Explore Hidden Paris
Discover top tips and recommendations when visiting Paris from the staff of Shannon Airport. Read all about Don's weekend escape to Paris from Shannon!
Don (Head of IT at Shannon Airport), lived in Paris for a few years and is just back from a trip to the city of lights! We caught up with Don to hear all about his most recent visit.
Don, you are just back from Paris, tell us about your flight to Orly.
Well it was great! Vueling are a fantastic airline to fly with a very modern aircraft and the crew were wonderful.
Of course, the ease of getting through Shannon is great, just minutes from the carpark to the gate. We travel light and with the new security screening system at Shannon, we could bring our liquids on board which was great.
You lived in Paris, tell us about your favourite spots
Let’s start at the very beginning – where to stay when you fly to Orly? Hotels in Paris are notoriously small, the closer to the centre the smaller (and more expensive) they become. So, Tip #1, stay outside the city and look at RER B (public transport) as your new best friend! Stay in Antony (less than 10 minutes from the airport) and you’re just 20 minutes from the centre of Paris by train.
No-one will believe that you’ve been to Paris unless you can show them a photo of the Eiffel Tower! But it gets quite crowded (and I’m not one for heights anyway!). So, Tip #2, seek out the Place du Trocadéro (Metro 9 or RER C will get you close) and you will get the best views of the Eiffel Tower possible. Buy roasted chestnuts or a baguette from a local seller and enjoy the view and ambience.
If you have a museum on your to do list by all means head to the Lourve, but I’d go a little bit off the beaten track here. So, Tip #3, spend an afternoon in Musée d'Orsay (RER C or Metro 12 will bring you there). Revel in the incredible works of such geniuses as Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Rodin, and Degas (and stop to take a photo out of the small porthole window that looks out onto the Eiffel Tower)
I always avoid the Irish Pub when I’m on holidays, there are some good ones in Paris but . . . So, Tip # 4, if you’re feeling a little homesick, head to Centre Culturel Irlandais (Metro 10 or RER B will get you close). Fascinating history and always an event or two happening in “Ireland in Paris”. If you’re there on a Sunday morning, join Fr. Jim at 11:30 for mass and a cuppa afterwards (tell him Don sent you!).
Monmarte is where you’ll get the most marvellous view across the city (it’s on the top of the hill where you’ll also find the gem called Sacré Coeur). So, Tip # 5, sit on the steps of Sacré Coeur to watch the sun setting (or rise!) with the musicians, rappers, dancers, and the rest of the world (Metro 2 will get you close, take the Funiculaire if you also want to avoid the steps up to the top).
For some local cuisine and a great atmosphere, then you should head to the small streets around Boulevard Saint-Michel for food and drinks (I’m not telling you how to get there 😉). So, Tip # 6, dine (and sometimes dance) with the locals by taking a trip down (all the way down!) Rue Mouffetard for lunch or dinner (Metro 7 will get you close).
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If classical music (for free!) is your thing, check out what might be on before you head to Paris. So, Tip # 7, spend some time listening to fantastic music and song (there are free recitals every weekend) at Église Saint-Eustache (it’s beside Chatelet where Metro 1, 4, 7, 11, 14 or RER B will get you close).