wayfinder45

I agree with travelgirl2 and other posters: I'd spend a little more for a more centrally located apartment especially to give the teens more freedom and to make it easier to take a break before heading out for the evening if you so choose. You could compensate by trimming the food budget. 50E pp seems a bit high to me unless you plan to have sit down meals every day. When I took my teenaged daughter to Paris, we subsisted on incredibly delicious sandwiches (about 5E each), crepes, and the occasional coffee and brioche at a cafe. It was our choice to spend more of our budget on activities (and for my daughter, clothes, clothes, clothes) rather than sit down meals, but we certainly didn't suffer gastronomically! We stayed in the 6th and it was a brilliant location. Also, you can take the Batobus (water bus) and get a feel for the Siene instead of a cruise - much cheaper and convenient transportation at the same time! Our big splurge was attending a ballet at the Palais Garnier which we booked well before leaving. The setting was stunning and the ballet shocking (literally so avant garde, we both had our mouths hanging open) - a truly memorable experience. We also took the train in from CDG -- very easy to do. We did not buy any transportation passes as we walked most places and tended only to take the metro in the evenings to get back to the hotel when we didn't think we could take another step. We decided to take the Batobus one day and if I recall we bought one ticket and it allowed us a certain number of trips during the day.

Good luck as you continue planning. I am in the midst of planning a holiday trip for our entire family to Italy -- first big trip in several years! I know how hard it is to balance the need to set things up in advance with the desire to stay flexible so you can go where the mood/weather/heart takes you once you're there. And traveling with teens can certainly be a challenge!

Suzbrownie

This Paris info is really great. It sets my mind at ease knowing that the Metro and all isn't that big of a deal. When you say increase the budget for an apt, how much do you think is suitable?
Much of the info I gathered said the average price per night for a hotel is 150 Euros but double that with a party our size so that gets very pricey. I found a lovely apt. in the Bastille neighborhood; is this still too far away from all the action - how far are we talking here in travel time?

And thank you Heimdall for your remarks about the Greek Is. I accidentally read over it this morning and just found it! That's very helpful!

Surfergirl

If you arrive in Paris on June 27th, then head directly to Greece and hit Paris on the back end of your trip, you will be in Paris for Bastille Day. There's a LOT of free stuff going on at this time, and your teens will have the time of their life.

I'll be happy to describe in more detail, if that's what you plan to do. We've been to Paris on Bastille Day when our son was 5, 10 (well, we were in Cannes for their fireworks that year), 12, and 16. We took our niece their when she was 15 for Bastille Day.

kerouac

150€ is the average price for 3-star hotel. Most people in Paris stay in 1 and 2-star hotels and pay less than 100€. Only certain nationalities "require" 3 or more stars. In my neighborhood, the hotels top out at 50€ and nobody is complaining.

note: the internet shows its limits here, because most of the economical hotels are not represented on the internet (yet).

Mimar

The Bastille neighborhood is VERY central, with good metro connections. However it's not as youthful as the 6th arrondissement. I tend to think of it as more car-oriented than the rest of Paris. But do you have a more exact address?

Suzbrownie

Surfgirl, When exactly is Bastille Day going on? I assume it lasts more than just one day as far as celebrations, etc?

Kerouac, where is your neighborhood and can you recommend a place for five? : )

Mimar, the Bastille Apt says: The apartment is situated between place de la Bastille, place de la Republique, the Père Lachaise Cemetery and not so fare from the Marais. Does that help?

Thanks all! Off to work, I go.

Michel_Paris

Not sure that I would say that the Bastille (10th) is less youthful than the 6th.

There is a night club scene going on in this area.

oliverg

I’m a late comer here but I’d like to throw out a couple of suggestions. Fontaines de Luxembourg is a hotel with adjoining rooms with doors in between. Price is good. Well situated. Close to the Jardin de Luxembourg. Really nice hotel. Several nice restaurants close by. Stay in Paris a little longer, as everyone suggests, and don’t go too far out.

Re: your idea of going to Italy. Quick and not too expensive connections between Paris and Zurich on the TGV. (Especially if you book and pay before leaving the US.) Then take the scenic route down from Zurich to Lugano. Eat aboard the train. Watch the scenery. Takes a couple of hours. Worth the trip in itself. Then you have access to northern Italy with Como, Bellagio, Milano, and even if you like, Bologna or the Ligurian coast. Trains in mid and northern Italy fan out from Milano.

In Paris, Switzerland and Italy you will find real food, real culture, real people, Trenitalia and TGV and Swiss rail which are all easy to research and access and book online. Greece is another story. A little more difficult. But the Islands can be nice. You will tend to be on an island with little diversity when it comes to food or culture. In the summer you can swim. Then you can eat a Greek salad or lamb or their version of kebab and have a bottle of wine. The energy might feel slightly “dull” after a couple of days. Athens can be difficult, and especially now with the recession. Most people in Europe who go to the Greek islands go there either directly by plane from one of the cities in Northern or Central Europe, or they’re backpackers. If there are things you would find difficult in some parts of Europe like (“pedal”-toilets) these are even more so in Greece. But I’m prejudiced. I like Italy better than Greece, and Spain better than Portugal. Doesn’t mean someone else might not feel differently and be right.

