Foire de Paris is from April 29 – May 8 at Porte de Versailles.
Spring is in the air. How about a short trip to Paris? Take a bike tour or a new shopping tour of Paris, or if it rains, see “Founding Myths: From Hercules to Darth Vader” at the Louvre, or attend Foire de Paris at the Porte de Versailles, the largest home show in Paris for 111 years.
Source: The 36 Best Things To Do In Paris – April 2016 | Paris Insiders Guide
As my website says, it’s always the right time to travel to Paris; it’s just a matter of figuring out what you want to do while there. Here I’ve featured my top 5 picks from Paris Insiders Guide for April 2016.
April in Paris usually hovers around 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), so it is still wise to wear layers. While you make think of London for sudden downpours, Paris is known for them too, so a sturdy umbrella and a pair of waterproof walking shoes are musts. Still, bring your sunglasses: You’ll experience the first spring sunshine, and if you go anywhere near the Seine River, you’ll need them!
A bike tour guide at Tuileries Gardens.
Paris Classic Bike Tour. See Paris like a local on a Paris Classic Bike Tour or Paris Nighttime Bike Tour. The Classic version is a 4-hour, 6-mile guided tour of the best sites the city has to offer. You’ll stop every few hundred yards for information and photo-ops, so children and non-cyclers can easily keep up. There is a break at a cafe in Tuileries Gardens. If you’re a night owl, or simply want to see the city lit up at night, consider the Nighttime Bike Tour, which is 4 hours 30 minutes: more riding and less information than the day tour, but it includes a 1-hour cruise on the Seine River with wine included.
Classic Bike Tour
If you would rather take your own bike tour of Paris, there are bike rentals all over the city.
Price:
Adult: $38.67 each
Child: $36.39 each (4-11 years)
Child: Free (0-3 years)
As you might imagine, the City of Light is so well lit at night, there is little problem seeing in the dark.
Nighttime Bike Tour
Price:
Adult: $50.04 each
Child: $47.77 each (4-11 years)
Child: Free (0-3 years)
Fashion-Savvy Paris Shopping Tour. Learn where to purchase couture brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Dior at discounted prices like a local Parisienne. This is a true insiders’ tour: you’ll visit shops owned by fashion editors and photographers where designer clothing and accessories are sold right off the catwalk. You’ll also attend one or more workshops held by up-and-coming designers trained in Paris fashion houses.
The tour is 3 hours for a small group, and begins and ends at a cafe in the 6th arrondissement.
Price:
Adult: $139.29
Child: $102.45 (ages 3-7 years)
Child: Free (ages 0-2)
The energy of the Latin Quarter comes alive at night.
St. Germain des Pres & Latin Quarter Walking Tour. Meet your guide near the Pantheon and walk through St. Germain des Pres and the Latin Quarter, a lively area and former bohemian quarter where artists of all types lived and worked. In a small group limited to 12, you will also eat charcuterie (cold cooked meats) and play a game of French boules, the ball game you often see children and older men playing. Before ending at the Notre Dame Cathedral, you’ll visit Shakespeare & Co., likely the most famous bookstore in Paris.
Price: Adult $53.85 This is a special price for travel until August 31. Click on link below for children’s rates.
Duration: 3.5 hours
Unlikely bedfellows? This exhibit proves not.
Founding Myths – From Hercules to Darth Vader. The names of modern day heroes may change, but the mythological heroes they are based on don’t. Learn the connection between past and present heroes — from the Japanese manga to Star Wars — by viewing 70 pieces of artwork in 4 galleries at the Louvre. The last gallery is an exhibit of modern interpretations of these characters in television, film, and cartoons.
Location: The Louvre, La Petite Galerie, Richelieu Wing
Hours: Every day from 9:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M., except Tuesday. Open until 9:45 P.M. on Wednesday and Friday. Exhibit runs until July 4.
Admission: 15 euros (permanent collections & exhibitions)
Phone: +33 01 40 20 53 17
Metro: Louvre-Rivoli, Line 1
Exhibit Website You can purchase tickets here and download a pdf Exhibition booklet for children.
Foire de Paris at Porte de Versailles.
Foire de Paris – The Grand Paris Expo. The Foire de Paris (Paris Fair) is the largest general purpose retail fair in Europe. This year, it offers 3500 brands in Europe (in House & Lifestyle, as well as Arts & Crafts & Culture of the World, Well-Being Fashion & Accessories, Leisure & Everyday Life, and Wine & Gastronomy); many products are for sale at a discount to the general public. Be sure to click the link to the map of the pavilions before you go: the exhibit is huge! Oh, and registration is 100% online.
Location:
Porte de Versailles
1 Place de la Porte de Versailles
75015 Paris
Phone: +33 01 40 68 22 22
Cost: 12.50 euros, Registration online
Hours: April 29 – May 8, 10:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M. every day; closing time 10:00 P.M. on Tues May 3 and Fri May 6.
Metro: Porte de Versailles, Line 12
Je pars pour jouer boules! (I’m off to play boules!)
Au revoir!
Foire de Paris from ParisInsidersGuide.com, CCBY 2.0. Tuileries Gardens, Fat Tire Bike Tour by David McKelvey, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of bikes for rent by CanStockPhoto. Boulevard St. Germain at night by Joao Andre O. Dias, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Fashion Savvy Beautiful Girl by CanStockPhoto. Latin Quarter by Miguel Bernas, Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Image of Hercules, Japanese Manga & Darth Vader from ParisInsidersGuide.com, CCBY 2.0. Foire de Paris exhibit space by Jerome S., Flickr, CCBY 2.0. Game of Boules by Loki1973, Flickr, CCBY 2.0.