Paris during the rain. In Paris in the rain

It rains very often in Paris and unless you come in August, at least a few days of your trip will be rainy. Dress warmly, put on the most comfortable pair of shoes, stock up on raincoats, umbrellas and head out - this route will take you through cozy coffee shops, interesting museums and other places that are ideal for bad weather.

Finding good coffee in Paris is difficult, but KB CaféShop is one of those places where a coffee lover should go. The small cafe with large windows at the Martys-Trudaine intersection is almost always full of students with laptops, local bobos and English-speaking tourists, but you can always find a place on one of the wooden benches or a free table outside. The baristas, friendly fashionistas, are ready to advise which coffee is best to get. The soundtrack always plays great music, the portions are large, and the prices are low. This is the perfect place for breakfast in the trendy SoPi (South Pigalle) area, although you can also dine here: the menu includes some creative, made-on-the-spot sandwiches, salads and a soup of the day.

The Museum of Romantic Life is worth a visit, if only to drink a cup of coffee in the cozy green courtyard. It’s also interesting to visit the museum, especially since admission to the permanent exhibition is free. The house of Ary Schaeffer, the court painter of Louis Phillipe, where the most eccentric and passionate artists, writers and musicians of the 19th century gathered for decades at Friday salons, carefully preserves the memories of its residents and visitors: furniture, paintings, letters and decorations have been preserved here. For fans of George Sand, this museum, the first floor of which is almost entirely dedicated to her, is a must-see.

Gustave Moreau lived in the two-story mansion for more than half a century, and he opened the museum in the early 1890s. Moreau is an artist whose works were devoted mainly to biblical, mystical and fantastic themes. A huge collection of his finished and unfinished works, the originals of which were long ago sold to private collections, allows you to briefly immerse yourself in the strange but wonderful world of Moreau. Many of the paintings on display seem to be in the process of being created, and it is this unfinished state that gives rise to a strange feeling as if the artist will soon return and continue his work. The creaky floors, the magnificent spiral staircase leading to Moreau's atelier, and the very atmosphere of the mansion make this museum unique and beloved by many art lovers.

Paparazzi is an Italian restaurant hidden in a quiet courtyard a stone's throw from the bustling Opera Square. In a rather dark, stylish room, all the tables are almost always occupied (for dinner it is better to make a reservation and ask for a table by the window), visitors always look chic, matching the atmosphere, and almost everyone orders the signature dish - pizza, so huge that it is served on two large on plates. Ideal for sharing one between two people, although it can also be eaten alone: ​​the dough is very thin and there is not too much filling. The rest of the menu consists of fairly traditional Italian dishes and appetizers, all perfectly tasty.

Telescope is another minimalist cafe with excellent coffee. It has white walls, a few tables, a friendly barista always ready to chat about coffee, and a cozy bench outside. This is a great place for breakfast or a break during the day: apart from coffee, yogurt with granola and a few desserts, they don't serve anything, but for a break it's what you need. The crowd is a fairly typical mix for these new coffee shops - guys who work and live nearby, girls who fill their Instagrams with photos of foamy cappuccinos, and English-speaking and Japanese expats. Despite its miniature size, somehow you can always find a place in the Telescope. In case of an influx of visitors, there is an underground hall, although it is, of course, more pleasant to sit at a table by the window or on a bench outside. But the main thing is to never bring a laptop here with you. The owners of the establishment have a strict policy on this matter, so those who want to work over a cup of coffee are better off going elsewhere.

It’s impossible not to get to the Louvre when you’re in Paris, but you don’t always have the energy or time to visit it. An excellent alternative in this case is the Museum of Decorative Arts, which occupies an entire wing Royal Palace. Inspecting the collection of objects created by the French from the Middle Ages to the present day will take at least several hours, or even a whole day, so you should go here in your most comfortable pair of shoes. Furniture, interior details from different times, extravagant carpets, a huge amount of dishes, wallpaper, entire galleries of jewelry and children's toys - sometimes it is more pleasant to spend time in such company than in the crowd of tourists crowding the halls of the Louvre. In addition, the temporary exhibitions here are one more amazing than the other: about Hussein Chalayan or Marc Jacobs, about Star Wars toys or about Dries van Noten.

