Headed to Paris...HELP!!

[Kevin D.]

Hey all,

My wife and I are going to the Expo in July. Napoleon's tomb and Waterloo are high on my bucket list. I would very much appreciate any thoughts on those two subjects, (hints and tips) as well as ideas of how to entertain ourselves and what to see in the following 7 days after the show. MUCH APPRECIATED.

I hope I get to meet a bunch of y'all that I've messaged with over the years.



Kevin D.

 

[socko47]

Kevin,
Not an easy answer as there is SO much to see, just in Paris. Next to, on the same grounds, to Napoleon's tomb is the Musee de Armies also known as Hôtel National des Invalides. You can easily spend all day just looking at the exhibits. There is a separate building on the grounds with a room of toy soldiers and a large room of landscapes of military outposts. See this just released issue of the Scabbard for a recent article: file:///C:/Users/joseph/Downloads/Scabbard Issue 1 2025.pdf
There is an excellent WWI museum about an hour outside of Paris called: https://www.museedelagrandeguerre.com/en/great-war-museum/
It is reachable by public transportation. All info under the exhibits are in French but I do not think you will find more manikins in full uniform anywhere. Another all day event.
There is a WWII resistance museum in Paris just across from the Catacombs: https://www.museeliberation-leclerc-moulin.paris.fr/en
That is just some of the military sites....there are a lot of art museums to say the least. Walking, clothing, outdoor food markets, restaurants, and flea markets are draws to Paris.
You just have to decide where your interests will draw you.
.

 

[Oda]

You are sure going to have a great time,Paris is a lovely city.Are you visiting Belgium as well? I am asking because you said you'd like to visit Waterloo.

Oda.

 

[NigelR]

Like the others said, the Musee de l'Armee (Hotel des Invalides) is amazing, definitely worth a whole day and it's close to the Eiffel Tower if you fancy going up that. The Expo is obviously next to the Palais de Versailles which may be worth a visit, although reviews say it is often crowded and there's not a lot to see inside the Palais itself. I haven't been but I plan to visit while I am there for the Expo because I am interested in the history of revolutionary France.

While in Paris, I would recommend dinner with your wife on one of the Bateaux Mouches. It's a bit touristy but my wife and I did this while visiting Paris and we had a lovely evening.

If you are headed to Brussels, I would recommend visiting the Parc du Cinquantenaire. There are four museums there (military, aviation, cars and art). I only went to the military museum and had a fantastic collection of WWI artifacts. The other museums also look interesting.