Categories: First Time in Paris, Paris

Discussed in this Episode

• Luxembourg Gardens
• Saint-Sulpice Church
• Medici Fountain
• Notre-Dame
• Shakespeare and Company
• Sainte-Chapelle
• Conciergerie
• Arc de Triomphe
• Trocadéro
• Eiffel Tower
• Carrousel du Louvre
• Courre de Commerce
• Le Comptoir du Relais
• Square du Vert-Galant
• Marais
• Hôtel de Ville
• Île Saint-Louis
• Bertillon
• Musée de Rodin
• Hôtel Invalides
• Musée de l'Orangerie
• Place de la Concorde
• Champs-Élysées
• Le Kleber Brasserie
• Batobus
• croissant
• crêpe sucre
• white wine
• pastries

583 One Day in Paris with Rick McGuirk (Feb 1)

[00:00:16] Introduction

Annie Sargent: This is Join Us in France, episode 583, cinq cent quatre-vingt-trois.

Annie Sargent: Bonjour, I’m Annie Sargent, and Join Us in France is the podcast where we take a conversational journey through the beauty, culture, and flavors of France.

[00:00:30] Today on the podcast

Annie Sargent: Today, I bring you a conversation with Rick McGuirk, who tackled a question I hear all the time: What can you really do in Paris on a short layover or a quick visit?

Annie Sargent: So many travelers land in Paris, then take a train to another destination the next day, or take another flight the next day. Wouldn’t it be a shame to waste that time?

Annie Sargent: Rick shares his fast-paced one-day-in-Paris adventure, packing in iconic sites like the Trocadéro, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, and a Seine river cruise, making the most of every minute.

Annie Sargent: He shares his strategies for efficient sightseeing, and the one mistake that almost derailed this plan, and why comfortable shoes and a charged phone are non-negotiable.

[00:01:20] Podcast supporters

Annie Sargent: This podcast runs on chocolatine, coffee, and the generosity of listeners like you.

Annie Sargent: Whether you book an itinerary consult, take one of my VoiceMap tours in Paris, which would be ideal if you don’t have a lot of time, because I tell you exactly where to go, or you join me for a day trip in my electric car around the southwest of France, or even support the show on Patreon, you keep this whole adventure going, and I’m deeply grateful.

Annie Sargent: If you’d like to support the podcast and skip the ads, you’ll find a link for that in the show notes, and all my tours and services are at joinusinfrance.com/boutique, and thank you very much.

Annie Sargent:

[00:02:00] The Magazine segment

Annie Sargent: For the magazine part of the podcast, after my chat with Rick today, I’ll discuss an interview I read with the chef of the Palais de l’Élysée, who has worked for many French presidents and shares what their favorite foods are. Hmm.

Annie Sargent: Before we dive into today’s episode, I want to remind you that Join Us in France is much more than just a weekly podcast.

Annie Sargent: If you’re loving what you hear, there’s more. First, check out the episode page at joinusinfrance.com/583. It’s packed with the full transcript and link to all the places we mention. It’s perfect for when you want to revisit something or plan your own adventure.

Annie Sargent: And if you’re the type who loves to dig deeper, sign up for the newsletter at joinusinfrance.com/newsletter. Every week, I send out a handy summary of the episode, plus extra tips, behind-the-scenes stories, and even some fun surprises.

Annie Sargent: It’s like getting a little postcard from France in your inbox.

[00:03:13] Planning a Blitz Visit to Paris

Annie Sargent: Bonjour, Rick McGuirk and welcome to Join Us in France.

Rick McGuirk: Bonjour, Annie. Thank you for having me.

Annie Sargent: Wonderful to talk to you. You sent me some really great ideas foran episode to record, but the one that really caught my attention is when you talked about your sort of blitz visit through Paris, because a lot of people ask about that. They want to know, you know, “I just have X many hours.” Some people, they really don’t have enough. But if you have a day or two, or perhaps three, you can see a lot, right?

Rick McGuirk: Oh, yeah, if you’re willing to put in the miles and long days, and not spend a ton of time staring at you know, kind of any one thing in particular, and you’re willing to move it along, yeah, you can see a ton.

Annie Sargent: Right, so tell us, how did that one trip go for you that you… where you did this blitz kind of visit?

Rick McGuirk: Sure.

[00:04:05] Exploring Paris: Day One Highlights

Rick McGuirk: So, this is May 2024, and I had a business trip to Paris. This was my eighth trip to Paris overall between business trips and family vacations.

Rick McGuirk: And my meetings in Paris were scheduled to go from up until a Thursday afternoon. I hadn’t been to Paris since 2019, and so not knowing when I’d be back, I decided to tack an extra day on and stay Friday and fly out Saturday, instead of flying home on Friday.

Annie Sargent: Seems reasonable.

Rick McGuirk: Right? While some might say I should have tacked on more, I, frankly, I would’ve been… I felt a little guilty that I was, you know, kind of having a real vacation in Paris without my wife, who loves Paris as well. So I figured one day would be the happy medium.

Annie Sargent: And possibly you had to go back to work the following Monday, maybe?

Annie Sargent: I did. I did, of course. Yeah, there you go. So yeah, you got to get home at some point. It takes hours to get home from France.

Rick McGuirk: Exactly. My meetings did in fact end at around four o’clock on Thursday, and I was there with a colleague who’d never seen Paris before. Initially, she was thinking, “Well, I’m just going to go to bed early and catch my, you know, early morning flight on Friday.” But I was able to convince her that, “Look, it’s your first time in Paris, you don’t know when you’re going to be back here, let me just walk you around a little bit, show you some of the sights.” And so by the end of our meeting, she was game for a little relaxation.

Rick McGuirk: We were staying in the 16th, which is not an area I know very well. We kind of, in my mind, we’re up past the Trocadéro on Avenue Kléber, an upscale business type of hotel, which is not, not kind of the type of place that we would pick in coming to Paris, but it was very nice.

[00:05:47] Luxembourg Gardens and Saint-Sulpice

Rick McGuirk: And so from there we took an Uber to Luxembourg Gardens, which is one of my favorite places in all of Paris. This was kind of my way of showing her kind of what I think of Paris.

Annie Sargent: Sure, and you had been there, what you said, eight times already?

Rick McGuirk: That was my eighth trip to Paris, yeah. Now it since been another time. And so, you know, I had a sense of what would be cool in a quickie, you know, kind of three, four-hour jaunt around Paris.

