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!