Madrid and Paris in January
 

I am going on a trip to Madrid and Paris in January. I will arrive in Madrid on the 2nd and leave for Paris on the 12th. I will return to Madrid on the 19th and come home on the 22nd. The reason for me returning to Madrid is because my roundtrip ticket is set from the US to Madrid.


What I wanted to know is what the weather will be like. I also wanted to know what attractions to visit; there are just so many that I am unable to plan things effectively because I don't want to miss out on anything.

I'm also traveling by myself and am fluent in Spanish, so getting around Madrid shouldn't be a problem. My french is at "fluent" level, but I feel insecure about it because I never get to practice it much. As such I am worried that getting around Paris might be more of a hassle. What method of transportation would you guys recommend? Also which "district" would be the best to stay in. Preferably one with decently priced hotels but not too far from the attractions.

Thanks!

I went to Paris a few years back in January. Weather was cool, probably low 40's, with occasional rain. It's not a bad time of year to visit (is there ever?).

Getting around Paris will not be difficult once you try it. I have taken the RER train from CDG to central Paris, then transferred to the Metro. The RER and Metro criss-cross Paris and will take you anywhere you would probably want to go. I buy a carnet (book of 10) Metro tickets and combine them with walking a lot. The Metro lines work by endpoints instead of North/South/East/West. So when you walk into the Metro station, it will have two directions/stairways/escalators. Each Metro line also has a colour associated with it, and you will see it on the signage.

For example, if you went to the Pyramides Metro station, you would see pink signs for the Line #7 and purple signs for Line #14. Say you wanted Line #7 to Pont Neuf to walk over to Ile de la Cite. You would look at the two sets of signs. One would be direction “La Courneuve” (~North-east) the other direction “Mairie d’Ivry” (~South-East). You know you want Pont Neuf, so you select the Mairie d’Ivry staircase. As you walk by, there will be a sign on the wall listing all of the stops that the train arriving at this platform will take you to, in order. So the sign will show that next stop would be Palais Royal, next stop after that..Pont Neuf. This is the right train. At Pont Neuf there may be multiple exits. There will be wall maps of the neighbourhood to help you decide which exit to take.

I always carry a city + Metro map with me.

www.ratp.com is a good, official, public transport site.

For accomodations, staying in the 4th to 6th arrondissements (districts) will allow you to walk to some sites, have plenty of restos, and good Metro/RER access.

Weather in both places shuold be fairly similar - mild winter (highs in the 40s, colder at night snow unlikely).

If you haven;t already bought a ticket I would consisder open jaws - into Madrid and out of Paris to save time and cost of returning to Madrid.

Since we don;t know your interests it's hard to reco what to do see - besides theobvious basics.

Thank you so much for the replies.

My interests include art, music, theater, admiring architecture. Im pretty much a person that likes to try anything.

Sadly, I already purchased the tickets going out of Madrid so am pretty much stuck with returning to Madrid, which isn't such a bad thing.

Paris over New Years four or five years ago was very cool, damp, weak sun and short daylight hours, with a light rain every afternoon for 30 mins or so. But the city was pretty with lights all dressed up for the holidays.

Yea the main reason for me traveling in the winter is to avoid the huge crowds and Madrid's summer heat

Madrid's altitude--it is one of the highest major cities in Europe--affects the climate, especially in winter....

One of the best things about traveling in the winter is that the cultural season is in full swing. Opera and ballet and some instrumental music can be found at the two Paris opera houses, with schedules at http://www.operadeparis.fr/cns11/live/onp/.

There are good concerts and opera produced at the Theatre des Champs Elysees. http://www.theatrechampselysees.fr/

Since you understand French, you can attend the Comedie Francaise, which produces both classical French theater and occasional more contemporary works. http://www.comedie-francaise.fr/

You can find many events at www.whatsonwhen.com.

Public transportation in Paris is not difficult. Ask at a metro station for a copy of the map called "Grand Plan Lignes et Rues" that has both a bus map and a metro map superimposed over a street map of Paris. I just buy a carnet, which is a book of ten tickets. You can use them on either the bus or the metro. You can also just pay cash on the bus, but the ticket you get then can not be used to transfer to another bus, while a ticket you buy at the metro station can be used for transfers.

