I'm currently in the UK on my 6 week clinical elective. Loving every minute of it and used Fodors recommendations for Edinburgh (eg: Lynedoch Place B+B).

Now I have more questions:

I want to visit Paris for 2 nights with my parents when they arrive in 2 weeks time.

1) Do I fly or go via Eurostar from London? What's cheaper? What about RyanAir?

2)I have NO idea about Paris at all. But would like to see Louvre, Musee'd'Orsay, Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte-Chapelle.

Is the Museum Pass the best way to go?
Any other recommendations for must-sees?

3) What's the "carte orange"? I assume we will be travelling heaps via Metro (I use the Underground in LHR SO much!). Is that the cheapest for the 3 days?

4) Finally, better to book hotel in Paris via Web or go with the Eurostar Spring Specials? What hotel do you Fodorites recommend? (Not too expensive pls )

Much thanks in advance!

Hello - Just returned from a two week trip to London and Paris. Here are my thoughts.

1) We took the Eurostar from London to Paris. The cost was $150 USD rt each, purchased in the States. Very convenient in terms of not having to deal with airports. Center of city to center of city.

2)Musee d'Orsay, the Louvre, Ste. Chappelle, and Notre Dame are all located close together. All are worth seeing. We had a three day carte musee and made full use of it.

3)Carte Orange - not sure. We didn't use the metro at all. Stayed in the southern part of the Latin Quarter and walked everywhere (did take the train to Versailles). I wouldn't recommend it for everyone - we had some really tiring days - but it worked for us.

4)We stayed at the Hotel L'Esperance at 15 rue Pascal in the 5th. Family run hotel, small rooms, not particularly fancy, but pleasant and well located. The marked street rue Mouffetard is right around the corner. It was 86 euro/night, breakfast not included. I can dig up the e-mail address if you can't find it online.

Have a great time!

Thank you LennyB. Just a quick question but where can you purchase these carte musee?
Is it cheaper or no difference to get them at the museums/ tourist info centre in Paris?
There seems to be price differences on the Web.

I'm planning my trip from the UK (originally from OZ so thinking in Aussie dollars here!).
Ta!

The Eurostar may be the best simply because there is no getting to and from airports on both ends--time consuming and possibly expensive.
The Carte Orange will not be of use to you--if you are really going to use the Metro a lot buy a one day Mobilis pass. Otherwise for that time I would just buy a carnet of tickets and share them among you--buy more when you need to.
The museum pass would probably be a good thing for you since you can bypass lines and save time.
Look around at posts about hotels and see what you can get at this possibly late date. Or go to a website of Paris hotels and look at 2*-3* in the 1-8 arrondisements and come ask for advice.
2* will run around 100E just to let you know. There are MANY recommendations for hotels in this site.

Eurostar is the way to go. It is also the fastest in total time spent.

Celine13, you may buy the Carte Musee at museums, tourist offices or a major Metro Station, such as the Gare du Nord where you would disembark should you take the Eurostar. Personally, I wouldn't go to the trouble to go to a tourist info office.

Hope you & your family have a great time in Paris!

..re hotel- given that you are going in 2 weeks try ratestogo or laterooms for last minute deals...venere is also good... (be sure hotel is arr 1-8) given your short trip. chek hotel write up on tripadvisor.. agree with museum pass..a real plus for beating lines at the most popular museums..re carte orange prob not a good deal..just buy a "carnet" a book of 10 tickets which can be shared.. have a great time!

I bought the museum passes at the customer service booth in the Eurostar station in London (had some time to kill). They were 20 GBP each. Great to skip the line at the first museum.

There's a Paris tourist office in the "mall" beneath the Louvre (entrance is on rue Rivoli, and down the escalators). They sell museum passes and also metro and train. It's quick and easy.

You've gotten excellent advice so far. I'll add a bit.

Flying is probably <i>cheaper</i> while train is <i>faster</i>. RyanAir, EasyJet, BMI are just some of the bargain airlines. Go to
skyscanner.net
which has a great search engine for the low cost carriers. If you're flexible about what day of the week, do a search for the month. One way rates can be as little as 10GBP. Remember there are taxes on top of the prices quoted, but they're not outrageous. You also have to add the cost of getting to/from the airport. (If you're going with your parents and you fly, consider using justairports.com for transport to/from London airports. It may be cheaper for 3 than an express train.)

But it's true, the train is faster, especially factoring in how far in advance you need to check in on these discount carriers AND they're very strict about luggage allowance. Charging extra for overweight luggage has become a profit center so be warned if you choose to fly.

If you choose the Eurostar, make sure you check whether there are special fares. As a student you might be entitled to a special rate. There have also been intermittent posts here about special fares.

Paris is divided into arrondisements (neighborhood areas) numbered. I've found the website jack-travel.com lists reasonably priced hotels by arrondisement &amp; they usually coincide with those recommendations here. Obviously for just a 2 day trip, it helps to be central (IMO as close to the Seine as possible) but if you're central it costs more or you give up some amenities (like a/c or charm etc.)

The Hotel Bonaparte is often mentioned here as a good, centrally located place. It may be booked by now though.

From London, LateRooms.com, Lastminute.com, wotif.com and opodo.com are just a few websites to check. You really have to compare prices between what you might be able to get separately vs Eurostar specials. A lot also depends on whether you &amp; parents will share a room vs get 2 rooms. IMO, triples are rarely good value on a package deal. Also, some places have better triples than others.

You should post back with what you're prepared to spend &amp; whether you want 1 or 2 rooms. Also you can do a text search here by typing budget hotels AND paris or triple rooms in paris.

Have fun.

i just flew ryanair from rome to london. the flight was nice and on time. then i took eurostar from london to paris. i would definitely suggest eurostar. it costs the same in the end and is way more comfortable. with ryanair the tickets themselves are cheaper but once you add in the train/taxi costs then the savings go away.

it actually cost me more to fly ryanair in the end.

I also stayed at the Hotel De L'Esperance last September. Great price, clean and pleasant. Right across from the Rue Mouffetard in a lovely real people neighborhood. Enjoy!