Mina - half French, half Japanese - has created a boutique where even the most sensible people lose their heads. The iconic Japanese brand Journal Standard stands in stark contrast to what's sold in nearby stores. As soon as you come here, you start thinking of reasons to buy another pair of boyfriend jeans, a hat, a cashmere sweater or the coziest poncho. In any case, a visit to this place guarantees visitors a free lesson in style and elegance.

The "laboratory", which is located between the Louvre, the Palais Royal garden and the Bourse de Commerce, finds new ways to combine art, design and science. In 2007, Harvard biomedical engineering professor David Edwards opened a space converted from a former printing shop in which artists and scientists collaborate to experiment and create something for which there is no name yet. It is a mixture of technology, art and philosophical concept. In 2009, a “cloud of tastes” was created here - an ethereal exhibition filled with smells. And a few years later, another metaphorical cloud, obtained using an ingenious system for capturing water from the air, “hovered” in the Laboratory’s showroom. There is nothing else like it in Paris, and even admission to the exhibition is free, so avoid this one amazing world Professor Edwards is absolutely impossible.

For those who are tired of banal mojitos and capirinhas, the ideal bar has recently opened in Paris - Experimental Coctail Club. When going here, you should be prepared for the fact that you will never want to drink regular cocktails again. Such places have long become popular in New York, and the fashion for “mixology” bars is just beginning to reach Paris. Crazy delicious cocktails made from unusual types of alcohol, freshly squeezed fruit juices and a variety of spices, stylish and handsome bartenders, cozy sofas and a relaxed atmosphere - sounds like the perfect place for an evening drink with friends. On weekends, DJs play here until 5 am, so sleepless party-goers come here after 2 am, when most establishments in the area are already closed. During the week it is better to come here before 8 o’clock, otherwise there will be almost no chance of finding a free place.

The restaurant that everyone is talking about, and which is very difficult to get into without a reservation made two months in advance. A trip here is an event for anyone who managed to reserve a table (by phone every weekday from 15:00 to 17:00 or online), but it’s worth the patience: the chef used to work with Jamie Oliver, the menu is different every evening and you will be disappointed, having dinner here is impossible. A little trick: if planning dinners two months in advance is not your thing, and you like spontaneity, come here by 7 pm. Smile (this is important, and not only here) and leave your number in case someone doesn't show up. Then head to their wine bar across the street. Usually every day there are at least a couple of people who get into the restaurant this way, and if you are unlucky, you can dine right in the wine bar. The evening will not be lost in any case.

July 5th, 2017 , 11:20 pm

What to do in Paris when it rains? Go for a walk!
The air is clean and cool, breathing is easy.
The smell of wet asphalt is mixed with the aroma of flowering trees.
Wet bright green foliage is pleasing to the eye, the sidewalks are almost empty.....

Paris, Paris... Everyone has their own. Mine is gray and rainy.
The first time was long ago in September, and the second time was this May.
And even if you are unlucky with the weather, it is still beautiful!

Sguare Aristide Cavaille-Coll.
The square on rue la Fayette is named after the great French organ maker Aristide Cavaillé-Cohl.
One of his creations is the organ of the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.


Église Saint-Vincent de Paul
This public garden is located next to the Church of St. Vincent de Paul. It was built in the mid-19th century on the site of the monastery where Saint Vincent lived. Beautiful on the outside, majestic on the inside! It is known for its two Aristide Cavaillé-Cohl organs, the larger of which has almost 5 thousand pipes.

Rue la Fayette

How to get to the market in Paris? Yes, just walk a lot, and you will accidentally wander into one of them, like me. And stay there for a long time! There is something to see - full of exotic gifts from both land and sea! There is something to listen to - the merchants are calling out to customers in such a loud voice, trying to out-shout each other! Here you can have a drink, a snack, and a chat...

Hiding from the rain, you can sit in a cafe.
How nice it must be to sit at these tables in good weather...

And then wander through the indoor shopping galleries.

Or visit a museum.

