MarkJ

Hi all, my wife and I both have a couple of days off at the end of Oct. first of November and thought we'd try to go somewhere. So, we decided to try to go to Paris. Since we are very much the budget travelers we decided to try PriceLine.com (this is not an add - I have no affiliation with them). So we put in a price (about $200 pticket less than any fare we could find on the net or by calling the AirLines). Well low and behold we got our price!!! <BR> <BR>So, we'll only have 1031 and 111, we know we want to go to Notre Dame and the Eiffel(sp) Tower. Any and all suggestions for things to do day or evening will be greatly appreciated. We look at this as a warm up for our 1 week trip in March. <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR>MarkJ

Marty

Mark: I'm interested in how things worked with priceline. I am tempted to try it for November 26 out and November 29 in to Paris. I am flying out of Charlotte or Raleigh Durham. My fear is that I will get a flight that is very out of the way, and I will be stuck with it. One travel agent quoted a not so great fare, but there was a 7 hour layover in Toronto. Are you flying out of a very large airport, ie. Boston, JFK, etc. or an airport without a direct flight to Paris?

RJD

While you're on the Ile de la Cite visiting Notre Dame you should also see Sainte Chappelle and the Concieregerie. They are amoung the most evocative and interesting sites in France. You can find information about them in any guide book dealing with France.

arjay

Here's another vote for St. Chappelle, and if there's a concert scheduled while you're there - all the better! It's an incredible experience, to listen to wonderful music in that glorious setting.

elvira

Yikes - the best of Paris in two days... this will test the mettle of elvira to the max (and I do hate mettle-testing): <BR> <BR>Day one: Buy 1 day museum pass. Do not use it today. Notre Dame, Deportation Memorial, Ste Chapelle; lunch on left bank along the quais (preferably with view of Notre Dame). Bateau mouche. Les Invalides. Dinner. Bed/dissolve <BR> <BR>Day two: Now, use your museum card. Louvre when it opens (9); lunch at Cafe Marly (spensive) or in the cafe in the Pyramid. Musee d'Orsay. Rodin Museum. Dinner in the 7th; Eiffel Tower at night. Wear hat at all times, your brains will be oozing out at this point. <BR> <BR>There are lots of inexpensive restaurants on the Left Bank; all have their menus posted outside. Look for "menu" or "prix fixe", which are full meals (appetizer, main course, dessert, sometimes drinks). Ask for "carafe de l'eau" when ordering water; this is tap water (perfectly good). If you order "l'eau", they'll bring you mineral water in a bottle and charge you. If ordering wine, look for "picher" - this is the house wine, usually cheaper than by the bottle (but always compare) and is NOT a 1999 Chateau de Buford. <BR> <BR>For cheap eats, try the area due east of Boul' Mich, just south of the river. Lots of Greek restaurants and pizza places. Or find a boulangerie for bread and a fromagerie for cheese and make your own lunch....

elaine

Dear MarkJ <BR>If you would like a copy of my Paris sightseeing notes, email me. They assume more time available than two days, but you could go through them and use what interests you. <BR>Good luck. <BR>

Kaye

You're going to love it. My husband and I were in Paris in August for three days. All good tips are posted...especially, Elvira's day 1 and day 2. The first day we tried doing too much...just enjoy the sites. We especially enjoyed the two museums Rodin and Lourve, Notre Dame too.

Bob Brown

Let me suggest that you take the advice to heart because you are hearing from some of the most experienced and veteran posters on this branch of the Forums. <BR> <BR>I can only add two points without being redundant: 1. the length of time you have in Paris will probably sharpen your desire to return. 2. there are good maps of the bus lines and the Metro on the web. I strongly suggest learning as much as you can before going. With the short amount of time you have, getting around should not be something that causes you to lose time. <BR>I prepared and prepared, but I was not fully ready when I arrived. To swim, you have to get wet. So good getting wet. And no joke it does rain a lot in Paris. Go go hard and enjoy it; to me Paris was an adventure! <BR>

kristi

Elvira's got a good plan for you, however, your 2nd day is a Monday and I believe that the Musee d'Orsay and the Musee Rodin are closed on Monday (the Louvre is open late on Monday). www.paris.org has a link to museums and the Carte du Musees that has the opening and closing times so you can plan your trip better. <BR> <BR>You don't mention where you are staying; try to stay centrally located. The first time we went we were way out near Pere Lachaise and it took a long time to get to the main sites. The metro is easy to get around on. You can get a carnet of 10 tickets for 55FF which you both can use. <BR> <BR>If you opt for a museum pass, the Arc de Triomphe is included and it is worth a walk up the stairs to see the city from that view point, day or night. The Samarataine department store also has a free view of the city that is quite nice. <BR> <BR>If you only find time for one art museum, my vote is for Musee d'Orsay, especially if you like impressionist art. If you are returning in March, you might want to save the Louvre for your return trip instead of going on art overload. <BR> <BR>If you do go up the Eiffel Tower, dress warmly, its much colder on the platform waiting to go up than it is on the ground. <BR> <BR>If you're truly budget travelers, you might opt to get lunch from the supermarket. We picked up stuff to make sandwiches, drinks and they had the best flan and rice pudding in the refrigerated section. We found lots of inexpensive greek restaurants near the Sorbonne.

