A few miscellaneous refelctions on recent Paris trip.
 

Just back from 7 days in Paris (plus 3 in Amsterdam). I'm not much for writing trip reports. I will have my photos on line when I get them edited. But for now I'd just like to share a few miscellanous thoughts I had that I figured some of you might be interested in. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them.

Hotel recommendation ? Hotel Saint Jacques on Rue des Ecoles is wonderful. I?ve stayed at 5 hotels in Paris in the last 4 years (in the 5th, 6th and 7th) and this is my favorite. It?s half way between the Pantheon and Notre Dame, a five minute walk from each, also 5 minutes from Place Saint Mich but much more quiet. There is a metro stop 1 block away. Charmingly decorated. Has TV, a lift, all ensuite rooms. A single is 75€ and doubles start at € 85 (larger rooms are a little more). Friendly staff.

RER ? apparently there is now a station at Terminal 1 so you don?t have to take a shuttle to Terminal 2. But my plane landed at Terminal 2 so I am not positive about the Terminal 1, it did look like it though. Terminal 2 has the main train station, grand lines as well as RER. Was easily able to pick up tickets for Paris to Amsterdam trip which I had reserved on-line as well as get ticket (7,50 €) for RER. Was in Paris in about 45 minutes.

Paris Buses ? I had always taken the metro on previous trips but this trip discovered the joys of Paris buses. They are really quite easy to figure out the routes, cost the same as a metro ticket, you don?t have all those stairs to go down and back up, you can watch Paris go by as you go, and in many cases they went exactly where I wanted to go where as if I had taken the metro I would have had to change at least once. Don?t know why I have heard so little about them in the past. They are great.

Starbucks ? yes I admit I did visit the Paris starbucks ? my daughter, who is studying there for 6 months really misses ?coffee to go? so she ?forced? me to go there. I can tell you Parisians think it?s great. It was probably the most crowded place I went all week. Kind of funny to watch them try to explain (in French) this strange system (to them) of putting your own milk and sugar in the coffee. Anyway, I decided I like Parisian starbucks coffee better than American starbucks coffee (which I don?t really like).

Brioche Dorree ? a chain of cafes that specialize in breakfast (though many also have sandwiches, etc). Ended up going there for breakfast several times. The pastry and coffee are as good as any café and they have a ?special? called Matin Tonique which is 2 croissants, coffee and juice for €3.50. A couple of small cafes that I have gone to many times on previous trips charge that much for one pastry and coffee and no juice. I would recommend them. And definitely a better deal than €7,50 for the same thing at the hotel.

As I have been to Paris several times in recent years I ended up doing some things I have never bothered with before as they were not high on my priority list and was very pleasantly surprised. Did the tour of the Opera Granier (had wanted to go to a ballet there but there weren?t any the week I was there, so just paid the €6 to go inside, English speaking tours were not available when I was there). It is an absolutely beautiful building. Also went inside Galeries Lafayette Dept. Store. The dome is amazing. And the café on the top floor does have a nice view, is free, and the food (you don?t have to buy anything to look out the window, it?s self service, no one would even notice if you just went to look) is surprisingly good. Had quiche and fresh fruit. Took a walk along Canal St Martin ? quite pleasant, probably even nicer with leaves on the trees. Went inside the Pantheon ? another amazing building. Unfortunately the dome is closed in the ?winter? ? and evidently they think late March is still winter.

I may think of other things, I'm still a bit jet lagged (I only get jet lag when I get home, never when I get over to Europe - anyone else notice this?). I spent most of the time walking and taking photos, my two favorite pasttimes in Paris, well along with shopping. I had been given a digital pedometer and amazed myself at how far I walked each day. I'll bet many of you would be surprised how many miles you walk when visiting European cities. And as I said, I took many photos which I'll put on my web page when they are edited. Thanks for all the help you all have given me in planning this trip (and all my others).

Hello isabel: thanks for your comments, especially about the Hotel Saint Jacques, one of the hotels a friend and I are considering. How was the noise level? Was your room facing the street? Cheers, Linda

isabel:

Thanks for the observations. I leave for Paris tomorrow, and your post has made me decide to try to figure out the bus routes. You're right about all those stairs to the metro, and the fact that you can see some of the city as you ride the bus makes it worth trying.

Can't wait to see your photos!

Great observations Isabel and nicely put.
If I remember correctly, are you the same Isabel who posted about Prague sometime in the past ?

Welcome back Isabel and thanks.

Isabel - thanks so much for the tirp report - we are planning many of the same things for this trip that you reported on - the Opera Granier, department stores, etc. Also, good to hear about the Saint Jacques as I have it on my list of possible hotels. Thanks for mentioning the buses - I have been wanting to try them and have felt that they would be a good alternative to the subway especially for shorter trips. How hard were they to figure out? Did you have a good bus map that helped?

