Paris as a side trip
 

Going to London for daughter's college graduation, she wants to take a side trip to Paris. Leaving Newark in England on 15th of May on Euostar going into Gare du Nord. Any advice? Thinking of staying at the Francais Hotel in the 10th Arr. Have heard maybe not a nice area. Homeless and red light district, but real close to metro. Want to do all of the tourist things and go to Versailles. Any one done the bike tour there?I really need help on Hotels. Would like to be close to metro, we will have bags to carry. Headed back to London on 19th . Need help with Eurostar tickets

OK - Do you mean Newark-on-Trent? if I were you I might forget about the Eurostar. It is a great way to get to Paris - but the cheap fares are only offered for advance purchase and you have left things pretty late if you need to go on a specific day. You can fly from East Midlands or Manchester to Paris for less.

Being close to a M&eacute;tro isn't a good reason to pick a hotel. Every address in Paris is within a minute or two's walk of a bus stop. Choose your lodging based on <u>value</u> (not price) and learn a few basics about the bus system here:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34987572

The Metro in central Paris is extensive, and porbably one of the best in the world,so that is not a consideration.

Give us a price range, an area (the Fodor's guide on this site will help) and you will get many suggestions. Typically, people here seem to prefer the 1/4/5/6/7th arrondisements, but there is no reason to not pick others. Some people want to walk everywhere, some don't mind a short commute to get places. I've stayed in the 16th, nice location. Less central could mean a bit less expensive.

You have not stated how long you are going for? A trip to Versailles is fine, but if you are going to Paris for 2 days, for example, I'd think twice, since you cannot see what Paris has to offer in 2 days/2 weeks...

Look for Fat Tire Tours for a sampple bike tour, other people have also done the Segway tour (Paris)

'Hotel in Paris' is probably on of the most common topics at this forum, so there is TONS of info here.

&quot;<i>You have not stated how long you are going for<i>&quot;

Per the op, they will go to Paris on 15 May and return to London on 19 May.</i></i>

Hi db,

&gt;Need help with Eurostar tickets

Go to www.eurostar.com.
Use the UK site.
Cheapest RT tickets are about 30 GBP each way.

((I))

Oops :(

Early morining train on 15th, late night on 19th?

Ok, if you start with the Fodor's guide, there are several suggestions for some itineraries.

You will have to be a little more specific on &quot;all of the tourist things&quot;.
For example do you like museums? The Louvre, Orsay, Rodin, Jaquemart-Andre, Orangerie, Marmottan, Militaire, Moyen Age (Cluny), Picasso,etc..list would need to be whittled down your time frame.
Eiffel Tower, Seine Cruise, Notre Dame, Left bank walk, Places des Vosges, Tuileries, Luxembourg Gardens, Ile St Louis, St Chapelle, Marais walk, Champs Elysee, Palais Royale,...would be a starting point.

Do a bit of a search here, there are quite a few plans that match your time frame quite closely.

Mike

Thank you for all the help. My main concern is the Hotels. I want value, looking to spend no more than $200 US.,but less would be great. Which area is the best? We don't mind walking or taking a ride I read the Fodors guide but still confussed on locations, but like their 3 day tour suggestions Would like for this trip to be nice for daughter

I suggest you stay in either the 4th or 5th districts.

Hi db,

&gt;My main concern is the Hotels. I want value, looking to spend no more than $200 US...&lt;

We always stay at the Hotel Bonaparte, 61 Rue Bonaparte in the 6th. From 124E dbl w/bkfst. It is located near 3 metro stops. Has AC and an elevator.

Tel 33 1 43 26 97 37
FAX 33 1 46 33 57 67
www.hotelbonaparte.fr

For more info, enter &quot;Hotel Bonaparte&quot; in the &quot;search this forum&quot; box.

Photos are at http://tinyurl.com/ludgd

((I))

For that amount you can stay MANY places and more attractive than the 10th. I would persevere with Eurostar tickets--arriving in the middle of Paris can be a time and money saving situation.
For that short a period, I would postpone Versailles. You won't miss it, for spending more time in Paris.

