Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - First Time in Paris

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First Time in Paris

I will be visiting Paris for the first time second week of May Few questions: 1. I booked Acacias Saint-Germain. Has anybody stayed there? Any other suggestions in 700-800 range? 2.What restaurants would You recommend? 3. Any other tips? Thank You in Advance for Your help.

There is a great deal of information about Paris on this forum. Do a topic search for some great tips. "Cheap Eats" in Paris is reliable or I always ask at the hotel or just wander around and stop at a place that looks inviting.(Menus are usually posted outside restaurants). Check RICK STEVES for information also. Have fun

I am booked also at the Acacias St. Germain later on in the summer. It is a small 3-star hotel on rue de Rennes, in the 6 eme, but that is all I know about it. If anyone has been there, or goes there, let us know. I hope it is an ok place. My guess is that competition in Paris is keen and standards are forced upwards to get the business.

Alex: There's TONS of Paris talk on this website. As I'm also planning my first visit, I've stockpiled an assortment of topics from the forum which is too long to cut/paste here. If you want me to e-mail you my 'Paris Info' doc, let me know (be forewarned, it's about 35 pages long!).

Stayed at the Acacias Saint-Germain a year and a half ago. Stayed there two nights as part of a package won in a contest, but then moved to Rue Cler for the rest of my stay. The hotel service was good, and the rooms were pretty nice. For about $110 U.S., we had a tv and bath in the room. A breakfast of croissants, jam, and coffee or hot chocolate was included. The location is excellent, since you are close to the Montparnasse metro and train station. There is also another metro stop very close on the other side, but I can't remember the name. Near the Luxembourg Gardens and other good sites. Lots of restauants nearby, but I didn't eat in the area.

Robin Could You please send me the document You were talking about in Your response. Thank You.

Alex: It's on its' way to you!

Robin, I would like a copy also, if you don't mind. Dan, where do you eat?

Robin, I just noticed your email on this site and was wondering if you'd be kind enough to send me a copy of your Paris info via email. I'll be visiting Paris for 4 days in April, and so far have "not a clue" about where to stay, eat, or visit. Thanks!

Marian: Just sent the ever growing Paris file to you. Also, folks I'm hunting on info or suggestions for the evening hours. Has anyone been to any good jazz clubs in Paris? What about the opera or ballet scene?

