Help on Paris visit
 

Hi
I will be on a business trip to the Netherlands for 2 weeks and would like to visit Paris on the weekend of 12th and 13th May. I will be staying at Den Bosch and the train ride will be about 4.5 hrs to paris with a fare of about E100 one way.
I would like to see the Eiffel tower, louvre museum, notre dame church, boat ride on the river in Paris.
1. if I travel on friday evening to paris and reach pairs Nord about midnight are there good hosetls where I can stay for 2 nights with prices around E30 / night, just want a place to sleep at night, nothing more.

2. Are there any places other than those listed above which I can visit in Paris ? Especially since I have 2 full days and 1 full night ( I intend to take a night boat tour of the city and also night visit of eiffel tower )

3, Are there any guided bicycle tour of the Paris city which I can do on the second day ?

Any other suggestions also are welcome.

FYI, I have a valid schengen visa and other than travel from den Bosch and Paris , I can spend about E80 / day for food, site seeing etc.

#1 Hostel: http://no42ruepoissonniere.tripod.com/ Midway between Gare Nord and the river in the 2nd arrondissement.

Rooms are 18E (includes breakfast).

Honestly, after a 4.5 hr train ride, the 5 minute taxi (5E ?) to get you away from the train station to your hostel is the best cheap "investment" you can make.

#2 http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/f...is/sights.html

#3 http://fattirebiketours.com/paris

The wait time for Eiffel Tower is VERY long with limited elevator service. (think hours) which would really eat into your limited time. While I understand wanting to do this quintessential stop, you might want to consider skipping it.

If the weather is nice, you can get a great view over Paris from in front of Sacre Coeur de Montmartre. Free.

Hi, you can book ahead for the Eiffel tower on their official weabsite. You'll need to do it very soon. Otherwise the queues are currently 2 hours long. Just walking around the Louvre area (Tuileries Gardens) is enjoyable. You might like to check out my powerwalking series on http://www.aussieinfrance.com/2012/0...t-neuf-part-3/ for some ideas. Have an ice-cream at Bertillon on Ile-Saint-Louis and make sure you see the padlocks on the Ponts des Arts (plus the view). Best view of the Eiffel Tower is from Bir Hakeim bridge http://www.aussieinfrance.com/2012/0...e-eiffel-tower. Enjoy your visit.

First available Eiffel Tower tickets online are mid June.

Thanks everyone for the responses, I will further investigate the bicycle tour ( day & night )on the web.
I did read about the elevator problems and maintenance at Eiffel tower, resulting in long queue, but I assume there would not be any queue to take the stairs and its allowed to walk all the way up to the top of Eiffel tower ? Is this correct

You can rent a bike all over the city, without doing a tour. You can rent in one place and return to any. Instead of going up the Eiffel Tower, go up the Montparnasse. It's an interesting neighborhood, too. That way the Eiffel Tower is in view. Sacre Coeur is beautiful, too.

Eat crepes and take away from the street shops and have picnics. Wine by the carafe is cheaper than soda. The prices are less if you eat inside at some cafes.

The Louvre can take all day - plan what you want to see. I love Musee D'Orsay for the impressionists. Check the times they're open - they are both open late one night per week.

The Batobus is a fun way to get around and less expensive than the river cruise.

The queue for the stairs is still long, particularly with the elevator problem, but not sure how far up you can go.

There are several hostels over on the Right Bank, in the 11th generally.

Here is the official hostel assn website, they have one not too far from Gare du Nord, look for the "Jules Ferry" location.
http://www.fuaj.org/Paris-Jules-Ferry

this one has an even better location, I think, in the Bastille area
http://www.bastillehostel.com/

or this one http://www.aijparis.com/ which is 22 euro for a bed in a shared room

This one is only 18 euro and is a bit farther, but not too bad, in the 12th arr. It is only one block from the metro stop Gare de Lyon.
http://www.hostelblueplanet.com

finally, this place has two locations, one near the Louvre and the other in the Latin Qtr
http://www.bvj-hotel.com/backpacker_paris_hostel.htm

You should reserve, especially because you will be arriving very late.