Rick McGuirk: And so we went to Luxembourg Gardens, and from there, you know, showed her kind of the pond and the palace, and the Medici Fountain, and from there walked over to St. Sulpice, which is a, you know, a really great, beautiful old church, you know, kind of really majestic.

Annie Sargent: Very grand, yeah.

Rick McGuirk: And full of great art, and, you know, has a nice fountain out in front of it you know, really a kind of a wow site.

Annie Sargent: So you skipped the Pantheon. You could have gone to the Pantheon in this area.

[00:06:42] Not to miss when visiting Saint Sulpice in Paris

Rick McGuirk: We could have. And that is a favorite for my wife and I. We do enjoy going to the Pantheon whenever we’re in Paris. But I was trying to hit things that I thought wouldn’t have a line and would have a bit of a wow factor, and I knew that St. Sulpice would be both. It’s almost routinely empty whenever you’re there, and it’s a shame, frankly, because it is so beautiful.

Annie Sargent: It is very beautiful, and also, sorry to interrupt, but there are a couple of things that you need to pay attention to in Saint-Sulpice, that’s the gnomon. So that’s an old instrument that they put in churches to figure out the exact date of Easter, which was difficult to figure out back when they built this church. Apparently, it doesn’t work real well, so it’s not real good at predicting. But anyway, so that’s what it’s for, and it’s just right… it’s on the floor, and it goes right across the cathedral. And the other thing to look at is the Delacroix paintings, which are in the very back of the church on the right.

Rick McGuirk: Right, when you’re coming in.

Annie Sargent: When you’re coming in, yeah. And just walk around this beautiful church, it’s absolutely delightful.

Rick McGuirk: It is a favorite. You know, it’s not something that gets a lot of press, frankly, if you’re looking at kind of the top 10 sights to see in Paris, but that’s really a shame because it is a fabulous thing to visit.

Rick McGuirk: And especially at that time, in May 2024, Notre Dame was still under heavy construction, and so if you want to get, you know, kind of a taste of a really grand cathedral, that’s kind of a place to go.

Annie Sargent: Yes, they are similar in size, Notre Dame and Saint-Sulpice. And also Saint-Sulpice, the area is lovely. You haveBoulevard Napoleon right there, which has a lot of shopping. You have this beautiful plaza in front of Saint-Sulpice. The Apple Store is not far, for people who need something like that. And Saint-Germain-des-Pres, you know, this is the area, the part of Paris called Saint-Germain-des-Pres, that is very, very popular with visitors.

Rick McGuirk: Yeah. Surprise, it’s my favorite place to stay in Paris as well. So I feel like I do know that area a little bit, which is why I also felt comfortable taking her there, and wandering around in that area.

[00:08:59] Evening Strolls and Iconic Sights

Rick McGuirk: From there, we walked over you know, kind of down Boulevard Saint-Germain to Saint-Michel and the fountain. Saw that, you know, kind of wandered around a little bit around Notre Dame, which at the time was totally, you know, scaffolded up, and so really see the whole… You know, and frankly, it had a nice collection of, you know, billboards and informationaldisplays that, you know, gave you a sense of what it was they were doing and trying to do in the interior, which I found pretty interesting.

Annie Sargent: Now that it’s open, you should really go inside. There’s always a line, but the line moves, so unless the mile is truly a mile long, just bear with us and stand in line.

Annie Sargent: The other thing to see around there that’s very close that people might have heard about but not seen is Shakespeare and Company, the bookstore thatvisitors from North America like a lot. What else is around there? Well, of course, you have the Sainte-Chapelle, but you don’t see anything from the outside there, and you also have the Conciergerie.

Rick McGuirk: From Notre Dame, I thought, “Okay, well, it’s kind of late in the evening, and it’s getting near sunset. Maybe we’d have a chance of just walking into Sainte-Chapelle.” But when we got over there, there was a fairly long line, and we just didn’t have the time to wait, so we weren’t able to see that at that time.

Annie Sargent: And it closes fairly early. I think the Sainte-Chapelle closes by 7:00 PM or something like that.

Rick McGuirk: Yeah.

[00:10:26] The Arc de Triomphe is open late unlike most other attractions in Paris

Annie Sargent: If you have late hours like that, you can fill them up by going to the Arc de Triomphe, at the top of the Champs-Élysées, because that stays open until 11. I think the last people in at 10:30. So if you’re up late and you’re trying to cram a lot in, that would be a good one to do because you would get to see Paris at night, see all the cars zooming around the Place de l’Étoile, andyou know, it’s always fun to do.

Annie Sargent: The other thing, of course, is to take a river cruise after dark, depending on the time of year, it’s, you know, it’s not dark in May, June, it’s not dark until late in France, meaning after 8:00, 9:00 PM. So the first sparkle of the Eiffel Tower is not until 10, but it’s always fun to do a river cruise. Is that something you did or no?

Rick McGuirk: Indeed I did. So, we’re getting to the next day, the end of the trip for her was basically me walking her back through the Louvre, grabbing a quick bite to eat, and then walking all the way back to the Eiffel Tower, right near where we were staying.

Rick McGuirk: It was about 9:45 at night, and she’s like: “Okay, well, you know, let’s go back to the hotel.” And I’m like: “Well, let’s stay for 15 minutes.” We sat near the Eiffel Tower, and it was well worth the 15 minutes, when she lights up and you know, it’s a stunning sight, especially if it’s your first time.

[00:11:45] A Day Packed with Parisian Adventures

Rick McGuirk: Okay, so that was that night, andthe next day, I really planned to hit it hard, knowing that, you know… I didn’t know when I’d be back in Paris. The reality is that after getting back from that, my wife and I planned a trip to back to Paris for 2025, but…

Annie Sargent: But you didn’t know that at the time.

Rick McGuirk: I didn’t know that at the time, and so I knew I had to see as many things as possible. And, you know, kind of the day I had, fortunately, I got a lovely day. It was a beautiful, you know, mid-May day, brilliant sunshine, warm but not hot. It was a perfect day for really, really putting on the miles, as it were.

Rick McGuirk: I started the day, I started the day up on the Trocadéro with a croissant, and watching Paris wake up,kind of underneath the Eiffel Tower. My plan at the time was to catch one of those hop-on, hop-off buses right at the base of the Trocadéro and use that as kind of, you know, kind of my personal taxi service to get around Paris and to see as many things as possible. That really didn’t work out.

