RookieTraveler

First trip to Paris. Any tips on how to see this city on a budget with the declining dollar? Trip bought on auction with no time to check out details. Any feedback on the Altona Hotel at 166 Rue Du Faubourg Poissonniere? Is it a safe area? Should we have concerns?
Best transportation to get around the city? Any must see attractions?
Is there a rail that we can take to Germany or Switzerland for a day trip? Any help will be much appreciated

cls2paris

I can't help with the hotel, I've never stayed in that area of Paris, but you might want to check www.tripadvisor.com, type the name of the hotel and you'll get some reviews - and a heads-up on what to expect from people who have stayed there.

I think the best transportation are my feet! But I do use the metro, you can buy a carnet of single-use tickets from the counter in the metro. You might want to consider the hop-on/hop-off bus. Ride it for the entire circuit to get a feel for where things are, then use it to get from one place to another. You'll get your tour, plus a ride from one place to the next.

You can check train information at www.sncf.com - the French rail system. There is a British flag in the upper right corner of the page to get the English version. Not sure where you'll want to go but Germany or Switzerland might be a long day trip.

I would also suggest going to the Destinations link here, you'll get a good idea of the top attractions. Do you like museums? Do you want to see beautiful churches? Do you want to wander interesting neighborhoods? Do you want just see the Eiffel Tower from a distance or walk up? There is so much to do there, you'll probably not run out of ideas. Oh, and get a good map (I like Streetwise) and mark where your hotel is! It is also good for planning so you can group activities in the same neighborhood on the same day.

Have fun!

maryanntex

How long is your trip, and when?

Christina

okay, you know you can buy guidebooks that will give you information on Paris and what would be considered "must see" attractions for a typical first-time tourist who knows nothing about the city. I really suggest you buy one for lots of reasons, not only sightseeing but general tips on how to get around the city and other things.

You must have had some reason for buying this trip, so you must have known about something in Paris that you wanted to see, so that is a start.

That is a very cheap budget hotel near two major train stations, but really near Barbes Rochecouart metro stop in the 10th arrondisement. I think you should be concerned about lots of things, but it depends what you are expecting for the presumably cheap price you paid. That part of town is not the most scenic nor where most tourists stay, and there is some more crime in parts of it than in lots of other parts of Paris, but I can't comment on that particular street location south of Barbes Rochechouart metro a few blocks.

Germany is much too far away from Paris, France for a day trip. Well, okay, you could go to Strasbourg now in a few hours and your are right near the border of Germany, but it would take too long to do that and get to Germany across the border.

Switzerland is too far for a day trip, also, I think it takes about 3:30 hours from Paris to Geneva by fast train.

I think the best idea if you really want to do that and you think you can figure out how to take the trains, is to go to Strasbourg, France on a day trip. It is only 2:20 from Paris by TGV train, and will have that German influence and is different in cuisine, etc.

clairobscur

Nope, you don't want to go to Switzerland or Germany for a daytrip.

If you really want to go to another country while staying in Paris, you'd be better off going to someplace closer, like for instance Bruges or Amsterdam.

StCirq

The dollar is gaining strength,not declining. And that's a fairly sketchy hotel/area you've chosen,though overall Paris is a pretty safe place and I wouldn'thave major concerns. I wouldn't wander around there late at night alone,myself, though.


What made you decide to up and buy a trip to Paris? Surely you must have some reason for wanting to go there.Reams and reams of books have been written about Paris,including scores of guidebooks. Get yourself one. No one here can plan your whole trip for you or even tell you what to see, beyond the obvious. We have no clue what your interests are, how long you're staying, how many of you there are, what ages, etc. You have to own at least part of this trip yourself.

Sure there's a train you can take to Germany, or anywhere else, but I wouldn't plan a trip to Paris with a daytrip to Germany.

Robespierre

I vote "no" on the ho/ho bus tour. You can save a packet by doing it yourself with a good guide book and this itinerary: preview.tinyurl.com/2zsw8z

The "best" transportation to get around depends on your goals and time on the ground. Here's a summary: preview.tinyurl.com/3kdcd4

cheribob

For an inexpensive meal you can buy crepes (ham & cheese are my favorite), baguettes (sandwiches), or a croque messier (grilled cheese) from the street crepe stands!

There are many restaurants that feature 3 course dinners for 20€. Just search on Paris restaurants on this forum.

nygvic

Must sees are the Lourve, Notre Dame and Versailles IMO. Paris is a great city for just walking especially the Left Bank.

