Going to Paris? Need Guidance..
 

Well,
I'm 17. My friend(17 also) and I were planning on going to Paris for a
vacation ( Yes, we need it!). We're both guys.

I'd like to know if Paris was a good destination for us? We like
shopping, hanging out, etc. Most of all we wanted to do some extreme
sports like rock climbing. We also wanted to take advantage of the 16
years of age drinking limit :).

Can you guys tell me if you think Paris would be a good destination? Or
is somewhere else better?

Fontainebleau, a short train ride away from Paris, is known for "bouldering" in the surrounding forest area.
http://www.zebloc.com/bleau/bleaue.html

A couple of gyms in/near Paris that have climbing:
ANTREBLOC http://www.antrebloc.com/

MUR MUR www.rivierawriter.com/news3.htm
The largest rockclimbing facilities in Ile-de-France, between Paris and Charles de Gaulle Airport.
"Mur Mur" 55 rue Cartier Bresson 93500 Pantin
(RER E or Metro 7 Aubervilliers-Pantin)
Call for times and prices: 01 48 46 11 00

You can do shopping, hanging out, and drinking in any large city in Europe. I'm sure rock climbing, at least in gyms, are available in many places as well, and many cities are probably reasonably close to natural rock climbing locales.

So, what made you two originally think you wanted to go to Paris as opposed to some other city in Europe? Those specifics will help others help you determine if that's really the best choice for you or not.

Also, when are you going and what's your budget for the trip?

>I'm 17. My friend(17 also) and I were planning on going to Paris for a
vacation ( Yes, we need it!). <

Are you still planning on going?

Poor kids, only 17 and life is so tough that they need vacations.

Hi
When would you go?
The city that immediately sprang to mind was Prague. Lots of beer, inexpensive places to sleep and to eat in,and the consumer economy is not yet on the euro, so prices seemed significantly lower to me last spring than they did in other parts of Europe.
I don't know about the rock climbing aspect though there is countryside to visit. In summer, Prague can seem like student central I'm told.

That's unusual for a guy to see he likes shopping. But I think Paris is fine for the hanging out and shopping, but would not pick a major capital city for anyone whose main interest is extreme sports. There is no point in rock climbing in city gyms, you might as well stay at home and rock climb, in my opinion. I don't even know if they have gyms like that in Paris, but I'd go somewhere else if that's a big thing to you, somewhere cheaper and where you could do that outdoors.

"We like
shopping, hanging out, etc."

Well, Paris is as good a choice as any. It is probably the cheapest European destination overall (flight+food+hotel). Consider staying in the Pantheon area - a central, inexpensive area to eat and sleep and also mostly people your age. Have fun.

Actually, the Bastille/Republique area is probably better for young people. If you saw MTV's "Real World Paris", that's where the housemates went clubbing. It's the hot area for nightlife and you'll find it's cheaper for sleeps. Grab a copy of the Avant Guide to Paris or the Rough Guide for guidebook with a more youthful and hip point of view.

You have passports I assume. Since you are still minors have you checked with your airlines if you need notorized letters from your parents giving you permission to take this trip.

Not saying you absolutely do but thinking you may.

Keep in mind that drinking in Europe is generally done in moderation (not always but generally).

And, is this another troll? Hmmmm, I do wonder. LOL.

After the postings of the last week I'm starting to think that everything -- or everyone -- is a troll.

BTW: What is the origin of that term on this board? Troll= malign, powerful dwarfish creature? Or troll= fishing gear with barbed hooks drawn behind a boat to catch fish?

Probably both, but mainly the latter. I think it originated in Usenet newsgroups, which predated web-based message-boards by a very long time.

Hi ted,

AFAIKit derives from fishing. Slowly trolling bait in the water to see what rises.

C'mon folks, do you really think this is serious.....rock climbing in Paris? Of course, we've all heard what a great city it is for extreme sports.

My 21 yrs. old daughter and her friend backpacked around Europe this past summer and said Interlaken, Switzerland was the highlight of the trip.
There is a youth hostel there called "Balmer's" that would be right up your alley. Filled with college students, all the extreme sports you can think of and plenty of beer drinking.
Just be sure to bring lots of money.

Sorry but this sounds bogus! What kind of difficult life does a 17 year old have that warrants a "vacation" to Paris? Not a graduation gift but a vacation. And I am not sure why you would pick a major city for rock climbing, yet you like to shop too? Well if it is true you are truly the epitome of a metrosexual.

What a weird combination of questions and answers here.

Although I'm usually the first to say that you can thrive well in Paris for not an excessive amount of money, it certainly isn't the cheapest destination in Europe - I'm pretty confident Prague or Budapest or Bucharest or Krakow or any number of Eastern Europe cities would be considerably cheaper overall.

As to the original poster - the Eiffel Tower is ideal for extreme rock climbing. Good luck!