[00:12:46] Navigating Paris: Tips and Tricks

Annie Sargent: If we had had this conversation, I would have said try the Batobus instead. If you get the tickets for the day… Now, possibly, I don’t know what time they start service, it might have been too early. You have to check on the start and stop times of the Batobus, but pretty much it’s like a taxi, it’s like a bus, taxi/boat. It goes down the river and has several stops in all the interesting places. But tell us why the hop-on, hop-off didn’t work out.

Rick McGuirk: Traffic was brutal. Paris was in the final throes of getting ready for the Olympics, which by the way, the city looked incredibly nice.

Rick McGuirk: So many flowers and new plantings and, you know, kind of repaired sidewalks and streets. But the result of that was a lot of closed streets and a lot of detours, and just an enormous amount of traffic, and to the point where we sat still at a number of spots for, you know, upwards of, like, 25, 30 minutes, and finally I was just like, “I’m just wasting time here.”

Rick McGuirk: So I finally jumped off the bus at Echo when we got there, and decided that I was, you know, kind of hoofing it from there. And so, you know, wandered around the Louvre Courtyard, wandered over from there to Notre Dame, and back to the area that I know best. Walked by Notre Dame again, and that’s where I really got a chance to, you know, kind of take in the history and the explanations that they were providing with respect to the, you know, the renovations. And as you say, not to jump ahead too much, but we did go back to Notre Dame this past trip, and it is stunning.

Annie Sargent: Yeah.

Rick McGuirk: Even if you’ve been there before, you got to go again. It’s beautiful.

Annie Sargent: Yeah. Yeah. I should add, okay, so you were walking around the Louvre area. One of the things you could have done, is go into the mall beneath the Louvre, which is called the Carrousel du Louvre, and enjoy the view of the foundation of the original Palace of the Louvre, as well as replicas of some of the most famous pieces that are in the museum. It’s a beautiful little walk, you don’t need a ticket to do this. You don’t even go through security at that point either. They make you go through security before you get underneath the big pyramid, where you have the entrance to the Louvre, per se. But you get to walk underneath the Louvre quite a bit, and I think it’s worth doing, even for people who don’t have a ticket. It takes about half an hour, and it’s very nice. Have you ever done that?

Annie Sargent: I have, as part of a more kind of lightly trip to the Louvre. I’ve been down in the mall area. That would’ve been great too, but you have to make choices. Right, right, I just add this as a possibility, but yeah.

Rick McGuirk: Right, and, you know, if it were less the nice weather, that would’ve been a great idea, right? But being outside was definitely, definitely the way to go that day.

Rick McGuirk: So from Notre Dame, walked back into the Saint-Germain area and wandered around, taking pictures of some of kind of our favorite places, places like the, you know, the hotel we went to first, the first time we were in Paris. A favorite kind of alleyway, the Courre de Commerce over there in Saint-Germain.

Annie Sargent: Yes, yes, yes. Yes.

Rick McGuirk: And then I actually, decided I was going to have a sit-down lunch, at a restaurant that I’ve been to before in the Saint-Germain area, which was really good. It never disappoints.

Annie Sargent: And what’s it called?

Rick McGuirk: Le Comptoir du Relais.

Annie Sargent: Okay, Le Comptoir du Relais.

Rick McGuirk: It’s a very nice restaurant. We originally had gotten it from some recommendation online a number of years ago, and we’ve been there several times. And again, when I went back this year, we went again. So after that, I decided I was really going to get some nice pictures for the family, and I decided to walk back over to the Seine, pick up some pastries, and sit at the, you know, the end of the Île de la Cité, under that willow tree that’s there in the, it’s a square to Vert Galant.

Annie Sargent: Right, right, the Vert Galant and the big willow tree with the benches and all that.

Rick McGuirk: Exactly, exactly.

Annie Sargent: There’s often people playing music as well. It’s a nice place.

Rick McGuirk: Yep. Oh, it’s a beautiful place, and I got kind of the reaction from the family that I thought I’d get by sending them pictures of my pastries and where I was eating them. I got a fair amount of jealousy, which, you know, healthy jealousy.

Annie Sargent: Good, good.

Rick McGuirk: So that was one, and then from there, I decided to wander around the Marais a bit and over to the Hotel de Ville, which was you know, like most of Paris, all kind of dressed up for the Olympics, which was kind of neat. From there, I went back over past Notre Dame and back, kind of down the island over to Île Saint-Louis.

Annie Sargent: Right.

Rick McGuirk: And kind of wandered down to Bertillon and got myself an ice cream.

Annie Sargent: Of course, yes.

Rick McGuirk: Again, hitting all the major sites.

[00:17:35] Musee de Rodin

Rick McGuirk: At that point, I was kind of debating, I was far enough away, but I decided that I was going to go to the Musée de Rodin.

Annie Sargent: Aha, yes!

Rick McGuirk: It’s one of my favorites in all of Paris, and so it was a, you know, kind of probably about a 45-minute or so walk from that area to the museum, but it was worth it. Again, it was a nice day. I was shocked, frankly, at how well I did directionally. You know, you kind of just look up, you see the Eiffel Tower, and then you just kind of figure out which way is which…. Of course, I had my phone and Google to kind of fine-tune things, but directionally, I knew kind of where I was going.

Annie Sargent: That’s great, and that’s what going to Paris repeatedly will do. You kind of know where, you know, is the… Eiffel Tower, obviously, she’s easy to see, but, you know, Notre Dame is behind me, or whatever it is, you know? Yeah.

Rick McGuirk: Exactly. And the river’s on, the river’s on my right. Okay, I know where I am.

Annie Sargent: Right.

Rick McGuirk: I got there, there was no crowd, there was no line. I was able to get in and really, you know, see all of the sights,sit out in the garden, which is lovely, and it has a great cafe there, have a soda and just relax a little bit, recharge a little bit.

Rick McGuirk: And so from there, I walked down past the Hotel Invalides kind of wandered around the outside of it, I didn’t go in. And then wandered back over towards the Eiffel Tower, because while the hop-on, hop-off bus was a bust, my ticket that I had purchased came with one of those boat tours that left from the foot of the Eiffel Tower. I went down to the Eiffel Tower and got down, you know, one of the quays down below it, and got on the bus and had a, you know, a kind of a lovely, one hour just sitting there and getting to see all of the riverfront attractions, well, of which there are.

Annie Sargent: Right. Right.

Rick McGuirk: And it’s a great narration. They do it in French and English. There’s a, you know, a snack bar on the boat, I bought myself a little glass of white wine and was able to, you know, kind of take a picture of the white wine for my family. Yeah, I was laying it on.

