PVBTravelers

My wife and I are planning our first trip to Paris (finally). Plan to stay for at least a week and are looking for advice, ideas, and tips about where to stay (especially what area - would prefer an apartment). We're in our 60's and are looking for a peaceful and safe area with great places to eat, cafe's, bistros, etc. close by, and not too far from interesting things to see. Also any tips about the best time of year to visit with respect to weather and not at highest density tourist times.

Welcome all feedback!
Thanks

IMDonehere

It is one of the world's great walking cities. We have a habit when visiting cities. I carry a backpack and buy whatever strikes our fancy as walk around, bread, cheese, meat, chocolate, wine, and then have a feast back in the room for dinner. If you are checking in your bags you can bring silverware and corkscrew.

StCirq

Start by getting guidebooks (Michelin, Fodors, Frommers, Blue Book), poring over maps so you know how the city is laid out and what is where, and using the internet for searches. There is a wealth of information out there. Make it yours and devise your dream trip.

Paris wasn't designed over hundreds of years to accommodate tourists who want everything to be central, so keep in mind you are going to have to learn to get around the city, whether on foot or by bus or métro or RER or taxi. Learn the system: www.ratp.fr and www.parisbytrain.com will help you out.

All areas are safe. Not all are peaceful. What do you mean by that? A place that's quiet at night? There are places like that, but obviously they won't be so "central."

High-density tourist times are roughly beginning of May through end of September. August is the cheapest time to go for accommodations; September is probably the most expensive. In summer, you'll want A/C,maybe even into the end of September.

Cafés and restaurants and bistros are the very least of your concerns. You can't swing a cat in Paris without running into good food of every description. Leave that until you get there unless you are very particular and need very high-end reservations.

If this is your first trip to France and you don't speak good French, an apartment might not be the best choice. You may have to deal with neighbors and locals who don't speak English just to do basic things like figure out how to get into the apartment when the keys don't work right or the washing machine overflows. In a hotel, you have a desk with people who can offer you guidance and assistance at any time of day or night (in most hotels).

Hope this helps.

DebitNM

We have been in late April and mid October. We had good weather in April, but it was an unusually warm spring. The weather was perfect in October; I think autumn is pretty much the nicest season of all. We were there till end of month and it did get cool by the time we left.

Do some reading here, along with guide books. There are lots of threads with questions, answers and folks often post trip reports when they return home.

Use the Destination tab at top and read up on Paris. Also, check out tripadvisor.com Paris forum.

Half the fun of a trip, especially to Paris, is the research.

adrienne

The best weather is going to have the highest density of tourists but that's true of any place. I wouldn't worry about how many other tourists there are. The best weather is mid to late May or mid to late September if you want warm but not hot and not generally rainy. It's a bit late to start planning for May; you'd need to find an apartment immediately for September.

There are interesting things to see all over the city so anywhere in the first 8 arrondissements is fine. Most first-time visitors prefer the 3, 5, 6, or 7th arrondissement, the 7th being the most quiet of these. Close to the river gives you a central location but also more tourists.

Again, a contradictory requirement with cafes and bistros close by and a peaceful area. Cafes and bistros attract people who might make noise and more car traffic. Peaceful denotes countryside rather than city.

Firm up your criteria and start reading about the city. It's a wonderful place.

swandav2000

Hi PVBTravelers,

While it's true that it may be difficult to find peaceful + central, it's not impossible. I stayed on the St. Louis Island on my last trip to Paris, and it was exactly that! It's peaceful since it's on an island and there's not much traffic, and it's super central in the middle of Paris.

I got an apartment from Guest Apartment Services, and I loved it. I had a view over the river and trees, which was very peaceful. I do have to admit that I could hear the boat tours on the Seine, but that didn't bother me at all (and the noise lasted about 2 minutes). Guest Apartment Services can be on the expensive side (not as much as some others though), so you may want to try to find something from VRBO or Paris Best Lodge that's also on Ile St. Louis.

There are lots of cafes and bistros on the island as well.

Have fun as you plan!

s

swandav2000

I should add that most of the apartments from Guest Apartment Services are on the quais, facing the river. The bistros and cafes are on the interior of the island. So, apart from the strolling pedestrians and the boat tours, there isn't any noise.

s

PVBTravelers

Great suggestions - thanks to all.

To clarify peaceful (perhaps that was the wrong description to use), guess I meant that since we don't want to out clubbing or dancing or participate in the kind of nightlife that we used to enjoy, there's no need to be in an area that focuses on those types of entertainment with heavy late night activity. So, city noises are okay but we want an area with more hustle and bustle in the daylight or early evening hours than in the late night or early morning hours.

One observation that I took note of is that since we speak no French, hotels with services for foreign travelers probably make more sense for us than an apartment building filled with native speakers with whom we would not be able to easily communicate. Good information to consider.

Now, off to do more reading, studying and planning!

Gretchen

We like the Muguet in the 7th. It IS quiet, and some rooms have a view of the Eiffel Tower. it is on a number of bus lines, and in between 2 major metro stops. It is near a lot of GREAT restaurants of all levels, and near rue Cler which in spite of its naysayers, IS a major market street for Parisiennes.

IMDonehere

We are inveterate museums goers but museum walking for whatever reason can be tiring, so we like to vary our activities, thus we do not go to too many on one day or on consecutive days.

Be sure to take a walk along the Seine at night.

Also learn basic rules of etiquette, especially regarding retail shops, Parisiennes are quite unforgiving about that.

We have been in Paris during all seasons and my favorite times are early to mid-May and mid to end of September. There are LESS tourists and the weather is usually fine. Be sure to use the Metro to get around. If you are not familiar with subways, take 5, 10 minutes to become familiar with the procedures and lines.

mamcalice

There is a lot of good advice above, especially the suuggestion to choose a hotel for your first trip. We stayed in hotels for several trips and only after becoming very familiar with Paris and its neighborhoods felt comfortable with an apartment.

