I have never arrived in Paris (lately) without a hotel reservation, so I don't know anything about tourist offices in the train stations. Will the representatives at these offices help a traveler find a hotel?<BR>If so, how effective are they?<BR>The guide book I just looked at says that the offices in the train stations are located only in Gare de Lyon and Gare du Nord.

I was going to use one once in Paris when I was doing that thing where you travel around without reservations -- ha ha ha, it was closed even though it was a normal weekday in the afternoon, no holiday. So, they weren't much help. That was the one at Gare du Nord many years ago, but I do note that the official Paris Tourist Office web site does not list any annex at Gare du Nord any more, only Gare de Lyon. <BR><BR>One anecdote from my niece, who did use them last year. She also was traveling around without hotel reservations, went to the main one (which I think is the best idea) on the Champs-Elysees and they got her a room in a chain hotel on the edge of Paris near one of the Portes, just on or outside the peripherique. I don't know what the conversation was, my niece was not very experienced with travel, just doing that thing where you go around without a guidebook or knowing anything about hotels or the city, so she had to take whatever they gave her because she had no options. It was a room, but since you've been there, I'm sure you know that type of hotel and location did not contribute to a good touristic experience. It wasn't that busy a time when she was there, either -- November, I think, but I'm guessing she gave them a low threshold for expenditures and, of course, the best budget hotels are booked up ahead of time.<BR><BR>In short, I think they will help you find some room somewhere, part of their mission is to aid travelers so they have shelter. However, in a real busy period (maybe early October), I did read one or two posts on a travel forum from folks who said the Paris Tourist Office wouldn't even help them at that time, just said there weren't any rooms free. <BR><BR>I used one in Brugge once and it was a room but overpriced and awful -- because I knew nothing about the hotel, I could not refuse or say I want something different, that's the problem. It was in a central location, as I'd requested, but that's it.

I arrived once a day earlier than planned into Paris, the hotel I had reserved for the following day could not accommodate me so I had to resort to using the hotel reservation service at the Gare de Lyon. There was a long line of desperate people hoping to find a room, and the ladies behind the counter worked less than swiftly calling the hotels on their list trying to find the rooms. After spending what seemed an eternity in line I finally got my turn and they got me a room at the Le Lux Hotel several blocks down from the station. When I got to this hotel, it was the worst dump I had ever been in, and in fact I felt so unsafe there that I walked out after seeing the room. It was raining, and desperate for a room I simply walked down boulevard Diderot back to the station stopping at every hotel that looked decent. I finally found a room at a less than desireable hotel, but at least it was clean and much safer than the Hotel Le Lux.

Bob,<BR> In my experience, the smaller towns were okay using the reservation at the train station. When I tried to use them in London-I was offered a room with a sunken in bed down a extremely long narrow hallway-seemed to be a fire hazard to me. I gracefully declined the room. In the conversation it appeared as those the original reservationist was given a commission. We originally had a reservation prior to arriving in London. So I tried them in a pinch because I've used them in Florence, Bonn, Amsterdam successfully. I solved<BR>the London dilemma by walking and eventually hailing a taxi and asking him to take me to hotels that had good clientele, not too high end. Asked him to wait while we checked on rooms. Second one was a charm, the Regency, 100 Queensgate, just 20GBP more than what the train reservation offered. A small price to pay for an extraordinary difference. <BR> Generally speaking I would not count on them. Language may be a bit of a barrier using the taxi idea. I swear by taxi drivers they are such a great resource. <BR> Sylvie

Thanks for responding. <BR>I would not try it myself, and I am trying to talk another person out of it. I know I would not try it in Munich during Oktoberfest!!<BR>With the Internet, it is too easy to compile one's own list of hotels and call them before departing.<BR>In Paris, even the 2 star hotels have English speaking staff - at least enough to say yes or no to a room request. <BR><BR>My dad used to do that stunt on family travels. We ended up in some non family establishments more than once!!<BR><BR>If someone wants to hear a funny story about a hotel (??) in Sturgis, SD, email me. It is a little too much even for Fodors. At least over my signature.<BR>