My husband took me to Berthillon and apparently it is considered by some to be the best ice cream in the world!! It was wonderful - the ambience itself *something* The ice cream was very good, but I am not an expert so I have no idea if it is indeed the best in the world.

We stayed 7 full days and we did some of the museums, ate a lot of great food, especially crepes (nutella, banana is my favorite! but the salty ones are also VERY GOOD!) And we walked A LOT. The walking was the best part - to get a feel for the city I mean.

Speaking of creepy, but interesting and strangely beautiful: Pere Lachaise Cemetary...full of famous folks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A8re_Lachaise_Cemetery

Maybe I'm weird but my favorite part was the catacombs. That was just so "different." We have museums here, even if they're not quite like the Louvre, but we have nothing like the catacombs.

David Lebovitz's app: Paris Pastry! Totally made our trip even more delicious
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2012/09/paris-pastry-app-update-guide-version-2-0/

OP here. thank you, thank you, thank you! Merci, madames et mousieures! OK, I'll brush up on my French!
I'll get the museum pass at a small museum tout suite and go to all the lovely small museums before I tackle the Louvre.
If I am having so much fun elsewhere that I run out of time for the Louvre-- c'est la vie! I imagine I will absolutely love the city and will find a way to come back.

Anonymous wrote:Boat trip along the Seine on the Bateau Mouches to get the lay of the land.
Miriage Freres for tea.
Berthillon Glacier on L'ile de la Cite for ice cream. It's across from Notre Dame.
Wander around and sit at cafes people watching and drinking coffee or wine.
I'd skip the Louvre too. Wonderful art but just too much hassle.
Say at least hello and thank you in French.

Oh, sorry, the ice cream place is on the Ile St Louis not the Ile de la Cite

Boat trip along the Seine on the Bateau Mouches to get the lay of the land.
Miriage Freres for tea.
Berthillon Glacier on L'ile de la Cite for ice cream. It's across from Notre Dame.
Wander around and sit at cafes people watching and drinking coffee or wine.
I'd skip the Louvre too. Wonderful art but just too much hassle.
Say at least hello and thank you in French.

Louvre, definitely the Louvre

sorry, can't type, bandaids on two fingers

the Lourve, definitely the Louvre

Book a wine tasting at O Chateau. Lots of fun and courses are in English.

http://www.o-chateau.com/

I second what all the PPs have said about the museum pass. Lets you skip a lot of lines. I also second the Monets at L'Orangerie.

Eat lots of crepes from street carts. Enjoy!!!!

What fascinated me about the art museums I went to is that the building themselves were wonderful pieces of architecture and worth seeing on their own - not the case with most US museums.

Yes, the Louvre is huge and touristy but it's also worth it just to walk through the former palace.

The Musee D'Orsay was once a train station and is really a quite remarkable renovation.

The Musee de L'Orangerie has the Monet water lilies in a separate white oval room. Really stunning.

And no one's mentioned the Pompidou Center yet with the National Museum of Modern Art. It won't be to everyone's liking but it's a building with all the interior guts - like heating pipes, and escalators - on the outside. I've never seen anything like it. Plus there are street performers on the plaza outside. http://www.centrepompidou.fr/en. Great view of Paris from the top in hallways completely encased in clear plastic.

Have fun!

Angelina's Rue de Rivoli absolutely best croissants and other baked goods in the city.

La Maison de Chocolat amazing chocolate, although you can now order it in the US

Fauchon great food as a PP mentioned

If you want to take a few French lessons via Skype, a dear friend of mine is a native speaker and is a terrific tutor! She's taught high school, college, and works with folks traveling to France and French speaking countries.

Buy a museum pass at one of the smaller museums, as the line will be much shorter to purchase it. (like the Cluny) Once you have it, it's a huge time saver at the popular sites.

My personal favorites are:
Rodin Museum
Musee d'Orsay
Notre Dame - view from the very top
If you go to the Louvre, try going with a plan to see two or three areas or worked of art. For example, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory. It's just overwhelming to tackle with no idea of what to see.
The Monet and Picasso museums are supposed to be great.
There are many other fantastic museums and historical sites mentioned above. Get two or three different guide books, read up on them, and see what appeals to you. You can't go wrong! And you can always come back to see what you miss this time around.

Do lots of wandering around and finding small cafes and bistros. Have pastries, chocolates, all types of coffee, cheese, wine. Enjoy the public spaces like the Luxembourg Gardens. As others have mentioned, try learning at least several French phrases. I've always found the French to be very helpful if you are polite and respectful. Say please, thank you, excuse me, (in French) and address people a bit more formally than you might here in the states. Dress a bit more neatly than is common in the US. Skip the blue jeans and sneakers, but do wear very comfortable walking shoes. The metro system is super easy to use, but walking is also a fantastic way to get around.