I’m sorry if some of what I’m saying here isn’t relevant, if I’ve missed out on something when it comes to where you’re going or how you’re going or why.

MomDDTravel

Chiming in again - I just wanted to add that 50 pp is high for food. As was mentioned up thread - much of our dining in Paris was on the go - we are not "foodies" so grabbing a sandwich and crepe on the street (Croque Monsieur became a favorite) worked... we were there the second time in the winter and the hot wine was fabulous. I think you are high on that - I would take money off the food budget and add it to the apartments.

Surfergirl

Suz --

Bastille Day is July 14th. The Fireman's Ball is the night before, the 13th, that generally people of all ages attend, but depending on which fire station you attend, it can get pretty packed and pretty rowdy as the night goes on, so the super young and super old pull out early.

Here's a great link to Kerouac's Fireman's Ball from this past July -- with photos:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...l-in-paris.cfm

On the 14th, there's the parade at around 10 a.m. along the Champs Elysee; followed by picnics in the parks; followed by fireworks and music over the Trocadero & Eiffel Tower.

Nikki

If you found a lovely apartment in the Bastille neighborhood, I'd go with that. I am not sure why one poster talks about it as car-oriented, but it is central Paris with excellent bus and metro connections. And within walking distance of interesting neighborhoods and lots of cafes and shops in all directions.

wayfinder45

Kerouac has a point, you might want to check out hotel options as well. In planning our trip to Italy, I found that hotels are a better bet for our family of 5 in Rome and Florence (given a combination of factors), while an apartment in Venice was by far the best option. I think if you first pick 2-3 neighborhoods that you think offer the right mix of convenience, ambience, safety, amenities, etc. that your family is looking for and then search multiple sites, you may come across just the right place within your price range even in the 3rd, 5th or 6th. I can't speak to the Bastille neighborhood, that might be a great option as well. It seems like you were thinking about 120E per night; if you go up to 150-160E/night it might give you more options to consider if you're not sold on the one in Bastille. One additional thought on hotels: since you are booking well in advance, be sure to check the hotel's own website before booking on a site such as venere.com. The hotel may be offering a significant discount for advanced booking that may not be reflected on the hotel search engines.

Mimar

The Bastille area of Paris looks fine. As others said, good metro connections. And I bow to Michel_Paris's superior knowledge of the Parisian nightclub scene.

teacherCanada

Suzbrownie - I'm interested to know if you have made any further decisions about your wonderful family trip.

tC

Suzbrownie

Thanks for inquiring. We have booked our apt. in Paris! We decided to go w/ the Bastille neighborhood and have had GREAT communication with the owner already. We are staying four nights/five days and plan to do a bike tour, some free walking ones and the typical must see museums,Eiffle Tower, as well as the riverboat cruise. I am curious though as to what might be good bets to order for dinner in these French restaurants for our teens. The only time I was there I chose a tostada, I'm not sure why - was I thinking I was in mexico?! Anyway, I got toast, basically for dinner and couldn't afford anything else. We have fairly adventurous kiddos but some knowledge of typical dishes might be really helpful!

We plan to fly on July 1 to Athens, stay two nights and then head for Paros for five nights and Naxos for the remainder of the trip (5 days for hubby and 12 for the kids and me).
Haven't found a place in Athens yet - any recommendations in the Plaka?

We've found some really nice options for the islands that are affordable and quite sweet. One place in Paros is called the Sunset-view, the place looks pretty ideal for our family and did come with a recommendation from Worldinabag (above) but others keep telling me we should stay in Naoussa instead of Paros Town as it is gritty and grimy; does anyone have feedback for me to this regard? AND if we did stay in Naoussa would it be difficult to get to our accommodations later at night, as I understand we can catch a 4:30ish ferry but that gets us in later -(it would be nice to have a little more time in Athens so as not to catch the early boat) Thoughts?...

Thanks again for inquiring. Cheers

teacherCanada

Suzbrownie - your plans sound top notch. I can't give any first hand advice about Greece (except we will be there for the first time in March). You travel schedule appears very workable. Your Paris time sounds great. We stayed in the Bastille area one time and it was excellent. Lots of activities, markets, restaurants etc. I am sure you and your children will have loads of fun and make lots of great memories. With respect to the food, I sometimes chose a restaurant where I could see other people eating and asked to have what they had. It worked.

tC

Heimdall

Hi Suzbrownie,

Parikia (Paros Town) is not "gritty and grimy" — far from it! The area immediately around the docks is not picturesque, but a few steps away is the old town, the beautiful Ekatontapiliani Church, etc. If you want the best bus connections to other parts of the island and to Antiparos, stay in Parikia.