Or look into small shops.

By the way, about “dropping in”. I love looking into open windows and doors! I don’t miss a single opportunity, I stick my nose in everywhere. Behind the door is an arch, and behind it is a courtyard. It's interesting to see what's there.

What a beautiful church, I thought, I should stop by. But it turned out to be a bank building. French, what can I say...

Arc de Triomphe on Place Charles de Gaulle.
The idea of ​​creating the Arc de Triomphe belongs to Napoleon. The plaques list the names of victorious battles of the Napoleonic army and the names of prominent French commanders. And the bas-reliefs depict scenes of battles. Inside the arch is the arch museum, and at the top observation deck.

There are 12 avenues radiating from the Arc de Triomphe.
The most famous is avenue des Champs-Élysées, Champs Elysees. An iconic street for Parisians, they come here on national holidays and days of mourning. Military parades take place here. And I go for a walk through them, through the fields.

The most expensive street in Europe.
Joe Dassin's song "O Chance Elisée":
- “On a sunny day or rain, at noon or midnight, everything you want is on the Champs Elysees”...

The name Champs Elysees comes from Elysium - in Greek mythology beautiful fields in the afterlife, where the blessed loved by the gods go, where eternal spring and there is no suffering...

Rain, rain, rain... But my journey continues. The plans are Napoleonic - I’ll go to the Place de la Concorde, then to the Louvre, and then I’ll turn towards the Palais Royal. Ha, Napoleon didn’t seem to carry out all his plans, did he?

The Laduree confectionery (1862) is legendary. It was the Laduré family who invented the popular macaroon called “Parisian macaron” - they took two colored macarons and combined them with a delicate cream. The Ladurées were the first to declare their cafe a family cafe, where women could come with children and friends, and even alone, because previously only men visited the cafe. Jules Chére himself, who painted the Opera Garnier, developed the design, chose pistachio as a signature color and created a logo for the Laduret house. John Galliano and Christian Louboutin worked on the design of gift packaging.

Confectioners all over the world try and fail to get the exact taste of Parisian macaron; one secret ingredient of the Ladurée house is kept a strictly secret!

Petit Palais

Grand Palace Grand Palais
The Grand Palais, the Grand Palace of Fine Arts, hosts art and technical exhibitions, fashion shows, concerts and book fairs. The glass dome of the palace has no equal in Europe. More steel went into its frame than the Eiffel Tower.

Fragment of the facade. Behind the columns is part of a mosaic panel, its total length is 74 meters.
The façade of the Grand Palais with its colonnade and sculptural compositions is striking in its size - 240 m by 20 m.
Both palaces were built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, as was the Pont Alexandre III, which runs between them and connects the Champs-Élysées to the Esplanade des Invalides.

The Petit Palais, the Petit Palais, was turned into a museum after the exhibition was closed contemporary art. In 2005, the palace was restored with funds received from the Paris accommodation tax. Its lobby is decorated with mystical frescoes, natural light penetrates through the glass dome, and the floor is lined with amazing mosaics. Entrance to the museum is free.

I walked around the museum from all sides and on the back side I discovered a wonderful watch.

I walked through the green park and came out to the Place de la Concorde. It was named so in 1795 in honor of the end of civil strife and the reconciliation of the parties. Before that, it was called Revolution Square and a guillotine was installed on it, where more than a thousand people met their death. Even earlier, the square was called Royal, as it is located opposite the royal palace.

The granite obelisk from the era of Ramses II is the oldest Parisian monument. Egypt gave it to France under King Louis Philippe I. A special ship, the Luxor, was built to deliver the 250-ton obelisk to Paris.

The rain has gotten heavier, my feet are wet, I’m very tired, it’s time to slowly head towards the station, and where is this Gare du Nord? There are few passers-by, and even those are hurrying under umbrellas. Oh, a respectable monsieur under the canopy of the cafe, standing bored, waiting for something. Excuse mua, monsieur, gare du Nord? Doesn't understand. I repeat, he wrinkles his forehead, he doesn’t understand. And then it dawned on him - la gar du neur? Vi, vi, monsieur! La gard du neur!

