JoeG

Last May we took advantage of the Air France fare sale. The farthest out that we could book travel was early March and so we leave on Friday.

We fly into CDG and immediately take the TGV to Avignon. We have a rental car from Europcar booked through AutoEurope.

We will spend six glorious days at le Moulin de Greoux outside the village of Maussane.

We return to CDG via TGV and will stay one night the the Sheraton right in Terminal 2.
We will check-in around 1:00PM and our flight departs at 1:00PM the following day. This last day in Paris has kind of been an after thought but we would like to make the most of it.

This also happens to be my wife Lynn's birthday and she would like to spend the afternoon doing some shopping followed by dinner.

I know this is vague, but does anyone have some good suggestions? Also what would be the best mode of transport? I believe that a train into Paris departs near the Sheraton.

Any input would be most appreciated.

JoeG

mermaid_

Joe, is there any way you would consider cancelling your reservation at the Sheraton and staying in the city instead? My husband and I were in much the same travel situation as you--took the TGV from Provence on a Tuesday, flight home same time as you on Wednesday. What we did was take the taxi from the train station to our hotel on the Left Bank. We did a lot of sightseeing that day, had a good dinner, stayed up late. Next morning the Paris Shuttle picked us up at the front door (36€ for the two of us) and had us at the airport in plenty of time for our flight.

It was wonderful having that last "bonus" day in Paris before going home.

Dave_in_Paris

Shopping for what? And what would you like to spend for dinner?

mamc

Joe, I agree with Mermaid - it would be so much nicer to spend the night in Paris. As your plane doesn't leave until 1:00 pm, you can have a wonderful afternoon and evening and a nice breakfast at a sidewalk cafe on your last morning before leaving for the airport. That sounds to me like adding one more glorious day to your six at le Moulin de Greoux!

JoeG

Mermaid,
We have a good rate at the Sheraton. The prospect of coming up the escalator to the hotel, dropping off our bags, freshening up and heading into Paris, then rolling out of the hotel the next morning right into the terminal , sounds very appealing to me.

Dave,
This doesn't have to be a Michelin rated restaurant although it could be. Last year, on Lynn's birthday we had lunch at Gordon Ramsey's in London which came to about $400. This established a dangerous precedent!
But really, all we need is an area of Paris that would have easy access in and out, with a decent shopping district (for whatever women would want to shop for???? - last year Harrod's, Selfridge's and surrounding shop's)and charming, friendly restaurants with great food. La Romantica was recommended to us, this is actually an Italian restaurant in Clichy outside le peripherique. But it seems that we will have enough time to venture into Paris proper.
JoeG

mermaid_

Joe, sounds like reasonable logic to me. May I suggest a restaurant? When fellow Fodorite Marcy and I went to Paris in January, we dined at Le Bouillon Racine at 3 rue Racine, not far from Blvd. St. Germain-des-Pres. This is a beautiful Art Nouveau restaurant complete with original windows, decorations, etc. It's really stunning. The food (I had steak tatare and Marcy had sweetbreads) and service was excellent. We spent 100€ for the both of us and that included a nice bottle of wine and creme brulee for dessert. The website is www.bouillon-racine.com if you want to take a look.

Nikki

We spent a night near the airport last weekend and took the RER in to Paris for the evening. There are stops at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at CDG, and the RER goes to many stops within Paris, so almost any part of Paris is easily accessible. We went to Montparnasse, getting off at the Port Royal stop. The last train leaves for the airport around midnight. It took around a half an hour.

If you wanted to shop around St. Germain, you could get off at the St. Michel stop.

gracejoan

If you like the convenience of staying at the airport..do it!! Take a cab or shuttle into the city..do your shopping, Bon Marche and wherever..nothing is far and the metro is great. Make reservations in advance at Violon-d'Ingres for a birthday dinner and Catherine will call a taxi to take you back to the airport after a delightful dinner and evening!!

JoeG

Mermaid, Nikki, gracejoan,
All your suggestions sound great. i will check them out.
I remembered that I prepaid for the room at the Sheraton - that's why I got the good deal.
JoeG

shellio

Shopping at le Bon Marche department store and the area around it, including rue du Cherche-Midi, rue de Grenelle, rue du Dragon should keep you plenty busy for the afternoon and there are a number of restaurants in the same general area. I'd recommend this rather than the Right Bank.

Dave_in_Paris

Good thought Shellio! I was going to suggest the Galleries LaFayette and Samaritaine department stores for shopping, especially since they are side by side, but I think your idea is better. The neighborhood around Bon Marche is more attractive.

JoeG

Bon Marche it is!

JoeG

gracejoan

That is why I initially suggested Bon Marche for your shopping...the area is the nicest. I would also suggest you make a reservation for dinner at Violon-d'Ingres for a lovely evening. I ALWAYS dine at least once for dinner there and probably once for lunch when in Paris. Catherine and Christian are lovely people and Christian's talents are tremendous as readily acknowledged!!Enjoy!!

Kate_W

I just got back from a quick business trip to Paris and had just enough time for what you described: an afternoon of shopping and dinner. I second (or is it "third") the recommendation for Bon Marche and the surrounding area on the Left Bank. I also like Galeries Lafayette and Printemps on the Right Bank, but Bon Marche was the perfect combination of "attractive building", comprehensive but manageable collections, etc. Two affordable clothing labels to look out for (in Bon Marche and other stores) are Tara Jarmon and Gerard Darel. If you have time, you also might hightail it to your local large bookstore and look for Suzy Gershman's book, Born to Shop Paris, for tips on her favourite shops on the Left Bank.

Make sure that you pack shoes that have some traction/treads. The streets in Paris were icy last week.

There are lots of good restaurants in Paris, but if you're having trouble finding the right one, don't overlook "Train Bleu" in the Gare de Lyon (second floor). It's a gorgeous room high-ceilinged room with a very traditional French menu.

Underhill

if you stay in the 7th, consider the bourgogne et montana hotel, under the same ownership as our favorite madison. then you'd be close to the wonderful bon marché and could dine at the bistro de breteuil, where 32€ brings a 3-course dinner with apéritif, 3 courses, a bottle of wine, and after-dinner coffee.