Annie Sargent: I like it. I like it.

Rick McGuirk: Yeah. They loved it, too. You know, I joke, but it definitely whetted everybody’s appetite for getting back to Paris. (Mid-roll ad spot)

[00:19:41] Museum de L’Orangerie

Rick McGuirk: So when that was done, it was probably around 6:30 at night, and I was thinking, “Well, maybe it’s time to call it a day,” but I really wasn’t quite ready yet. So I checked online, and the l’Orangerie was open late that night. It was a Friday, I guess it’s open late on Fridays.

Annie Sargent: Ah, okay. Yes.

Rick McGuirk: And I decided, “All right, well, I don’t really feel like walking from the 16th down to l’Orangerie,” so I called an Uber, jumped in the Uber, and it took me kind of down around the Arc de Triomphe, so I got to see that again, and then down the Champs-Élysées, which, you know, again, got to see that again. But the Champs-Élysées down at the bottom, by the Place de la Concorde and the Place de la Concorde itself were totally taken up by Olympic venue stuff.

Annie Sargent: Right. Right.

Rick McGuirk: So he had to drop me off a goodly ways up the Champs-Élysées from the Place de la Concorde, and so, you know, again, walking from there to l’Orangerie, and again, got lucky.

Annie Sargent: But at that point, it’s not that far.

Rick McGuirk: No, no, it’s maybe… maybe a half a mile.

Rick McGuirk: And again, you know, you’re walking in Paris down the Champs-Élysées, how bad is life?So I got there, and again, no line. Lucky, you know, really lucky. And so, was able to go in and really enjoy the water lilies, you know, kind of the room, the circular room with the water lilies, which is obviously a highlight.

Annie Sargent: Yeah.

Rick McGuirk: And also, the rest of the museum, which is kind of, in the basement, as it were.

Annie Sargent: Right, and it’s not huge, but it has some amazing pieces, so it’s well worth going down there, yeah.

Rick McGuirk: You know, kind of in a bang-for-your-buck type of museum, it’s hard to beat that place.

Annie Sargent: It’s one of the places in Paris where, you know, if you look at art prints that people have, well, a lot of them, you will see the original in the basement of the l’Orangerie Museum, you know, very popular kind of pieces.

Rick McGuirk: It is, and again, unlike, say, Musée d’Orsay or the Louvre, it can get crowded, but not like that.

Annie Sargent: Right.

Rick McGuirk: You can almost always get in there reasonably quickly.

Annie Sargent: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Rick McGuirk: And so that was great. From there I decided, I would walk back along the Seine, back up to, you know, the Eiffel Tower, and back to the, you know, the area where I was staying in the 16th.

Annie Sargent: You did a lot of walking.

Rick McGuirk: I did. It was over 32,000 steps.

Rick McGuirk: And covered way more than that in miles in terms of, you know, the bus, and the Uber, and the boat, but you got to do what you got to do. If you only got a day, you got to do what you got to do.

[00:22:13] Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Rick McGuirk: And so, kind of the end of that was finally at around, you know, I guess it was probably around nine o’clock or so, finding a nice brasserie in the 16th, Le Kleber Brasserie.

Annie Sargent: Very good.

Rick McGuirk: You know, I do what I usually do, you know, the bonjour, the bonsoir, asyou kind of, you preached on the podcast forever, you got to start out with the pleasantries and all of that. She obviously knew I don’t speak very good French, because I don’t, but I tried ordering in French, and so from that point on, she decided she was going to have a little fun with me and make me continue to speak French.

Annie Sargent: Oh, good for her.

Rick McGuirk: Yes, yes. I had fun, and she clearly had a little fun at my expense and my, you know, butchered pronunciations of things.

Annie Sargent: That’s all right. That’s all right. Good for you for trying. That’s wonderful.

Rick McGuirk: You know, I find that’s really what people, all people really want, is give it a try. You give it a try, all right? You say bonjour when you first meet someone, you attempt to speak it. Half the time, you know, people who are in a rush will immediately switch to English.

Annie Sargent: Right.

Rick McGuirk: And other times people will, you know, give you a little chance. And my French is rudimentary at best. But if there’s one kind of area where I can almost get by, it’s with food.

Annie Sargent: Oh, good. Survival skills.

Rick McGuirk: Exactly. I like to eat, so, you know… So that was great. And then, finally on the way back to the hotel, I stopped at a corner crêperie and was able to, you know, kind of finish off the night and the trip with a crepe sucre, and you know, sent a picture of that back to the family as well.

Annie Sargent: Very nice.

Rick McGuirk: You know, it’s a lot of walking, and it’s not… I don’t think anybody would say that that’s the way to do Paris, right? But, you know, if you’ve got a day or if you are, you know, kind of on a layover and you’ve got, you know, kind of X number of hours to try and see as much as possible, it’s one way to go.

Annie Sargent: Right. So I would say if you have a layover, if you don’t have at least six hours, it’s probably not worth leaving the airport.

Annie Sargent: But if you have seven hours, say, then hop on a taxi and just go to the one thing you want to see in Paris. For most people, that’s going to be the Eiffel Tower. And as a reminder, even if you don’t have a ticket, even if the lines look long, you can go under the Eiffel Tower without going up, and so just go wait in line for the security. You can go to the shortest security line because they, the security people will not… Despite what it says at the entrance of the lines, the security people will not check whether you already have your ticket or you don’t have your ticket, or you’re going to the restaurant or whatever. They just want to make sure that you’re not bringing in anything dangerous.

Annie Sargent: So just get in line to go through the security check. Of course, you cannot do that with luggage, so if you are on a layover, you have to have minimal stuff with you. A small backpack is ideal.

Annie Sargent: Some places will accept a carry-on kind of a suitcase, but not everywhere. You have to check before you go whether they accept a carry-on suitcase or not.

Annie Sargent: So I don’t know for the Eiffel Tower, I haven’t checked all of these, but that changes anyway, so you should verify. But once you’re through security from underneath the Eiffel Tower, first of all, it’s fun to be under the Eiffel Tower because you can see it, you can touch it, and also, you can also buy a ticket from the app. Like, they have QR codes all over, you flash that, and there’s no need to go wait in line for a ticket. You can buy it from the app, and then you go directly to the elevator line if that’s what you want to do.

