paris and you could only be there for ONE day... »
I had 18 responses ( 8 of which were on that post and 10 to come) and yours now makes 19. Thank you. This started out thinking about what you’d do if you only had one last day in Paris... but when I looked at the responses they seemed to me (combined) to be the best first day in Paris one could ever imagine, doing real things adored by locals and frequent visitors. Perfect!
My last day in Paris would definitely include Pont Alexandre 3, Monet’s water lilies at the Orangerie, as many gateaux as I liked and a meal at Bouillon Julien to marvel at the decor.