We wanted to tour but ended up just taking photos of ourselves with it in the background as the…read moreelevators were under repair. Very touristy spot!

The Arc de Triomphe is an historic landmark in Paris at the tip of the Avenue Champs Elysees…read more Tourists were literally in the center of the street (yes, me too) fighting for the perfect picture with friends and family. The street was actually very busy at this stationary monument attraction with crazy Uber drivers and many guided tour groups, which made the process of snapping the pic a dangerous task. I think my pics came out pretty good.

Not the biggest garden in Paris, but a favorite stop for my studying-abroad nephew, the Royal…read morePalace gardens was another stop in his guide to showing me his favorite places. We had picked up some onigiri and decided to eat them here on a park bench. It was December, so the park was relatively empty, giving us plenty of places to sit. It was cold so didn't stay very long, but just knowing how much he liked this place makes me want to come back and stay a bit longer (when the weather is nicer).

We came across this jardin serendipitously. That happens a lot in Paris--you're on your way to a…read moremuseum or restaurant, turn a corner, and *poof* you are somewhere cool. It is absolutely worth planning to stroll through these jardins, though, and close as they are to the Louvre and other landmarks, there really is no reason to not plan. Around the perimeter of the jardin, there are some lovely little shops to peek into. Art, antiques--many things to admire! At the far end, the one closest to the river, are the famous striped columns that you see in so many photos. (Yes, they are totally Instagrammable!) If you would prefer something calmer, stay on the far end, which is quiet and green. It's really a nice little pause.

this historic estate was owned by the same family for 500 years until the death in 1897 of it's…read morelast occupant, Duc d'Aumale - son of King Louis Philippe - who bequeathed Chantilly to the state with the caveat that it remain open to the public. in it's long history, the Château has hosted notables of the era (and the wedding of Brazilian football star Ronaldo in 2005). the main attraction is the art collection in the Musée Condé, considered one of the finest in France (after the Louvre). also of interest are the gardens, private apartments, library and state rooms. located within the estate is the Hippodrome de Chantilly which hosts the Prix du Jockey Club in June, first run in 1836. also home to le Polo Club. Chantilly is an easy 45 min. drive from Paris but there are semi-regular trains you can take from Gare Saint-Lazare. upon reaching town, take the free shutlle bus to the estate. an alternative is a 20 min. walk through the woods on marked trails(which i did once). before leaving, stop in at La Capitainerie, the Château restaurant for some fruit, ice cream or patisserie topped with crème Chantilly, first served here by the "Maître d'hôtel" Vatel in 1671 for a banquet in honor of Louise XIV (actually saw this in the movie "Vatel" played by Gérard Depardieu). the perfectionist Vatel committed suicide before the banquet because the fish to be served had not been delivered. it apparently arrived after he impaled himself on his sword. what a (true)story.

I don't think I can top Mike G.'s review!…read more So just a few tidbits: - Easy trip from Paris - Try to get there early so that you can be one of the first to enter before it gets jam-packed with tour groups - We found the audioguide very informative - The restaurant situated in the former kitchen of the chateau - La Capitainerie - will get as crowded as the rest of the chateau. If you're clever (we weren't in this regard) you'll head to lunch early or at least go down and make a reservation or put in your name for a certain time. I think you can do this. All I know is we had to put our name, wait ~30 minutes (we walked around the gardens), come back, wait some more and eventually get seated. Lots of people gave up, but I was determined to eat in the fancy dining room and try some of the chantilly cream. I have to admit, the food was quite good (better than I'd read) once we were able to finally get a seat. My wife ordered the ribeye and got an ENORMOUS steak. (She distinctly ordered the 'petite' steak, but we received (and were charged for) the 'grand' one. The waitstaff reduced the charge without any problem when I pointed out the mistake, but just be prepared to check your bill before paying.) - The chateau has a wonderful art collection (Musée Condé), marvelous library, great architecture/decor and an incredible series of stained glass windows. - There is a separate stables and horse show. The 'stables' are so enormous and impressive that when you first see them (as you walk from the station) you may think you've already reached the chateau!! Apparently, the prince who lived in the chateau (Prince Conde) thought he would come back in his next life as a horse, so he asked his architect to design a palace for horses!! (I believe it was this sort of thing - palaces for horses, no food for the peasants - that led to a little phenomenon known as the French Revolution.) You have to pay separately to see the stables and horse show. Since we'd already seen a similar show in Vienna on another trip, we decided to skip the horses and focus on the chateau. - The gardens? Not my cup of tea. I tend to find enormous stretches of grass and ponds to be more exhausting than inspiring. Had the same problem at Versailles. Some people love it, I guess. Clearly the garden designers of the time thought it was the cat's meow. If you like chateaus, this is a nice one and very easy to visit from Paris. A quick train ride, pleasant 20 minute walk from the station and a full day visiting a palace and having a nice lunch. Not bad at all!

