6 Days in Paris – Day 3: Moulin Rouge, Montmartre, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, Opera

Day three in Paris will be a relatively relaxing day where you can really move at your own pace.  You will be seeing some sites near Montmartre and then off for a nice roof-top lunch, some shopping, and a nice evening around the Opera (or at the Opera if you buy some tickets 🙂 ).

Let’s begin this day with a nice ‘relaxing’ ride on the metro.

What you should do:

Moulin Rouge

Take the Metro to the stop “Blanche” on the blue M2 line.  The Moulin Rouge should be just outside that stop.  Note that, unless you are actually going to a show, you should ONLY be here DURING THE DAY.  This is a bad area and there are a lot of street people everywhere.

Get your photo taken in front of the windmill and move-on.

You will now be making your way up Montmartre, but this walk can be a really interesting walk where you can see a lot of windmills and other cool cafes, pubs, independent art studios, and more.  Just walk up the street next to the Moulin Rouge and, basically, make your way up and to the right.  The streets here can be a bit confusing, so I have included a Google map image that shows you where you will start and where you want to go.

Don’t worry if you feel a little lost, as long as you are going in the general direction, you will make it there.

Montmartre

On your way here, make sure to see the artists in the square.  This is a nice treat as they will be painting and selling their works at the same time.

There is also some other interesting history in regards to art and famous artists painting in this area but just Google it if you really need more.  I never cared because this area is just so cool and interesting today.

Now, you should see the bright white church on the hill (Basilica of the Sacré Cœur).  Obviously, walk towards the church and take as many photos as you can.  It really is an impressive and cool structure.  You can also go inside, but it is not as cool as the outside, so don’t worry if you can’t go inside the day you get there.

Also, walk down the steps in front of the church a bit and marvel at the view of Paris.  At the same time, turn around and take some more photos of the church; the steps leading down in front of the church provide the best view of it.

It is now time to leave.  DO NOT continue down the steps the entire way down the middle or you WILL be assaulted and harassed by the street people at the bottom.  They WILL grab you and they may also rob you.  There will be 20 or more of them just waiting at the bottom for you! I have had many interesting altercations with these specific guys ;).  Don’t listen to their threats and NEVER EVER give them money for anything.

Instead of the middle steps, walk just to the side of the main stairs and you will find plain boring steps, these are what you should walk down.  There will be some street people there, but it will not be that bad at all.

We are now going to head to Printemps and Galeries Lafayette.

Printemps and Galeries Lafayette

To get here, you will need to take a few different metro lines.  At the bottom of Montmartre, find the Anvers metro (the only one right there on the main street).  Take that to Pigalle (one stop).  Then, take the M12 line to Sain Lazare.  Now, from here you can walk south two blocks and then take a left, or just take the metro line M3 one stop to Havre – Caumartin.  This should bring you right to Galeries Lafayette and Printemps.  Both stores are located on the street “Boulevard Haussmann.”

I suggest going first to Printemps and taking the escalators all the way to the top.  There is a roof-top cafe that will give you a great view of the city and also a peaceful retreat from the chaos that is Paris.

It is not too expensive and it is very relaxing.  Even if you are not hungry, go up here for a relaxing break and sit on one of the benches overlooking the city.

Once you are rested and have satisfied your appetite, you can go back down through the floors and shop at will. (sorry guys)

And, once you have made it out of Printemps, head next store to Galeries Lafayette.  It is another huge department store with an amazing colorful dome inside.  Take your time, look up, then shop till it hurts lol.  This store also has a roof-top terrace, but nowhere near as cool as Printemps; but, go up for a nice view if you’d like and you will get a nice view of the back of the Opera building.

Opera

Now, if you went onto the roof of either store, you will have seen the Opera building; it’s the huge structure that sticks out like a sore thumb and is only one or two blocks away.  So, go to that building and walk to the front of it.

If it is night, you will get the most amazing view of the building with the lights shining on it.  Take lots of photos and, if you’d like, go in for a show or purchase some tickets for later.

While facing the front of the Opera, I recommend heading right up the main street that crosses in front of the Opera (Boulevard des Capucines).  There are many cafes, restaurants, bars, a movie theater, and even a video game arcade.  This is a really fun street with a lot to do.  You should definitely find somewhere nice to eat on this street and don’t worry because most places here are not too expensive.

By now, it should be the end of the day, you should be fed, and maybe tired.  So, find the nearest metro stop, maybe Opera, and head home from there :).

What I am doing:

Today I finally went to see Rodin’s Thinker!!!!!  I was so excited to see this and it was amazing!  I have been wanting to see this for such a long time but I always had something else to do when I was in Paris and finally, this time, I was free to see it :).

You only need to pay 1 euro to go to the sculpture garden and that’s where the big guy is located.  After that, I went on a nice little stroll to the Champs Elysees, checked out the Grand Palais (nothing going on there), and headed home for some rest.

Remember that I’m here this time mainly to relax and enjoy the city a bit.  Since I’m still sick, I am not planning on exhausting myself, which is very easy to do in this city.

Hope you enjoyed your day! 🙂

 

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