We arrive in Paris Apr. 5th (pre-cruise visit) and will stay 4-5 days. We have never been for any length on time, only overnight. Will 4-5 days give us a good feel for the city? I especially would like your input on hotels/area's for our stay. We want to be in the middle of things, walk everywhere....if I may, something that parallels when we are in Rome. We usually don't stay in the Via Veneto area, rather, we like the Campo di Fiori area (P. Navona). Merci!!

Kimmi - we have just booked our first trip to Paris for three nights before Grand Prix. I did a lot of research on hotels and we finally settled on Chambiges Elysses, its a smaller boutique hotel walking distance to the Champs Elysse, the Louve, Eiffle tower and the river and maybe even Arc de Triomphe. I also thinks its walking distance, although maybe a bit of one, to the Latin Quarter and the Left Bank St. Germaine area. We fingure if we do all that we will have seen a lot in our 2 1/2 days. The hotel is pretty reasonably priced and included breakfast. We upgraded from the classic room to the deluxe. You can check it out here, www.hotelchambiges.com. We know some friends who stayed there a few years back and they raved about it, the staff, the location.

I have also checked out several restaurants that are walking distance and I can pass the names of those along if you like. I got a couple of guide books as well.

Since you are going first, you can tell us all about it and give us some tips
:D

Thanks so much, JoAnn! I will ride your coat tails w/the research ;) I seem to be more slack w/researching our trips as the years go by.... Yes, pls pass on all restaurant suggestions! I am going to ck out the hotel right now.

Kimmi, Hotel Dacia by the Sorbonne is my favorite.

http://hoteldacia.com/

Location by the Sorbonne is great; so is price. It is right on RER from CDG if you want; just need to pull suitcase up the stairs. We walked everywhere or used Metro or RER; excellent locations for RER trains not only to CDG but also Disney and Versailles.

Marc

Thank you, Marc! Sounds good, I will check it out! :hello1: to the wifey!

Nothing wrong with either suggestion, but Marc's is more Campo di Fiori, JoAnn's more Via Veneto. ;)

I would recommend a three star hotel in the 5th or 6th arrondissement (Latin Quarter/St. Germaine) to get more of a real feel for the city. Make sure you're within walking distance of a metro stop as you can get to anything without having to be around the corner from a monument. Better to be in a fun neighborhood! Mais oui?

Cute Suzanne, LOL. Actually we ended up picking the hotel based on our friend's recommendation but we just loved it and I went thru a lot of them. Price was pretty good too compared to others, we wanted a 4**** minimum because I am a Princess!!! :ohmy:

JoAnna, nothing wrong with being a Princess!! Thanks, Suzanne-i was actually leaning towards the Latin Quarter vicinity (or maybe a lil closer in). Don't get me wrong, we aren't in the middle of the 200 drunk college students in Camp di Fiori at 2am....but we may be passing by them around that time. I find that when we stay in a "foo-foo" area, we tend to not spend as much time there. But I definitely want to be within walking distance or a metro stop away from everything.

Kim - I would enthusiastically echo Suzanne's suggestion to stay in the 5th or 6th arrondisement. I prefer the 6th (St. Germain) just a bit to the 5th (Blvd. St. Michel). The street life at night in both is exciting; but it is a bit more upscale in the 6th (fewer drunken students around than in the 5th, which is closer to the Sorbonne and other colleges along Blvd. St. Michel). If you get too far east in the 5th, it can become a bit dreary and a long way from most of the prime sites of the city.

I would suggest that you try to find a hotel west of Blvd. St. Michel and south of the Jardin du Luxembourg. Hotel de Buci is a lovely boutique hotel across the street from a marvelous small street market and right in the heart of the St. Germain area, a few minutes from the Seine and a very easy walk to Notre Dame.

As for good things to do during your visit to Paris, I will try to find the suggestions that I made a couple of years ago for Ngaire's first AMA river cruise. A stay of 4-5 days should certainly give you a very good sense of the wonderful city.

If I can find Freddie's Guide to Paris, I'll post it here.

Cheers, Fred

Kim - Here is the first one that I posted:

Hi, Jim - I have had the good fortune over the years of showing many friends, relatives, and business colleagues a bit of Paris, anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks. I am not sure where you're staying; so I can't tell you how close you are to certain things. Therefore, I will simply give you some suggestions of my favorite things to do and see in Paris. Much will depend upon your inclination to walk, to take the Metro, to spend time in museums, etc.

