First Visit to Paris
 

I will be traveling to Paris for the first time in June. We will be renting an apartment in the Canal Saint Martin area. Can anyone tell me something about the area? With only one week there, what should we see? More importantly where should we eat? Anything we should stay away from? Thanks.

You should probably invest in a guidebook. Why would you be visiting Paris if you have no idea of what to see?

I hope my trip report help you a little:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...days-alone.cfm
Please, PLEASE go to "Les Ombres", for diner and you will have the best view of the Eiffel tower...book at night after 8pm orso, so you can see it light up...
Good luck

One more thing...I got "Fodor's Paris' 25 Best", it has all you need to know and an AWESOME laminated map of Paris and the main locations have a star... it was my "bible" :-)

The Canal St Martin goes about 3 miles between the Seine and La Villette - where is your apartment?

With a week, you won't be able to see everything, so choose the things you are most interested in. Yes, get a guidebook to help you. I agree that the Fodors laminated map is the best I found. While we used google maps on our iPhones to find our way around, it is no substitute for a "real" map.

Where to eat is perhaps the easiest thing to figure out. The Fodors book has lots of good suggestions - we used many of them, but use your eyes. Every cafe, bistro or restaurant has its menu posted outside, so in your travels - and you will walk a lot in Paris - pause an look at the menus of places that you pass by.

Here is a link to my report from a year ago, on our first visit to Paris: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ris-in-may.cfm

and remember tipping is verbotin in Europe - at least in the eyes of locals - a service charge of 15-20% is added onto the bill and that negates any need for tipping. Wait staff may still work tourists for tips as it works and what do they have to lose. But tipping is foolish - like paying twice for something.