elvira

Oops, sorry, didn't even look at the dates; I was figuring Saturday/Sunday, not Sunday/Monday. Just reverse the days - see, I told you it would test my mettle... <BR>Good advice from above re hotel location. Try to stay near the Ile de la Cite (dead center of Paris) and near a metro station (Pont St Michel, Cluny, Odeon etc) to cut down on travel time. Also, as noted, if you buy a carnet (or a metro pass) you save time waiting in lines to buy tickets (there are machines in the stations; you don't need to go to an agent unless you don't have change - just make sure you have about 30 kilos of French franc - that's about 10 ten-franc pieces by my count - to buy tickets from the machines). <BR>Eating in a restaurant can take HOURS - dandy for your evening meal when you can wind down and relax, but time-chewing at lunch. That's why the do-it-yourself lunch from the supermarche or boulangerie/fromagerie is a good plan: saves time and money. <BR>To make the most of your time in the museums, plan ahead. Rick Steves' has a Louvre itinerary that's down and dirty; in Conde-Nast Traveler years ago I found a "Musee d'Orsay in 60 mins". You could visit both museums several times (which I have) and never see everything (the Louvre especially; somewhere I read something that said if you spent every day in the museum, stopping for one minute in front of each item, it would take you three years to see it all - guess what I'll be doing if I win Powerball...). <BR>When you go back in March, plan to spend time in the Louvre - I love it because there is the famous Russian selection "summovitch" - summ Egyptian, summ Greek, summ Flemish goateed guys, summ Italian chubby Christs. <BR>Ditto the d'Orsay - I love the home furnishings (okay it's called decorative arts, but it's really home furnishings) as well as the paintings (you can go behind the clock, too - very cool).

dan woodlief

I just wanted to second what Bob Brown said about the transportation system. It is easy to use, but try to learn it before you go. My brother and sister-in-law just returned from Paris for the first time. It was their first time travelling out of the country. I had typed up pages and pages of notes for them, including how to use the metro. Still, I got a call before their final day there asking how to use it. They had been walking everywhere, which resulted in very sore feet and a few missed sightseeing opportunities. Make sure you do walk around a lot, since it is the best way to see Paris, but learning the metro beforehand will enable you to better maximize your two days. <BR> <BR>As for things to see: I would add: walk the Champs Elysees at night (to save daylight hours), and walk along the quais (the banks of the Seine) near Notre Dame. Bon voyage!

MarkJ

Hi <BR> <BR>Thanks for all the great info and help, especially Bob Brown for hotel suggestions, we're still working on our itenerary so any additional info is welcomed (we'll use it this trip or the next). <BR> <BR>Here are 4 hotels we're considering, do you know aything about them: <BR> <BR> Hotel Mont Blanc <BR> Hotel De Turenne <BR> La Motte Picquet <BR> Hotel La Serre <BR> <BR>If my memory serves they are all in the 7th. <BR> <BR>Thanks again <BR> <BR>MarkJ <BR> <BR>

MarkJ

Actually the Mont Blanc is in the 5th.

georgia

Hi y'all, <BR>I'm taking advantage of Mark's posting and all your tips. <BR>My best friend and I are going on a "girl's" only trip. I'm leaving my hubby behind and Kim is leaving her family behind (shame on us !!!). <BR>It will be one week. Actually I posted up a storm today but before I saw this posting. <BR> <BR>Please help us plan our trip !!! <BR> <BR>It's 11/13-11/21. <BR> <BR>We'd like to see Paris and we'd like to visit her aunt in Switzerland. <BR>We have no clue about traveling in Paris <BR>at all. <BR> <BR>A concert in St. Chapelle sounds awesome. I have to search for their website. <BR> <BR>Europass is suggested? Or should we just spend a ticket each for a round trip to Switzerland on TGV? <BR> <BR>How about other train trips within Switzerland. <BR> <BR>How comfortable is the train ride since I do have have mild to medium motion sickness problem. <BR>I felt mildly queasy taking a train from Santa Ana to San Diego. <BR>I would not like to take mild Dramamine it knocks me out completely. <BR> <BR>Any advice dear travellers and I promise you a nice report afterwards since I need to write about it on a newsletter.

marc

Hi Mark- <BR>These are all great postings. My wife and I visited last november, and stayed in the 7th. We found that Hotel Muguet (www.hotelmuguet.com) was great, only 2 blocks from the metro, quiet, clean, and <BR>very modern. One of their top rooms has a great eyelevel view of the dome of the Invalides. Also in the 7th is a great restaurant, Le Maupertu, on blvd. Latour-Maubourg, across from the Invalides, and a great wine bar, Le Sancerre, on Ave. Rapp. Both of these are better for dinner, since they fall into the long, lingering dinner category. <BR> <BR> <BR>If you have time to explore the Marais at all, there are lots of great shops, and the Picasso Museum is wonderful. You can see it in a couple of hours, without feeling rushed. <BR>Have fun! <BR>Marc <BR> <BR>