Frankly, the time of year you'll be there may not be ideal in terms of weather, as Paris can be cool and rainy in the winter. But, and this is a very positive but, there won't be zillions of tourists. So, for what it is or ain't worth, here are some ideas:

Best views in Paris:

1. From the top of the Eiffel Tower. Of course, you certainly must go to the top for the best views; but the restaurant on the first level - Altitude 95 - is quite decent and has wonderful views, especially at lunch when it's not so crowded and you may be able to get a table by the windows. Here's the Eiffel Tower restaurant website: http://www.restaurants-toureiffel.com/ Here's the main website for the Eiffel Tower: http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/ There's a very fancy and very expensive restaurant in the tower called Jules Verne. I've read that it's quite good but not worth the $$$ compared to other high-end restaurants in Paris. It's also fairly dressy, which irritates me.

2. From the steps in front of the church of Sacre Coeur in Montmartre. (See below for more dope about this neighborhood.)

3. From the top of the Grande Arche de la Defense - http://www.grandearche.com/international/english.html Most tourists don't do that last one because they don't go out to the high-rise business complex of La Defense. But it's a very cool perspective of the city, as the Grande Arche is in line with the Arc de Triomphe and the smaller Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel at the Louvre end of the Tuileries Gardens. Thus, you get a splendid view of the main corridor of Paris. Quite spectacular. When you take the train or metro there, don't get off at the station nearer the Seine (Esplanade de la Defense) because you will then have to walk the whole length of La Defense (quite a long ways) before you get to the Grande Arche. Rather, get off at the station called La Defense (or maybe it's called La Defense Grande Arche).

Do you have a map of Paris yet? If not, you can get one at Barnes & Noble or Borders. There will almost certainly be free maps of the city at your hotel, usually provided by Galeries Lafayette, one of the big department stores.

Here are some random remarks about several of my favorite places and things to do:

1. Notre Dame - When you visit Notre Dame, try to go up in the tower. The views from the top of the towers are wonderful and it's fun to see the gargoyles up close. You also get a much better sense of the remarkable aspects of gothic architecture when you are in the towers. As I recall, the entrance to the towers is via a separate ticket booth around to the left side of the cathedral (left side if you're facing the cathedral). The steps are pretty steep and worn stone; so wear good shoes. Another good thing to do at Notre Dame is to walk all the way around it on the outside. Most people never see it from the back. There is a nice little rose garden at the back as well.

2. Sacre Coeur - The best way to get there is to take the Metro to the Pigalle stop and then walk up the hill to the church (or to the Funiculaire de Montmartre which takes you the last ways up and saves quite a few steps). Montmartre is an interesting neighborhood to walk through on the way to the church. Just around the corner from the church is the Place du Tertre, which has all kinds of (mostly terrible) artists and (mostly mediocre) restaurants. But it is great to visit, both during the day and at night. If the weather is good, it is fun at night because all of the restaurants set up outdoor sections in the square. Even though the restaurants there are only okay and are a bit expensive, it's a real Parisian tourist experience. I like to find an outside table and just have some wine and a basket of frites (fries) and maybe some moules (mussels) and watch the whole scene.

3. Sainte Chapelle - The most beautiful gothic church in Paris (and probably anywhere in Europe) is this little jewel box. It's in the complex of the Palais de Justice, just a block or two west of Notre Dame on the Ile de la Cite. You enter through the gates on the Blvd. du Palais and then follow the signs to the ticket booth for the church. You enter on the lower chapel level, which isn't too interesting. Then, you go up the little staircase into the magnificent upper chapel, which has fantastic stained glass windows. A few years ago, a business colleague of mine was in Paris and went to Ste. Chapelle at my suggestion. When he returned, he told me the place was pretty boring. It turned out that he never went to the upper chapel and thought the whole place was the lower chapel, duh!!

4. Tuileries - In the fall, the Jardin des Tuileries can be quite quite lovely, with the leaves of the chestnut trees turning color. Even if they aren't, it's fun to walk through the gardens and look at the statues. A stroll from the Arc de Triomphe du Carousel by the Louvre through the Tuileries, and then down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe is a genuine Paris experience.

5. Versailles - Try to go on a week-day, as it can be very crowded on week-ends. The only reason to go on a week-end would be if the fountains will be running. They're magnificent and might balance the negative aspect of big week-end crowds. The best way to get there is by the RER (regional train). After touring the chateau, wander about the grounds. They are quite beautiful.

