1. But the Carte Orange - I thought we would be walking everywhere but because our hote was a bit far from the major sites, walking everyday took a toll and we ended up spending more on transportation that we had planned.
2. If you travel light, do take the RER, which is different from the subway(metro) but like let%26#39;s say New Jersey Transit or the Long Island Railroad, it travels to the suburbs. It was easy, once we got out of the airport and cheap. Ask for %26quot;duex billets%26quot; to Paris. We stayed at the Luxembourg Parc hotel which was very close to the station. Thanks to all for that bit of info it was a real time and money saver.
3. Go to a market and make yourself a nice lunch before you go site seeing. We found oursleves eating at terribly horrible French cafes and restaurants because we were near the sites and couldn%26#39;t walk any more so we just ate where it was closer. It was only the last 2 dys that we were there that we managed to have a nice lunch.
4. Buy the Musee pass but I suggest you get it at one of the Museums because at the metro they told us we could only buy a 5day pass and we only wanted a 3 day, but from reading this site I knew we could buy 1 or 3 day pass. We left the metro and when we got to the Louvre we got a 3 day pass. As mentioned here, it will cover all sites even the Palace of Versailles but you will have to pay extra if you want to see the Kings apartments. The metro where you can buy the passes did not have the most courteous or nicest folks, as a matter of fact they were in many instances, nasty.
5. Must see%26#39;s: The Louvre, enter by the Lion%26#39;s entrance, less people, got that tip from this site. The D%26#39;Orsay for impressionist, Rodin%26#39;s museum, great garden sculptures including, of course the famous %26quot;Thinker%26quot;, Palace of Versailles, this was just breathtaking, in the spring or summer when all is a bloom, it must be magical. At the Palace take the trip in the trolly to see the other home of Marie Antionette, if you have time. Notre Dame, Saint Chappelle, Arc de Tromphe and walk the Champs to the Place Concorde it was wonderful. Oh by far the most spectacular and probably my favorite is Sacre Coure or Sacred Heart, the views from the top of the bell are amazing. We climbed the stairs all the way to the top, not bad a walk if you don%26#39;t have any medical issues, that was a separate fee but I%26#39;m telling you worth it. We went later in the afternoon, when the sun was about to set, I can%26#39;t tell you how beautiful this view is or take lunch with you and you can eat on the steps as they have like a promenade where everyone is just hanging out and enjoying the view... tres romantic but a MUST.
6. We stayed in between I guess the 6th and the 7th and we found a great place for some to go coffee and croissant, Columbus Cafe, right next to McDonalds, this was a great place to have a quick bite to eat before heading to the sites. Oh, its right next to the Pantheon.
7. Do use your ATM card if you can, we found that it was easy and the best rates. I would take money out before going shopping since my credit cards would charge a percentage of the fee of the purchase. I had the money very close to my vest so there was no way a pickpocket could get to it. By the way, I felt extremely safe in Paris, maybe its a New York thing but I found it safer that NYC, really didn%26#39;t see anything I haven%26#39;t seen here in the city. Oh, some reviews claimed it was dirty, not so at all, it was very clean, don%26#39;t know maybe it has something to do with the bid for the summer olympics.
8. Where jeans and those bowling shoes, leave your sneakers at home. Nobody gets dressed there, that was the biggest misconception I found. I%26#39;m from NYC and they dress just like they do here. We went to dinner for my birthday to this supposedly 4 star very famous romantic restaurant called Le Perouse, we had a group of three women dressed in jeans and not so fabulous tops, so if I would take one nice outfit and recycle it for your trip, trust me don%26#39;t take a mass amount of clothes unless of course you plan on going to very special places everyday. Most people I saw except for lunch, which you had the biz people out for lunch were the only people I saw that were dressed up otherwise everywhere we went was very casual. Do take comfy shoes as you will be walking A LOT. Even when you get to the sites its still a lot of walking around the sites themselves. Travel light and you%26#39;ll save more room for stuff you bring home.
9. Best buy was Petite Bateau Tshirts. These are wonderful cotton tees made in France which go from 32USD to 40USD in New York, I was in heaven when I found them for half the price in Paris even with the bad exchange rate we get from our dollars. That was the only thing I came home with and a few bottles of wine which are ridiculously cheap in the regular grocery stores. Oh, do get some chocolates, I regret coming home with just a few, they are fabulous.
10. Do bring a good city map and railroad(RER) and subway(Metro) map. We had a good city map from a Frommers book I got as a gift before we left but we didn%26#39;t have a good subway map and while you can get these for free at the stations you need a magnifying glass to read them, this was frustrating since a lot of time we couldn%26#39;t read the print.
