Inside Paris: Tips for a Rainy Day {by Amy Thomas}

October has mostly been a wash-out here in Paris which can leave locals and visitors alike feeling crestfallen – what about those long walks atop growing piles of crunchy leaves in the Tuileries Gardens? Sad, I know. Even faced with relentless rain, author Amy Thomas thinks there’s plenty to make any Paris experience special.  When I think of my favorite moments in Paris, they’re the ones I’ve spent bombing down the streets on a Velib or exploring the different quartiers on foot—stumbling past beautiful boutique vitrines, admiring the doorways and courtyards, and suddenly realizing you’ve been adrift for hours. In other words, they’re moments that require the weather gods’ full cooperation. And anyone who’s spent any time in Paris knows “cooperation” does not often pair with “weather.” It can be unforgivably cold, rain for days, and inspire desires to curl up in a warm ball inside. What you need when the weather turns is a plan. Or my three-pronged strategy for Inside Paris: art, transportation and tea.

Art Museums are the obvious choice for escaping the outdoors. So obvious that the whole city (or at least its millions of tourists) seems to flock to the Louvre or Musée d’Orsay on…

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