Internet access in Paris
 

I'm going to Paris for a week and have never been away from my computer for so long. How can I get temporary Internet access while I'm away? Do I need to bring a laptop or palm?

I found storefronts that have computers for rent - that's their only business. In the commercial/high traffic areas like the Champs Elysees, I paid about $6 for 30 minutes; I paid half that in the 11th arr. There are also cybercafes around the city, but I didn't use them as the 'store' in the 11th was down the street from where I was staying. I did have a list I printed from the internet of various locations, but found that several of them were closed permanently (like the one at Galeries Lafayette and at the Virgin Mega store on the Champs Elysees). <BR>Caveat: the keyboards are different from those in the U.S., and take some getting used to.

As Elvira suggests, internet access from a cybercafe is easy - - and it's easier to find them in Europe than in the US - - though in our defense, the best public internet access in the world is in our public libraries here in the US. <BR> <BR>In Europe, it seems to be getting easier and easier to find public access in France (and perhaps this is MOST true in Paris), in the forum of self-serve machines provided by France Telecom that run off of an ordinary phone "carte" (the same pre-paid card you use to place calls from most public telephones). <BR> <BR>The resource most often cited here on this forum to locate cybercafes is www.netcafeguide.com - - they appear to be trying to sell you their book, but the truth is, they give away the full contents for each and every city online, if you sit there and click through their menus. <BR> <BR>They currently list 108 cybercafes for France, of which 22 are in Paris. <BR> <BR>There has been a lot of attention given lately to the newest 800 pound gorilla kid on the block - - www.easyEverything.com - - which is sweeping Europe (and NYC) by storm. They are a subsidiary of the low-cost maverick airline easyJet, and they distinguish themselves by VERY large numbers of PC's. They have 18 cybercafes in 15 cities, and boast loudly on their website that these 18 locations contain - - get this - - 7875 computers! Yes, seven thousand, eight hundred seventy five! I have never been there, but their write-ups have been very favorable. Only recently they have opened their first and only location in Paris, near Chatelet-Les Halles (actually says "opening soon" on their website). <BR>

I used three different cyber cafes in Paris this summer, all of those in the 6th. All were about 3 or 4 dollars an hour. The one problem you may encounter is that many computers will have very oddly arranged keyboards, however, some cafes will have what some "US" style keyboards. The nicest cyber cafe I went to was right at the northeast corner of Luxembourg Gardens. All the keyboards were US style, there were a ton of computers, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. You should have no problem finding a place in Paris. One other note, however. I fear that I am unable to connect with Gateway.net in Europe, so for the summer I always use (and tell my friends to use) my hotmail address which is easily accessible in Europe. Yahoo and many others work equally well.

The place that Patrick refers to near the Luxembourg Gardens is Cafe Orbital. Very well lit, fast connection. Cybercafe Latino on 13 rue Ecole Polytechnique is also good--I like it because I meet people from all over there.

Thanks Melissa, you are right. In a senior moment I couldn't recall the name Orbital no matter how hard I tried. As I recall it was also one of the few air conditioned places during the very hot week we were there. Going to a very small one near St. Michel was like going to a sauna.

Another cybercafe near l'Orbital is "Le Jardin de l'Internet" (Bd. St.Michel) facing Luxembourg gardens. <BR>Very good. <BR>Ismael