[00:26:11] Navigating the Musée d’Orsay

Annie Sargent: For some people, it’s going to be, “I want to go to the Musée d’Orsay,” and you can really see the Orsay Museum in two hours. What you do is you enter,it’s best if you buy your ticket on their website, with the app. You enter, you go to the very back, very, very back, like you touch the very back wall, and there’s the escalator to go up the Musée d’Orsay. And you go up, and you start making your way down, and you get to the beautiful clock. You’re going to get to all the Impressionist things as you make your way down, and then you exit from the front and back in another taxi to get back to the airport.

[00:26:53] Maximizing Your Layover in Paris

Annie Sargent: So it’s doable, but I would say, you had two nights, so you had one evening, the night, and then a complete day. So you started early, and you ended late. And then you slept there, so you didn’t have to make your way to the airport. You had more hours, really, usable hours, let’s put it this way. Because a lot of people have a layover in Paris, but not a lot of that is usable time, I think.

Rick McGuirk: Right. And you’d especially have to factor in the taxi ride in and out, which, you know, could easily be an hour and a half during rush hour. I think you’re right, if you don’t have at least seven hours, don’t bother.

Annie Sargent: Right. And don’t take an Uber from the Paris airport because first of all, Uber, it’s hard to know exactly where they’re going to pick you up, although Uber might solve this problem at some point. But the other thing with Uber is they cannot use bus lanes, which means if it’s going to take you an hour and a half in a taxi, it’ll take you two hours in an Uber.

Annie Sargent: And of course, an hour and a half is a very long time. That would be a bad traffic day in Paris. Typically, it’s more like, super fast is 35 minutes, and average is about 45 minutes, 50 minutes, if everything goes well, and then it can go worse from there.

Rick McGuirk: Yeah.

[00:28:12] Taxi Tips and Tricks

Rick McGuirk: Now, a note on taxis, though, Annie, it’s my favorite way to get in and out of Paris to Charles de Gaulle, but… the last two times we’ve been to Paris we’ve had a little bit of an issue with the taxi driver.

Annie Sargent: Ah.

Rick McGuirk: So, you know, we know from listening to this podcast and from others, that it’s a flat rate.

Annie Sargent: Yes, it is. Yes.

Rick McGuirk: From Charles de Gaulle to the Left Bank, or to the Right Bank, it’s different flat rate for each. In 2019, we had a taxi driver, we got in the car, and he turned on the meter. We got to our hotel, and he basically pointed to the meter, and I said, “No, no, no, flat rate.” And that’s when he decided he no longer could speak English.

Annie Sargent: Uh-huh.

Rick McGuirk: And so, fortunately, I had exact change for the flat rate, and that’s what he got.

Annie Sargent: Right.

Rick McGuirk: And I gave it to him after we got our luggage, and off we went.

Annie Sargent: Yeah.

Rick McGuirk: You know, so a tip for anybody is definitely bring exact change.

Annie Sargent: Yeah, it is best. With taxi drivers, they are… I don’t know why that profession keeps attracting people who like to swindle.

Rick McGuirk: Play games, yeah. And, and the last time we were there, just in April of this year, my wife and I, you know, again tried saying to the guy, do you take card?” He basically was like, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Rick McGuirk: And so we called over the taxi attendant who, you know, basically said to him, “You take card. Knock it off.” But even still, even still, I just decided I’m not going to mess around with the card. I had exact change; I gave him exact change. If they want to play games, they don’t get a tip, right? I mean, it’s just unfortunate.

[00:29:43] Handling Cash in France

Annie Sargent: So for people who just come to France for one trip, you know, that are not return visitors to Paris and don’t have cash with them, I would recommend against ordering cash from your bank, unless you know that they’re not going to give you any bills bigger than 50 euros. Do not accept banknotes bigger than 50 euros. They are very difficult to use in France. I heard of someone who had ordered, like, 1,000 euros, and they got everything in 200 euro bills. Nobody in France uses 200 euro bills. Everybody will think that this is not a real bill. Just do not mess with this. Like, 50 euros is the maximum you should have. So if your bank says, “Yeah, I’ll give you 50 euro bills, however much you want,” then that’s useful.

Annie Sargent: And even then, you know, I would just go to a small store and buy a croissant or something and get change. But sometimes they don’t even want to take your 50 euros, because a croissant is 1.50 or 2 euros or… it’s Paris, it might be expensive. In Toulouse it’s 1.20 Euro. But

Annie Sargent: whatever it is, they need to give you a lot of the change that they have in their cash register just to get you the change for that.

Annie Sargent: So, you have to understand that not everybody is going to want your bigger bills, let’s put it that way. But if you come regularly, just keep euros. Just whatever you have saved up, just keep them.

Rick McGuirk: We look at hanging on to euros as another excuse to come back to Europe. So we do do a little bit of that.

Annie Sargent: I have euros left in this wallet. I need to use them.

Rick McGuirk: Exactly.

[00:31:18] Comfort and Convenience Tips for Paris

Rick McGuirk: You know, some of the things I thought might be helpful for people to think about when trying something like this is, first and foremost, as with any trip like that, you got to have comfortable shoes, in my case, sneakers, right? You’re going to put a lot of miles on your feet. If you’ve been to Paris already, you know that there’s a ton of cobblestone roads, and if you haven’t been to Paris already, fair warning, there’s a ton of cobblestone roads.

Rick McGuirk: And so uncomfortable shoes or heels for women, would be a massive mistake in trying to do something like this. I guess the other things, be sensible about eating and drinking. I drank a ton of water, a fair number of Diet Cokes, and, you know, ate a lot.

Annie Sargent: You need fuel.

Rick McGuirk: You need fuel. Exactly. And the other thing, it’s, you know, perhaps obvious, but use the restroom whenever you get the chance. Because when you’re doing this, there are not just a lot of public restrooms around. So, you know, when I went to the restaurant, I used the restroom. When I went to the Rodin Museum, I used the restroom.

Annie Sargent: Right, and if you have an sudden need, just go into a cafe, order a drink, and immediately go into the restroom, and then come back and get your drink. This is what I do. Or what I do as well, but maybe I pull it off because I’m French, I don’t know, I just walk into a cafe, and I act like I own the place. Like, I just go to the bathroom and come out, and if I don’t really need a drink, I don’t even get a drink. But I don’t do this very often, but it’s happened to me. Like, I’m like, “Oh, just, just sudden urge, you know? Got to, got to go.” It happens.

Rick McGuirk: It happens.

[00:32:51] Public Transportation and Safety

Rick McGuirk: The other thing, I guess, is use, use public transportation, taxis, Uber, Bolt, whatever your choice is strategically.

