4 Walks in Central Paris

You've probably read about the different attractions in Paris, but what you won't know is how to get around the city to those attractions. Sure, you can take dumpy side streets to get to the Eiffel Tower or wherever, but there are much nicer routes that connect these attractions to each other. Also, there are other parts of Paris you want to avoid, especially at night (around Montmartre, Bois de Boulogne, Moulin Rouge, Barbes-Rochechouart, and Pigalle). These are some good walks to take that can connect you between attractions. When in Paris, I would plan out a route --for example, the Louvre to the Arc du Triomphe-- and then take the Metro back. This can also depend on the location of your hotel, so keep that in mind when planning walks.


1) Louvre - Tuileries Gardens - Place de la Concorde - Champs-Elysées - Arc du Triomphe

Distance: 3.3km    Walking Time: 40-50 mins  Time/Interest Rating: 2.4/3

Awesomest Moment: When you're standing at the Arc du Triomphe du Carousell and see the Egyptian Obelisk in the distance, and behind that, the Arc du Triomphe, all perfectly centred.

Brief Description: This is a great walk if you want to see the Axe Historique all at once. (The Axis is the string of historic landmarks and monuments in an almost straight line towards the northeast. If you do one walk in Paris, this is it: After you look in the Louvre, head towards the

This picture shows the perspective of the
Axe Historique.

Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel (basically a mini Arc du Triomphe). Then, relax in the Tuileries Gardens and try not to get pickpocketed by the overly affectionate pigeons. From there, charge through the Place de la Concorde, but get across the roundabout before you look at the lovely Egyptian Obelisk. Getting run over is not a good way to start your walk. Then, make your way up the Champs- Elysées. The first third or so is tree covered, but not super interesting. Consider finding a Metro station to get closer to the Arc de Triomphe if you don't want to walk the whole way. (The Champs-Elysées Clemenceau, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George V. stations are all positioned along the Champs-Elysses. Most of the interesting stores are between the Franklin. D. Roosevelt and George V. stations, and the Champs-Elysées Clemenceau station is located 2/3 of the way down the tree covered section.) Of course, the Arc du Triomphe is breathtaking as it gradually comes into view.

2) Musée d'Orsay - Esplanade des Invalides - Tour Eiffel

Distance: 2.5km   Time: 30-40 mins   Time/Interest Rating: 2.5/3

Awesomest Moment: The moment when you get your first real glance of the Eiffel Tower, and wonder how you could have possibly missed it before... it's actually quite difficult to see until you pass Les Invalides!

Brief Description: This walk is a fun way to get to the Eiffel Tower (see the earlier blog post about it.) If you want to approach from the Champ de Mars side of the Eiffel Tower, this is a good way to incorporate it into your day. I would highly recommend going into the Musée d'Orsay, even if you're only there for an hour or two. From the Musée d'Orsay, follow the Quai Anatole France until it merges into the Quai d'Orsay. This boulevard is rather busy, but it is shaded.  Enjoy the fabulous views of the Seine river as you walk along its banks. About five minutes from Les Invalides, you'll see the
Palias Bourbon, an 18th century parliamentary mansion. You'll pass the Air France base before you see the golden dome behind the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine. (Add a 6 minute walk if you want to get closer to Les Invalides and the museum.) If you're getting tired of walking, find the Invalides Metro station and take it to Ecole Militaire. If not, you have two choices:
1) Continue on the Quai d'Orsay, which later becomes the Quai Branly. This will take you right to the Eiffel Tower. (It is rather hard to miss...)
2) Continue on the Quai d'Orsay until you get to the Pont de l'Alma (no, not the llama bridge!) and then turn down the Avenue Rapp or the Avenue Bosquet. Both streets will take you to the
 Champ de Mars, from where you can walk to the Eiffel Tower. Avenue Bosquet will take you longer, since you'll have to walk the entire length of the Champ de Mars to get to the tower.


3) Madeleine - Place Vendôme - Opera - Bourse

Distance: 1.9km   Time: 20-30 mins     Time/Interest Rating: 2.7/3

Awesomest Moment: Watching the tourists go into the super expensive shops in Place Vendome, and then seeing them come out with bewildered looks on their faces: "$680 for a perfume??"

Brief Description: This is another awesome walk in central Paris. Start at the Place de Madeleine, where you'll see the BIG temple. (Of course, dedicated to the glory of Napoleon's army.)

The Place Vendôme Column from a distance...
watch out for cars!

