Fiance and I are planning our honeymoon for later this month, and she was very interested in the area where we will be staying. We%26#39;re planning to stay at Relais De Paris Lyon Bastille (12th arrondissement?). Anybody know what the area is like? Also, I think the Metro will be our best bet for getting around (Carte Orange, works best for our dates of travel), but how far is the walk from our hotel to places like the Lourve, Notre Dame, etc?
I%26#39;ve been reading the boards for a week or so now, and I must say that I am overwhelmed by all the advice!
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If you%26#39;re reasonably healthy, you can certainly walk from the area to the center of Paris. The distance is approx 4 - 4 1/5 km (2 1/2 - 3 mi) At a normal walking pace you could probably cover the distance in approx 60-75 mins. But you%26#39;ll probably find that you%26#39;ll be taking the Metro
What you need to do is go out and pick up a good Paris street map (it%26#39;s not like you%26#39;re not gonna%26#39; need one). The compact floding STREETWISE PARIS maps are great for general planning and touring purposes. This will allow you to orient yourself to the city and its layout, locate your hotel and the relative locations of the sites, attractions and things that interest you about Paris.
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I think you will really like the area of your hotel. I looked at the map on http://wfe.pagesjaunes.fr and see that it is a short walk to rue St Antoine which will lead you to Rue d%26#39;Aligre, then Place d%26#39;Aligre. Be sure and take a look at the market there every morning but Mondays-it is one of the most lively in Paris and there is also an interesting permanantly covered market there as well and a little flea market. Keep walking down St Antoine(take a look into the interesting cours, or courtyards as you go) and you reach Bastille with many cafes and bars and lots of shopping. The metro will be your best bet but you can catch bus 86 and get to the St Germain des Pres area which you should take a look at. I live near the area of your hotel and am prejudiced but really like it.
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If I am not miistaken your hotel is on the rue de Citeaux, not far from the gare de Lyon, and about 2.5km (about 1.5 miles) from the open area (the Place du Parvis) in front of Notre Dame, which is the %26quot;official%26quot; center of Paris. Should be about a half hour walk if you want to make it there in a hurry, a lot longer if you want to explore the area in between, which you will. The Louvre is about a kilometer further, a little over 2 miles from your hotel.
The area is pleasant enough, without being spectacular. But you are only one block from one of the liveliest street markets in Paris on the rue d%26#39;Aligre, every day except Monday, I think.
Also very close by is the Viaduc des Arts, a fascinating collection of artists%26#39; studios and shops on the avenue Dausmenil, just south of your hotel. This is also the beginning of the Promenade Plantee. a lovely ribbon-like park created as a recycling of an old elvated railway line. This park will take you to the Bois de Vincennes, a very large park on the south east edge of the city, about 2.5km from your hotel in the opposite direction to Notre dame.
You will be very close (less than 1km) to the place de la Bastille, which is lively and has good cafes, though there will surely be several closer to your hotel. And between there and Notre Dame lies the Marais, which is one of the most interesting areas in Paris, IMO, with several good museums and a zillion or so restaurants, most of them good. Also close by is the southern end of the Canal St Martin.
Google all the places I have mentioned that are unfamiliar, and also check them out using the forum search function. There is a ton of info on all of them.
Hope you have a great honeymoon - and an even better marriage!
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IrishRovr %26amp; Others-
You are exactly right in terms of where my hotel is, and it sounds exactly like the type of thing we were looking for. We%26#39;re really excited to see the Aligre markets, and the artists studios sound terrific as well.
Streetwise Paris is on order, and it should be here in a few days! This forum is spectacular!
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