Alex: Don't mean to take over your topic, but thought I'd share a good posting re: restaurants in Paris. This came from the '6 days in Paris' discussion. 6 DAYS IN PARIS Author: LISA ([email protected]) Date: 3/07/1999, 10:46 pm ET Message: We will be making our first trip to Paris the first week of April. WOULD LIKE SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT TO SEE , WHERE TO EAT . WILL NOT HAVE A CAR AND ONLY STAYING 6 DAYS SO WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THE MOST OF OUR TRIP STAYING AT LE JARDIN DE CLUNY- ANY COMMENTS- IS THIS A GOOD CHOICE BASED ON LOCATION TO THE "MUST SEE" SITES? WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP/SUGGESTIONS. THANK YOU Message: With respect to converting Francs to US dollars .... ER of 5 is $20US per 100FFr ER of 6 is $16US per 100FFr ER of 7 is $14US per 100FFr With the current ER of 6, each FFr is $0.16US 5FFr = $ 0.80 10FFr = $ 1.60 60FFr = $10.00 90FFr = $15.00 I suppose you could write down a "cheat sheet" on a 3x5 card or similar to carry with you. I've seen currency converters in travel stores and adverised in magazines which may be handier if you are going to be going to several countries. Author: John ([email protected]) Date: 3/15/1999, 10:40 am ET Message: Lisa, I've visited Paris many times for business and lived there for one year in 1994. The following list of restaurants are my favorites. The list is certainly not all inclusive and there are many more very good restaurants in Paris. The french do take their cuisine seriously and the quality of the food and service are very dependable. The list does not include starred restaurants or those of known haute cuisine which can be very expensive and difficult to get reservations for; often taking months in advance to make. My list is for restaurants in the $30-$50 per person range. By arrondissment .... 2nd ... Le Souffle, 36 Mont Thabor off of Rue Castiglione near the Hotel Intercotinental, tel 42 60 27 19 (this is the place for souffles ... order one for desert when ordering your meal) .... La Forchette on Rue Saint Honore (small, but good ... variety of dishes) From Hotel Inter-Continental on Rue Castiglione off of Rue Rivoli, turn right onto Rue Saint Honore. La Forchette is on the left a few blocks from Rue Castiglione. ... Tante Louise on Boissy d'Anglais which is near the Madeline. You can either get to it by going up Bd Malesherbes from the front of the Madeline, turning left onto the Boissy d'Anglais or from the Place Concorde ... go up Rue Royale (Madeline will be facing you straight ahead), turn left onto St Honore and then right onto Boissy d'Anglais. There are also a couple of passageways .... old glass domed arcades or mini malls form the 19th century which have some interesting small shops. Tante Louise dosen't have any specialty that I can recall, but it is very dependable and enjoyable. 3rd ... Ambassade D'Auvergne, 22 Rue du Grenier Saint Lazare, tel 42 72 31 22 (specialties from the southwest region of Auuvergne in France ... try the aligot) 5th ... La Truffiere, 4 Rue de Blainville on Place de la Contrescarpe off of Rue Monge, tel 46 33 29 82 (specializes in dishes with truffles, but the dishes are also good without) ... La Bouteille D'Or, Quai de Montebello, just down from Place Michel along the river and opposite Notre Dame (order the Carte Vert ... 3 course prix fixe meal ... request a table next to the windows and get a fabolous view of Notre Dame lit up at night) .... L'Ange Gourmand, 31, Quai de la Tournelle, tel 43 54 22 52, opposite corner of La Tour D'Argent and much cheaper. ... Le Bar a Huitres, Rue Saint Jacques (inexpensive fish dishes .... try a plateau de mer ... looks like a pizza tray loaded with ice and all kinds of shell fish ... just great) 7th ... A La Petite Chaise, 36 Rue de Grenelle, tel 42 22 13 35 (can't beat this place for value .... wine included) 9th ... Auberge Landaise , 23 Rue Clauzel in the 9th, tel 48.78.74.40. Landaise has the best fresh foie gras which he (Chef Morin (also the owner)) pan frys with a raisin sauce (grapes) which is out of this world. Auberge Landaise also specializes in vintage Armagnacs that I have an affinity for. He displays them on one wall in the restaurant and they date back to 1900. This stuff is not cheap. A glass of the 1900 cost around 350 FFr; the 1923 was 300 FFr; the 1938 was 290 FFr and the 1978 was 100 FFr. The 1978 is very good, but the 1938 is just outstanding. 14th ... La Couploe, 102 Bd du Montparnasse, tel 43 20 14 20 (big, loud, waiters put on a show, but it is worth it ... you either love it or hate it!) ... Le Dome, 108 Bd du Montparnasse, tel 43 35 25 81 ( fish reigns here ... very good) ... Le Bar a Huitres, 112 Bd du Montparnasse, tel 43 20 71 01 (same as in the 5th) ... Il Barone (italian) on Rue Robert Leopold (just off Bd du Montparnasse) (great italian food) 16th ... Le Beaujolais D'Auteuil, 99 Bd de Montmorency, tel 47 43 03 56 (this was my neighborhood restaurant ... I lived on Bd Suchet. I ate here many times ... variety of dishes ... always good; won't see any tourists in here) 17th ... P'Tit Bougnat, 18 Bd de Courcelles, tel 47 63 97 11 (very small, decor somewhat bleak, but they specialize in game dishes and I had the best wild boar dish I ever had here) ... Le Bistrot du XVII, 108 Ave de Villiers (same owner as the next restaurant .... 3 course complete meal including aperif (try a kir) ,water, wine and after dinner liquor for 175 FF. if you find a better place for quality and value .... you must tell me ... ... Le Bistro Saint Ferdinand, 275 Bd Pereire, tel 45 74 33 32, near Porte Maillot (same as above) Also on the other side of Porte Maillot, (technically not Paris, but the suburb of Neuilly) is the Sebillon on Ave Charles de Gaulle, on the right hand corner just after going around the circle at Porte Maillot. According to french friends (and I concur), this is where you get the best lamb. The specialty--roast leg of lamb sliced table-side and served in unlimited quantity. The dish is served with traditional white beans and my mouth is watering just thinking about it. It is also customary to have 2nds. Actually you can have all you want, but 2 dishes does it for me. Add a half dozen oysters on the half shell, a salad, and a bottle of Bordeaux. Finish up with a cafe (I have never been able to squeeze in desert at this place) and tell me you don't think you died and went to heaven. There is a 2nd location for the Sebillon .... Sebillon Elysees on 66 Rue Pierre Charron just off the the Champs Elysees in the 8th, but I've never been to this location so I can't say if it is the same.(tel 1 43 59 28 15) Two others I will mention .... 1. L'Manquier which has several locations .... Bd Montparnasse, Ave Ternes and Bd Montmarte. I've eaten here several times ... they have a 2 course meal for 95FF and 3 courses for 119FF. I would get the 2 courses ... salad with goat cheese and/or duck gizzards and a main dish of grilled meats ... 3 varietys plus a ½ bottle of wine and ½ bottle of water and a cafe.for a total of 175-200FF depending on the wine. 2. Hollywood Canteen on Bd Montmarte ....I missed my American breakfast and this is the place (the only place in Paris ... maybe all of France .... maybe all of Europe .... to go) Cost was 50FF (in 1994 with exchange rate of 5) ... all you can eat! Large glass of fresh squeezed OJ, american coffee, cerals, eggs .... scrambled, omelette, fried with ham, sausage and bacon .... and then pancakes with maple syrup!!! I went there every weekend. Since you will be in Paris for only 6 days, you may not want to try this place,but if you get a hankering for an American breakfast ... here it is. Again, this list is not all inclusive. I've eaten at many restaurants on Bd St Germaine, but they are ususally very crowded and it is almost impossible to find a parking place which is not really a problem if you are not renting a car. This is also a heavy tourist area and complaints about not enough to eat or rude or poor service often are from this area.