As far as visiting attractions, I don't worry about getting to see everything. You can't see everything. I just plan out a selection of things that will be fun for me.

You might want to investigate the Carte Musee, a museum pass that you can buy for two, four, or six days. They are sold at the museums where they are accepted. Some museums are not included on the pass, but most of them are, including the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Pompidou Center, Orangerie, and Versailles, as well as Sainte Chapelle. While the pass may or may not save you money, it will likely save some long waits in line (although not everywhere, since you may have to get in line for security some places). http://en.parismuseumpass.com/

I would recommend checking out the websites for the museums I mentioned to see which you might enjoy. The Musee d'Orsay and the Orangerie are particularly fine for impressionist art. If you do go to the Louvre, you should look at the website to plan what you want to see there, and check whether any of the galleries that interest you are closed on certain days, as some are only open selected days of the week.

Sainte Chapelle is particularly wonderful for its stained glass.

I have only been to Madrid in the summer, but one of the things I enjoyed the most was flamenco at Casa Patas, www.casapatas.com.

For much information about Madrid, see www.maribelsguides.com.

Much of the impressionist art from the Musee d'Orsay is in San Francisco during the renovations at the d"Orsay.

Madrid is fantastic museums, great food, arguably the flamenco capital of the world (one has to conquer Madrid to get to the top) and the best nightlife. The jazz venue Café Central, just off central and bustling Plaza Santa Ana, stages top bands/performers every night at 10pm. Close by are also two of Madrid's best flamenco tablaos, Cardamomo and Casa Patas.

I could go on and on, but leave you for now with this great site on the city: http://www.esmadrid.com/en/portal.do

Thank you guys so much! All of this information is definitely extremely useful! Im just so consumed with the planning of this trip and having everything planned will make me feel better! :D

Paris - In the morning, go to Sacre Couer, there was a harpist playing with the sun on his back when I went. And it was just beautiful. Or for sunset, which is on my list of things to do.

Getting around Paris I found very easy. It was the first metro system I had ever used, and I found it very simple. Or you can just walk = )

Also, I went in December, the week before Christmas. It was chilly because of the wind but totally worth it!

I think i'll love it both Madrid and Paris in the winter as i just love the cold weather.


I found a place to stay in the 3rd district that is about 600 euros for the week. Do you guys think that is a good price?

I was in both cities in January a few years ago. Paris will be about 10F colder than Madrid. Dress in layers for both cities.

Thank you guys for the awesome suggestions. Those hotels look great!!

Would anyone happen to know how much (approx.) a taxi would charge from the airport to the centre of Paris?

To get to centre of Paris from CDG, there are several choices,
Cheapest and fastest is the RER train. It has several stops in Central Paris, and intersects with the Metro lines. ~9 euro

There are also shuttle buses that make stops at pre-determined locations. Two of these are the Roissybus and the Cars Air France (bus). Roissybus costs ~!9 euro, AF bus ~15 euro. Roissybus stops near Opera, AF bus goes to Porte Maillot, Etoile (Arc de Triomphe), Gare de Lyon and Gare Montparnasse.

Then you have taxis (~50 euro) and shuttles, ~50 euro. Last time I took shuttle, it was shared with other people, so you may not be first to get off.

I've been to both of those cities in January and I have no regrets. It does get very cold but no worse than most of the US so make sure to bundle up. If a Southern gal like me can handle the cold then most anyone can. The best thing about travel in January is that it's less expensive and a heck of a lot less crowded. It was so great to just walk into the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower without waiting in long lines. Have a great trip.

Thanks Valery!

As of now I am looking at Etoile Trocadero and Hotel Moderne Saint Germaine. I think they are in great locations and are within my price range.

Anyone can correct me if their locations aren't optimal.

those are good locations.

Do you really speak fluent French? If so, you should know how to spell St Germain.

Yes, I really do speak french "fluently." I must have just made a typo.