Paris North Station is the largest train station in Europe in terms of passenger traffic. It was opened in 1864. The facade is decorated with sculptures symbolizing the cities to which trains went from here. The eight large statues at the top are London, Vienna, Brussels, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Berlin and Cologne, and the twelve below are symbols of cities in northwestern France.

The little red train is my “Thalys”, in just 3.5 hours and for 29 euros I can get to Cologne on it. There is free Wi-Fi on the train, and there is plenty to do on the way.

Are you already a little tired of cathedrals and shops?

By the way, the question of what to do in Paris in the rain always remains relevant, because if the sun is shining in the morning, this does not mean that it will not rain in 2 hours.

And vice versa, and at any time of the year, mind you.

And the changeable Parisian weather is one of the reasons why I don’t like to buy tickets to somewhere in advance (Eiffel Tower or Disneyland, for example).

It can always rain and ruin the experience.

There is, of course, the option of going to some non-traditional museum, which I wrote about, but here are a few more ideas for walking around Paris without getting your feet wet.

Parisian passages

Passages for me are a song, a fairy tale, a miracle! So they were just created for rainy and inclement weather.

At the beginning of the 19th century, when there was not only asphalt, but also cobblestone streets, it was often possible to spend almost the whole day in the arcades without getting your feet wet.

Passages are covered streets or passages between streets, if you like, along which you can sometimes walk quite far, moving parallel to the main street, but almost without going outside.

Here, of course, you need to know where the entrance is and where the exit is, where the passage leads and where you still have to go out into the rain, but sometimes only in order to enter another passage.

Galerie Vivien, Arcade Geoffroy, Arcade Panorama

And this falls into the category of those little Parisian secrets that are not revealed immediately and are not interesting to everyone. But if you have time, desire and curiosity...

What is in the passages? Now there are mainly cafes and shops (mostly antiques, books, souvenirs, handicrafts).

The cost, as a rule, is higher, but no one forces you to buy: you can just wander around, look at it, watch life.

It is curious that all the passages are located only on the right bank of the Seine.

Interestingly, in the passages you will find not only establishments for tourists, but also entrances to hotels and just entrances to residential buildings. Daily life goes on as usual.

Aquarium of Paris

What you can do in Paris in the rain, even when it pours like buckets, is to challenge fate and go to a place where the inhabitants are wet by definition.

At the Paris Aquarium (Aquarium de Paris-Cinéaqua ) in dryness and comfort, you can see exotic fish, and you won’t even remember about the rain, because there are no windows to the street.

By the way, regardless of the weather, this is also a good place to visit with children, which is located close to Eiffel Tower.

The aquarium is located at 5, Avenue Albert de Mun in the 16th arrondissement of Paris near Trocadéro .

Aquaboulevard

Or you can go for a swim in the Parisian Aquaboulevard yourself. That's exactly what it's called Aquaboulevard, not a water park. Of course, we also have water parks.

But again, Aquaboulevard is suitable for visiting with children or if your stay in Paris is 10 days or more. Sometimes you need to give physical rest to your legs and body and psychological rest to yourself, so as not to die from the abundance of impressions.

You can get to Aqua Boulevard by metro (line 8), stop Balard. When exiting the carriage, look at the plan on the platform wall and the signs.

After leaving the metro, you need to walk a little more to the Aquaboulevard building, which is large complex with gyms, shops, cafes and a cinema.

Catacombs of Paris

Apparently a simple idea! If it rains above our heads, we decide to seek shelter underground!

The old Parisian underground quarries, located in the 14th arrondissement, are connected by a number of galleries, from which are accessible on a 1.7 km guided tour.

In the eighteenth century they were converted into a crypt to bury the remains of six million Parisians transferred from other cemeteries.

Read more about the catacombs in this

Manoir de Paris

Lovers of something mysterious and mythical in rainy and stormy weather can visit the new and unusual Le Manoir de Paris - a Parisian museum that opened relatively recently - in 2011.

