Word of the Week - Paris (tourist tips)

I was in Paris on the weekend for what is now an annual trip to meet my friend who is in Paris for work the same week every year. She lives in South Africa, so I'm grateful I don't have to fly too far for a meet up.

I just can't believe how busy and English Paris is now. All the trains, shops, menus, staff in shops all speak English, not a few words. Train announcements, written menus and when I say 'bonjour' they detect an English accent and I get no further in French. I'm not fluent, but I can say a few things, things I definitely needed to be able to say on visits in the past.

And busy ... we rebooked tickets up the Eiffel Tower. The queues on the day were just mad, however these queues merged with pre booked tickets and it took us 45 minutes to reach the 2nd lift to go to the top. I insisted we walk down afterwards as it was quicker than queuing for the lifts. We were made to wait till our time slot of 11am before we could join the queue.

I managed to get tickets to Notre Dame. These tickets are free with a suggested donation, however they are only available 2-4 hours before you visit. The pre booked queue was enormous, but moved quickly and we joined the queue at 3.30pm for a 4pm entry and we were inside in under 10 mins. We were also back outside about 15 mins later as the cathedral was heaving and the sheer volume of people inside just kept surging you through.

Next up was the Catacombs, but sadly they were closed due to industrial action, so that's on the list for next years trip.

When did the English language come with an American flag?

We took a visit out to Pere Lachaise cemetery where Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde are buried. It was huge, we got lost and didn't know which way was out, but turned on google maps and were grateful that the cemetery has street signs. It is well worth a visit and I can see myself going there again.

Jim Morrisons grave. 

A lot of security has been put in place to stop people taking things and damaging the graves.

Oscar Wilde's grave. Now behind perspex after the family encounter massive costs to keep cleaning it of lipstick kisses.

The cemetery covers 110 acres (45 hectares) we were walking around for almost 3 hours.

A Sewer tour of Paris on the side of the Seine. It's a self guided tour, no booking needed and hardly anyone in there. 

And finally a walk up the Champs Elysees on 'No car day' which occurs monthly on a Sunday.

If you're travelling from the airport into the city purchase a separate RER ticket for €13 and buy a separate daily travel pass each time you want to travel. Initially you'll pay €2 for the Navigo easy card and then just top it up for a daily pass which is €12. 

We spent a lot of time on the train and metro network.

Don't buy a 1-3 day pass as you'll get travel to and from the airport included each day and it costs around €26 for each day, you'll also need to have a photo for these passes and if you don't put the photo on the card and get stopped you'll be fined €30.

Trains were disrupted to and from the airport over the weekend. I didn't find out until after I'd purchased my ticket and headed underground. Then the lack of available English left me having to work my own way round and I eventually worked out a stop with a bus route that was near the airport and waited till the train popped out from under the ground to confirm it on google maps. The replacement bus service was well organised, once I found it.

Next year we'll be doing a tour of all the artists. We did the Louvre and Sacre Cloeur last year, but want to visit:

Claude Monet's house and gardens.

Picasso museum.

Pompidou Centre.

• 
  

  Let me know if you've been anywhere you think I might like to visit. We've both done Versailles, Disney and all the big landmarks.