6. River Seine tour boats - Along the quais near the Eiffel Tower are a number of services offering city cruises on the Seine. It is very touristy and absolutely a must to do. If the weather is good, pick one that has seats outside on the top deck. They're good both during the day and at night and give you a totally different sense of the lay-out and architecture of the city. I would advise against taking a lunch or dinner cruise, as they are expensive for dreary food and, more importantly, you'll be distracted from the wonderful viewing of the city. If you can do it, try a cruise during the day and another at night. Most of the monuments and important buildings are lit up at night and quite cool.

7. Getting Around - The Metro (and for places like Versailles, the RER) is the way to go. A several day pass will be the best deal.

8. Picnics & snacks - Toss into your checked (not carry-on!!!) luggage a good pocketknife, corkscrew, and a couple of metal or heavy plastic glasses (we don't take wineglasses - we just take small tumblers) for picnics away from your hotel. That way, if the mood suits you, you can buy a baguette, some cheese, sausage, a bottle of wine, and some tasty pastries and have the best food experience in France.

9. The Louvre - People tend to overdose at the Louvre by trying to see the whole collection at once. My strong advice is to spend no more than two or three hours there at a time. After that, you just get punchy and all the art starts to fog together. There is no requirement to see every stupid painting there anyway. I love the museum but will not spend more than two hours there at a time. The museum passes allow multiple visits, as I recall.

10. People Watching - Parisians like to spend time at cafes just sitting, chatting, sipping coffee, wine or beer. It is lots of fun to do the same at any of the hundreds of outdoor cafes, particularly in the Latin Quarter, along Blvd. St. Germain or the intersection of Rue de Buci and Rue du Seine.

Any specific questions, fire away. Paris is my favorite big city; and I love to do anything I can to help friends discover its delights.

A few more ideas for spending your time in my favorite city in the world:

Paris Opera House - It's absolutely gorgeous inside, well worth a visit (and, I think, included in the Museum Pass if you get that pass).

Pompidou Museum - Unless you really love modern art, it is not worth the bother to go to this museum. The building itself is hideous - it looks like an oil refinery. The layout of the collection is very confusing. (You might have guessed that although I love modern art, I hate the Pompidou.)

If you like Rodin sculpture ("The Thinker", etc.), a visit to the Rodin Museum, which is housed in a lovely old villa called Maison Biron (or something like that) is fun. Rodin's sculpture is quite sensual and wonderfully displayed at this museum.

The Tomb of Napoleon in the Museum de l'Armee at Hotel des Invalides is worth a visit. You will also note that for some of his generals, their bodies will be in one museum or church and their hearts will be in another!! Creepy, no???

When you are on the Left Bank, you will be close to my two favorite markets in Paris, which are very different from each other:

First, the street market in Rue de Buci is a classic local French market, with a number of wonderful shops, selling everything from fish to cheese to bread. It's at the intersection of Rue de Buci and Rue de Seine (as I recall). You'll find Rue de Buci just a block or two before Blvd. St.-Germain when going from the Seine towards Blvd. St.-Germain.

My other favorite food market in Paris is the incredible food hall of the Bon Marche - La Grande Epicerie de Paris, 38, rue de Sèvres. It's a wonderful adventure in French food. It's also the best place I can think of to get some goodies for a picnic, either in a park or in your hotel room. I can’t find an English website; but here is the French one:

http://www.lagrandeepicerie.fr/en/html/services/services.htm

The store is located just south of the intersection of rue de Sevres and Blvd. Raspail, a block or two from the Metro station "Sevres-Babylone". If you simply google, La Grand Epicerie, you'll get a map and loads of comments about the fantastic store, which some people consider to be better than the glorious Food Halls at Harrod's in London. (I have to disagree with that sentiment; but I remain convinced that La Grand Epicerie is a worthy stop on a visit to Paris.)

The food halls at Lafayette Gourmet in the Galleries Lafayette at 48 Blvd. Haussman are also quite good, although not nearly as vast as those at La Grande Epicerie. Have fun. Yumm, yumm!!

A bientot for now. Cheers, Fred

Kim - Both of my posts were on a long thread that began in 2008. The name of the thread is:

"PARIS" Christmas Wonderland River Cruise 12/12/2009 ROLL CALL

The thread is on the "B&K 2009 Escorted Cruises and Tours" forum.

