Productivity Recharge – Things To Do in Paris
A lovely woman who attended my book launch party for The Great Escape asked me for recommendations for things to do in Paris. Here’s the information I sent to her:
“I’ll leave the sites you told me about (Louvre, Orsay, Opera Garnier) off this list. Not sure if you’ve been to or experienced these yet:
Sainte-Chapelle
Orangerie Museum (if you’re a fan of Monet and Impressionists)
Rue Cler – nice selection of shops for picnic supplies
Picnic in the Tuileries
Rodin Museum (lovely garden art and wonderful view of the dome of Napoleon’s Tomb and the top of Eiffel, over the shoulder of “The Thinker”)
Napoleon’s Tomb
Picnic at Luxembourg Garden
Pere Lachaise Cemetery (graves of many famous people)
Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore
St Germain area – Cafe de Flore and Les Deux Magots (cafes where Hemingway and Fitzgerald hung out); Cafe Bonaparte (cheaper, less crowded cafe across from quaint St Germain church)
Stroll along the left bank from the Eiffel to Notre Dame
Notre Dame – Have you ever stood at Point Zero? It’s a brass compass on the ground in front of Notre Dame. That used to be the official center of Paris.
Pantheon
Victor Hugo’s house
Picasso Museum
La Cuisine Paris (great French cooking classes for English speakers – https://lacuisineparis.com/)
Stroll around Montmartre and the back side of Sacre Coeur
Berthillon ice cream on Ile St Louis
Eiffel Tower (you probably went there already!)
Arc de Triomphe
Galeries Lafayette (you and I touched on this site, but I forgot to mention the rooftop terrace; great view of Paris on a clear day)
Place du Trocadero (the fountains should be cranked up already, so you’ll have an even lovelier view of the Eiffel Tower)
unconventional view of the Eiffel from Trocadero – cafeteria in the National Maritime Museum (You should be able to enter for free; just say you’re going to eat upstairs at the cafeteria. The food is mediocre, but you’re there for the view. Museum employees eat there, so it’s crowded at noon.) Hmmm…it looks like the museum is closed for renovations, so never mind!
Catacombs – This is quite touristy, but we had fun.
If you have a sweet tooth, try to get into http://www.angelina-paris.fr/en/. Across from the Louvre. But go at an off-peak time if you don’t have a reservation, otherwise you’ll have a long wait.
If you’d like other tips about Paris, here are some of my older blog posts:
General tips for budget travelers in Paris – Part 1
General tips for budget travelers in Paris – Part 2
Getting to Paris via The Chunnel
Bon voyage!”
If you’re scratching your head and wondering, “Why all of these travel-related posts in a time management blog?”, the answer is simple. Getting away from it all allows our bodies and brains to take a break. Going on a vacation – no matter how long and no matter where – will do wonders for your productivity. But sometimes properly planning for the type of vacation that lowers your stress levels (and doesn’t add to it) can take a lot of time. To save you time and stress, I’m sharing my travel tips with you.
Since my job is time management, I would be neglecting my duties if I didn’t remind you that you could spend dozens of hours combing through websites to find the perfect travel plans. Be sure to set a timer so that you don’t get behind on everything else you need to do because you were cruising the internet!
