Tour Paris like a native

[Times photos: Mike Pease] The not-to-be-missed Sainte-Chapelle, with its 6,500 square feet of stained glass Biblical scenes, is on the Ile de la Cite, a short walk from No. 24’s stop.

By KIM LIANG TAN and GEORGE HOBICA
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 3, 2002

Leave other tourists to their itineraries and guides; hop aboard a city bus with real Parisians and make the rounds of all the famous sights.

First-time visitors to Paris can find the city overwhelming. Not only are there countless things to do and see, usually in too short a period of time, but the people there speak a strange language called French that can be a problem when you're trying to find things like the nearest Mona Lisa or McDonald's.

To avoid getting lost, many tourists opt for hand-holding package tours. Others may be a bit more daring, choosing hop-on, hop-off bus services, which follow a set route and offer canned or live commentary. But for the truly adventurous, the public bus is the only way to go.

Not only does a public bus prevent one from looking like another run-of-the-mill tourist, but it also offers some of the best do-it-yourself sightseeing available and the chance to mingle with the locals. And it costs next to nothing -- less than a dollar a ride.

Paris offers a wide choice of public buses for sightseers, but none surpasses the No. 24 line for scenery and utility. The No. 24, which begins its trek across Paris at the Gare Saint-Lazare, takes in just about every major tourist site in town.

Marvelous Marais This funky but elegant piece of medieval Paris escaped the wrecking ball and is now the hippest part of town.

Only the true public-transit devotee will want to take this bus to the end of line, because it terminates in a decidedly blase part of the city (things start to fall apart after the Gare d'Austerlitz, where charming and old gives way to modern and faceless).

But for most of its route, the No. 24 gives the visitor an authentic look at one of the world's most alluring cities and calls at or stops within walking distance of such principal sights as the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, Notre-Dame and the Musee D'Orsay.

It is possible to complete one loop on the 24 in a few hours. But it's probably better to buy a three-day transit pass (available at any Metro station) good for both the bus and the subway. This meandering bus route (like Paris itself) will not deign to reveal all its treasures in one day.

It is also a good idea to buy a museum and monument pass, which provides admission to practically every museum in Paris and also lets you bypass long ticket-purchase lines and immediately start admiring what you've come to see.

Stop and shop

Starting at Gare Saint-Lazare, shoppers should not miss the opportunity to visit Paris' most famous department stores: Le Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. The rooftop terrace cafe at Le Printemps is a good place to have a croissant and coffee and enjoy a surprisingly good (and free) view of Paris' rooftops.

Across the street is Marks & Spencer, a must-stop for fans of anything British, from teas and biscuits and cheese to underwear and raingear.

Nearby is the Paris Opera, designed by Charles Garnier, whose plans were chosen over of those of 171 competitors. The 11,000-square-yard stage can hold 450 performers at one time. Those pressed for time can just explore the majestic Grand Foyer, but guided tours also are offered for those with more time.

The Grand Foyer of the Paris Opera is majestic enough to make any royal family envious; the No. 24 bus stops near the Opera.

Gourmets will want to leave No. 24 two stops later, at the Place de la Madeleine, said to have the most gourmet food shops per square foot in the world. Among the stores worth exploring are Fauchon, famous for its diet-busting foie gras and pastries, and Maison de la Truffe, with its array of truffles.

Right in the middle of it all awaits the immense but unassuming La Madeleine, which looks like a Greek temple, with its 52 fluted Corinthian columns and impressive pair of bronze doors weighing more than three tons and depicting scenes from the Ten Commandments. The dimly lit, cavernous interior is a good place to take a breather and to admire the many statues and three shallow domes.

The next stop is Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris at 21 acres. It was a swamp before Louis XV turned it into a public square in 1757. It was here, during the Revolution from 1793 to 1795, that more than 1,500 heads were sent rolling.

In place of the guillotine today is the 220-ton, 3,300-year-old, Obelisk of Luxor, a gift from Egypt erected in its present location in the early 1830s.

The sight of the formidable Arc de Triomphe at the end of the Champs-Elysees is impressive, but for those thinking of walking to it from line 24, beware: It is not as close as it looks and may take 45 minutes or more to reach.

