tips for a trip to Paris?

[ally_katte]

The husband and I are off to Paris and was thinking you lovely lot might have some recommendations for some weird sight seeing. Esoteric, occult and spooky are preferred but all are welcome!

Witchery and masons/templar related would be pretty sweet too.

Already got the catacombs and the Sacre Coeur basilica on the list so far.

thanks for the help guys!

 

[GNC]

It's a pity the poster McAvennie isn't around anymore, he'd be the man to ask.

 

[Twin_Star]

Theyre not really esoteric suggestions but i'd say if your going to the catacombs anyway, then you'll be near Montparnasse and going up the tower is better - in my humble - than queuing for the Tour Eiffel, with Montparnasse on a natural hill, the views are superior i think and its bar has the cheapest beer in the whole City of Lights, at least it did last time i visited. a 1/2 litre of heineken for 5 Euro. The lift that takes you up to the top is/was the fastest in Europe to boot. have some of that

Pere Lachaise cemetary is also worth a visit, my favourite tomb being Epsteins for Wilde - how unusual - although Victor Noir's was a close second, but sadly his statue has been fenced off to stop the 'lewd activity' (people rubbing his bronze crotch for good luck, fecundity etc).

http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Ph ... Noir03.jpg

The Metro station Arts et Metiers, specifically the copper platforms are just a great example of the utilitarian being transformed into something beautiful and metro tickets are unbelievably cheap like 1.10euro for a single anywhere (pretty much) on the network.

http://www.anabelmaldonado.net/wp-conte ... _paris.jpg

Rue de Chardin, a small dog-legged side road in the 5th is a constantly changing street art installation, i photo'd a Jef Aerosol and a C215 on the same 10ft stretch of wall and that was a real thrill for me.

The Musee de Moyan Age is good value for money and practically ille de Cite so plenty more to do around there, being in the university district its also good for demonstration watching. We were there May Day last year and there were the French NF, the Muslim Brotherhood, the socialist workers and assorted factions all having their demos at the same time. Wonderful! Only in Paris.

I like La Defense, the sculptural installations being examples of what public spaces should be all about, but with this i suppose personal taste really dictates. A lot of people don't like it, and out of office hours it can feel slightly post-apocalyptian i guess.

If i think of any more i will post them! Enjoy, i know you'll have a wonderful time

 

[McAvennie]

En parlant du diable...

Further to Twin Star's comments, the all-encompassing view from Montparnasse is probably the best, but, really, the Eiffel Tower while cliched is a far better experience.

Prepare for disappointment with Les Catacombes, despite it being top of my list when I came as a tourist in 2003 I still have not gotten around to going in two years as a resident. Two weekends ago my sister-in-law was over so we decided to go only to discover they were closed for a technical reason. It seems they have been having some issues with the ventilation since October and it is very hit and miss as to whether they are open - unfortunately the website is not very useful either so you run a risk of missing it I'm afraid. Hopefully not though!

Absolutely make time for Pere Lachaise, which is the finest cemetery in the city. However, there are also ones at Montparnasse (Serge Gainsbourg, JP Sartre, Samuel Beckett), one at Montmartre - near the Moulin Rouge - (Nijinsky, Truffaut, Stendahl, Zola [although his bones have been moved]) and Passy [near Trocadero] (Manet, Faure). I love the cemeteries, and oftentimes it is not the famous ones whose graves are the most elaborate. I love taking a walk and spotting a name on a tomb and then Googling them when I get in to find out their story.

EDIT: Oh, and Victor Noir was not sealed off last time I went so if you want to rub his bronze bit feel free!

Saint Chapelle on the Ile de Cite has a 'Crown of Thorns' relic.

Le Manoir de Paris is a kind of London Dungeons type walk through experience. It looks very scary though so I have never been.
http://lemanoirdeparis.fr/accueil/

Musee Grevin on Boulevard Haussmann reputedly has the actual bathtub and knife from the murder of Marat. It is very pricey for a wax museum though so haven't been there yet either!
http://www.grevin.com

There is a ghost walk tour but I think ot does not start up again until April.
http://www.mysteriesofparis.com

The Porte Dorée station was witness to a real-life "closed room" murder mystery in the 30s, remains unsolved but most likely assassainated by La Cagoule.

The Museum of Natural History at the Jardin des Plantes is great for old bones and oddities. http://www.mnhn.fr/le-museum/

The Musuem of Medecine has some creepy weird stuff in cabinets but I think it is a by appointment only place. http://www.univ-paris5.fr/CULTURE/Musee ... a-Medecine

To be honest, from a Fortean point of view, modern Paris is not as mysterious as you would hope. For all the revolution, drama and bloodshed that the streets have seen there are few ghost tales.

However, it is an amazing city and one which you will not possibly be able to even scratch the surface of in a weekend. In two years I am still far from discovering a percentage of what there is to offer.

If you want any bar/restaurant info or have more specific areas/subjects you'd like more info on give me a shout!