There are a number of other good suggestions for hotels and things to do in Paris. Worth a review.

Have fun planning. Cheers, Fred

I love staying in the St. Germaine area. It is really fun and central to just about everything. Hotel Christine and Hotel D'Abusson are my two favorite Paris hotels in the St. Germaine area. They are really charming, romantic, in hip areas, walkable everywhere, close to lots of restaurants and I've never been disappointed there. They can be a bit pricey, but I am a princess. Sometimes you can get good deals. The service is lovely and the breakfast is great and included. The hotels are close to one another. I usually stay at whichever is cheaper. The service is great at both. There is a wonderful jazz bar at the D'Abusson. A less desirable area, since it is a bit further from the attractions, but another wonderful hotel, is the Victoria Palace. It's near great restaurants, shopping, and close to metro stops. It is more reasonable than the other two hotels.

I went to school at Blvd St. Michel...lots of good memories there!!

A hidden gem of a museum is the small Le musée Marmottan Monet. It is located in an upscale residential area of Paris and houses a small but special collection of Monet paintings. It is worth seeing.

Another thing I love doing is going to the flea market in Paris is the one at Porte de Clignancourt. It is a somewhat iffy metro ride...don't travel with valuables. However, it is a fun way to spend an nice weekend afternoon.

Thank you both! Fred, I remember that 2008 review you posted! Wow, you nailed it for us. I don't want to be in party central, by any means & was wondering which way to gravitate...5th, 6th, Latin quarter. John enjoys having a cafe near by, somewhere we can just hang out & people watch & have a little downtime. And I love the idea of having a little market close by.
Andi, I was waiting for you to join in :D I will start looking at these hotels right away! Thank you, Loves!

About 30 minutes from Paris is Monet's home and gardens - worth going.

ALSO, First time in PAris, June of 1954, at Lido nite club that featured the Blue Belle girls, as I recall.
Man at next table leaned over and said:

"The price of the blouse must be very dear here."

About 30 minutes from Paris is Monet's home and gardens - worth going.

ALSO, First time in PAris, June of 1954, at Lido nite club that featured the Blue Belle girls, as I recall.
Man at next table leaned over and said:

"The price of the blouse must be very dear here."

Freddie, your posts brought back great memories of one of my favorite cities.

Suzanne, I found that hotel (and that area) because I travelled with Brits and Frenchmen when going to Paris for meetings. We seemed to find a new restaurant or a new bar almost every trip. I really liked the cafes on Place Edmond Rostand.

Kimmi, when reviewing the old thread, Freddie and I disagree on the use of the RER from CDG to Paris. If going to Blvd St Michel, I would just take the RER and save 50 Euros. I think you can make it without switching trains (you need a thru RER B train) or, at worst, you switch from one RER B to another in Gare du Nord.

WOW Fred, I am exhausted just reading your post, but what wonderful suggestions. Will certainly make a note of some of those and try to do some of them.

I now have some new information to add to our notes, so thanks everyone.

If you decide to stay in the 5th or 6th and are wandering the neighborhood near Blvd. St. Michel and St. Germain, would also recommend the Musee de Cluny.....wonderful tapestries including Lady and the Unicorn.

Relais Christine is our favorite hotel, not inexpensive, but absolutely charming!

Fred, what a wonderful overview of Paris!

Marc - You are quite correct that we firmly disagree on the advisability of taking the RER and/or Metro with luggage from CDG into Paris. IMNSHO, schlepping luggage onto and off of those commuter trains would be a seriously off-putting introduction to the most beautiful city in Europe. Half the time, the escalators aren't working, which adds to the "pleasure" of the luggage schlep.

This is a time when a small splurge is in order - take the taxi!!!

PS - I agree that Relais Christine is an excellent choice.

Thank you all! Marc & Freddie....quite the quandary! I prefer to save $$, but John's head will fly off if we schelp luggage to & fro w/broken escalators :D

Kathy, I forgot all about that museum. It is a wonderful museum...I second your suggestion!!! I think Relais Christine is the same hotel I suggested...my name might be wrong. It has a great restaurant next door.

I love the Marais area and the Place Des Vosges for having a drink and people watching. the Café du Trésor has goldfish in the toilet bowls (lol) and Cafe Baci is a romantic place for a drink...This is a great place for a walking tour. Paris a Pied does great walking tours of this area.