Annie Sargent: For people who are worried about the taxi drivers ripping them off, which, it, you know, clearly, they never managed to rip you off, but they would’ve liked to. So there is a public, there’s an RER between the airport and Paris Central. When it’s running, it’s very, very good, and it’s running 99% of the time. It goes on, you know, on strike or it broken occasionally, but it works really well. The problem is there are people who know, they’re just waiting for visitors to rip them off, to steal their stuff. What you do in a situation like this is just expect that somebody’s going to try and get your stuff, and then you will be on the lookout, and they won’t even try. Because they are really looking for the easy mark, somebody who’s tired, distracted, perhaps looking at their phone and not paying attention to what’s around them, and they will wait for the doors to open, grab something, rush out, and doors close, and the train moves on, and there’s not a dang thing you can do about it.

Rick McGuirk: Yeah, I would really urge people not to do that, especially on your way in, because unless you sleep really well on a flight and you feel, you know, 100%, you’re going to be tired, and you’re going to be kind of excited and distracted, and all of the things at the start of a vacation that just make that, you know, a really kind of bad idea. I’ve heard enough and seen enough online stories from people who are, you know, sophisticated travelers and not first-timers, who say exactly what the story you just told, that the door opened, somebody grabbed a purse, ran off with it, and never saw them again.

Annie Sargent: Yep, yep. The other thing that you have to keep an eye on a little bit is, the news to see if there’s strikes going on. So, like this week we’ve had slowdowns due to driving schools. Driving schools have a terrible time getting enough slots for exams, for exam dates for their students, and so they decided to do a Operation Escargot, which means they all went with their cars all across the belt route and drove as slow as they could just to make a massive mess.

Annie Sargent: This is allowed in France. It’s a way to protest. So if you know that taxis or driving schools or farmers or people like that are protesting that day when you’re arriving, then it might be wise to get on the underground RER because it’s going to avoid all of this. But generally, if I go to Paris by… If I fly into Paris, I always take a taxi. I’m a taxi person. It’s so much easier, that I just don’t want to do it any other way.

[00:35:54] Tipping Etiquette in France

Annie Sargent: Another thing that I’ve heard more and more is people who are not French speakers getting asked to add a tip, and this is happening in more and more establishments, even around Toulouse. So I just want you to know that the tip is always included when you purchase any food or drink in a restaurant in France. You can leave extra money if you would like to, but if you would not like to, you don’t have to.

Annie Sargent: So, like today, we ate out. For the first time, we tried the Bouillon Capitole in Toulouse. It opened a few months ago, but it was always packed, and so we never went. But today we went for the first time, and after I had paid with my credit card for our part of the meal, I just pulled out a five-euro bill and gave it to the girl who had helped us, and who was very sweet and very kind and served us very quickly, was very patient, explained the menu items as needed and all that, and I just gave her five euros because I felt like it. But if she had asked me, I wouldn’t have. You know what I mean? You don’t have to tip in a restaurant unless you feel like it. But then if you feel like it, why not? You can. It’s fine.

Rick McGuirk: Yeah, you know, the US, ever since COVID, has become, it’s tip crazy here, frankly. I mean, you go to Starbucks, and they’re asking for a tip. It’s almost every service, you know, kind of food service you go to, other than a McDonald’s, there’s a kind of a spot for a tip on the credit card bill, and, yeah. So I think that, you know, we do the same as you in Europe when, you know, when we get good service, we tip.

Rick McGuirk: When we don’t get good service, maybe not.

Annie Sargent: And as a rule, I would say it’s better to tip with cash, so keep a few coins. I mean, I gave her a five-euro bill, which was probably very generous, but that’s fine, she deserved it. If I had had a euro or two, that would have been appreciated as well, they won’t be offended if you don’t leave minimum 10%. Just get that out of your head, it doesn’t apply in France. You don’t need to give a minimum tip. You just give whatever you want. If you want to give a euro, give a euro. If you want to give a $5 bill, give a five-euro bill. It’s fine. Just, it’s up to you. It really disturbs me that waiters are doing this because, yesterday I was with some customers on a day trip, and the lady is a… She was a French teacher her whole career, so her French is good. I can’t remember where they were paying, but it was in Toulouse, she was presented with the credit card payment, “Would you like to tip 5 euros, 10 euros, or 20 euros?”… I don’t know which one she picked, but she felt bad. She was like, “I shouldn’t be doing this,” like, it’s not… I mean, she has been to France many, many times, she’s accompanied groups, but because they asked, she felt like she had to give a tip, and then when it was her sister’s turn to pay for her own meal, she said she found the no tip… It was at the very bottom, and it was harder to see, but she found it and checked that. So, just know that it’s not normal. They should not be asking for a tip, especially not with a credit card reader. If I go to a restaurant with my sister, and we speak French the whole time, they are never going to ask me for a tip. They never. They know I would yell at them. When it’s foreigners, and even if I start speaking English some of the time, they’re like, “Oh, she might be one of them foreigners.” They will ask me! If they ask me, I just don’t give anything.

[00:39:42] France is overall very safe for visitors

Annie Sargent: These are a few tips to know when you’re in France for a short time. But overall, you can have a great time in France. It’s not dangerous at all. Like, you weren’t worried about your friend, your coworker.

Rick McGuirk: No, no, no, not at all. One of the things, if you haven’t been to Paris in a while, they’ve really improved the quays along the Seine, so that they’re much more, kind of user-friendly as ways to get from point A to point B. You know, in years past, I might have been a little bit more concerned about that, but we walked along those for miles, and no concerns at all. I mean, France is a much… or Paris, it certainly is a much safer city than most large cities, in my view, that I’ve been in. I mean, I don’t go outside the, you know, periphery or to some of the areas that may be sketchier, you know, stay in the tourist part. But down there, no concerns at all at any point.

Annie Sargent: Yeah. It is a favorite ofhomeless people, I shouldn’t call them homeless anymore, right? There’s another more…

Rick McGuirk: Unhoused.

Annie Sargent: Unhoused, there you go. That’s the term. Who set up tents, along rivers and canals. This happens a lot in France. The police tries to force them to relocate to some other places. Sometimes there’s a lot of them, and it’s whole buses that get relocated. But they try to not let that happen too much along the banks of the Seine. Along the Canal Saint-Martin, if you go high enough, you will see some of that sometimes. Not all the time, it just depends if it’s been cleared out or not recently.

