Running in Paris and Chamonix

I don't know anything about Chamonix, but there have been several good threads about running in Paris - just use the search function on Lets Run.

One of the best runs I ever did there was very early morning, really first light. We were staying near the Arc de Triomphe, and at hour there was virtually no traffic. We just ran along the streets, made our way over to the Eiffel Tower and ran right under it - no one at all there - and then proceeded quite a ways along the river. After a while, we crossed back over on a bridge and found our way to the Louvre and the gardens around it, and then completed the circuit right down the Champs de Elysee. Great run - will always remember it. The key was doing it very very early.

The other place we ran a lot was in the Bois de Boulogne. It is jogger central on weekend mornings - there's a path around a lake there, plus you can just head off in any direction and will usually find paths alongside the roads. It gets pretty funky there in the late afternoons and early evenings - lots and lots of prostitutes hanging out on the edge of the woods. It was me and my son, and didn't have any problems - it was actually pretty entertaining - but I don't think I'd be there with a woman. Morning and mid day are fine.

We got lost plenty of times and just stopped and asked for directions. I speak very little French, but I would always start off at least trying - 'Bonjour. Perdon -- je ne parle pas le francais bien. Parlez vous anglais? ' Everyone was really really friendly and helpful - not everyone spoke great English, but somehow we managed to communicate and laugh quite a bit, and never really got super lost.

I really liked it there and want to go back. Hope you have a good trip.

Thanks! That's how I explored both Boston and DC. I went out and saw a lot of the sights around 5 or 6 AM. In DC, I was virtually alone at most of the monuments. Good opportunity to take great pictures, too.

Then, after my runs, I usually have to do the typical crowded sightseeing with my various non-running travelling partners. It's like night and day!! I still think running at dawn is the best way to really see a city.

Thanks again for the recommendations.