If you want to secure your hotel quickly so you can move on to the day by day trip planning I suggest you check out Ira's suggestion of the Hotel Bonaparte for your lodging.

He has stayed at the Hotel Bonaparte many many times and has recommended it to others who have come back to this board to reflect favorably on the hotel.

I've not stayed there but I love the location, especially for a first timer (which it sounds that you two are) The hotel is very centrally located near major museums, the river and nice restaurants. There are also many shops and boutiques in the area for shoes, clothing, and jewelry.

I would also suggest skipping Versailles on most trips of less than a week. There is so much to see in Paris that you will not even scratch the surface so there isn't much reason to go out of the city.

I go to paris every summer and my favorite neighborhood is the 7th by the Eiffel tower. You can tour all day and then come &quot;home&quot; at night and end with a nice dinner at the several restaurants in the area. Hotel Saint Dominique is a good hotel but request room number 8. it's called the chambre executive...2 single beds and a large bathroom. if you'd rather stay by notre dame and the latin quarter, the best hotel i've found is Hotel Henri IV. bonne chance

Listen to me. There is nothing in Paris that is &quot;more important&quot; than Versailles. The Ch&acirc;teau is just one more choice you can make, like the Louvre or Sacr&eacute; Coeur.

You aren't going to even scratch the surface of Paris in the time you're there, so forget about &quot;missing&quot; something if you take a day (or even a half-day) to see one of the most remarkable pieces of wretched excess in the Western hemisphere.

If you go out to Versailles before it opens in the morning, you can have your breakfast on the train and not waste any sightseeing time. Here's the scoop on a Versailles package:

http://www.transilien.com/web/site/a...ailles/lang/en

dbljr, I have a friend who is staying in Paris for only a couple of days in June. They also want to visit Versailles because their daughter, who won't be with them, really wants THEM to see Versailles. If Versailles is a must see for you than see it you should.

Staying in the 5th near St. Michel- Notre Dame metro will put you close to both the RER B from Gare du Nord and RER C for Versailles. It certainly would be a neighborhood your daughter would like, mine always loved staying there. One of my favorite hotels, Hotel College de France is a short walk from this metro stop but I would be surprised if it had a room at this late date.

You might check some of the Paris hotel seach sites for a vacancy in some of the neighborhoods suggested to you.

Have a wonderful time with your daughter. Deborah

I would stay in the 5th (Latin Quarter) for it's lively central location. Your budget is plenty to find a decent hotel. Try Hotel Monge or Dacia Luxembourg near the Sorbonne.

Knowing nothing about it other than the arrondisement number, 10th is too far out &amp; since you even say it's a bad neighborhood.... why there??

You need to get your hotel squared away asap. If Ira's suggested Bonaparte has availability, great. But if not I'd suggest you use a search engine that automatically checks for availability. Here is one I like.
http://www.cybevasion.com/hotels/france/paris.html
We can suggest dozens of hotels but it does you no good if they don't have a room available for your dates or the only rooms they have left are beyond your budget. You could waste a lot of precious time e-mailing hotels and waiting for their replies.

Don't worry too much about the area. I like to stay in the 5th, 6th or 7th, but anything in 1-8 would be fine. I also like the 14th as long as it is not too far south of the Blvd du Montparnasse and you can often find less expensive hotels there. As others have said, getting around Paris is quick and easy with the metro or buses and you're never very far from a metro station and/or bus stop.

To get from the Gare du Nord to any of the central districts, I'd just take a cab. It probably won't be more than about 15-20&euro;, depending on time of day and traffic.

On the site I've given above, you can see what they have available, the exact cost of the room for each night and you can then book it. It also has lots of pictures and descriptions. Check under &quot;Rooms&quot; to see all the amenities. Personally I would want AC, even in mid-May, but you may not.

Good luck and let us know how you fare.