## Places to go on my next visit - See ['Paris' tag on Pinboard](https://pinboard.in/u:elliot/t:paris/). - **Musée de Cluny**. - I'm gutted I didn't go here on my trip in [[2023]]. This houses my favourite [[Tapestries]], [[The Lady and the Unicorn]]. - [L'Hôtel](https://www.google.com/maps/place/L'H%C3%B4tel/@48.8563247,2.3352268,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!3m8!1s0x47e671d8760ca8bb:0xf05a34da04f76b63!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d48.8563247!4d2.3352268!16zL20vMDl5amI0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) - This is the hotel where [[Oscar Wilde]] died. -  ## Overview I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Paris, as I’d heard mostly bad things. The secret to having a good experience is not to go on a budget. Money must be spent. You need a hotel in a good area. The good stuff is often painfully expensive, but just pay it. I winced when I booked the [[Moulin Rouge]] and the meal on the river boat at dusk. They were so pricey, but so worth it. Don’t skimp. ## Other notes - I didn’t find the French rude at all. The waiters and street folk were nice enough. - They need to sort out the area around the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. It’s full of scammers and peddlers. - Try to avoid the TikTok-famous places that sell hot chocolate. The hot chocolate itself is overrated and there’s usually a similarly beautiful place just around the corner that sells the same thing. - I don’t know if it’s McDonalds’ or Uber’s fault. But when I ordered a meal man was it expensive. - I hated the Louvre. If you can’t go there right when it opens don’t go at all. They simply sell too many tickets. Huge queue to get in and then it’s rammed with people inside. The Louvre probably has the best collection of art in the world. But it’s one of the worst places to look at it. I left after about 20 minutes, not even getting beyond the room with statues. - Trust me, book that night time river cruise meal. They time it so you sail past the Eiffel Tower just as it lights up. Once in a lifetime experience watching that. *Very* romantic. - One of my favourite things about Paris was that you got phone signal on the underground trains. It was delightful. No having to connect to WiFi or snatching some signal here and there. Your phone just works as if you were above ground.