We like the 6th and 7th arrondisements for apartments- both have a good selection and are lively enough during the day and generally quiet at night. For our October trip we are going to look for an apartment on the Ile de St. Louis which should be relatively peaceful at night.

All of our travel to Paris in recent years has been in May or late September. Both are great times to visit. We're trying early Oct. this time.

Have a lot of fun planning. This forum has a wealth of information on itineraries, activities, restaurants, trip reports, etc. Use the search function above.

TPAYT

Mid. Sept to early Oct. is our time in Paris. In 9 trips we've had 1 out of 9, 75-80 degrees and sunny the whole time, 1 out of 9, rained the whole time, and 7 out of 9, mid 70's with maybe a splash or 2 of rain. So, weather is a crap shoot no matter when but we've been lucky in Sept.

We also usually stay on Ile St. Louis. 2nd choice is the left bank as close to the Seine as possible. If you choose a hotel on a side street it should be quiet.

On a recent thread someone mentioned this hotel. I took note of it because the area was attractive to us.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...de_France.html

KTtravel

I think you might enjoy staying in a hotel for your first trip. We liked the Hotel Relais Bosquet in the 7th and the Louis II in the 6th. Our room in the Louis II was very small but the location there was a bit closer to some of the sites we enjoyed. At the Relais Bosquet we had a larger room and enjoyed that location as well. The other suggestions above all sound good, too.

john183

We (a couple in our 60's) have only been to Paris twice - both times in June (busy but not super crowded and fairly decent weather) with granddaughters - so I'm by no means an expert but we rented apartments both times and really liked the apartment experience. We like the extra space with comfortable seating, the kitchen (mostly for breakfast), a table with chairs and the option to be able do a few loads of laundry. For us, if staying for a week, we think the advantages of an apartment outweigh the advantages of a hotel.

In 2004 we stayed in the 6th on Rue du Bac and 2011 in the 7th on Rue Sedillot - we thought both areas were great. Like you, we were not interested in a wild nightlife so these two areas worked out well for what we wanted. The bottom line is no matter where you choose to stay, you will have a wonderful time in Paris.

Randy

I have been to Paris six times. The first five were in the fall and the last was in the spring. While I liked all, I prefer the spring, May or June. Weather is fine and you have more daylight hours.

I would also recommend an apartment. Don't be that concerned about a language problem. English is used a lot in Paris, and I have found that the younger people almost all speak a little English learned in school. BUT I strongly recommend you take the time before you go to learn a few basic phrased in French.

MarySteveChicago

We too are in our 60's and approaching our third trip to Paris in May. We prefer apartments where we can grab breakfast or stay in and dine on items from the outdoor markets (roasted chicken and potatoes!). The closer in you stay, the more you will pay for accommodations. However, to serve the tourists who stay central many waitstaff, clerks, etc. in that area speak some English. Neighborhoods are known as arrondissements and are laid out in a corkscrew fashion beginning centrally. The postal zip codes use this system as well, ie: 75002 would be located in the 2nd arr. useful for locating restaurant locations.

It's hard to find an unsafe location. If you rent an apt, for sound level, you might want to stay in one overlooking a courtyard or not at ground level. Btw, floors of apartments differ from the U.S. 1st floor is really a U.S. 2nd floor and stairwells are steep and often tightly wound (in case you have any mobility issues)

Be prepared to be enchanted! A bientot! Mary

jane1144

Lehouse is soliciting. You don't want to be outside Paris if your objective is to see Paris. We rented an apartment, even though my high school French is pathetic, and had no language issues. We liked the flexibility to eat in if we wanted and it felt more "homey". We were in the Marais with many bistros and restaurants. Our apartment faced in to a courtyard and was very quiet.

Vivi004

My husband and I used VRBO to book the apartment we rented in Paris last May. If you end up having issues with the apartment, the owner should have given you a number to contact them. I always kept the number and door code on me and in my email. We ran into no issues renting, using VRBO. In fact I am using it for my second trip this Fall. We rented in the 6th a few blocks from River Seine and enjoyed it immensely. It was within walking distance to many sites and near a metro stop. Had lots of cafes and restaurants, but was quiet during sleeping hours. Good luck planning, I hope you have a wonderful time.

JeanneB

I agree with ALL the posters regarding staying in an apartment. However. There are things I like about hotels, too. For my first few trips, I really liked having someone at the desk to help me with bus schedules, reservations, etc. (and I speak French fairly well.)

Another thing I missed at the apartment was breakfast brought to the room!!! We like Hotel Bonaparte, where they bring up a huge tray with a pot of hot coffee, steamed milk, croissants, bread and jam. It's also close to 3 metros and the big bus hub at St-Sulpice.

You really can't go wrong with either option. But I would tilt a little toward the hotel for this first trip.

Seamus

I understand the appeal of having hotel services for a first time visitor without facility in French, but am not sure it is a deal breaker. As the most visited city in the world Paris is well accustomed to having nonspeakers and in such a cosmopolitan area there is usually someone nearby who has at least basic English. Please do not read that as dispensation from the need to learn a few basic words (especially please and than you.) That combined with understanding the etiquette such as always beginning a transaction with "bonjour, madame/monsieur" and ending with "merci, au revoir" will serve you well.

I'd suggest using an agency that provides English speaking local contact. Vacation in Paris www.vacationinparis.com gets frequent positive reviews here and elsewhere, including from me and offers the advantage of being a US based company so you can pay in dollars. For future visits sites like vrbo.com (which is not an agency but rather a service listing ads from individual owners and property management companies) can offer an even wider array of choices.