HELP! 4 days in Paris...2/25-3/1
 

Hope someone can help for some last minute plans. Going to spend a long weekend with my boyfriend and we would love suggestions on fun bistros, romantic hotel($100-US), and anything else that would be fun and romantic...it's his b-day!(32) <BR>Thanks! <BR>

Hi Coleen... <BR> <BR>I'm assuming you have never been before, so stick with me. If it's not your 1st time, then I'm sorry if I'm telling you things you already know. <BR> <BR>Some of these things will be "weather-permitting". <BR> <BR>1) I would highly recommend a walk on the Pont Alexander III bridge before sunset. When we went, we stayed there for about 2 hours, watched the people and boats, watched the sun lower in the sky and the lights on the Eiffel Tower come on. (You might even consider bringing some picnic items and a bottle of wine.) If you want to see a picture of the bridge, I posted a few pictures a little while back. The last one is of us on the bridge at sunset. <BR> <BR>The address is <BR> <BR>www.riverside.quik.com/aarons/lynn_pics.html <BR> <BR> <BR>2) Sunset on the Eiffel Tower as the lights go on all over the city. 899 feet in the air! Incredible...(Again, alot of this depends on the weather) <BR> <BR>3) I liked wondering around Montmartre. You can go to Place du Tertre and watch the artists (weather-permitting) and all the tourists. It's touristy, but kind of fun and there are cafes around if you want to stop for coffee or something. Then, go walk off around the narrow, steep streets and just see what you find. We ended up on rue des Abbesses (sp?) (a street a couple blocks up from the Moulin Rouge area) and found a little bakery with the best chocolate mousse I ever had and lots of little meat shops, produce stands etc. <BR> <BR>4) A great walk is from the Louvre and Tuileries gardens up Champs Elysee to the Arc de Triomphe. The Champs Elysee is also a bit touristy but the whole time you are walking the Arc is getting bigger and bigger and you just can't believe you are actually in Paris. <BR> <BR>4) Other great things to see are Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Musee Rodin, etc., etc., etc. <BR> <BR>Think about what you like to do and see and spend some time at the book store. I looked for 2 weeks and finally bought the Eyewitness guide for Paris. For me, I thought it had the best overall information and pictures. If you don't want to buy one, go to Barnes & Noble and take lots of notes. <BR> <BR>One tip about the metro. Get a hotel very near a stop, and make sure it's a fairly major stop. Some hotels in outlying areas are far from the stop or they are near a "less travelled" stop. This means you might be spending lots of valuable time changing to other lines to get where you want to go. This might mean wasting 1 to 2 hours a day. Not a good plan when you only have 4 days. <BR> <BR>If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll check back to this post in a day to see. <BR> <BR>Happy Traveling!

Something really corny, but worth it for new-timers is a bateau-mouche ride. Avoid the dinners, which are bad and expensive, just go for the normal day stuff. Other "romantic" strolls include the Buttes-Chaumont park, the Père Lachaise cemetery, a walk in Le Marais,the Louvre Pyramid at night (it's magically lit, and you'll avoid the busloads)

Ongoing : for fun bistrots, try rue de la Roquette near Bastille, rue Oberkampf at the corner of rue Saint Maur ; nice restaurants for lovers' dinners : bistrot des Envierges, rue des Envierges in the 20th, a wonderful view, but not a tourist in sight, or, more classical, the restaurant inside the Musée de l'Homme in the Palais de Chaillot (Trocadéro) ; original, classy, great view, great neo-Lebanese food, slightly more expensive (300F) : the restaurant at the top of the Institut du Monde Arabe (5th arr.). One last suggestion : in France, only winos do have food and wander with a bottle of wine outside a home or a restaurant. So, please avoid those kinds of "romantic picnics", at least in the days time.

For hotels around $100 US I would recommend the 7eme. Hotel Muguet or where we stayed Hotel La Motte Piquet. Even though the latter is right on a major street it was quiet. Ask for room 205. Tiny, but hey! Who needs more than a comfortable bed and good plumbing! It has flowerpots outside the window. [It *might* be 105, given the French manner of numbering floors]The bathroom is charming and well kept. I asssume 305 would have a similar setup minus the flowerpots :) Our room + breakfast was under $90. The website is: http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/h7...tepicquet2.htm <BR>The hotel isn't luxurious, but we thought it was charming. Muguet is closer to $100. It is on a very quiet street and looked *very* nice... Their website is: http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/h75007muguet2.htm <BR>Hope you have a *great* time! <BR>

For hotels around $100 US I would recommend the 7eme. Hotel Muguet or where we stayed Hotel La Motte Piquet. Even though the latter is right on a major street it was quiet. Ask for room 205. Tiny, but hey! Who needs more than a comfortable bed and good plumbing! It has flowerpots outside the window. [It *might* be 105, given the French manner of numbering floors]The bathroom is charming and well kept. I asssume 305 would have a similar setup minus the flowerpots :) Our room + breakfast was under $90. The website is: http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/h7...tepicquet2.htm <BR>The hotel isn't luxurious, but we thought it was charming. Muguet is closer to $100. It is on a very quiet street and looked *very* nice... Their website is: http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/h75007muguet2.htm <BR>La Motte Piquet is a tad closer to the metro stop, Ecole Militaire, but both are convenient. <BR>For a romantic meal in that neighborhood try Les Olivades, 45 ave de seguer. It is provencal and *very* charming. Note: they don't start serving until 7:30pm. <BR>Hope you have a *great* time! <BR>