Hi Robin Would greatly appreciate it if you could send me your Paris Info docs. We are leaving in 2 weeeks and I am still trying to research/plan our trip. Thank you Lisa

Lisa: I tried to send to you, but got a message back "Host unknown (Name server: cyburban.comn: host not found)" Try to e-mail me directly and then I can just reply back.

Alex: Could you e-mail me Robin's Paris info doc? We're visiting in April! Thanks Elaine

I will going to Paris mid May and would love a copy of your Paris file... my e-mail address is [email protected]..I haven't been to Paris in many years...and really look forward to going.. but really am interested in all your info.. Thanks so much

Tip: My friend and I just returned from Paris, and we definitely learned a lot. But here is the most important. Take some type of a money belt! It was our first day in Paris, and we were set to do and see everything right away. Our first stop was of course the Eiffel Tower. We stood in line for about 45 minutes, we paid, and then we got on the elevator for the ride up to the top. Almost in slow motion my friend asks me, "Where is my wallet??!!!" She was pick-pocketed the first day under the Eiffel Tower. We didn't even get to look out from the top of the tower, instead we had the other view of the Eiffel tower--searching through the garbage cans and using a flashlight to look in bushes and those drainage things (Security said pick-pockets usually just want the money and throw out the wallet). Well, we never found the wallet, and that definitely put a damper on the trip. Luckily, they sent her a new credit card in about two days.

Robin: Going to Paris Friday. Would like a copy of your notes. Thanks.

I can't believe it, I stayed at that hotel last year. It's not bad, the rooms are small, but how much time do you spend in the room? It's cute, and in a great location. When you walk out of the hotel make a left and walk about 2 blocks to where the circle begins. On that corner is a great Cous Cous restaurant, actually our best dinner in paris and cheap too. It gets crowded.

I would like someone to forward me the 35-page document on Paris. It will be greatly appreciated. [email protected]

Robin: I too will be leaving for Paris in 2 short weeks and would love your 35 page guide..please e-mail me...I would be most appreciative Sue

Robin - While you're at it, could you e-mail me too? I'm always collecting tidbits for my Paris file. Thanks in advance.

If you don't like the hotel, find the hotel 'desk' at one of the main train stations (Gares); for a few francs they can locate a room for you, especially in that price range. The tourist offices used to have street maps of Paris produced by McDonalds. Sounds dumb, but McDonalds could be an easy-to-spot 'landmark' if you're lost (not to mention a good place to find a restroom). When you tire of Paris' hustle and bustle, consider a day trip to Giverny or Epernay (chamagne country). The French countryside is a welcome relief from the traffic, noise, and tourists. It's already been said, but do NOT attempt to drive in the city. Take the Metro (it's maps are color coded) and walk everywhere.

Hi Alex and all, Some restaurants I found to be nice: Angelina's: Right Bank, Rue Rivoli, near Louvre, "tea room", fabulous deserts, and a hot chocolate , the "africain" that is death by chocolate... Reine Blanche: Ile St Louis, family restaurant, small, great food, friendly lady running the show...now listed in National Geographic guide to Paris Au Gourmet de L'Ile: Ile St Louis,very nice, stone-and-beam decor Berthillon: on Ile St Louis, some people say this is the best ice cream in the world...they have a street outlet here Ruche Gourmande: Left Bank, Rue dauphine, when we were there they had just opened , service was therefore little spotty, but they were so nice and trying to please, and the food good. Already had the typical french grandma eating diner in the corner..2 minute walk to Pont Neuf boats Le Montebello: Left Bank, along Seine, east of Quai St Michel, outdoor patio with view of Notre Dame Rotisserie du Beaujolais: near above restaurant, lots of locals, great chicken/duck, same owner as the nearby **** Tour D'argent.... Atlas: Left Bank,#12 Blvd St Germain (east end), Moroccan food, my friend says it was very good, and servings are plentiful Chez Rene: Blvd St Germain, right across street from above, bistro, lots of locals, Catherine Deneuve once in a while... Moulin de Vent/Chez Henri: left bank, Rue des Fosses St Bernard, bistro, locals, and as with the above ,good/great food All restaurants post their menu outside so you can read, translate, and price. Recommend buying from "menu", most places will have one or more fixed price set menus that are good value. Enjoy!