Linda - the noise level at the St Jacques was fine. I had a room in the back (no view, but probably quieter). The rooms in the front are definitly nicer though, I peeked into them. There was almost no noise from within the hotel so either the other guests were very quiet or they have good soundproofing.

blh - there are bus maps on the back of the metro maps. I have a fairly large one that I got several years ago so it's easy to read. The very tiny ones are harder but you can still figure it out. They are color coded and numbered much like the metro. At most of the bus stops there are maps posted inside the shelter. It really did seem like once I started using them, every time I'd want to go from point A to point B I'd compare the metro and the bus and the bus was easier. And I really don't think it took any longer. My daughter is living way down at the bottom of the 14th and she finds the bus quicker to get to her school which is in the 5th. In fact, she told me not to mention the buses on this forum because she didn't want a bunch of "tourists" filling up the buses (I think she was kidding) but it's too good a tip to keep to myself.

Mathieu - yes I did post about Prague - but so far only questions as I haven't taken that trip yet (it's in July).

thanks for the wonderful trip report--it made me miss Paris even more!

While I love the Metro culture (music floating in the station and musicians inside the metro cars itself! the characters you meet or don't want to meet in the metros), I will try the buses next time I go to Paris--based on your comments! SO, thanks!

I do hope you get to see a ballet in the Opera Garnier on your next trip. I was lucky enough to see one and it's one of my best trip memories!

P.S. I agree about the jet lag comment :)

... many thanks, Isabel.
Linda

I believe that bus fares are still by section even within Paris. So if you pay with only one ticket and go beyond the section, you can be fined, assuming that the tickets are checked.

Yes, isn't it more fun to get where you're going and see Paris at the same time? While bus route maps are available, they're often not very clear. The buses have panels along their sides showing the major stops along their routes. If you have an idea of where you want to go you may be able to just fortuitously find the right one without needing a bus map.

Thanks for your nice report - makes me anxious to get back to Paris. I, too, discovered the buses on my last trip. And the Opera Garnier! It really is a beautiful building - I'd like to take the tour the next time. I've been to Paris several times for 2 week stays, and have never been into the Galeries Lafayette - I'll do it next time! Now that I've seen most of the BIG sites, I can't wait to go back, and do alot of little things I missed. The St. Jacques sounds great, and so reasonable.

I also stayed at the Hotel Saint Jacques - last April. I had one of the rooms on the top floor - one flight up the stairs. The room was wonderful - the best two-star I've had to date - similar to isabel out of 5. It had a in-room safe, TV, shampoo, quite a bit of storage space as well as a booklet with information about the neighborhood including restaurant recommendations.
Mara

Does the Hotel St. Jacques have a website? How soon do you recommend reserving a room there. We are planning a trip in late May of 05.

I arrived in Paris via Eurostar from London and took a bus to my hotel. Thereafter I traveled by Metro. Near the end of my week in Paris, I began taking buses when I discovered how far I was walking to transfer stations on the Metro. I would recommend the buses, particularly if you have a Carte Orange, as I did, for unlimited Metro and bus use. Otherwise, the bus costs one ticket per ride, no transfers included, unlike the Metro, which is one ticket for ALL the transfers you make.

The other point to bear in mind about Paris buses is that the timetable can be limited, as compared with the metro - quite long service gaps and early close-down on some routes.

I like bus idea ! Thanks
isabel,
Restaurant finder can't find Brioche Dorree.
Will someone know at Hotel?

Ziana - La Brioche Doree is a chain, much like Starbucks or McDonalds. You won't have a problem finding one.

Isabel - the website for Saint Jacques shows a double at 103 euros. Do you think they have doubles at 85 euros? Do you know what rooms to ask for at that rate? We are going to be in Paris at the very end of October and are trying to stay at about $100 per night - so the 85 euros would work. How did you make your reservation? Did you contact the hotel directly or did you make it on the website? I wondered if the cheaper rooms might be available if I e-mailed the hotel directly and asked for a room at this price. Would appreciate any help you can give.

blh - when I stayed at the Saint Jacques last year I made my arrangements directly through this website:
http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/h75005stjacques.htm
They answered promptly, told me there was only one room left for my dates and gave me all the details including the fact that the room was on the top floor one flight up. Hope this helps,
Mara

I've seen several Brioche Doree around Montparnasse where I stay, but I didn't think they were like restaurants, more like take out stores with an open store front. They are a good option for breakfast. Here is a list of the ones in Paris proper I could find:

66 and 80 rue Rivoli, 4e
65 bd St-Michel, 5e
5 rue Clement, 6e
153 rue de Rennes, 6e
78 av Champs-Elysees, 8e
1 bd Strasbourg, 10e
11 rue de l'Arrivee, 15e
32 bed Vaugirard, 15e
16 bd Clichy, 18e
33 ave du Maine, 15e

You'd think there should be one in the 11th, but it wasn't listed in the phone book.

Ziana, the closest to your hotel would be the ones on rue de Rivoli which is probably in-between metros St-Paul and Hotel de Ville.

Hi. Regarding Brioche Doree - it is a chain and there are quite a few, but not as numerous as something like McDonalds is here. There is one on rue du Rivoli across from the Hotel de Ville that is fairly large - they have seating for at least 20 or 30 people, and have sandwiches, baguettes - hot and cold stuff, etc. Some others are smaller. The one I went to alot was on Boul St Mich and I think it only had pastries and beverages and only had seating for about 15 people. So they aren't large, more like a little cafe than a real restaurant. Somewhere on line I found a list of them but I'm sorry I can't seem to find it at the moment.