It's startlingly similar to the Maison Carée in Nimes, only a lot larger. From there, you can walk down the Boulevard de la Madeleine, then the Rue des Capucines until you find the Place Vendôme. This is where some of the most expensive shops in Paris are. When you see a Chanel store and a Louis Vuitton store right next to each other, you know you're in an expensive shopping area. There's a big column right in the middle of the Place Vendôme, although it is currently under construction. From there, take
Rue de la Paix to the Opera, where you can marvel at the awesomeness of the Paris Opera House. (You can take a tour inside it, but I'll save that for a later blog post. After the Place de l'Opera, walk along the Rue du Quatre Septembre until you get to the Bourse Metro Station. The square is nothing special, but on Rue Vivienne (nearby) you'll notice a restaurant called Le Vaudeville. You MUST eat a meal here. It's expensive, but their smoked salmon is probably the best thing you have ever tasted. If you can't afford the (possibly) 40 euro per person cost, well... there's a Monoprix down the street *sighs*.


4) Notre Dame - Musee de Cluny - Sorbonne University - Luxembourg Gardens

Distance: 1.3km   Time: 15-25 mins    Time/Interest Rating: 2.2/3

Awesomest Moment: Just after the bridge that gets you off Ile de la Cité, you'll have the opportunity to go down the narrowest street in Paris...1.8m wide Rue de Chat Qui Pêche. It's located just off the Quai Saint-Michel.

Brief Description: If you want to see the Luxembourg Gardens and the Notre Dame Cathedral in one day, this is an excellent option if you don't want to take the Metro. (Note: If you want to do a more thorough exploration of the islands, I would not try to cram this walk into that day. Spend a whole
day exploring the islands, and tie this walk into an exploration of the area around the Luxembourg Gardens instead.) Starting at the Notre Dame Cathedral, walk across the Petit Pont, then follow the Rue du Petit Pont. It will eventually turn into the Rue Saint-Jaques, and three blocks past that point you will come across the Cluny Museum. It's full of Medieval art, located in a Gothic mansion. It's definitely not for everyone, and if you only have a few days in Paris, don't bother with it. If you're into Medieval stuff (which I'm not), you would probably find it interesting. After you pass the museum, you'll come across the Sorbonne Univeristy. Out of all the streets in this area,

In the depths of the Luxembourg Gardens, the Luxembourg Palace is...
well, not exactly hidden.

Rue des Écoles is the nicest. The others aren't spectacular or anything, but it gives you a taste of the Parisian lifestyle. As a general rule, stick to larger streets-- they are tree-covered, have large sidewalks, crosswalks, and are generally not sketchy. This is a pretty safe area, though, and you can explore any of the side streets, and... what are those trees over there? You've already arrived at the Luxembourg Gardens! These meticulously tended gardens are absolutely awesome, so enjoy a walk in the early afternoon or evening here.

I hope you enjoyed reading about these walks in Paris! If you find yourself in Paris, maybe you'll try out one of these walks. Walking to different attractions instead of taking the Metro is a great way to save money, get a taste of Parisian life, and have a good adventure!
(The most adventurous thing that can happen to you in the Metro is getting your jacket stuck in the turnstiles. Trust me, it happens...)


There's more!
Blog posts relating to these locations:
- Make the Most of Le Tour Eiffel (all about the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars)
- Islands on the Seine (Explains Île de la Cité, Notre Dame Cathedral, etc)
Soon to come...
- Gardens in Paris: Tuileries & Luxembourg
- The Paris Opera House

Canal du Midi

You probably read the post title and thought, "what the heck is this, and why are you making a blog post about it?" First of all, the Canal du Midi is a 241km long canal in the south of France. Starting near Agde (from the Etang de Thau), it winds its way across the country until it ends in Tolouse. It provides a great place for canal walks, boat rides, and watching boats travel through the canal locks. However, some parts of the canal are more industrial and less beautiful, so this post will detail where to spend your time. (Plus, some parts have trees growing on the banks and others don't. If you're planning to go to the Canal du Midi, read this post unless you want to get fried in the sun.)

There are many nice walks on the canal, but I'm going to write about the areas close to the city of Beziers. One thing you'll probably want to see are the Canal locks. (The locks used to lower or lift boats by closing gates on the canal. Not your locker lock.) These are one of the most impressive sets on the Canal du Midi, and if you’re in the Languedoc region and have some free time, I’d recommend going there.

 First of all, some interesting locks can be found near Beziers. This will become easier if you look it up on Google Maps, but regardless of which direction you’re coming from, you’ll want to get onto the Avenue de Port Notre Dame, and then turn onto the Quai du Port Notre Dame. There are many rural country roads around here that can get you to the locks, but there’s no garuntee you won’t get stranded in the beautiful French countryside. These roads are narrow and not well marked. Stick to main streets.
 If you made it to the locks, (close to Les Halles Centrales) find a parking spot along the canal and walk uphill (there are lots of stairs). The locks don't have guard-rails, so if you bring young kids, watch them closely...Being in the canal is not very fun when you don't have a boat.

