Tammy

Brief summary of my trip to Paris for 9 days. Thanks to everyone who provided such great information to help me plan my trip. <BR> <BR>Notre Dame: toured the cathedral, the crypts and the bell tower. Waited and hour to up into the towers, but it was well worth the time and the climb. They only allow 50 people at a time, so that’s why the wait is so long. Great views of the city. Able to use the museum pass for both crypts and the bell tower. <BR> <BR>Ste. Chapelle: toured during the day and returned for an evening concert. We had reserved the tickets a couple of months ago over the internet. Ste. Chapelle is a must see. Try and go to a concert if you can. You won’t be disappointed. <BR> <BR>Picasso Museum – located in a beautiful old mansion. The museum contained mainly the artists own collection. <BR> <BR>Arc de Triomphe – climbed to the top, great views of the city, especially the Eiffel Tower. <BR> <BR>Sacre Coeur – loved seeing it from the street looking up, but I should have skipped climbing to the top. Too many people at the top of the dome, and I thought the views were better from Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe and the Samaritaine department store (free panoramic view, and a little café at the top.) <BR> <BR>Musee d’Orsay – Wow – this is a great museum, especially for lovers of impressionist art. We spent at least 3 hours here. <BR> <BR>Louvre – When the guide books say arrive early, they mean it. There was a huge line, but we avoided it by having the museum pass. Go see Mona, Venus, and Nike first, because by late morning, you couldn’t hardly even get close to Mona. We spent about 6 hours at the Louvre and still didn’t see Egyptian room, the Flemish collection and Napolean’s Apartments (they were all closed for the day). Near the gift shops is a post office, great place to buy stamps. <BR> <BR>Invalides: Go see Napoleon’s tomb. The museums are a must see for those interested in military history. <BR> <BR>Versailles – Definitely arrive early. When guide books say hordes of tourists will arrive, I just wish they would come out and say thousands. We arrived a little later than we had planned, but we were still there by 9:30am and the courtyard was already filling up. It was kind of cold and rainy and we saw a short line of people going into the palace so we just joined that line. Come to find out it was a line for guided tours. We ended up taking a tour in the morning and afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed it, well worth the time and money. It was much better than fighting the crowds going through the Hall of Mirrors. We went on a Sunday to see the fountains. Seeing the fountains flowing with classical music playing in the background was spectacular. To me, the fountains alone were worth the whole trip to Versailles. We had lunch at the café in the gardens. We also visited the Grand and Petite Trianon. <BR> <BR>We rented a car in Versailles for an overnight trip to Bayeux. The rental agent told us to take A86 to Rouen, but we never could find A86. After an hour driving around Versailles trying to get out (we passed the palace at least 15 times), we decided to take A13 and sure enough that was the road we needed. It took us a while to figure out the directions of the road signs, but the roundabouts helped that process. When we arrived in Bayeux we checked into the hotel and headed towards the invasion beaches. Our first stop was Omaha beach, then Point du Hoc, and the American Cemetary. Visiting these places made the whole trip even more special since we visited them 1 week before the anniversary. We then drove to Arromanches to see the remains of the Mulberries. Unfortunately the museum there was already closed. <BR> <BR>In Bayeux we visited the cathedral and the Bayeux Tapestry. The museum the tapestry is housed in is great. I never really thought about how long the tapestry is, but it was a lot longer than I had anticipated. If you are in Normandy, make sure and visit Bayeux, it’s a lovely town. On the way back to Paris we stopped off in Caen, and went to the Memorial Museum. <BR> <BR>We also took a day trip to Reims. Rick Steves was wrong when his guidebook says you can look up as you walk out of the train station and see the spirals of the cathedral. However, we did find the cathedral and toured 2 champaign cellars. My favorite was Taittinger. I bought a demi size bottle for later. <BR> <BR>We stayed in 2 different hotels in Paris and one hotel in Bayeux. <BR> <BR>RESIDENCE MONGE (5th ) at 580 FF a night (55, rue Monge; 75005 PARIS). The hotel is a ten minute walk to the heart of the Latin Quarter and a ten minute walk to Notre Dame. The hotel was very nice, and recently renovated. The view from our window overlooked the remains of a roman amphitheater. <BR> <BR>HOTEL CHURCHILL, Bayeux, at 620FF a night including breakfast, (14-16 rue Saint Jean). Nice hotel, our room overlooked the pedestrian street Saint Jean. Huge bathroom, with a large tub. <BR> <BR>SAINT-DOMINIQUE (7th ) at 650FF a night (62, rue Saint-Dominique; 75007 PARIS). The rooms have been recently renovated but the hallways need a bit work. I really liked the room, but it didn’t have AC, and by the last night we needed it. Our view from the room was of the Eiffel Tower. <BR> <BR>Just some other thoughts. The French were extremely polite. We never encountered anyone that was rude or unhelpful. I tried to speak french at every opportunity ( what little I know) and it was always well received. I think the French have gotten a bad rap. <BR> <BR>Also, do be cautious of pickpockets. One time while waiting at a metro stop, I saw a group of kids come down the stairs. I thought they looked a little shifty, and I decided to keep an eye on them. As the train approached, they dispersed among the crowd, covering their hands with their coats. As one of the girls attempted to snatch a wallet from a German ladies purse, I got in the way of her and prevented her from doing it. By that time the warning tone of the train doors was sounding so I jumped on a car just as the doors closed. I looked out the window and all of kids were flipping me off. Looking back, I wonder if they could have done something to harm me when I stopped them from pickpocketing, but I felt really good that someone’s vacation was rained on. <BR> <BR>I started a new job in Cincinnati 2 days after I returned from Paris Sunday, so this is my first opportunity to post my trip notes. I’ll try to answer questions in a timely manner, but I don’t quite have the free time to go to the Europe forum like I used to, but I’ll do the best that I can. <BR> <BR>

