We'll be going to Paris, for the first week of September. This will be our first time there! Although we have an idea of what to do/see, still any recommendations and tips of what to do (or not) on a budget would be greatly appreciated.

Metro - should we get an unlimited weekly pass?
Museums - any suggestions on the pass or free entrance times?
Has anyone stayed at les Halles? What do you think of the neighborhood?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Les Halles as a neighbourhood could be doubtful. The shopping centre in the middle can attract a few troublemakers in the middle of the night, but a few streets away could be OK. Do you have an exact address?

Hi E,

Paris is a very good walking city. We have never used more than a carnet (10 metro tickets for 11.50E) per person/week.

Is there a reason why you have chosen to stay near Les Halles?

What's your hotel budget?

The Carnavalet Museum in the Marais is free. It is the Paris History Museum; Free or not, it is one of my favorites.

I am not too keen on the les Halles area either and second PatrickLondon's suggestion of a couple of streets "over".

We stayed at the Muget in the 7th. Quaint hotel for about 100 Euros. The area is quiet and has a lovely market every morning in Rue Cler. A must see is St. Chappelle - try to go when the sun is out. Also a must is Paris Walks. for 10 Euro each you meet at a metro stop and explore with a knowledgable guide - our walk was Montmarte and Peter the guide was a Brit with a wonderful personality and enthusiasm.

Have Fun

Karen

Thanks to all.
We chose les Halles since it is central area. I don't have the exact address, but I think the street is also called Les Halles.
We intend to do a lot of walking and sightseeing, so thanks for confimring that that's whay we should go about to see the city the best way.
Our budget is about 100-120 euros/nt, and we need a refrigerator or cooking facility. An appartment is an idea situation for us, but I'll check out the Muget. thanks all!

I think you need to get an up to date book on Paris to become more informed of the possibilites you are considering. For example....

Carte Orange- weekly unlimited metro & bus pass but it begins on Monday and ends on Sunday. If you are going to be there Wed.-Wed. it isn't a good choice but if you arrive Sunday (which it sounds like you will it would work). You'll need a small passport sized photo for the card and you'll need to know how to ask for one.

Paris Visite- expensive pass for tourists who don't know better. Probably more expensive than buying individual metro tix. Terrible idea!

Carnet- pack of 10 tix. I think about 40% less than buying individual tix and enough for some people. You can buy them in machines at some stations and will buy them from a clerk at others.

Museum pass- you can buy one day or multiple days. You need to get a tour book to see which museums are covered and decide if you were planning to go to those.

First Sundays are free at Louvre and D'Orsay. A number of museums are closed on Monday and others are closed on Tuesday. Multiple day passes become activated the first day you use them and must be used on consecutive days. So, it wouldn't make sense to get a 3 day pass and begin using it on the first Sunday of Sept. because some are free that day and some are closed Monday and Tuesday.

I would rethink Les Halles as a place to stay. Much better places to be, especially for your first time. Not a horrible choice if you can't change hotels but not as picturesque (IMO charmless shopping center built on the site of the long ago produce market) as 3rd, 5th or 6th arrondisments. You can read about the vibe of various arrondisements if you chose to move. For example 3rd is ancient, 5th has some tiny narrow Roman streets mostly for pedestrians, 6th has wide streets and is more cosmopolitan....

Can you give us the name of your hotel and the address? I would check it out on tripadvisor as well. You will spend so much time money and effort to go to Paris that location is important.


Finally, there are many wonderful old threads with answers to some of your questions if you type key words into the search box above. There is a great Paris Super Thread that I suggest you print out and read at your leisure and perhaps take with you on your trip.

Since you mention apartment... I like www.private-paris.com for apt. of good value. I've stayed in the Mouffetard studio and will be in the rue de Grenelle apt. next summer.

You cany type "Paris apartments" in the search box above for lots of info.

Also, I agree Paris is great for walking but it is highly convenient to jump on and off the metro to get from place to place quickly.

I wouldn't walk from Les Halles to the Eiffel Tower or Arc de Triomphe for example but I would walk from Les Halles to Notre Dame and St. Chapelle.

I'm assuming this is the Hotel Résidence des Halles on rue des Halles near where it joins the rue de Rivoli. I don't know it, but this is some way from the Les Halles shopping centre, so if this it, my initial concern is a bit reduced. On the other hand, these are main streets, and the traffic might make them a bit noisy and less characterful than some other districts in the lower-numbered arrondissements. Also the nearest metro station is Chatelet, the busiest and potentially most confusing; on the other hand, plenty of lines serve it.

You can see photos of what it and the surrounding buildings look like at www.pagesjaunes.fr.

Hi

My wife and I went to Paris in April and I have posted a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/Paris_France.htm . Maybe you can find some useful information there

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

I will chime in also and say that you can do better for a location. We stayed in an apartment in the 6th that is under $100 a night and in the most charming and central location, especially for your first time in Paris. In case you're interested: rentalfrance.com (Rue de Buci apt.).

About the museums, if you decide not to do the museum pass, you can get advance tickets for most to avoid lines. For example, tix for the Louvre can be purchased online from home and tix for D'orsay can be purchased at the Ticketnet desk in any Virgin Records store in Paris (there's one in the Carousel du Louvre).

John

thanks all, all your comments/suggestions have been most helpful!!!