The locks are opened...Don't fall in!

They have decent food here, so if you didn't bring any, get something to eat and sit on the edge of the canal. The nine canal locks are quite impressive, but become much more interesting when you see them in action...

This is a video I took of a boat waiting to travel to the next lock. 

As you can see, the locks are awesome and impressive when in use. However, if you're getting tired of watching the canal and actually want to go IN it, walk up the river until you get past the locks. There, you'll find some boat rental companies. If you don't have a boat permit, your options are a little more limited (they're not renting you a gigantic barge just so you can crash it into the banks).
When our family went here, we rented one of these small electric boats.

Pros and Cons of Renting a Small Electric Boat
Pros: 
• Relatively inexpensive (I think it was 20-25 euros per hour). Compared to other companies, this is pretty good pricing.
• These are great fun to drive, and we let my brother Stefan do a 360 with it.
• Even with Stefan over-steering the boat and crashing it into the banks, these boats are practically indestructible and you don't have to worry about messing them up.
• You don't need a boat-driving permit to use one.
• Easier to manoeuvre than giant party barges and such.
Cons:
• These boats are S-L-O-W (5 km/hr). I wouldn't recommend renting the boats for more than an hour and a half, because after a while it will get kind of boring. Make sure you bring a picnic or something else to do on the boat, and you'll have a lovely time cruising down the canal.
• Warning: This boat is not for people with low self-esteem. We got passed at least twenty times on our canal ride, and twice by people in row boats.
• Kids 10 and under will also be strapped into embarrassing puffy life jackets.

In my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons, and if you want to try this, I would recommend it. Its a beautiful, relaxing way to tour the canal.

If driving a boat isn't enough exercise for you, try a canal walk. This is a seasonal activity, and I would definitely recommend doing it in the summer. In the right places, it is beautiful, tree-covered, and a great way to kick off a morning in France. However, some spots on the canal are industrial, mainly used for boat maintenance, not shaded, and generally not fun to walk along. This map shows the tree-covered area between Béziers and Colombiers.

Getting There:
From the canal locks, head northeast on the Chemin Rural 123, then turn right onto the Rue Alain Bashung. At the roundabout, take the first exit onto the Rue de Narbonne (D609). Then, (have I lost you yet?) take the next roundabout onto the Voie Communale 13. Follow it until you get to a bridge, then park. This will make more sense if you have an actual map in front of you.
Find the trail right next to the riverbank (it's much nicer than walking along the road). Follow the trail towards Colombiers for a calm, quiet walk. Depending on how long you want to walk, you can even go past the Traverse de Colombiers, but the trees become more dispersed after that.

Sunlight on the Canal makes for great photos.

This isn't jetpacking or anything, and it's not for everyone. While some people enjoy the serenity of a morning on the Canal du Midi, others will be bored within minutes. It just depends on what you like to do. In my opinion, it's at least worth a look on a good day, even if you don't walk for an hour.
Final advice? Avoid areas without trees, winters, and days that aren't sunny and warm, and you'll be set for an enjoyable canal walk.

I hope this guide gives you some ways to enjoy your time on the Canal du Midi in the South of France, whether it's seeing the locks, a ride on a boat, or a walk along the banks. (Sorry, that was really cheesy.)

4 Sights Around Nimes

If you read the previous post about the Pont du Gard, you'll most likely be staying in Nimes overnight. And unless all you want to do is sit in your hotel room and try to find a Wifi signal (which you'll have trouble with), I'd recommend walking around and seeing the sights of Nimes.

If you are staying in Nimes: Lucky you! Even if you rented a car, enjoy walking around the city. Parking is difficult and most of the interesting stuff is all within walking distance unless your hotel is on the outskirts of Nimes. (If you're not staying in Nimes, consider staying in the nearby city of Uzès one night and visiting the Pont du Gard on Day One, and sights in Nimes on Day Two.)
If you aren't staying in Nimes: Taking a car to GET there is a good idea, but DO NOT try to drive around to all of these attractions or you will never find parking. Instead, drive into central Nimes and find an underground parking lot that is centrally located. It may take a while to find one, but they are near many of the main boulevards. You can also find them at the Eglise Saint-Baudile and the Centre Commercial on Rue des Halles. Taxis are expensive and buses are slow, so I would highly recommend parking for several hours, walking around, and picking up your car later. All of these attractions are relatively close to each other.

A map of Central Nimes. The numbers correspond to the attractions.