This thread makes me want to go back to Paris.

I too highly recommend the restaurant at the Eiffel Tower for lunch. One of the most memorable meals we've had. Also, after lunch you can go to the top without having to wait in line. Tom.

The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay
I heard the laughter of her heart in every street cafe'
It was a few years ago when I was last in Paris, I can remember what was on every floor of Galleries Lafayette, spent a whole day there! So many 'not to miss'....Versailles, Sacre Coeur,Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Louvre...so many museums. You won't be bored.Had lunch top of Eiffel Tower, Marilyn's peas were frozen, she could whistle for taxi's and they screeched to a halt for us.
Have fun for me and Happy Birthday beautiful! :hug: :happyb:

We were supposed to do Paris after TUT but that ill-fated cruise caused us to cancel Paris and a riverboat float to the Normandy Beaches.

We're still itching to do something similar.

Cheers! Ray

Thank u for all the input...I'm getting excited!!

Kim, I haven't been to Paris in several years, but when my daughter was there for a summer to study once, I stayed on the Left Bank, 5e, which is in the Latin Quarter.

Booked through www.smallandeleganthotels.com
you might want to look there if not interested in paying more than 350 Euros per night, just a suggestion.

Thanks, Olivia :) I will take a look.

On Olivia's list, Le Pergolese and the Victoria Palace are both nice and well priced. Doug and I have often stayed at the Victoria Palace. I stayed at Le Pergolese on a business trip and it was in a more touristy area, but the hotel itself was very nice. I would stay at either hotel again.

I have stayed at the Lutetia and Du Louvre ...both nice as well as the Radisson near the Arc de Triomphe...it is a renov. LV factory...used to be great but I have not been in 3 years

If you have SPG points, the Westin is also fine

After going over ALL of these hotels (ad nauseam), I have managed to wait long enough for most of them to have NO availability :b: Soooo, help! I need to book very soon, looking at the Dauphine vs. Hotel de Buci. They appear to be only a few blocks from one another?? And, they both look lovely. They are 100Euro's difference in the nightly rate, which is substantial. Opinions on why I should choose Buci over Dauphine?

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza on Place De La Republique before the PARIS river cruise. It was in a good location for walking and had nice accommodations. They have availability for your time period.
Jim

probably the Buci...the rooms looked very tiny at the Dauphine.If they looked tiny in the pics, they probably ARE tiny and Paris rooms are on the small side anyhow. The other hotel looks like a full service hotel and is higher priced as it is 4 stars. But I am a princess.

Oh Andi I thought you stayed at the Dauphine??? Or maybe you stayed on Rue Dauphine???

No.....D'Aubusson and the Christine; Victoria Palace are my three favorites and the ones I usually frequent personally with Doug, friends or my daughter.

I'm backkkkk :rolleyes: Apparently, St. Germain is THE area.... everything is booked or approaching $500 US per night. If we were there only a night or two I would do it, but we are staying a full week & that is pricey. Soooo, I have found a few hotels along Blvd. St. Michel, near Lux. gardens that are reasonable. Help, is this too far away? I would rather pay more to be very close walking distance to attactions, people watching, etc.

Kimmi, there's a great article about Paris hotels/locations in this month's Travel and Leisure magazine. We've never stayed in Paris, so can't give you any personal experience, but there's a lot of good information in this article.

No, Kim, those properties are in a great area and easy walking to a number of attractions as well as great bars and bistros. You'll be surprised at how walkable Paris is and the Metro is very easy to use and covers the entire city.

It used to be that most of the 3 star hotels came with an included buffet breakfast, but I'm finding that is not so common any more as they seem to want to charge you. I'm guessing there'll be someplace in the block or very close by where you can get coffee and a croissant and forgo the 15 Euro per person or whatever the hotel wants to charge.

We will be in Paris in May for three nights after our Silversea cruise and cancelled our 3 star hotel booking in the 6th because I found a terrific deal in the 8th at a 4 star hotel ($507 TOTAL for 3 nights including all taxes). We'll save a bundle and have a metro station outside our door so can hop around with ease.

Look at the Marais area. Great people watching and quaint. Lots to do there. Some nice hotels there. I have never stayed there but love to wander and hang out there.

Kim,

Have you looked here? Villa Madame It is a small, 28 room, boutique 4 star in St. Germaine that looks like it has availability during your time period (so does Marc's hotel).

If nothing else, they have a cool website!