Beth

I have received an ad for this publication and am considering buying it. Does anyone have an opinion of this monthly newsletter. I subscribed to another that was on France in general and honestly was not thrilled with it.

Chris

I subscribe to Paris Notes and really enjoy it -- enough to have renewed it several times now.

BTilke

I subscribed to it a while ago and was not impressed enough to continue my subscription. For example, they ran an "exclusive" on 10 *secret* hotel finds in Paris and listed the Montalembert, which is hardly a secret hotel--it's been covered in virtually every travel mag plus most big fashion mags--and the other 9 hotels were also described in several guidebooks. Nothing exclusive or secret about that! Similar findings for their restaurant recommendations. It was ok, but in general, I can easily find all the things they reported on for free on a few web sites. There was also more than a touch of the self-congratulatory "aren't we so special and chic" tone to their articles.

Beth

Thanks, Chris. I knew I could depend on someone here. Guess they get my money!! (You aren't the publisher, are you?)

Beth

Uh-oh, not unanimous, I see. Guess I will check its website again. Thanks.

Alice

I've been subscribing for a couple of years.. I do enjoy it, although I tend to not be interested in reviews about more expensive hotels/restaurants, other than just for 'enlightenment'. I enjoy the articles about subjects such as the bridges, those embedded medallions that cross Paris, and other quirky things. I plan to continue my subscription, more with an expectation of reading enjoyment than 'travel tips'.

Maribel

Beth,<BR>I'm also a subscriber (for 3 yrs. now). For last year's trip to Paris, we took along plenty of sightseeing articles and restaurant reviews that made our great trip even better. But it does read a little "dry". Belle France, which I subscribe to for the countryside, reads "gushier" but is often just too high-end for our budget. Paris Notes has rest. and hotel recs from budget to luxury. I've gotten really useful info from it, and its calendar with a "pick of the month" and "must sees" of the month led us to events like the terrific Paul Signac retrospective at the Grand Palais that just moved on to NYC's Metropolitan, a gallery showing of Botero, Picasso's Erotica at the Jeu de Paume and the Al-Andalus, Islamic Spain exhibit at the Institut du Monde Arabe that we might otherwise have missed. All these were listed in Pariscope too, of course, but Paris Notes gave a really honest opinion of what was worth it and what to skip, and my French is rudimentary, at best.<BR><BR>October has a comparison of the "grands magasins" , a spotlight on Poilane, the bread maker extraordinaire, and an article on Saint-Denis, which I'll take with me in March, April's feature articles were "Getting High-the many perches from which to experience Paris up high" and "Walking the Canal Saint-Martin" (saved these too), June had a Versailles update and a review of Paris' best croissants, July featured "secret gardens", Sept. had "Three for Lunch-at Paris' 7 Michelin 3 star restaurants-haute cuisine for less" and an in-depth article on neighborhood shopping.<BR><BR>Thanks to this newsletter (plus the really invaluable posts of Fodors Paris regulars) , I 'll return to Paris this spring much better informed about the out-of-the way, off the beaten path, "secret Paris" spots. <BR><BR>Hope this helps you decide.<BR>Maribel

Christina

I subscribe to it and like it okay, but I'll be honest and say I think it's probably too expensive for most people for what you get out of it. It does have some nice recommendations of a few hotels and restaurants and it's just sort of a supplemental source to me, it's true there is little in that which you couldn't find elsewhere. As for the events, I scan them and find them vaguely interesting but probably the least useful item in there as that stuff is very easily found online for free, more up-to-date and accurate. The feature articles are kind of interesting most of the time. I mainly get it because I go to Paris fairly frequently and enjoy reading about it and don't spend a lot of money on other magazines like that, so it's not a big item in my budget. I haven't found any other magazine or newsletter on France I liked better. Once I accidentally subscribed to some magazine called "France" (trial issue) as I think they had an offer that was somewhat confusing and I thought it was a different publication I get for free from the French Embassy--I really disliked that one, it was really expensive and British and full of breathless snobby articles on how British people can buy villas in Provence or something like that. It had nothing of any worth in it, the main articles were basic guidebook info. I do like it that Paris Notes' subscriptions allows you to access their online archives so you can search for stuff that way. I think Paris Notes is the most original of that kind of stuff I've read.

Emily

Beth, <BR><BR>I can’t tell you about Paris Notes, but I thought I might mention a free magazine published by the French Embassy in Washington. It’s called France Magazine and is published quarterly. The articles are about France, though they have a sections such as &agrave; table(review of restaurants) and belles lettres (review of books). Also, they list exhibits, concerts and lectures in the USA of interest to Francophiles. For a free magazine it is of a very high quality. <BR><BR>You have to write them for the subscription. The address is: France Magazine, Circulation Department, 4101 Reservoir Road, Washington, DC 20007-2182. <BR><BR>PS. It's only available to US residents and is written in English. <BR>

JOdy

www.bonjour paris.com is a free weekly newsletter. Very very good, excellent article , great forums,reviews and it's free . i'd try that first

Beth

I am off to send a request to the Embassy and I get the online newsletter mentioned. You all are wonderful.

elvira

I got a free sample a couple of years ago of "Paris Notes", and wasn't impressed enough to subscribe. There's better stuff free on the web (like the official tourist sites of Paris, or the websites of the arrondissements) than Paris Notes offers.<BR><BR>Emily, thanks for the info on the magazine. Now I'm peeved with myself that I didn't know about this...

Susan

I subscribed to "Paris Notes" for a year. I also felt that, although it had some interesting articles, it was expensive for what you got from it, so I didn't renew.<BR>

Christina

Yeah, that France magazine for free from the French embassy is the one I get, it's really nice -- I think you are supposed to fill out a card claiming some reason to get it (business or something) but about anything goes. The sneaky thing was this other magazine also called France (a for-profit British pub.) put a card in it saying you had to fill it out for your subscription to continue, I thought it was the embassy thing and sent it in and then this magazine billed me over $60 a year for theirs(which I sent back and refused to pay, telling them I hadn't subscribed). The embassy one is really nice.