Annie Sargent: But typically, the banks of the river are very safe and very pleasant, especially, you know, May, June. That’s just fun, you know? Yeah, it’s lovely. And Paris is so beautiful.Anywhere you look, it’s picture-worthy. It’s amazing.

Rick McGuirk: And as I said, when I was there in May of 2024, they were really doing everything they could to beautify the city for the Olympics, they were doing a great job. All of the plants were looking vibrant and well-groomed and recently pruned, and everything…

Annie Sargent: Yeah, it was a beautiful time to be in Paris.

(Mid-roll ad spot)

[00:41:56] Final Tips for a Paris Visit

Annie Sargent: All right, so some last kind of tips for people who want to do this. I mean, we talked about have good shoes. For me, if you have the whole day and the Batobus is running, I think it’s a very good way to do it. Get a ticket for the whole day on the Batobus, start somewhere, and they can give you a brochure that shows all of the interesting things to look at right around that stop, and you could walk through that and… or I can send you that, I have that, you know, just ask me.

Rick McGuirk: The thing I would suggest to anybody is, have a bit of a plan. Don’t just wander. That’s more for a leisurely type of vacation. Map out in your, you know, on your phone or on a map if you’re old school, you know, kind of the four or five different places you want to see, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, whatever it is. But definitely kind of be a bit strategic about it. You’ve only got a kind of a limited amount of time, and if you want to hit those places…

Annie Sargent: Right, and your hotel will probably give you a paper map, and it’s helpful to have a paper map because you can see, even though it’s a representation of Paris, that’s not accurate, accurate, like, the distances may not be on the map, they might be looking closer than what they really are, but at least it gives you an idea of where things are in relationship to one another.

Annie Sargent: And I think it, I mean, it helps me when I’m not from an area, just to look at a paper map and just see more or less, “Ah, okay, this is in this corner, and this is along here, and this comes after that,” and whatever. It really helps me organize, so I’m going to go from this point A to B, C, D, et cetera, and then make my way back or something, you know? But, you know, I write walking tours, so I think like that. I think in, you know, like, “Okay, what’s around me that’s of interest?”… and what should I not miss in this neighborhood? And you can really Google that, just ask Google what is not to miss around Rue blah, blah, blah.

Rick McGuirk: And to that point about Google, it has gotten better every time I’ve been in Europe. It is incredible for both driving, which we’ve done, and for walking. It really will take you right to where you want to go.

Annie Sargent: Google Maps will take you from A to B without any trouble. What it does not have is a thing that says, “Take me from A to B through the most scenic route.” It will usually take you in the shortest route, which is not necessarily the most scenic route.

Annie Sargent: So perhaps if you walked another 10 meters in a different direction first, you’d hook onto a street that happens to be more interesting because it has more stores or whatever it happens to be.

Annie Sargent: So that’s one thing that’s missing where having a VoiceMap tour, for example, would help you, because I make a big point in taking you through the most interesting streets, to the most interesting sites as well. That way you get to see more of Paris in a short time.

Annie Sargent: Because people say, “Oh, be a flaneur.” Okay, great, great. Love it, but if you have a year, you can be a flaneur. If you have a day, that’s a terrible idea.

Rick McGuirk: You need… like I said, have a plan, whether it’s one of your tours, and I’ve done two of them, and they’re excellent, If you’re just more of a map person or a Google person, you know, definitely know at least the highlights you want to hit. And then if you have a little bit more time, maybe you can kind of Google things around the highlights.

Rick McGuirk: But that brings me to, I guess, another thought, and I did this as well, is make sure your phone is fully charged when you set out.

Annie Sargent: Yeah.

Rick McGuirk: And if your phone isn’t going to last the whole day, because you know that, you know, your battery is not as great as it once was, bring along a portable charger, because you do not want to run out of juice, you know, kind of midway through the day and not have the ability to navigate yourself and perhaps even more importantly, take pictures.

Annie Sargent: Yeah. On the side of bus stops in Paris, there is a little slidey metal thing that if you slide it up, there are USB chargers behind that little thing.

Rick McGuirk: Interesting.

Annie Sargent: But then you have to stand there. Like, if you’re taking the bus anyway, you can just get a charge. But yeah, you know your own phone, and just assume that it’s going to be working extra hard because it’s going to be pinging, it’s going to be, you know, looking for towers in these areas, using Google Maps, using VoiceMap tours. It eats up a lot of battery, and you’re constantly taking photos probably. You’re probably sending photos to your family to say, “Neener, neener, neener.”

Rick McGuirk: I didn’t quite use those words, but yeah, kind of.

Annie Sargent: Yeah. So you know, so if you’re doing all of these things, it will use up a lot of power. Even if you have a newish phone, always have a power bank, always have a cable. That’s just the wise thing to do.

Rick McGuirk: Yeah, I mean, I had a,when I was wandering around, I did have a very light, small backpack in which I, you know, kind of kept water and a snack and my spare battery. So that’s not a bad idea either. It’s not a lot of weight, and maybe if you have a purse, that would suffice for that, but for me a backpack did the trick.

Annie Sargent: Yes. And, you know, if you’re in Paris and you want to do selfies, practice the selfies a little bit before you come because it’s always fun to have a photo of you in front of this, a photo of you in front of that, or you with your crepe or with your whatever it is. I swear, your family, or even you seeing, you know, imagine 10 years from now, your phone is, like, bringing up these images.

Rick McGuirk: Oh, yeah.

Annie Sargent: If it’s nothing but images of buildings and things, well, that’s fine, but if you’re in front of it, it’s more interesting, right? There’s a person there, that’s a person that’s changed.

[00:48:01] Reflecting on the Paris Experience

Rick McGuirk: Well, yes, and as I said, you know, there’s little doubt in my mind that me sending those photos back from that walking tour, led directly to us going back, my wife and I going back to Paris, this past April for, you know, for a real vacation.

Annie Sargent: That’s wonderful. Well, and it’s good also that you recognize that there’s a big difference between a real vacation, where you take your time and whatever, and some sort of, like, death march through Paris or something like that.

Rick McGuirk: Yeah, this wasn’t a death march, but it was a lot of walking. I was definitely wiped out by the end, and we have two dogs, so we do a lot of walking.

Annie Sargent: But still, yeah.

Rick McGuirk: It was fun.