Hotel St Jacque web site is: www.hotel-saintjacques.com. They are also on www.france-hotel-guide.com.
Their email is [email protected].
I was staying in a room on the top floor, which is the 6th. The lift only goes to the 5th so you have one flight to walk up. The rooms up there have small double beds and so can accomodate two people but I think they mostly book them as singles. It does say right in the hotel that they are 75€ for one person and €85 for two people. Rooms 32 and 33 face back and are a bit smaller and have no view. Room 31 is on the side and has a tiny balcony from which you can see the Pantheon. Room 30 was in the process of being remodeled. 29 and 28 are on the front (face rue des ecoles) and looked quite nice. Rooms on the lower floors were larger and more expensive. I was very comfortable in room 32 by myself but would have stayed in it as a double (I've certainly been in smaller doubles in Europe!).

Re the buses - I never had to wait any longer than I did for the metro. But there aren't shelters at all stops so if it's raining you might be better off on the metro. And you obviously can't get everywhere on the bus like you can on the metro, but I was surprised at how effecient they really were.

Isabel, thanks so much for all the information on Hotel Saint Jacques. I e-mailed this morning about the 85 E rooms, and they replied immediately! I was very impressed!!! They have 85 E rooms available just as you said. Would you say that Rooms 28 and 29 on the front are any larger than the rooms on the back? Would there be much street noise on the front? I'm sure they are probably about the same size as this price room in most Paris hotels. We have been consdering Hotel Jeanne d Arc and Les Degras du Notre Dame. These hotels have all been highly recommended here on Fodors. It's hard to make a decision - guess any of these would be a good choice. Thanks again for your help!

Another fan of Paris buses! I was encouraged a couple of trips ago to use the bus by my manager of the hotel I was staying at. Since I was using taking at train out it was so nice not to lug my bag up and down metro stairs. Ever since, I use the buses when I can. The routes are printed right on the buses too and when in central Paris it is especially easy to use them. #69 is a fun and cheap ride to see the major points of Paris! Take it if you're a newbie and you can see how the city is laid out, something missed on the Metro.

Here's another vote for the buses, and a place for route and neighborhood maps. The latter [arranged by Metro station} are very helpful to see what lines serve a particular area and where the stops are.

http://www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng/Pla_q/f_pla.htm

The digital pedometer is a great idea. We took ours to Rome last week and discovered we were walking 10 to 12 miles a day. It's so much more fun to walk in Paris or Rome than at home . . . when it's called exercise!

The jet lag comment was great. We got home at midnight last night and I'm still dead. Going over was no problem!

Must be like "exercise."

Another big bus fan here! I really like The Paris Mapguide by Middleditch for that reason. Not only are there big section maps for Paris, but the bus routes are marked quite clearly. One confusing thing about the buses is that many have alternate routes going and coming, depending on which streets are one-way.

Another tip: I always figure out which stop is right before mine, so when I see it go by, I know mine is the next.

how is the weather? I'll be there next week....

blh - I peeked into room 28 and it looked very nice. I don't think I ever looked into 29 but the one next to it, 30 which was being redecorated last week (might be done now) seemed relatively large and bright. This is making me "homesick" for Paris, I can't tell you how much I'd rather be there.

I was there from march 11 to 18 (and then amsterdam till the 21st) and I had every imaginable weather. I agonized over what clothes to bring and I suggest you just bring some of everything. The first night I was there it was in the 20s (that's farenheight) - I was absolutely freezing walking around in my winter coat with the hood up and gloves on. The next day was torrential rain and wind - broke my umbrella. But by tuesday and wednesday it was the most glorious weather you could imagine - high 70s and not a cloud in the sky, people out in tank tops and sandles. And in between there were lots of semi-cloudy days with temps in the 50s. People who live there have told me they don't pay any attention to weather reports because they are often wrong even the day before (none of this 15 day forcasts we have here).

SalB - knowing how far you walk is really kind of fun. I averaged 10 miles a day for 10 days (one day I did 14.4 and my feet were killing me). And as you can tell from my bus remarks, I still took public transportation plenty. The most interesting thing I found was that I walked almost 2 miles inside the Louvre (and I've been to the Louvre before and this time only went to see a few specific things, can't imagine how far you'd walk if you were really trying to get a good overview of it!).

Along with the Paris Mapguide I carry a pocket sized booklet of bus routes--Le Bus by L'Idispensible, which displays the routes over maps of the city and also shows transfer points between lines.

Can I get one, where? Thanks

You can sometimes find the "l'Indispensable" booklets online but you will pay 3 times as much, plus postage, for them.
Otherwise, buy them in Paris at a bookstall.

Another vote for Parisian buses! We found them easy to use and fun. Bus routes (maps) are posted on the bus stops and in the buses too. They are easy to figure out - our ten year old daughter (who speaks no French) made sure we got on the right bus and got off at the right spot. We stayed in the 7th with a bus stop right outside our apartment. The metro stations were a few blocks away so buses were more convenient at times and allowed us to see a lot of Paris, too!