11. Lastly, do learn some basic French, like %26quot;where is%26quot; , %26quot;how much%26quot; etc. We took a basic French book and it came in very handy. Had I had more time, I would%26#39;ve put more effor into learning more of it before out trip. The Parisians are only friendly when you start your sentence with Bon Jour. At times we forgot and when we spoke English first they were not that helpful. Its true what they say about the French, they are not the most friendliest people and I got the impression they didn%26#39;t like Americans but for the most part if they see you make an effort they are much nicer. When in Rome do as the Romans. We didn%26#39;t encounter any problems at all so you%26#39;ll be fine getting around just be patient and if at first you don%26#39;t succeed try and try again.
I LOVED PARIS, LOVED IT and would return again when its more affordable. It was a special trip for me so I splurged but its very expensive due to the devalued dollar but it was worth every penny. It is an AMAZING city, just amazing and every where you walk is a sight to see. It can be anything you make of it, so much to see and do. We went for 6days and made the most of it. We hit every arr. from 1-14 so we got a lot, a lot in. I think my favorite places were the 5, 6, 7 and some parts of the right bank are also very beautiful. We did a lot of running around but we still made time to sit and enjoy a cafe au lait in the park or on a bench and take it all in. It was a magical trip. Do some planning, know what you want to see and then let the day dictate the rest. We had great weather when we were there, no rain and it was actually pretty warm. One thing to keep in though, if you are not good with maps I suggest some guided tours. I%26#39;m glad I was with my boyfriend who knows East, West, North and South otherwise it was quite confusing had I done it alone and go with somebody who is patient. There were times where we were lost and it took a bit to get the hang of it but once we did it was a breeze.
Merci beaucoup to all the members who replied to my many inquiries. All the tips were very useful, it made our trip the most we could make it.
I hope this review helps those in their coming trip to Paris.
Have a great trip!
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Thanks, some interesting info here, I love hearing about peoples experiences..
What are the Petite Bateau T shirts u are talking about, are they for adults or kids and what shop did you get them in?
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%26quot;Its true what they say about the French, they are not the most friendliest people and I got the impression they didn%26#39;t like Americans...%26quot;
I%26#39;m sorry to that this was your experience. Time and again, when I travel there, I find Parisians to be some of the friendliest, most welcoming people I%26#39;ve met--certainly much more so than the people right here in Washington, DC. I believe the French genuinely like Americans, they just don%26#39;t like the dominant politics in our country right now.
That said, I must concur with your assessment of the nastiness of some Metro workers. The only full-blown screaming argument I%26#39;ve ever had while in Paris was with the horrible woman who works the day shift behind the window at the LaFourche metro station. Either arm yourself with a full battery of French curse words or avoid her at all costs!!
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Me too I love to read those stories (even if i%26#39;m not friendly : ) )
The Petit Bateau was for kids for tens of years, but now it has become really trendy for grown up girls. More info at http://www.petit-bateau.com/ and it exists in English.
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The problem is that few tourists complain about metro agents being rude because when back home, they prefer to focus on the good memories which is natural.
I%26#39;d really suggest to report those bad behaviors to the RATP website, and or www.paris.fr city hall website, there must be a %26quot;contact us%26quot; section. It%26#39;s the onlyway to make things change.
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Bonjour Truffaut, as-tu ouvert ton courrier aujourd%26#39;hui?
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Oui, Luc, je l%26#39;ai lu. J%26#39;ai appris le mot %26quot;courriel%26quot; a Quebec. Je pense que l%26#39;Academie Francaise a authorize l%26#39;usage, mais peut-etre j%26#39;ai tort. Les parisiens semble comprendre le mot et aussi %26quot;message electronique%26quot;. Je vous envoyerai un %26quot;courriel%26quot; plus longue ce soir.
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Me too I love to read those stories (even if i%26#39;m not friendly : ) )
thanks for the info Denys, I always find you tres friendly :-)
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Thank you very much for your tips. Next week will be my second trip to Paris but first with my family. I had read a lot of commends from this post. You are the best one among them.
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I really enjoyed your report. Iam from NY but living in ATL now. I will be staying at the Luxembourgh Parc Hotel in the 6th and found your advice very helpful. As I arrive on July 14 I am seeking to make advance reservations for dinner that evening. Do you have any suggestions? Also did you stay at the Luxembourgh Parc?
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I think most French people like Americans, but, I think the French( in particular Parisans) are just more formal then Amercians, and find the informal Americans a bit disconcerting.
Different cultures are easy to label based on our cultures values, and it something we should try not to do ( it is very hard sometimes!)
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