Subject: Paris
DW and I just returned from two weeks in Paris. We stayed in an apartment in the 9th Arr. that we rent from a friend, where we've stayed each spring since 2021. I offer here some observations that may be useful to folks who may be traveling to Paris soon.

1. Much of the city, including CDG airport, benefitted as a result the recent Olympics: better signage, easier to get around on public transit, widened sidewalks in some key areas, generally tidier, and even more variety of dining options.

2. Public transit pricing and options have changed in several ways, mostly for the better. The old paper tickets are being phased out. The way to go now is with a Navigo card, either a plastic one or a virtual one on your cellphone. With the latter, you can buy tickets right on your phone. Download the Bonjour RATP and/or IDF Mobilites apps. There are some subtle differences between the apps, but we downloaded both. If you buy fares with either app, they end up on the virtual Navigo card on your phone, which on an iPhone is most conveniently stored in the Wallet. With the card in your Wallet, you don't even need to open your phone to use it. Just plunk your phone down on the reader as you enter the Metro or train (RER) turnstile or the door of the bus, and voila!

3. We use public transit exclusively. That includes going from/to CDG, because we travel with carry-on bags only, even when we're gone for a month or longer. To use the RER B train from CDG, you'll save yourself a lot of time if you download the transit app(s) onto your phone ahead of time and buy your ticket into the city (13 Euros) on the phone. We bought these tickets on our phones when we landed, and it saved us at least 30 minutes standing in line at the kiosks or at the transit counter. Note: Each traveler should have their own ticket on their phone. If you try to buzz more than one person through using the same phone, it won't work. (Actually, it's possible to make it work, e.g., with kids who don't have their own phones, but you need to read the fine print about how to store multiple Navigo passes (not tickets, but distinct passes) on one phone.)

4. Please, I beg you: don't regard Paris as an amusement park in which the objective is to move as quickly and efficiently from one attraction to the next via an attack plan comparable to that of a military assault. The single best thing to do in Paris is to walk around, with no objective other than to observe the city and its people and stop as you wish in one of the gorgeous parks, little squares, or on the terrace of one the ubiquitous cafes, bistros, and brasseries. The Seine is lovely to stroll along. The parks--not only the more well-known ones, such as Luxembourg Garden and the Tuileries but also Jardin des Plantes, Parc des Buttes Chaumont (my favorite), Parc Monceau, Parc Georges Brassens, and Parc Montsouris, to name a few--are utterly lovely and quickly accessed by Metro or bus. The market streets--e.g., Rue Montorgueil, Rue Cler, Rue Daguerre--are delightful. We're on Rue des Martyrs pretty much daily.

5. Get date/time tickets online and well in advance for the big things--e.g., Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Musee d'Orsay, Versailles. You can get a (free) date/time ticket to Notre Dame Cathedral, but it's not required; and if you go first thing in the morning or in the early evening (check opening hours online), the unreserved line is typically short and moves fairly quickly even at peak times. We had not been inside since the fire, and it was breathtaking to behold.

6. Many of the smaller museums are wonderful. Depending on your tastes, consider Musee Rodin, Musee Marmottan Monet, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Arts & Metiers, and Carnavalet (free!), to name a few.

7. If you possibly can, get outside of Arrondisements 1 through 8 and the Sacre Coeur area to see a bit of the "real" Paris. In the past few years we've walked through not only every one of Paris's 20 Arrondisements but even all 80 of its quartiers (plus Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincenne). A few neighborhoods are gritty or uninteresting or both, and there are a handful I'd not venture into at night, but we had no issues in any of them. To the contrary, we found friendly people and things of interest virtually everywhere. Just use big-city common sense. A few of our favorite experiences included: lunch at La Recyclerie, a combination urban farm, community center, and bistro along the abandoned beltway railroad at the northern edge of the city in 18th; a walk through the former village of Charonne, on the eastern edge of the 20th, with its charming old church and relaxing bistros along the ancient Rue Saint-Blaise; and apéro aboard the Annette K., a boat moored on the the banks of the Seine near Parc Andre Citroen, in the southwestern corner of the 15th. I think you will enjoy and remember experiences such as these more than you will snapping a selfie with the Mona Lisa.