Immediately after returning from Paris, I admitted that I never caught my sense of the City. After all, at times there was a feeling complete delight, and then she grabbed the phone and answered messages with sincere assurances that Paris is the city in which you, exactly you, feel like the queen of the world! But first: Paris? France? Great! And where is the fairy tale here?! Show me how to get there. Now I can definitely say that Paris doesn’t let me go. And the more time passes since my return, the more clearly I understand that I want to return.
I always start getting to know the city with a walk. Not with bus tour and the patter of the guide, trying to immediately show that he knows everything. From a walk without a route or goal. Although no, the goal is clear - to see the city and feel it. But no prepared route. Spring Paris greeted with coolness and light rain, which was what I wanted: bright greenery, blooming lilacs and freshness, and then a pleasant evening - all ordered by an interested traveler.

So, 10 things to do in Paris (what, any guidebook can do it, but I can’t?)

1. After getting enough sleep (which is not difficult, since the time is two hours different from St. Petersburg - you get up, but it’s still early), go out into the street and walk through the waking up Paris to the nearest cafe (on the Grand Boulevards, where our hotel was located, this is not problem). Ask or show on the menu for coffee with croissants and juice and enjoy for a long time, absorbing it all at a table on the terrace. Repeat these steps every morning, forgetting that breakfast is waiting for you at the hotel. Can be repeated in different cafes. Remember, breakfast is available in every hotel, and coffee with fresh croissants with chocolate or cream is only available in Paris in a street cafe! And in the evening, try a variety of French cheeses with dry red wine and look at the enchanting Louvre. And be sure to choose an evening and go to the Lido, for example. The performance lasts two hours and costs 100 euros. It's really worth it! All eyes were glued to the stage, only interrupting from time to time (while the girls were changing clothes) for the obligatory champagne at the performance. In general, two hours flew by unnoticed.

2. On any sunny (an indispensable condition) day, go look at Paris and the Seine dividing the city into two parts from a variety of heights. Start from the Arc de Triomphe, the climb costs 9 euros and here it is much easier, like our St. Isaac's Cathedral, perhaps. Climbing to the observation deck of the Arc de Triomphe, you can see Paris, twelve streets radiating from the square. Count them, otherwise suddenly there are fewer of them, you can expect everything from these tourists, maybe they’ve already been stolen away for souvenirs. We raise our heads to the sky and for a long time we cannot take our eyes off the fantastic clouds over Paris! Be sure to follow the “royal axis” - a straight line starting from the Louvre, then going through the pyramid, the central alley of the Tuileries Garden, the Luxor Obelisk on the Place de la Concorde, the Champs Elysees to La Défense. This is precisely why I insist on sunny day! After the Arc de Triomphe, go to the Ile de la Cité to the main pearl of Paris - Notre Dame Cathedral. Be sure to go inside, the line goes very quickly, and fall in love with the heaviness and majesty of the French Middle Ages. The cathedral was built in the XII-XIII centuries! Then walk along the facade of the cathedral through a small garden and go to the Ile Saint-Louis, where you can buy the most delicious ice cream in Paris, and therefore in Europe, from Berthillion. Walk a little along the main street in Saint-Louis. And don’t rush to buy ice cream on the left as you go; further down the street on the right is the real Berthillion, not the one designed for tourists. And if you haven’t tried Berthillion’s ice cream, your trip to Paris was in vain! Then, happily sighing with pleasure, return to Notre Dame from the other side and get stuck in line for an hour and a half for the cathedral towers. The line moves slowly as tourists are admitted in small groups every ten minutes. Don’t doubt it, you definitely need to do this, then you’ll regret it: what’s an hour and a half of time if you can climb to the very top of the south tower of Notre Dame! A kind person will give you a plan while you are standing in line and brief information about the cathedral in Russian is completely free, but for the ticket you will pay 7.50 euros. The first stop is the north tower hall, and then the chimera gallery. The height here is 46 meters (for comparison, the observation deck of the Arc de Triomphe is located at an altitude of 50 meters). On the right is Striga, the most famous of all chimeras, the brooding owner of a protruding tongue. Look at Paris spread out before you through the eyes of a striga, that’s someone you can even envy! After enjoying the view of Paris and the very bell that the unfortunate Quasimodo rang every day, we rise 69 meters above Paris - to the top of the south tower of Notre Dame. Here you no longer feel like a striga, but like a bird! Then you realize that this will be one of the best impressions about Paris!

