Hi, <BR>Have any of you got notes about Paris- stuff like which neighbourhoods are safe, which has the best cheap shopping, what good souvenirs to buy and where, where the yuppies/snobs/poor/ethnic ppl live, which arrondissments are known for what...basically, 'insider' knowledge? <BR> <BR>And if not, do you know any books that give this type of information? <BR> <BR>Merci en avance <BR>-francophile (francofolle!)

Francophile, <BR>I'm not Elvira, nor an expert, but I'll take a first stab at your question with non-insider knowledge. <BR> <BR>All of Paris (it's 20 arrondisements) is safe. Avoid leaving Paris to go to the banlieus (the areas that surround the 20 arrondisements), some are nice, but some of them are pretty scary. However, I don't see why as a visitor you would need to go to the banlieus (unless you meet some people, who know some people, who know some people, and wind up in a party over there). <BR> <BR>The Upper East Side of neighborhoods is the 16th arrondisement, followed by the 7th. Small ethnic communities can be found scattered throughout. For example, the 13th arrndisement around the Place d'Italie has a Chinese community and Asian markets (for some reason the Asian markets in Paris is the only place where you can buy plantains). Walk around and you will notice that there will be streets with an unusual amount of X- or y-type of restaurants.

Hi Franc! Lived there and can assure you that not all arrondissements provide the level of safety you have in mind. The simple rule is to stay in arrondissements 1-8 which are also in the most visited parts of Paris. <BR>Regarding the rest of your question, it appears that your needs are so general that an answer here would require pages and pages. I suggest you buy the Michelin Green Guide to Paris and read their summary pieces, then drill down into the particulars. <BR>Me, I prefer the Latin Quarter which is the 5th and 6th Arr. They are more of what we tend to think of as Paris than the Right Bank. <BR>Your address would indicate that you are in France now, so why not ask a French friend???

I am staying in Neuilly at a friend of a friend's apartment. This person is generously lending the apartment to me and I only know her slightly, so I feel funny asking if the neighborhood is nice, etc. Does anyone know anything about the area? Restaurants? I am having trouble finding anything about it on here. <BR> <BR>Thanks.

Have you considered investing the small amount it would take to buy a guidebook to Paris that would answer all your questions? Let me suggest the Let's Go or Rough Guide series for you young people; the Michelin Green Guide, Acces, and Eyewitness series for serious travelers. Once you've perused these guides you'll have a sense of which neighborhoods are best for what, whee to shop, etc.

We stayed in a hotel in the 14th, near the intersection of <BR>Boulevard Montparnasse and Boulevard Raspail, which are in the 6th. I asked my wife if she would feel insecure in that area at night. <BR>She said "No." <BR>The area along Boulevard Montparnasse is alive at night with many restaurants open late. <BR>

guidebooks sometimes are outdated by the time they're printed when it comes to describing neighborhoods. i live in tribeca (nyc) and i have actually looked at nyc guidebooks and laughed at how horrible they are, what's "hot" and "neat" to see is often off the mark. that is why it is nice to get info from boards like these rather than guidebooks sometimes. <BR> <BR>the ny times excerpted comments about nyc from guidebooks around the world - hysterical article! one i remember, from a korean guidebook, suggested that tourists strike up conversations with bus drivers, because "they are quite funny." lol. i would love to see that!

<BR>Neuilly is not in Paris itself, but just across the highway which surround the town. You'll be fine there, it's the most upscale subburb of Paris. A bourgeoisie's fortress. <BR> <BR>There are two metro stations there, and several buses, so you won't have any problem going to Paris. <BR> <BR>You'll also be close to Boulogne wood which is quite pleasant (just avoid it at night, though the part close to Neuilly isn't the most...errr...weird, after the sunset.). If you're going there during the late spring, don't miss the roses in the flower garden of Bagatelle, in the wood. <BR>

Mariarose- thanks for your information! <BR> <BR>Joel- yes I know it's very general, so that's why I was asking if anyone had email-able notes to send. <BR>Oh, the .fr email is fake It's wishful thinking! So are the Green Guides the ones that are known for general knowledge stuff? <BR> <BR>StCirq- yep I have considered ("do you know any books that give this type of info?"). Thanks for your suggestions...which do you prefer? <BR>Small amount- not so. They're all $30+ here. <BR> <BR>Kelly- good point! and funny suggestions? so have you tried striking up conversations with random bus-drivers yet? <BR>

Should Elvira have her own board?, then at least non-elviras could skip the fan mail?

When the questioner puts Elvira's name (or that of any other "celebrity" here) right in the message header, what keeps you from skipping it right now? <BR>

Michelin's Green Guide is a wonderful tourist guide book, but it doesn't offer the "insider info" that you're interested in. It covers the major historical and cultural sites in great detail, but it doesn't offer, say, Fauchon's address or arrondissment saftey tips. <BR> <BR>You may want to try the Rough Guide or Fodor's. Avoid the "Irreverent Guide" - it's fairly superficial.

I have purchased several guide books to Paris lately.(including Fodors) I found the "Unofficial Guide to Paris" to be very concise and void of Fluff. The only draw back to this guide book is the fact that for some reason they decided to list the Arrondissments as "zones". The problem is the "zone" numbers do not match the Arrondissment numbers. This could be very confusing to a first time visitor. Other than that this book is great.

For the person who asked about Neuilly, it is a very nice area just on the exterior of Paris. There is a subway line so you will have no trouble getting where you have to go. A pen pal lived there and I used to visit her when I was in Paris. Since she always used to feed me at her house, I don't know the restaurants. I am sure you will eat well whether in Neuilly or in Paris itself. Have fun!

Where do you live that all guidebooks cost $30+? If some small town where they mark them up a lot, you might look at online bookstores like Amazon.com where you can buy them for about $12-15. I think Frommers and TimeOut are some of the best overall and they are that price; I like Cadogans also for real discussions, not just lists of places. There are specific ones for shopping, you can find them by searching on Amazon etc al, I can't recommend any as I don't have a particular interest in shopping. I think people should buy souvenirs that they like and mean something to them, that's supposed to be the concept of a souvenir, and thus you buy something after looking and finding something you really like, you don't go ahead of time with a list of what you're supposed to buy as a souvenir, although I think some people use the terms souvenir and just shopping interchangeably, I've noticed. I don't think spending $12-15 for a guidebook is a big investment for a European vacation that will cost hundreds if not over a thousand dollars, I think it would be a big mistake not to.

Check out www.paris-anglo.com, which offers some insider knowledge.

Mahalo, Mary for the above reference. Good restaurant reviews! <BR> <BR>I thank you fodorites one and all for your generous previous postings, which I'm scrolling through rather frantically as time allows. It's time to work out the details! <BR> <BR>Alors, Paris, je reviennne!!**** <BR> <BR>Et il y a quelq'un ici qui a visite Saint Malo? Merci.