Annie Sargent: One time I remember I was working, I was finishing up one of my VoiceMap tours, I don’t remember which one, but it was my last day, and I really wanted to walk again. And then I noticed a different problem, so I had to go back to the apartment, fix it, build it, go walk it again, and I did so much walking that day. And that night, I was taking… I was flying home that day, and by the time I got to the airport, I think I had done 36,000 steps that day. And they announced that my gate had changed, and I was like, “I don’t know if I can walk another step, like, I am dying here.” But I did make it, because I wanted to get home. But, you know, you will reach your limit. Like, at one point, like, I think at 25,000, I’m like, “Hmm, I might be done walking for today.” But then you hit it some more, and some more, and some more, and by the time you get to 30,000, it’s like, oh.

Rick McGuirk: Well, the other thing is, when you’ve got, you know, one day, or like I did, a day and a half, you can do that and not worry about how you’re going to feel tomorrow, really.

Annie Sargent: That’s true.

Rick McGuirk: Because, you know, the next day I was just sitting in an airplane the whole day.

Annie Sargent: Exactly.

Rick McGuirk: But if you’re on, you know, kind of a normal vacation, where you are trying to, you know, kind of do multiple days in a row, you got to take a little bit more time and relax a little bit more.

Annie Sargent: Definitely. Definitely. All right, we’ve been talking a long time, but it’s fun to revisit this fun trip you had and…

Rick McGuirk: Oh, for me as well.

Annie Sargent: Yes, and I encourage people to make the most… You never know, you never know what life is going to throw at you, so while you can, enjoy wherever it is that you are, but if you can do it in Paris, it’s even more fun.

Rick McGuirk: Oh, yes.

Annie Sargent: Merci beaucoup, Rick.

Rick McGuirk: Merci, Annie. Thank you very much.

[00:50:30] Thank You Patrons

Annie Sargent: Again, I want to thank my patrons for giving back and supporting the show. Patrons get several exclusive rewards for doing that. You can see them at patreon.com/joinus. I don’t have any new patrons to thank this week, but my gratitude to all patrons who keep this show going.

Annie Sargent: Would you join them, too? You can do it for as little as three dollars a month, but if you can afford it, I would love to have you pledge more so you have access to more of the rewards. This week, I’m about to go off to the Gers Department, and I’m going to be sharing some video with patrons. So go to patreon.com/joinus, and to support Elyse, go to patreon.com/elysart.

Annie Sargent: You can also explore Paris at your own pace or at your fastest pace with my self-guided tours of Paris on the VoiceMap app.

Annie Sargent: You know, if you love to stroll and get lost a little bit through the charming streets of the Marais, uncovering hidden gems in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, or diving into the history of Montmartre, my tours let you experience the magic of Paris like a local.

Annie Sargent: I also have a tour around the Eiffel Tower that takes you to all the most beautiful places. It will be perfect if you’re just there for a few hours.

Annie Sargent: Each tour is designed to be engaging, easy to follow, and packed with stories and insights that bring the city to life. So download the Voice Map app, choose your own adventure, and let me guide you through the City of Light, one fascinating step at a time.

Annie Sargent: Perfect for travelers who want to explore independently without getting lost.

Annie Sargent: Podcast listeners get an exclusive discount when you buy these tours directly from my website at joinusinfrance.com/boutique.

Annie Sargent: And if you’re planning a more extended trip to France and would like some expert help, you can hire me as your itinerary consultant.

Annie Sargent: If you already have a plan, I’ll help you fine-tune it, and if you’re just feeling overwhelmed by all the choices and not sure what sources to trust, I can design a custom plan for you. You’ll find all the details at joinusinfrance.com/boutique.

[00:52:50] What do the French Presidents eat?

Annie Sargent: When we imagine what French presidents eat, it’s tempting to picture endless banquets of foie gras and silver cloches being lifted at the Élysée Palace. The reality, according to the head chef of the presidential kitchens, is much more down-to-earth.

Annie Sargent: The Élysée kitchens cook for presidents, visiting heads of state, staff, and official events, and the guiding principle is surprisingly simple: seasonal produce, classic French cooking, and balance. Presidents don’t dictate menus day to day, but their preferences are well known and respected.

Annie Sargent: So what about Emmanuel Macron specifically? While the France 3 article doesn’t single him out with a favorite dish, other interviews and reporting fill in the picture. Macron is known to enjoy very traditional French comfort food. One dish that comes up again and again is cordon bleu. Yes, the breaded meat, with ham and cheese.

Annie Sargent: He’s also been described as perfectly happy with a simple omelette with lardon, potatoes, and a green salad for dinner. Nothing fancy, just solid familiar food.

Annie Sargent: He’s also associated with classics like blanquette de veau, another reminder that French presidents often eat much like everyone else, dishes they grew up with, cooked properly without fuss.

Annie Sargent: Wine is part of the table, but in moderation, and there’s a strong emphasis on fresh ingredients rather than heavy sauces every day.

Annie Sargent: What comes through clearly, though, both in the article and what we know about Macron, is that eating at the Élysée is less about luxury and more about tradition, rhythm, and practicality.

Annie Sargent: Presidents may represent France to the world, but when it comes to food, they’re often happiest with the same kinds of meals you’ll find in a good bistro or a French home kitchen.

Annie Sargent: And these are the same classic French dishes that I put in my cookbook, Join Us at the Table. I really wanted to emphasize everyday French foods that you can make at home without fussing too much and without needing to get a whole battery of ingredients, and the chef the Cuisine de l’Élysée, and that’s the most French thing of all.

Annie Sargent: My thanks to podcast editors Anne and Christian Cotovan, who produced the transcripts and the audio.

[00:55:26] Next Week on the Podcast

Annie Sargent: Next week on the podcast, a gripping conversation with Elyse Rivin about La Commune de Paris, one of the most dramatic and revolutionary moments in French history. We’ll dive into the story of Louise Michel, the fiery schoolteacher-turned-revolutionary, who became the face of this bold uprising.

Annie Sargent: This isn’t just history, it’s a tale of courage, rebellion, and the fight for justice that still echoes today. From the barricades of 1871 to the streets of modern Paris, you’ll explore how this movement shaped France and why Louise Michel’s legacy is more relevant today than ever.

Annie Sargent: Don’t miss it.

Annie Sargent: Thank you so much for listening, and I hope you join me next time so we can look around France together. Au revoir!

[00:56:16] Copyright

Annie Sargent: The join us in France Travel Podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Annie Sargent and copyright 2026 by Addicted to France. It is released under a Creative Comments, attribution, non-commercial, no derivatives license.

 

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Categories: First Time in Paris, Paris