3. On a bright sunny day, come to the Ile de la Cité to the Church of Sainte-Chapelle (Holy Chapel). Do not take piercing or cutting objects with you, otherwise they will not be allowed inside. Not for the sake of the chapel, of course, it’s just located in the courtyard of the Palace of Justice. A visit to Sainte-Chapelle is included in the museum card, otherwise 7.50 euros. Without stopping on the first floor of the chapel, climb the narrow corner staircase to the second and freeze in the multi-colored rays of the sun playing on the medieval stained glass windows. Flaming Gothic. XIII century. The vault seems to float above the huge stained glass windows. It seems to you that ten minutes have passed, but in fact you, with your mouth open, have been sitting for about an hour. It's time to force yourself to get up and leave the Sainte-Chapelle. Cross the bridge and slowly walk along the Seine, admiring the medieval walls of the Conciergerie prison. And on the embankment, where you walk towards the Louvre, is the most famous flower market. And don’t forget, if this walk is at the end of April, that in France there is a tradition of buying bouquets of lilies of the valley on May 1st! And there the Louvre and the Church of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois are already nearby; it was its bells that became the signal for St. Bartholomew’s Night. Walk to the pyramid and sit down by the fountain, dipping your hand into the cool water of the pool. Listen to the sound of water and voices speaking a variety of languages.

4. Any day except Monday, go to the Orsay Museum and the Rodin Museum. It’s easier to first get to the Rodin Museum by walking from the Seine embankment to rue de Varenne, and it’s also more logical. At the Rodin Museum, buy a double ticket to visit two museums in one day for 12 euros, saving money and time. Take a long and happy walk through the museum park, repeat the pose of the famous “The Thinker” and a couple of other sculptures, and then go to the museum itself to look at Rodin’s “The Kiss.” Then (better if it’s already afternoon) take a walk to the Orsay Museum, quickly get inside (you already have a ticket) and take a plan of the exhibition in Russian. Who goes where, and first of all, Gustav Klimt, Van Gogh and Claude Monet are waiting for me. In general, if you go on a trip to the places of paintings by Claude Monet, then the Orsay Museum, the Marmottan-Monet Museum and the Orangerie Museum will be on the program. Exactly in that order! To start with Monet on the ground floor and Monet on the terrace top level Orsay and continue until you reach Marmottan Monet. There is even a feeling of déjà vu here, looking at London's Parliament in the fog, Paris' Gare Saint-Lazare and Rouen Cathedral, and water lilies appear here!

Rodin Museum. Musée Rodin. Address: 79, rue de Varenne. You can get to the Varenne metro station (line 13) or walk from the Invalides, from Place Concorde across the bridge along rue de Bourgogne. http://www.musee-rodin.fr

Orsay Museum. Musée d`Orsay. Address: 1, rue Bellechasse. The museum is located on the banks of the Seine between the Pont de la Concorde and the Pont Royal opposite the Tuileries. You can get to the Concorde metro station (lines 1 and 8). http://www.musee-orsay.fr

Marmottan-Monet Museum. Address: 2, rue Louis-Boilly. There is no way to do without the metro - go to La Muette station (line 9) and walk a little towards the Bois de Boulogne along rue de la Muette. The ticket costs 8 euros. http://www.marmottan.com

By the way, about museums. There are a huge number of museums in Paris: from the world's first Louvre to the Museum of Drains. We must proceed from our own interests, among mine were the old Dutch and Germans, of course, Italians, as well as Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt and, to satisfy our own interests, Rodin. So, in St. Petersburg, five museums were identified that are impossible to pass by - the Louvre, the Rodin Museum and the Orsay Museum, the Orangerie Museum and the Marmottan-Monet Museum. Guides advise going with a group using museum maps; guidebooks urge you to go in the morning to have time to stand in lines. I don't agree! Museum cards, of course, allow you to save money on tickets, but not all museums can be visited with them, and the validity period of the museum card is limited. Walking with a group is the biggest mistake: do you actually want to run past several “promoted” exhibits? And about the queues. No need to run to the museum in the morning and stand in a long line. In the afternoon there are no queues; in extreme cases, you wait for ten minutes. I don’t like and don’t know how to go to museums with a group, so I went alone and enjoyed it immensely.