On to the interesting stuff...

#1: Nimes Amphitheatre- If you visit one place in Nimes, visit the amphitheatre. (It's also known as one of the giant Roman arenas where gladiators fought to the death for the entertainment of people...  Sounds like the Ancient Hunger Games.)
If you've heard of the Colosseum, this is similar. It's only slightly smaller and amazingly well-preserved. Opposite the Boulevard des Arènes, there's a nice park (Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle). This is a nice spot to eat something. This is also a good time to point out that restaurants around the arena tend to be expensive and touristy. If you didn't bring food, find the Monoprix (European convenience store) on the Boulevard Amiral Courbet, just past the park.
Make sure you walk around the arena, but skip the tourist shop attached to the arena, unless you want to bring home a lot of pricey plastic keychains.
Touring the Arena: 

You've just arrived at the Ancient Hunger Games Arena.

You can take a tour inside the arena, and find out where the sweaty gladiators got sliced and where the audience watched. If you just want to see the arena and aren't into the history side of things, don't do this because it can become time consuming. Also, the inside of the arena has been completely reconstructed with metal bleachers and lights for concerts and events. For me, seeing giant trucks driving around on the arena floor kind of killed the "untouched, beautifully preserved" feeling. Personally, I wouldn't bother with the tour, but it's up to you.



 #2: Maison Carrée

The "Maison Carrée" officially translates to Square House... those clever Romans. After visiting the Nimes Amphitheatre, you probably came here. (To get here from the Amphitheatre, take the Boulevard Victor Hugo.) This Roman temple located in central Nimes, and like the arena it is very well preserved. There's lots of space around the Maison Carrée, but it gets crowded quickly. Beware of pickpockets here.

Don't walk up the steps of the Maison Careé when you're trying
 to take this dramatic photo, because you'll most likely trip and
fall, and you'll scratch your camera lens and then your brother
will bend down to help you and drop HIS camera and...
 sorry, had a flashback.

 Inside, you can watch a 20-minute film that describes what daily life is like for an inhabitant of Nimes during the Roman Empire. It's informative and quite interesting, and the 3D movie and fabulous sound system make it quite realistic. If your feet are tired and you have 5 euros burning a hole in your pocket, it's worth a try. Overall, this is a great place to sit down, relax, and enjoy some Roman architecture.
Sometimes people don't enjoy these attractions because "there's nothing to DO there" (you won't find a roller coaster at the Maison Careé), but you will enjoy it if you let yourself appreciate the monument. There's nothing like it in Canada!

#3: Eglise Saint-Baudile

The ancient, beautiful Eglise Saint-Baudile looks almost
out-of-place in the modern city of Nimes.

This cathedral is a (relatively) farther distance away from the other attractions, so I wouldn't bother with it unless your car is in the underground lot here. If possible, I would recommend parking here because it's easy to find your car-- just look for the massive cathedral and you'll find the right carpark.  It's very beautiful from the outside, with towering spires and large glass windows. Don't confuse this with the Nimes Cathedral, which is concealed in the very centre of the city. (The Nimes Cathedral is definitely less impressive than the Eglise Saint-Baudile, but there's a nice square with some good restaurants right in front of it.) It's not worth spending too much time here, but the cathedral's striking presence makes it worth a stop if you're nearby.


#4: Jardins de la Fontaine

The Jardins de la Fontaine are an excellent place for an
afternoon walk.

If you're in the mood for a relaxing walk, this is the place. Even when crowded, these gardens are wonderfully peaceful. If you didn't get enough exercise getting lost in the winding streets of Nimes, or have a little more time left before your parking pass expires, the Jardins de la Fontaine are worth a few minutes. You can take a walk along the Quai de la Fontaine, which (surprise surprise) has two fountains near the end.
The Temple of Diana is interesting and if you have 30-45 minutes, I recommend you climb to the top of the Tour de Magne at the top of the hill for spectacular views over Nimes (and a great photo op). The steep to the tower is tiring, although a great  opportunity to see the massive, sprawling gardens. There are several paths to the top; some paved, others twisting steps. Once you descend, you'll find lots more dramatic fountains all over the gardens. If you're looking for lots of flowers go in the spring or summer, when they are in full bloom.  However, the gardens are well tended and a great place for a walk and some fresh air. This is a popular attraction (for ducks as well as humans), but the gardens are quite expansive and it doesn't usually feel crowded like attractions in central Nimes. Overall, this is a peaceful haven in the middle of a bustling French city, and provides a great contrast to the narrow, shop filled streets.



If you have a day in Nimes, visit these attractions... they are not to be missed! And even if you're not going to Nimes soon, I hope you enjoyed reading!