Proenza_Preschooler

When are you going to Paris?

How long will you be there?

How much do you want to spend on a hotel room?

How much do you want to spend on food?

Your post is very vague.

I don't think you have done much research or planning.

You could spend three weeks in Paris and not see everything the city has to offer. Why would you want to do a day trip to another country? Concentrate on Paris and do some research.

Thingorjus

tod

Well I've just taken a walk around your hotel area and it looks pretty interesting to me. If you want to do the same, go to:
PagesJaunes.fr and click on PhotosdeVille for Paris. You can then go up and down any street to view the buildings.

bardo1

I see from your other post that your hotel is part of a pre-paid budget package deal. For that reason alone I would say don't worry about it as you can't change now if you wanted to.

I doubt many people here have heard of your hotel. It's location in the 10th is between the Anvers Metro and the Barbes-Rochechouart Metro.

I thik your best transportion option is to use the Metro - at least to get you close to the river. I would get a 4-day Metro pass since you will be in Paris for four days. Use it.

I would also get a 4 day museum pass - you'll save a lot of $$.
The museum pass is not sold in Paris - you need to buy it in the US before you leave.

http://www.parismuseumpass.com/en/home.php

As for a day trip to Germany or Switzerland - forget about it. A terrible idea. You don't have enough time even if you left early AM and returned late PM. Besides you'll need all four days (and more) just to hit some of the highlightrs in Paris.

Michel_Paris

I'd start by reading the Fodor Dstination planner at this site.

Take your number of days, make a rough itinerary, build in walking and locations e.g. Louvre in the monring, then a walk through Tuileries, Palais Royal, Place de la Concorde,etc.. Resist the tmeptation to put too may things in one day, Paris is visited by planning on going from place to place, Paris is discovered by not planning.

bozama

Museum pass does NOT save you any money unless you see at least 3 sites a day.
Eiffel Tower is not included.
It does provide line skipping , but you shouldn't pay extra for that if on a budget, you won't encounter too many lines, plus it does not allow line skipping at the Towers of Notre Dame ( which always has lines) , and the church itself is free and line although may look long moves quickly .

I haven't read how long your trip is yet.. if it is less then 7 full days you don't need to do a daytrip anywhere, if you must, stick to Versailles, which is easy and cheap to do on your own( and of course a wonderful site) .

Food is easy to cheap out on if you are creative. Avoid ever sitting down at any cafe within a block of any major site,, thats where you find the 5 euro coffees,, LOL

Metro and feet are best to get around.

palette

The musueum pass is most certainly sold in Paris - at any of the museums included in the pass and at the French tourist agencies, one of which is in the mall beneath the Louvre. You need to decide which musuems you might want to visit before buying it because so many are free and it may not be much of a bargain now that the prices have increased. I did not buy the pass this year because it was cheaper just to pay by the museum. Also, its usage MUST be in consecutive days from the first time used. And that doesn't always fit the schedule.

maryanntex

Some corrections of previous posts: You can buy a Paris Museum pass in Paris, including at the airport; in fact, this makes more sense than buying it and having it sent to you in the U.S. as you avoid paying postage and handling. Also, a 4-day pass is 45 euros. If you only go to the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Orsay, Ste. Chapelle, and Versailles, those alone are 46.50 euros. I highly recommend getting the museum pass--when you arrive at CDG.

palette

I just read the reviews of this hotel on Tripadvisor and you might want to consider chucking the hotel cost of this auction trip and put out more money to book something better. You don't give the dates of your trip so I don't know if that is feasible timewise. There are also so many nice apartments you could rent. This would not be my choice for that very first trip to Paris.

I believe your other message says you have just 4 days in Paris; you will barely scratch the surface in that time frame, and personally I wouldn't consider any side trips.

StCirq

<<The museum pass is not sold in Paris - you need to buy it in the US before you leave.>>

WRONG!

It's sold at every museum it covers, plus all major métro stops. And it will cost you less to buy it in Paris. It's absolutely unnecessary to buy it in the USA ahead of time.

Barbara_in_CT

Dear Rookie,

Get a copy of Rick Steves' Paris. It is everything you need for a first trip to Paris in one place.

bardo1

pallette/maryanntex/StCirq,

Thanks for the correction about pass - I got bum advice from a co-worker. We could have saved a few bucks.