5. On Wednesday or Friday, go to the Louvre after 18.00 - not to save three euros on the difference in tickets, but to avoid fewer tourists and leave the museum at eight in the evening. Two hours in the Louvre is the minimum, and only just for one time, to see, for example, Bosch’s “Ship of Fools” or to go to the most famous Italian masterpieces. After slowly drinking coffee in a cafe under Carousel Square and admiring the famous building, which many may remember from the last shots of The Da Vinci Code - a descending glass pyramid and a small stone one rising towards it, go to the even more famous building of an American architect of Chinese origin Yeo Ming Lei. And then go along the Seine embankment to the Pont Alexandre III (and it doesn’t look that much like our Trinity Bridge!), keeping a straight line towards the Eiffel Tower. As you approach, you will be amazed at how the illumination becomes brighter and the tower itself becomes larger and larger, it would seem that it is just a stone’s throw away (an optical illusion, from the Pont Alexandre III to the Eiffel Tower it is still a half hour walk). And finally, at about ten o’clock in the evening, near the bridge, see how the miracle of Gustave Eiffel shimmers with running lights. If you haven’t seen this, consider that you’ve never been to Paris!

Louvre. Musée du Louvre. 75058 Paris Cedex 01. http://www.louvre.fr
Probably every St. Petersburg resident has at least once heard the classic phrase that if you stand in front of each Hermitage exhibit for two minutes, it will take you 15 years. So, the Louvre is much, that is, very much, larger! It is impossible to see everything in the Louvre! And why? Tourists are shown three famous hits: the Nike of Samothrace, Aphrodite de Milo and the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as French painting, mainly classicism. The Louvre is open from 9.00 to 18.00, but twice a week, on Wednesday and Friday, it is open until 22.00, and the ticket price on these days after 18.00 is not 9 euros, but 6. You must be prepared for the fact that the Louvre is a very masterpiece loads, and it’s impossible to go anywhere else after it. Evening after six is ​​the best convenient time for the Louvre! And there are practically no groups moving in crowds along a given route! In addition, on the first Sunday of the month, admission to the Louvre, like many other museums, is free. And one more thing: in order to avoid the long line at the Louvre, the tail of which wraps around the pyramid, you need to go down at the Carousel arch under the square and go to the entrances to the museum (I read about this here, thanks for the advice). The Louvre, like every museum, has a plan of exhibitions (and in Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, Notre-Dame and the Arc de Triomphe - in Russian). We take the plan and sit on the bench. What do you want to see at the Louvre? I already knew about this in St. Petersburg: the Dutch and Germans of the 15th-16th centuries, the Italians. Anyone interested in ancient Egypt or antiquity, the Etruscans or Babylon, French and other paintings will also satisfy their needs without problems! Having figured out the plan and noted the exhibitions, you can choose the staircase where to go - if the Italians, as well as Aphrodite and Nikoi, then the Denon wing, and if the Dutch and Germans, then to the second floor of the opposite wing of Richelieu. Raphael and Botticelli, Paolo Veronese, Caravaggio and Leonardo da Vinci - on your first visit to the Louvre, and you no longer have the strength, emotions go wild. For the second visit, paintings by Lucas Carnach the Elder and Holbein the Younger, a self-portrait of Albrecht Durer with a holly branch and Bosch's "Ship of Fools" (rooms 8 and 10) were left. This was my first time seeing Bosch in person (there is only one small work by the artist’s school in the Hermitage), and even the grotesque “Ship of Fools”, the symbolism of each element! He alone definitely needs a second day at the Louvre!

