Only three days in Paris; Any must-do photography tips?

Wilt wrote in post #18702816
Yeah, assuming each factor makes it 2X harder, then all three factors makes it 8 times as hard as for someone young, trim, and in shape!

Also the amount of kit/gear you carry also influences the perceived effort...as does the amount of Chablis/Beaujolais/Mer​lot in one's stomach.

Sorry I didn't get back to this thread sooner. I was busy catching up on work the past couple weeks.

We went and had the best trip of our lives. The weather was absolutely perfect (low to mid seventies every day and sunny; not a drop of rain). The people were incredibly friendly and polite. And we were able to see a lot in four days by staying on foot or bicycle and making no plans whatsoever. We woke up each day and went. We'd come back to the hotel late at night. Everything we did was spontaneous and it worked great for us. On top of that, since it was a week after U.S. Labor Day, there were very few Americans.

We hit the Eiffel Tower twice (once from fairly close and then another night we went into the plaza). We climbed to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. Visited the Louvre for a couple hours, the cemetery where Jim Morrison is buried, dozens of cafes, dozens of little neighborhoods off the beaten path, the river (including wine, bread and cheese with my wife while sitting on the river bank during sunset), and so much more.

We couldn't believe how flawless the trip was, including both flights. They poured glass after glass of red wine both ways, served good food, and were sweet. Great experience. We flew Air France there and Delta on the flight home. The flight crews were fantastic on both airlines, with a bit of a nod going to the French.

As far as photography is concerned, I could have done a LOT better. But I was there to celebrate my 50th birthday with just my wife and myself, so photography was a low priority. Most of my photos are snapshots and I used my iphone to take pics more than I used my Sony A7III, even though I had the Sony with me each day.

If we ever go back, I'll bring a couple decent lenses and really walk the streets alone to get some quality photos. We were just having too much fun together for me to care that much about composition, etc. Just a snapshot every once in a while. . I think we rode a total of 47km in four days on electric-assist bikes. They were the perfect mode of transportation for us because they are fast, you only sweat a little (you still have to pedal), and because of the Velib Mobile system, you just dock your bikes and then grab other bikes after your meal or museum visit. Ten dollars a day was all we spent on transportation (with the exception of the cab ride to the airport and one fun trip on the Metro for kicks).

Edit: I can't stress enough how freaking good the food was in Paris. Every meal was an orgy of flavor (hope that doesn't sound crude). I couldn't believe how yummy everything was (including French beer; I love beer, so I had to have some, even though we drank a lot of French wine).


I learned three tips for a successful trip in Paris:

1. Dress similarly to them. It's not that you're trying to fake it or be a poser. To them it's a matter of respect. Learn how they dress and approximate it.

2. Always greet them in their language. A simple bonjour is all you need.

3. Don't speak to them in English until you ask (in your language or theirs) if they speak English. By asking first you show respect. It works wonders.

The French were much more polite, generous, and behaved than I'm used to seeing here in the U.S. I love my country, but we do need to brush up on our manners in public, including how we dress and greet each other.

Part of it is my personality. I love people, but I also like calm. I don't like loud or silly behavior in public places. Their culture really fit my personality. It was refreshing.

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Superb! You did Paris the right way. Now that you have been there and gotten a flavor of the place and seen a few highlights, you can go back and really enjoy more of Paris, and take advantage of the easy and rapid access to so much more of the city via Metro. Next time, plan the rather short train ride to the chateau of Versailles and spend a day at the grounds and adjacent Les Trianons as well.

Mirrors my experience. So happy you had a great time with your wife. These experiences are more important than getting 'that shot'.

Heading there next week en route to some work in Berlin.

I remember being on the top deck of the Eiffel Tower and hearing a conversation about this being a "once in a lifetime trip" I turned to my gf and said, sweetie, this isn't "once in a lifetime, we will be back often"

Two random 28 Otus shots:

EOS-Mike
+1 for your run-down on the City of Light!
We first visited 4 years ago, was on a set tour ... we got a Fromagerie / Boulangerie / Café taste of it.
Found Parisians to be delightful people.
Managed a second visit in May of this year, 8 nights.
The (iphone) pic is from the balcony of our apartment in the 16th
Night view was ... WOW!
We walked, we bussed, we trained, we cabbed .. then we walked some more.
So much to see after you've covered the 'must do places'
We'll get there again, but a longer visit next time covering more of outside Paris.
As Wilt suggested, we'll enjoy more of the city.
Paris is intoxicating!

Wilt wrote in post #18693370
WALK a lot, and you will see lots of things. Get a copy of Rick Steve's Paris for his suggestions of very 'compact' walking tours when you have limited time in Paris.
A very memorable walk can be

1. start at Arc de Triomphe
   
2. walk down Champs-Elysees avenue
   
3. divert from Champs-Elysees to Grand Palais and Petit Palais and Seine River and Pont Alexandre bridge
   
4. return to Champs-Elysees avenue and walk alng Jardins des Champs-Elysees to Place de la Condorde where the Luxor Obelisk is located
   
5. enter the Tuilleries gardens, maybe divert 3blks to Place Vendome, then return to Tuilleries, walk to Arc de Triomphe du Carousel
   
6. see the Pyramid entrance of Louvres from Arc de Triomphe du Carousel, walk about the Pyramid entrance.
   
7. Walk past the Louvre to the Pont Neuf bridge to island Ile de la Cite, and follow signs to Sainte Chappelle
   
8. exit left from Sainte Chappelle and walk along Seine, turn right on Rue d'Arcole and walk back into the central part of the island
   
9. view Notre Dame cathedral front, walk around to back side of cathedral as well.
   
10. Cross Pont St. Louis bridge to Ile St. Louis, walk along the street in the center (Rue St. Louis) to Berthilion and have some of the best sorbet/ice cream in the world
    

If you want to go into the Louvres, follow Rick Steves' advice about alternate entrance to avoid huge lines at the Pyramid entrance! Don't bother getting the optional audio tour for the Louvre , as it is one of the poorest most complicated to use that we experienced in all of France!
Louvre has art and statuary and antiquities from very early civilization thru about 18th century.

We recommend seeing the Musee D'Orsay (in a beautiful Beaux-Arts railway station) for Impressionist art, as well as other items created between 1848 and 1914; the audio tour here is very good.

Take the Bateaux Parisiens 10pm (last boat) night Seine boat tour for Paris in lights, with key landmarks illuminated, and with twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower hourly for 5 mintues, twinkling only 'after dark'.
One can save lots of money (vs. the other boat tour tourist ticketing websites) by going to Bateaux Parisiens at Dock 5 on the Seine, close to the base of the Eiffel Tower, and getting tickets from the booth. If it is not July/August you are likely to get tickets there, without advance reservations.
'Dark' is quite late in Paris (in June, it was still somewhat light out still at 10pm) in the summer months.

Ride the Metro to Anvers station and walk 2 blocks to the Square Louise Michel and the base of the hill at Sacre Coeur church, and walk the area behind+left of the church, enter just before 6pm and enjoy the absolutely angelic singing of the resident Benedictine Sisters of the Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre during Vespers (evening prayer) ceremony.

Wilt's " Tour Guide" advise was spot on. As we hit Paris for 5 nights his listing above has my photographing memory confirmed.
Enjoy Paris.

Add Luxembourg Gardens to the list.