That said, I would choose Naoussa over Parikia. When a large ferry arrives on Paros you can be sure there will be transport to Naoussa (how else would visitors get there?). ;-) Many Naoussa hotels send mini-buses to meet the ferries. If yours doesn't, the bus station is next to the docks, or take a taxi. Naoussa is about 20 minutes drive from the ferry port.

Parikia is a working port town, while Naoussa is a former fishing village now taken over by tourism. It still has a fleet of fishing boats lovingly cared for by their owners, but some have been converted to taxi boats to take people to the beaches. You can also catch a bus from Naoussa to the long, sandy beaches on the east coast, or to Parikia. For Paros beaches, see http://www.parosweb.gr/beaches.htm

travelerjan

If you want to stay in Naoussa, here's a VERY affordable place with good reviews -- they have one unit for 5; has a BR, a kitchenette, 3 daybeds for the teens... @ 100€ per night from July 1-15. Check it out... http://www.scorpio-paros.com/ Certainly not as posh as the Sunset-View looks to be, with its pool & all ... but the savings would permit car rental to get to the best beaches.

If going to Naxos, in high season the beach where I stay (Ag Giorgios), just adjacent to Naxos Town,would be quite crowded ... so I suggest Plaka Beach or Kastraki ... use frequent local bus (every 30 mins til midnight) to town, and/or rent car a couple days of your stay. Some options that are well reviewed:
KASTRAKI - http://www.dolphinkastraki.gr/eng_main.html --- this one with the proviso, book 2 rm apt for 5 w. balcony but "sea view" NOT if labelled "garden View" (lower level & dark). Has a pool
PLAKA BEACH -- u would book 2 adjoining units: http://aronisnaxos.com/index%20en.html -- this place is at the end of the bus run to Plaka, directly on the beach ... accomms are in separate buildings from Wonderful taverna serving products directly from owners' farms ... I lunched there in 2008, looked over the place, like it a lot, more than other Plaka choices. For the right accommodation type, I suggest writing e-mail on website not just filling out the form.

Suzbrownie

Thanks guys for your input. Tc, I even do that here in restaurants "I'll have what she's having" so I will relax about this.

Heimdall, thank you for your opinion about Parikia. Your description as a "working port town" clarifies the difference of the two. It sets my mind at ease. I will pursue looking for further accommodations in Naoussa but if we cannot find anything that looks comparable for the price I feel much better knowing Parikia is a fine stop in itself.

Thank you both!

Lexma90

On typical Parisian dishes that teens might like, I would encourage your teens to try anything that sounds interesting to them. When we took our kids on their first visits to France and Paris, they had no problem finding delicious meals at whatever restaurant we ate at.

A good casual lunch-type item is a Croque-Monseiur, and its relative, the Croque-Madame. Similar to a grilled cheese sandwich, it's made of thick white bread, a slice of ham and gruyere (Swiss) cheese, then grilled. A Croque-Madame is the same, but with a fried egg on top. You'll primarily see these at cafes and some bistros.

Steak-frites, which is steak with fries, is very common. As is steak without the fries! Escargots, served in a butter and garlic sauce, are very traditional and often seen as appetizers. Foie gras is another common appetizer item. Duck is a main course that you see more in France than in the U.S. You'll see a bigger variety of meats (lamb, veal, pheasant, guinea fowl, pigeon, suckling pigs etc.) and unusual meat body parts than in the U.S. (sweetbreads, etc.), but if you don't like those, just don't order them. Steak is pretty much on very menus, as is at least one fish or seafood selection. Frogs' legs actually aren't so common - I know that because it was one of my son's requests on his first visit, and I had to search to find a place that served them!

Another casual and relatively economical choice is crepes. You'll find them all over at small storefronts or stands, available with a variety of fillings (they're served folded in thirds, with a cardboard "cone" wrapped around them). Also, there are plenty of creperies, where you can sit down and order more elaborate crepes (in restaurants, the crepes are served with the extra items on top of the flat crepe). Popular with students, of course, because they're cheap.

As an aside, just a reminder that your adult son is of legal age to drink in France (their drinking age is 16), and it's likely that your other kids will be offered alcohol, as well. When we recently took our 12yo daughter to Paris, some places served her wine when we ordered a bottle for lunch or dinner, some didn't.

Many guide books have a section on foods in France, or in Paris. You might want to peruse those, or suggest that your kids do so. Another thing we did before our kids' first visits to Paris was to go out to a casual French restaurant in our hometown, to let them see the variety of items they would have to chose from.

Also, all restaurants will list their menus in the windows, so it will give the group a chance to check out the menu in advance. The downside with this is that with everyone weighing in, you may get too much input on meals!

I didn't even mention all the pastries! Enjoy those - if you have an apartment, get croissants or other breads for breakfast. Our kids and I would make a (bad) habit of trying a new item or two each day. One of my favorites is choquettes, which are little bite-sized puff pastries. You can buy them by the bag and share them. Another special pastry are canneles, which I won't even try to describe. They're delicious; try googling them. And macarons; google those too. Unlike the American macaroons, macarons are small disks of meringue with a flavored filling in the middle. Google Laduree for pictures and flavors of macarons.