6. Leave the hotel at any time of the day, morning or evening, as long as it rains! There is no Paris without rain! Or you were in some other city. Meet the first May thunderstorm and walk without an umbrella in the rain, and then drink a glass of wine and look at blurred Paris behind the wall-length glass of a cafe. And it doesn’t even matter what the spring rain washes away - Notre Dame or the Louvre, Montmartre or the Opera Garnier. It is here and now that you will definitely understand that you are in Paris.

7. Absolutely any day, also not too early (let other tourists be the first to feel the joy of the morning queues at museums), and even after lunch, go to the Orangerie Museum! You've already been to the Orsay Museum, but this is different. Spend an hour and a half in two oval halls with Monet's water lilies. “He caught the light and threw it onto the canvas,” someone said about Monet’s painting. And it is impossible to disagree with these words. Then go out to the Place de la Concorde, sigh, and remember the fate of the unfortunate Louis XVI, who was executed here. “There was a guillotine over there,” two guides cheerfully show different places on the square, and the Parisians are generally surprised that this could happen here. How can you not remember what could happen if your grandfather carelessly said: “After us there might be a flood!” Be more attentive to your relatives! After admiring the Roman fountains and making sure that ours, Peterhof’s, are the best after the Roman ones, take the metro to the Trocadero station, cross the Seine and stop on the central terrace of the Chaillot Palace - this is where the Eiffel Tower is most spectacular. In addition, this is where the most successful photographs from the series “I am holding the Eiffel Tower”, “I can accidentally drop the Eiffel Tower”, “me and my friends around the Eiffel Tower” and others are obtained. Now go ahead, there is always a line, but in the evening it goes faster. You buy a ticket for 8.20 euros and, having already gone inside, you discover that with this ticket you go up to the first and second levels on foot, and from the second to the third - by elevator. Having risen to 57 meters, you feel happiness and incredible pride, and easily overcome the steps to the second level (height from the ground 115 meters). This is where the “I’m holding on to the mesh of the Eiffel Tower” photos appear, because without holding on to something, it’s impossible to stand. But everything is redeemed by the sensation of climbing 160 meters to the third level in the elevator. Evening has already come, you watch the sun set over the edge of Paris, and then, moving past the same lucky people, you find out that St. Petersburg is 2169 kilometers away, and the Parisians did not indicate the distance to Moscow. Using the same ticket, you take the elevator down the entire 276 meters, forgetting how difficult your journey was. walking tour to the tower.

Orangerie Museum. Musee de l'Orangerie. The museum is located in the Tuileries Gardens, on the corner of the Seine embankment and the Place de la Concorde. The ticket costs 7.50 euros.

8. Take a walk along the Right Bank and be sure not only along the streets, but also across the passages to get to the entrance to the Palais Royal, unknown to tourists. Sit on a chair by the fountain in the garden, and then walk to the striped columns of different heights. Be amazed and take pictures while sitting, standing and balancing on different columns. By the way, while balancing on one of the columns, you can sing the cardinal’s song from the film “D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers”: “To me, your name is heavenly manna. Let someone else call you Your Majesty! Oh, let me just call you Anna,” and so on , because the palace was built by order of Cardinal Richelieu. And also find one of the columns, which is located below ground level, surrounded by water, and hit it with some small coin. A sure sign that you will return to Paris.

9. Go for a walk through the streets of Montmartre to the Sacré-Coeur Basilica, marveling at how its color changes under the sun's rays. Sitting on the stairs, look at Paris from a 127-meter hill and think only about pleasant things. Walk to the Moulin Rouge and remember the paintings of Toulouse-Lautrec. Then take a walk to Place Tartre, look at souvenirs and buy an illustration of the cabaret poster Chat Noir ("Black Cat"), find a real 14th-century mill turned into a restaurant, remembering Renoir and "Amelie", photograph the last vineyard of Paris.

10. Start your last day in Paris with the Luxembourg Gardens and relaxing in a comfortable chair by the Medici fountain. Dream about Florence and Italy in general, looking at the palace of Maria de Medici, built in the style of the Pitti Palace, looking at the blooming pink and white chestnut trees. And then walk around the most favorite places in Paris, absolutely not in a hurry.

And may you leave with the fact that you didn’t see everything in Paris, but you still captured the main thing!