Three stops, one park

The next three stops -- Concorde-Quai des Tuileries, Pont de Solfirino-Quai des Tuileries and Pont Royal-Quai des Tuileries -- are entrances to different parts of the Tuileries Gardens, Paris' most historic park. There's a small amusement concession with a Ferris wheel and carousel, and puppet shows are staged on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The hidden gem of the Tuileries is the Musee L'Orangerie, containing Impressionist and post-Impressionist art, with works by Renoir, Cezanne, Gauguin and Monet. The star here is Monet's enormous eight-canvas Les Nympheas (Water Lilies), depicting the same scene in different lighting.

The following three stops -- Pont du Carrousel-Quai du Louvre, Pont des Arts-Quai du Louvre and Pont Neuf-Quais du Louvre -- provide access to the fabled Louvre.

Originally built as a tower to protect King Phillipe-Auguste's valuables while he was fighting the Crusades, it was turned into a palace in the 14th century by Charles V.

After four centuries of additions by the kings and queens of France, Napoleon converted the Louvre into France's first public museum in 1793, storing most of his pillaged possessions in it. A couple of centuries later, architect I.M. Pei added his own touch in 1989 with a 71-foot glass pyramid.

To see every piece of work in this magnificent museum, according to one estimate, would take four months, so don't fret if you cannot get to all of it.

The Latin Quarter is a delightful section in which to spend a leisurely afternoon. After crossing the historic Pont Neuf, Route 24 serves this historic neighborhood with three stops: Dante, Maubert-Mutualiti and Saint-Germain-Cardinal Lemoine.

Get off at Dante, which is toward the center of Saint-Germain and a good jumping-off point to explore the Sorbonne, oldest university in Paris, and the Jardin du Luxembourg, a 60-acre park adorned with fountains, sculptures, ponds, gravel sidewalks and immaculately planted trees and hedges.

Pay attention to many little streets off Boulevard Saint-Germain, including Dans Le Passage, adjacent to 128 Blvd. Saint-Germain, an adorable, narrow, cobblestoned street with outdoor cafes and toy and curio stores.

Two hot spots nearby for a drink or lunch, or just to people-watch, are Deux Magots (170 Blvd. Saint-Germain) and its neighbor, Cafe de Flore. Both are steeped in history (past patrons include such notables as Camus and Picasso).

Just around the corner from the intersection of Boulevard St.-Germain and Quai St.-Bernard, at the Universite Paris VI stop, is the Institut du Monde Arabe, a fascinating combination of Arabic and European architecture overlooking the Seine.

The building is known for its south wall, where 240 metal plates open and close according to the sunlight's intensity.

Bus No. 24 stops at Notre-Dame, an architectural classic.

The Institut is primarily a multimedia cultural center, with permanent and temporary exhibitions from the Arab world. There is also a great view of the Seine and Notre-Dame from the ninth floor cafe.

The last stop eastbound before the city's grand architecture is replaced by dull concrete is Gare d'Austerlitz, providing access to the Jardin des Plantes. This botanical garden began life in the 17th century as Louis XIII's medicinal herb garden.

Today it contains more than 10,000 varieties of plant life, a zoo and the Musee National d'Histoire Naturelle, housing stuffed animals, dinosaur skeletons and an insect collection.

Heading back west, Bus 24 reaches the Notre-Dame-Quai de Montebello stop, a short walk across the Seine from Notre-Dame Cathedral, with its flying buttresses and amazing views of Paris from its towers.

The cathedral is on the Ile de la Cite, one of the two islands in the heart of Paris and steeped in its own history. The Celtic tribe of the Parisii (after which the city is named) founded a village here in 3 B.C., and the island subsequently passed through many hands, including those of the Romans and Germans.

Today, the Ile is home to the Law Courts, the royal dungeons of the Conciergerie (complete with a reconstruction of Marie Antoinette's cell), and the not-to-be-missed Sainte-Chapelle, with its dazzling 6,500 square feet of stained glass Biblical scenes.

Heading further west, Route 24 stops at the famous Musee d'Orsay, a former train station now displaying an outstanding collection of Impressionist masterpieces by Renoir, Monet and other notables.

Et voila! You have seen the best Paris has to offer without having to endure canned commentary, rigid schedules and herds of fellow tourists.

- Kim Liang Tan and George Hobica are freelance writers living in New York City.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright