I will be visiting Paris the first week of April with my 17 yr.old daughter. Although, I have plenty things planned for us to do during the day. Mostly, sight seeing and museums and such. Can anyone suggest appropriate things to do in the evening? We would like to experience as much of the french culture as possible in our short stay. We hate shopping. Also, what time does the sun set in the beginning of April?
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one thing you might consider if you can adjust to it, the evening meal is taken very late in europe, even as late as 9pm. So, if that works for you, you can do your sightseeing until 6pm or so, go back to the hotel to nap or freshen up then go to dinner.
also, check the museum schedules, some of them are open late at least one night a week. I don%26#39;t have specifics but I%26#39;m guessing it will be light until around 7pm or so? you could check the weather channel website and that should give you some info on hours of daylight, average temps, etc.
one thing to do if you like churches is visit a few of them for evening services. They look completely different than in the daytime. there are also classical music performances and inexpensive tickets to the ballet, plays, operas, etc.
hope that helps, I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll get lots of other replies too. :)
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I took my 15 and 17-year-old daughters to Paris in May. Dinner can be an event in itself. Our evening itineraries:
* Dinner picnic on the Champ de Mars at the base of the Eiffel Tower. You%26#39;re in luck, it will light up and twinkle earlier for you than in the summer. Sunset was about 9 p.m. at the end of May. You may want to check a weather website to find out sunset in April. Prepare for it to be pretty cool in the evenings.
* We ate dinner, then went on a nighttime Seine Cruise. Since it will be cooler in April, you may want to take the cruise earlier - before the sun goes down fully - then eat dinner. IT will be warmer that way.
* My girls really enjoyed having dinner and wandering around the Latin Quarter. There are lots of street entertainers that they liked. They also liked having gyros at one of the Greek places - it reminded them of home. 4.50 euros for gyro, fries and coke.
*I wanted to see Paris from Sacre Couer at sunset, but we didn%26#39;t have enough evenings to get it in.
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I second the Latin Quarter. We stayed just a block or so from Notre Dame on Rue St. Jacques and thoroughly enjoyed the area at night. People are up and wandering till all hours. Shops are open. It%26#39;s easy to get something to eat.
Especially enjoyed being around Notre Dame at night...saw fire-eaters, young people playing boules, sketch artists, other entertainers. It%26#39;s fun to just kind of hang around and peoplewatch.
Directly across the Seine, near the intersection of Rue du Petit Pont and Quai de Montebello, is the famous Shakespeare %26amp; Company bookstore which is open till about 10 pm. (The front of it faces the side of Notre Dame). It has a fascinating history
and is great fun to wander around in.
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Just Grace is right: no need to go out for dinner before 20h30/21h00 (just being nasty to get you used to European hour writing! ). And dinners are a lengthy affair in France: you won%26#39;t be out before 22h30/23h00. Time for a stroll, and to bed.
Early April, it should be dark at about 19h00.
For fun, you might try to go to the movies to see a subtitled American movie (check for the %26quot;VO%26quot; mention, that specifies %26quot;version originale%26quot;). OK, it%26#39;s just another movie, but the cinema going culture is quite different over here than in the States: different commercials, different attitudes, less munching (well, it depends on the movie and the neighborhood). And it%26#39;ll be for your French (reading the subtitles of course, they are mesmerizing even when your own language is being spoken).
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