Robin: I would dearly love a copy of your article as well. We are planning a return to Paris, our favorite city, and want to accumulate as much information as we can. Does anyone know of a good hotel near the Luxumborg Gardens in the Latin Quarter?

Joy, I leave for Paris tomorrow night. We're staying at the Hotel des Jardins du Luxembourg. If I read my map correctly, it's about a 1/2 block from the Luxembourg gardens and very convenient to the Luxembourg RER station. I haven't stayed there before, but it's received good reviews both here and from other travel guides. If you email me in a week or so, I'll let you know how it was. -bmh

Robin: Please e-mail your info on Paris...we are going for the first time in two weeks. thanks [email protected]

To whoever asked about the opera scene in Paris. It is marvelous. We heard two opera at the Basille Opera and a symphony concert at the Chatelet. I got all the fax numbers (and perhaps by now they have e-mail addresses) from the Paris pages so was able to order my tickets prior to arriving in Paris.

I too would love a copy of Robin's Paris file - my first trip is in July. I'd also love to hear from those of you who have travelled there recently. What surpassed expectations? What fell short?

I would love a copy of that 35 page paper on Paris. I'm tring to find a good 3 star hotel on the Left Bank not too far from the Seine. Any Suggestions? Thanks.

Robin - would appreciate receiving a copy of your documentation as we are planning our first trip to Paris.

The first time we went to Paris, we took out our Michelin Guide and did it "one Arrondisse at a time". It is a perfect way if you have the time. We have been back several times. Once we stayed at a little hotel called The Aramis in the area you are describing. We booked a tiny room that had 3 beds and a bath. I had to sit on the balcony while my husband dressed because of logistics! We had to load our bags into the tiny elevator and run up the stairs because of the coffin sized elevator! But we loved it because we were in San Germain and it was a change. By comparison, we stayed in a Chateau in the Loire (Chissay en Tourraine) for the same $$ and had a huge suite with a marble bath and a view and fresh roses on the dining room table. One nice thing about that Aramis Hotel's location was that there were many cirrus machines in the BulMiche and we weren't afraid of pickpockets getting lots of $ at once. Fortunately, we never experienced them at all on that trip. Once,when coming upstairs from a bar'r restroom, I felt a hand go in my pocket( on a previous trip. ) I turned around and gave the so&so a piece of my mind and he was more scared than I was.( So the combination of carrying small amounts and money belts are good ideas.) Another good resource for you is the Food Lovers Guide to Paris. I still read it just to relive those trips!

Robin, I would really appreciate it if you would send me a copy of your Paris file. Leaving next week for Paris for our honeymoon so we need all the info we could get. Thanks.

Robin, I would love a copy of your paper. I will be in Paris in August with 2 teenagers. Thanks!

Robin, If you see this, I would like a copy the 35-page Paris document. Thanks

When I was in Paris a few years ago my favorite reasonably-priced restaurant was a small place called Amanguier. I remember it was on the Left Bank in an "untouristy" neighborhood on a relatively quiet residential street about a 15-20 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, but I can't remember which arrondisement so you'd have to look it up when you get there. Anyway, it had a great prix fixe lunch menu and the most wonderful pesto ravioli -- so good I went back the next day. I recently recommended it to a friend who was going to Paris with her husband on their honeymoon and she said they also have another location on the Right Bank and that they loved it and ended up eating there twice as well. Another thing -- aside from all the bigger museums and tourist attractions (Musee D'Orsay, Louvre, Sacre Coeur, Versailles, Notre Dame, etc.), I would highly recommend a visit to the Picasso museum. It is one of my favorite small museums in Europe. If I remember correctly it is in or near the Marais district which is a wonderful neighborhood to walk around in and had great restaurants and shopping as well. The museum has a delightful collection, shown in the most beautiful space. Paris can be overwhelming if you stick to the main attractions so do yourself a favor and spend an afternoon in someplace less crowded and a little off the usual beaten path. If you enjoy Picasso's work at all, you shouldn't miss it! If anyone tries either of these recommendations and likes them, please post a message to this board and let me/others know -- thanks!

Alex, We are going to Paris for our honeymoon. We will be there the middle of June. We will be staying in Le Belmont 30,rue de Bassano;75016 has anyone heard of this hotel? Any information? We are also planning to go to Disneyland. Do you know how far this is, and what the best way to get there? Can you please send your 35 page guide too? Thank you so much!

Robin, I would appreciate if you could send me a copy of your Paris file. Or, if anyone could forward it to me, I'd be greatful. I'm headed over to Europe in June and still need lots of help with my plans. Thanks a million!!

robin, leaving next week for paris with my daughter., would realy appreciate a copy of your paris file. thanks.