Our six-year-old was tired and grouchy on our last full day in Paris, recovering from a stomach bug…read morethat had taken him out for a good chunk of our trip. We'd had grand plans to go see Notre-Dame and the Louvre and spend time at the Tuileries, but we threw that all out and settled on one easy outing: a quick trip on the Metro to see the Palais-Royal. The Palais-Royal isn't a royal palace in the same way as, say, Versailles. It's much smaller, built for Cardinal Richelieu in the 1630s, and you can't go in and gawk at all the bedrooms, as the buildings are currently in use by the French government. Instead, you can hang out in the courtyard, which serves as a park. (There are some shops and restaurants and I'm sure you can go in the buildings, but the courtyard seems to be the most salient public-facing part.) The Palais is in the middle of Paris, right next to the Louvre. We took Line 1 for one stop to get there, and that ended up being a highlight of the trip for our two boys (the 1 is fully electric, so it has no driver and you can look right out the front while you ride). Just a tip for any other parents trying to entertain young children. I was hoping our kids would run around the courtyard, but our poor ailing son didn't have the energy. It was still a great place to visit. The courtyard was striking, the 17th-century architecture enhanced by one of the coolest public artworks I've ever seen. This was a Daniel Buren installation consisting of dozens of column of varying heights, painted in black and white stripes, a modern sculptural project sponsored by the Ministry of Culture (housed at the Palais-Royal) in the 1980s. I am sure this is famous on Instagram, as it's very distinct and photogenic, as well as interactive. My three-year-old ran around playing among the columns, which also served as seats for the rest of us. There was a cool pair of fountains on another side of the courtyard, by sculptor Pol Bury, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture at the same time as the columns. I didn't know about Palais-Royal before this trip to Paris, and I would've checked it out years ago if I had. It's an easy stop if you're going to the Louvre, and well worth seeing all on its own.

I've seen the iconic black & white (looks like a mint) art work...on IG for years... and had this…read morebookmarked for quite some time. Finally... made it here. I think someone told me, this used to be a parking lot (car park)... and someone creative turned it into an iconic "IG" spot! Crowded, yes. Seems to be the trend in Paris... lol even in off peak season, so be patient and wait your turn to take your spot... my sister and I waited for the school kids to leave and grabbed a row that was semi empty, so we can take a less crowded photo. What a fun pit stop after the Louvre. Enjoy!

Loved our visit to the Petit Palais. Free entry, gorgeous architecture, and two full floors of…read moresculptures, paintings, and artifacts that are beautifully displayed. The building--designed by Charles Girault for the 1900 Universal Exhibition--is a masterpiece in itself. The collection spans from antiquity to the early 20th century and is surprisingly extensive. If you're nearby, don't miss it.

On the boring side. Very limited exhibitions. Art was not to our liking, not varied, spent less…read morethan half an hour in the museum. Gift shop worthless.

I'm not a history buff I rather enjoyed my visit here. As is the case with most French museums, go…read moreEARLY - go too late in the day you'll be elbowing your way just to get a view of anything. For me, the gardens were the real standout. Unfortunately, we were there just before the spring bloom so it had a wintry feel to it but they were still amazingly impressive. At my urging, we toured the gardens via golf cart and I'm so glad we did. (You're likely to be doing a lot of walking on a France trip so save your feet when you can.) We were able to see more in less time this way and it's a bit easier to get away from the crowd.

Wonderful place to visit. The art and scenery was very nice here…read more Would return if back in France. Recommendation

The home is well maintained and I appreciate the level of relatively unsupervised access which…read morevisitors are given to the space. The home and grounds are stunning and the details become real in person. It is also interesting to see the town of Poissy for tourists who would otherwise stick within Paris - we mingled with schoolchildren from this working-class suburb as we got the bus back to the Poissy train station. Walking there from the train station is doable as well and pleasant. The museum is simply quite cute and delivers exactly what it advertises, it would be great to see when the gardener's shed is fully renovated.

The caretakers house us being restored. It looks to be well done…read more The docents are terrific! Very helpful. Pictures allowed everywhere. Best gift shop of any Le Corbusier buildings (sorry Foundation Le Corbusier )

From the outside, the elaborate French Renaissance architecture of the Paris City Hall is an…read moreimpressive sight to behold. If you were able to book a tour several months in advance, kudos to you for your foresight because there was next to no chance Jamie W and I could see what we heard was quite an opulent 19th-century decor, including a reception area that apparently replicates Versailles' Hall of Mirrors. That was too bad because we visited the real Versailles just the day before. However, when we were circling the building, we discovered there was an exhibition that allowed public access to one area. It celebrated ten years of the Paris Agreement and highlighted each participating country listing the strides made in addressing climate change (Photo 5). The U.S. was conspicuous by its absence. We also noticed the best view of the exterior was across the street at Terraza Mikuna, the rooftop bar at the BHV Marais department store (review: https://yelp.to/w2yP08aK-z). RELATED - Exploring Paris? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/zgkvOwnB6r

This is the city hall of Paris. It's in the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville in the Esplanade de la…read moreLibération in the 4th arrondissement. The mayor's house used to be the city hall, but in 1357, the mayor moved the town hall to this place. In 1533, they built the king built the town hall here.