I'll be in Paris in February with my 16 year old son. I was wondering if there are any inexpensive view cafes on the top floors of department stores. <BR> <BR>I'm also considering one splurge lunch at La Tour D'Argent or La Terrasse, near the Montmarte cemetery. Have any travelers dined at La Terrasse? Any recommendations for other restaraunts with a view?

Besides the Jules Verne, the Eiffel Tower as a less expensive restaurant but still with a pretty good view called Altitude 95. The Institute du Monde Arabe has a great view and they are supposed to have a lovely restaurant to accompany it. It's in the 6th Arr. across the Seine from the Notre Dame/Isle St. Louis area. And the reopened Pompideau Centre is supposed to have a good restaurant with view. Patachou just off the Place du Tertre in Montmarte has a nice view down the hilltoward the Invalides, etc. but the food is not great. The Samaritaine Department store has a viewing platform with a snack bar but I would expect it to be very cold and breezy in February for any kind of actual meal.

aAnette, <BR> <BR>Yes, there's a quite inexpensive coffe shop at La Samariatine, but the view you'll get from the roof top terrace is the most gorgeous view you could get, a nearly, or a really 360º view. <BR> <BR>Buy your son some patisserie, or whatver he wishes at the coffe shop, ask for a take off, and take it to the terrace. In no other restaurant in Paris you would afford such a view, for so little money. <BR> <BR>Have a great time with your son in Paris. <BR> <BR>Regards, <BR> <BR>S

Hi Annette. I do not know if it will be true in Feb., but at the end of Jan we were in Paris and the platform on the top of the Samaritaine was closed. It was a disappointment for us. We were there about the 24th of Jan. We couldn't understand or find out if it was closed just that day. But there is no cost for you to try it anyway.

The Institut du Monde Arabe is in the 5th arrondissement, 23 Quai St-Bernard (1 rue des Fossees, 75005). The restaurant is on the 9th floor, with views similar to those of La Tour d 'Argent (near by). The architecture, especially the expanding and shrinking light screens facing the southern sun, and museum, should fascinate a 16 or 86 year old. I haven't eaten in the restaurant, though hear and read it's good.

Yes, the Insitut du Monde Arabe is a magic place, indeed. How true, Alex. Always great and well presented exhibitions. I have not eaten either at "Le Zyrhab". I think that's the name of the Arab restaurant at the IMA. I hear it's good, if one likes that kind of food. I do. <BR> <BR>Annette: You might also consider the restaurant "Le Ciel de Paris" on the top floor (56th) of the ugly Montparnasse Tower. You can also go just for tea or coffee in the afternoon or for a drink before dinner.

Le Totem, 17 place du Trocadero. Wonderful close-up view of the Eiffel Tower, especially gorgeous at night. Casual setting, young crowd. tel 1 47 27 28 29. Food is mediocre unfortunately and because of that I think it's overpriced for what it is, but relatively speaking it's not too expensive--probably the equivalent of $30-$35ppm depending on what you order. They are also open for lunch.

Galeries Lafayette and Printemps also have scenic restaurants - I can't remember which one, or if it's both, that have a fencydency restaurant and a cafeteria-type restaurant

GL has many cafes inside including, at last check, Lafayette cafeteria (6th floor, with a view); a branch of the pastry/hot chocolate mecca Angelina's; a branch of Lina's sandwich and salad café;,a McDonald's; a champagne and sparkling water bar; a Haagen-Daz outpost; a sushi restaurant; and La Terrasse, snacks and drinks on the roof but only from May 1 to October 1 I think. <BR>Don't know about the scenic restaurants in le Printemps.

My 2001 Paris Eyewitness says observation from restaurant in La Samaritaine closed from end of October until beginning of April. Is this correct?

You might want to check about La Terrasse as I was there a couple months ago and there is a restaurant (not cheap) on ground floor with no view, so you'd have to make sure you got what you wanted. Aside from the cafeteria on 6th fl of Galeries Lafayette, there is a nice restaurant (Toupary) on the 5th floor of La Samaritaine but it's not super cheap (maybe US$25-30 per person), although reasonable; the top floor snack bar is cheaper of course, but not really that nice for a real meal.

Annette: <BR> <BR>I have a great article I downloaded from the NYT travel section that deals with it. They have changed their website so I don't think the URL I have will work any more. I can either send you the artical in HTML format or you can get on the the NYT site, go to the travel section and find it. <BR> <BR>Let me know. <BR> <BR>Regards ... Ger

Thank you everyone for your responses! I'm printing this thread. <BR> <BR>Ger,I did find the article you recommend, putting in "Paris dept. store" for Travel section in the NY Times advanced search engine. In case anyone else wants to read it the article is: <BR> <BR>January 28, 2001, Sunday <BR> <BR>For Hungry Shoppers In Paris <BR>By PETER HELLMAN <BR>Source: The New York Times <BR>Section: Travel Desk <BR>2915 words <BR> <BR>For the splurge (IF we do the splurge) The Institute du Monde Arab's Le Zyrhab sounds great. We are staying in the 6th arr. Bon Appetit's all Paris April issue 'Delicious Paris' has a paragraph about it. <BR> <BR>

Topping for Siobhan (places and bars with a view and/or for a drink)!