Avoid Paris because of Strkes???

Old Nov 14th, 2007, 06:25 AM
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Avoid Paris because of Strkes???

Please help. Husband and I have free ticket and 1 week to travel starting day after thanksgiving 11/23. We had finally decided to go to Paris- but now i am very nervous because of the stikes. I just have no idea how long they will last. Does anyone have some advice/insight into this? Should we scrap Paris (where husband has never been) for Pompeii or Ireland instead- knowing we can get around?

thanks!!!
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 09:14 AM
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No one on here can predict for you how long they will last if the French govt and press cannot.

I sure wouldn't use a free ticket to go to Paris right now, why not go someplace else instead.
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 09:51 AM
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I would use a free flight voucher to go to a city that typically costs more to fly into, such as Rome.
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 10:49 AM
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Hi L,

I would rather be in Paris than anywhere else, strikes or no strikes, especially for free.

At the moment about 10% of the metro trains and 15% of the buses are operating.

The cabs will be operating.

Paris is a very walkable city.

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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 10:51 AM
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ira...you are making me feel better. We have been planning this trip since the summer and it is all paid for. Perhaps we will just eat and drink more since we will be doing more walking! I'm not going to let this put a damper on my trip.
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 10:52 AM
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Ira, did you hear Eleanor Beardsley's report on NPR this morning about the strike. I wouldn't be so blase about how easy it will be to get around and the availability of cabs.
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 11:08 AM
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If your hotel is very central, why not go to Paris? I think I'd prefer Paris to Ireland at this time of year. I just would decide if you are okay with a walking-only trip (although you can undoubtedly get some transport with some difficulty).

If by Pompeii you mean Rome or Naples, then that would be a good choice also. But it isn't clear to me if you would lose money by choosing the Italian option.
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 12:38 PM
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We have an apt. on isle st. louis that i might rent. Very centrally located. I used to live in paris so know my way around, but honestly think that with the metro it will be a drag (especially for hubby who is a little high maintenance)

I scrapped IRE because it will be too cold and rainy i think. The other option is Pompeii/Vesuvius- Naples visit with a little rome tacked on the end. THoughts...
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 01:00 PM
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You scrapped IRE because it is too cold, but are going to Paris? Are you sure you don't have this backwards? Paris is generally colder than Ireland this time of year. Indeed, Paris in November and December can be downright unpleasant.

Avoid Paris, even if you can get around "okay", it won't be the same and the hassle factor will just weigh everything down.
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 01:09 PM
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I can imagine why anybody would be so concerned about a metro strike.
You can walk almost everywhere, and if you're too tired to walk back, just take a cab. They won't be extremely hard to find, and they are not expensive (compared to the US).
Alot of fussy people on this site.
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 01:14 PM
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I see Paris as a good cold-(or cool)weather destination, based on my experience. There is so much to do inside. But I agree the metro issue is a drag.

Compared with the Italian trip, which would your husband prefer?
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 01:30 PM
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Well, you can walk almost anywhere, but realistically you can't. If you want to go to Versaille, Monmartre or spend the day at the flea market, you sort of have to take the metro (in my opinion at least)

Husband doesn't care, but again is higher maintenance then I am- and might complain if he has to walk too far. I secretly would love to go to pompeii- as i have never been and is something NEW!!! But since he has not been to paris- i feel obligated to take him there
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 01:48 PM
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You say you feel obligated, but is this your last trip to Europe? Why the rush to do Paris at the most inopportune time?
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 01:56 PM
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If he won't like Paris because of the walking issue, then it doesn't seem like a good idea to take him, even if he's never been there. But of course in Pompeii and Vesuvius, you will have to do a lot of walking.

I agree that Paris' further-out attractions, and even Montmartre, would not be terribly accessible if you don't have easy access to public transit or cabs.
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 03:59 PM
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I don't want to muddle things here because I would go either place- strike or not,in a heartbeat, but having been to both Pompeii, Sorrento, Rome, etc and also to Paris in Nov. I might consider the weather with the strike. I must tell you that we had snow outside of Paris in Nov.It was bitter cold and my dh was not happy walking. (He never dresses appropriately though. I was warm enough.) Italy, on the otherhand, had glorious weather the Nov. we went. Just a thought.
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 04:04 PM
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I was in Paris about 3 years ago and there was a strike. All of the museums and tourist attractions were closed for the day. So what did we do? We went shopping, we visited local churches, we took a boat ride on the Seine, and we sat in a cafe while watching the world go by. The strike did not spoil our trip and it certainly did not spoil our day.

If you make it a practice to postpone trips for fear of the unknown, you will never go anywhere. A day in Paris with a strike beats the crap out of a good day at the office. Just go, and enjoy whatever comes. It's still Paris.
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 06:29 PM
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We were in Paris last month (Oct 2007) during the strike. Yes, you can walk almost everywhere given staying at Ile St Louis, HOWEVER, many museums were closed (because the workers couldn't get to work). So, if that's what you're planning to do in Paris, you may consider going elsewhere instead.
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 06:42 PM
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Even if you can walk around the city, how do you get to/from the airport?

We just missed (by a couple of hours!) the strike in October. We had some difficulty getting a cab to the airport. But, we waited until that morning to call....
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 06:52 PM
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very interesting. I never thought about the weather, but I live in NYC so I dont usually think about it being cold. That does not bother us. HOWEVER- we have to make a decision by tomorrow am... so the more advice you all have, the better.. Thanks so much.
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Old Nov 14th, 2007, 07:16 PM
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I would never stay away from Paris just because of strikes-- heck, not even WWIII would make me consider cancelling my trip to Paris (tomorrow)-- BUT, it's so easy to find cheap JFK-CDG fares that you really should use the free ticket for somewhere else.
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