Hillary

Thanks for the info. I'm going to London first and then Paris. I have London pretty much figured out but it's good to hear info on Paris. Thanks again.

kathy

Hi Tammy. Glad you had a great time. We did the same route last month, and also returned to Cincinnati - our home town. Good luck with your new job! How exciting for you!

Dianne

Thank you for sharing your trip with us. I am going to Paris for the first time this July and I need all the help I can get! I'm just a little concerned about the air-conditioning that you mentioned because our hotel doesn't have it. I was under the impression that Paris was cooler than the hot Maryland summers where I am from. If air-conditioning is so important, then I wonder why all the popular charming hotels that don't have it book up so quickly for the summer? At least our hotel is on a quiet street where we can open our windows at night, but I can't help but wonder in case a heat wave occurs, if I made the right choice.

april

Hey Dianne- I'm from Maryland too, and let me tell you, you will wish you had air conditioning in your hotel room! I just returned from Paris in May and I was grateful for it then! I stayed at Le Hotel Belmont, near the Arc de Triomphe and it had central air in the rooms...it was about $125 US dollars a night and worth every penny! Unfortunately I am posting this at a time where I have no access to their phone number, if you can't find it, please e-mail me and I will get you the info.

Tammy

Diane, I agree with April. Paris can be quite hot. It didn't help matters that I was sick the last couple of days, and air conditioning would have been nice. However, I would stay at the hotel again, just not in the summer.

Marie

I agree, we were in Paris in May and I was glad for air conditioning. It was steamy for 2 days. <BR> <BR>Also to second the comment above, we were treated wonderfully by all the French people we meet and we did not speak any French. They could not have been nicer to us. We had a great experience!!!

Dianne

Oh dear, I'm in big trouble now! I'll never find a GOOD reasonably priced hotel with air conditioning in the 5th or 6th arr. now. (that's where I really wanted to stay, but thanks for your recommendation, April) The popular ones seem to be all booked up for July! I guess we will just have to suffer, or hope for a cool spell! Our hotel is the Grand Hotel des Balcons.

herself

Hi Tammy, <BR>I am so glad not to be the only one who goes around in a circles in France. It took me about 1 1/2 hours to get out of Rennes last week. I just kept going round and round the city. "Toutes direction" along with "Autre direction" became my best friends. My trip took me to Roeun, Honfleur, Caen, Mt. St. Michel, Rennes, Quimper, Carnac and Vannes. Then a train from Rennes to Paris. Loves Normandy and Britanny. I must go back and spend more time in Honfleur.

Tammy

The Place Monge hotel that I stayed at in the 5th had AC. The rooms were recently renovated and we really liked the hotel. It also had a frig. <BR> <BR>Tammy

Christina

May I ask where / how did you get a museum pass to avoid the huge line at the Louvre? <BR>Thanks!

Tammy

We bought our passes at St. Chapelle, but I believe that you can buy them at any museum and at major metro stops. A museum pass is definitely a must, if not to save money (which it did) but also to avoid lines.

Emily

I am in Paris with my 12 yo who insisted on visiting a cyber cafe! Thanks to Fodors forum I was well-prepared & we are having a great trip. I will write a long report upon my return. I do want to recommend buying the museum pass in the gift shop (boutique)at the D'orsay. <BR>Also, metro is amazing but I would love a taxi stand guide. They rarely reply to a flag (usually occupied is why) & sometimes you just want to end the day in a cab. By the way, food at D'orsay main room is reasonable, fine & the room magnificent. Rodin Garden cafe is a delight, Marly cafe in front of Louvre charming & worth the slightly expensive charges; finally, Fellini restaurant is wonderful if you love clams & garlic pasta---our favorite. Oh yes, buy fruit on Rue de cler; Rick steves book is pretty accurate.

AMY

Tammy- <BR>What Web site did you use to reserve tickets for the concert at Ste. Chapelle, and do you think tickets are necessary? I'm leaving for Paris in early September. <BR>-Amy

Tammy

Here's the web address I used to reserve the tickets. <BR> <BR>http://www.ampconcerts.com/ <BR> <BR>I think reservations are necessary and it was definitely well worth it. When you arrive, be sure to be there at least 20 minutes or so before it begins. Also make sure and bring enough cash, they don't accept credit cards. You might want to buy the program guide, I didn't and wish that I had, it would have made a nice souviner. Let me know if you have any more questions. Tammy