Hello, I just returned from Paris after a weeklong trip. My friend K and I had a wonderful time together, from sipping champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower to shopping for scarves at local markets and browsing bookstores (we snared a book that won't be available in the United States for an entire year, so we were so excited to get it). We had one bad experience -- an encounter with youth pickpocketers in the metro, but luckily we thwarted these rotten kids (more later). I hadn't traveled internationally in four years, so there were some things I didn't understand or anticipate. I'll share what I learned. And thanks to everyone who gave me tips for the journey.

First, who we are. K and I are friends as well as colleagues at a bookstore. K has always wanted to go to Paris, and since I've visited three times in the past decade as well as lived there for as a student 25 years ago, we decided to travel together. It helped that our approach to traveling was similar. K didn't want to go rushing around to every museum and monument; instead, she wanted to stroll or flaner as the French say. I am a great flaneur (or is it flaneuse?), so this was going to be our approach to Paris, and it suited us well.

We started making plans in May for an October trip, during which time I built support for my trip from my dear husband and young son and saved money. Booked our apartment in May and our airfare in August; everything worked out great, but I'd book earlier next time for peace of mind. It was so time consuming searching for airfares and itineraries, so I'll probably use a travel agent next time.

We left Ohio on Oct. 3, flying US Air to Philadelphia and then to Paris (Charles de Gaulle airport). All flights left and arrived on time, so that was a wonderful blessing. However, the seats on the plane to Paris were so tiny and the leg room so limited, it was hard to get comfortable. I think we were on an Airbus, and least that is what the itinerary had showed. There was little space to shove our backpacks under the seats due to electronic equipment or something blocking the space. And we are fairly short and thin, so I can't imagine how hard it was for taller people. By comparison, the small commuter planes that US Air uses to and from Philly were roomier.

I don't know if all airlines flying to Paris are as tight as this now, but I definitely noticed that I had less room than the time I flew to Paris four years ago. Has anyone had any roomier flights?

Still, our airfare price was decent - $756 per person-- and the flights so timely, I have no major complaints. In fact, we arrived in Paris 30 minutes early at 7:30 a.m. There was a mad crush after we got off the plane -- just bunches and bunches of people crammed in a small space to go through a checkpoint for passports. While in this line (about 45 minutes to an hour), I looked at a woman nearby and she looked at me, and then I said, "Jessie?" and she said, "Emily?" and we couldn't believe it -- we are both members of the same Alliance Francaise chapter in Ohio and neither of us had known that the other was traveling to Paris. Turns out Jessie was going to take cooking classes for two weeks -- I didn't get the name of the school, but it wasn't Cordon Bleu. What a small world!

After we got through the passport check, we went to baggage claim and collected our bags (no problems again!) I thought we would have to go through customs, but we just waltzed out of the airport. Do they have a new process for checking bags in customs? I remember in the past being in long lines and someone looking through my suitcase. The same process happened on our return.

We caught a cab on a Sunday morning, and there was no traffic. The friendly cab driver delivered us to our apartment in the 3rd in about 35 minutes. The cost was 45 Euros and we gave him a 5 Euro tip. Much more affordable that we thought -- we had planned on at least 60 Euros (that's what it cost me the last time I took a cab to the airport). We weren't sure if the tip was included but just tipped since he was so nice. We passed by people setting up a very busy and big outside market -- I think it was Clichy. I wanted to lean out the cab window and shout, "Hello, Paris, I'm back!" but restrained myself. A light rain was falling, but no big deal, we were in my favorite city and the world was my oyster.

I must sign off but will be back with more including a review of our apartment in the northern Marais near Republique. And thanks to everyone on Fodors who shared information and tips with us.

Looking forward to the rest of your report.

Customs lines are a thing of the past. You are much more likely to have your bags examined at security than at customs. In Europe, in all the airports I have gone through there is just a door to go through if you have nothing to declare, and nobody questions you. Coming back to the US (at least in Boston, where I enter) there is someone who looks at the card you fill out on the plane and just sends you over to an x-ray machine for your luggage if you have declared anything such as food that you are bringing in. Even if you get sent to that line, in my experience it just takes a minute or two.

I am curious why you feel you would use a travel agent if you were to travel to Paris again. In my experience, it is actually easier to book flights myself, and you have much more control over your itinerary when you can look up all the choices.

Honestly, having used TAs and done it myself... Most TA's don't search for airfares. They just sell you whoever's giving them the "Deal of the day" There are exceptions. Also, most of them now charge for booking air as the airlines have cut WAY back on what they pay!

I'm leaving for 2 weeks in Paris next week - so I'm looking forward to the rest of your report.
I'm flying American as I have done many times to Paris in the past few years - the economy class seats have pretty good leg room. Of course, not enough! - But I never feel as scrunched up as on some other airlines in Economy, and I'm about 5'6". Once, on Virgin to London, I was in a window seat and thought I was going to die of claustrophobia!

WE MEET PHILIPPE, CONCIERGE IN A SUIT

First, a reply to the travel agent question for Nikki. I just felt that I spent so much time analyzing airfares and itineraries, that maybe a professional could have saved me time and lent guidance. I was a bit lost because I rarely fly internationally. One thing I'm glad I did was to make sure I had three hours for connections -- the airports were crowded, lines were slow, and it reduced anxiety. So we'll just have to see next time whether I can find a TA or will feel more confident and efficient with the booking process.

Now back to the trip report... K and I arrived at the apartment at 21,rue Beranger about 9:30 a.m. We booked it through VRBO.com. The listing was 33312, and the owner, Larry Chen, lived in the USA. He was very easy to deal with and responsive. I was attracted to it because of its size (600 square feet), the price ($800US for the week, plus a cleaning fee of 130 Euros),and because I wanted to be somewhere in the Marais, albeit this was the northern Marais, about a 20 minute walk to Place des Vosges.

We were told we could leave our luggage and come back later in the day after the apartment was cleaned. We went through two courtyards to get to the apartment, which was on the ground floor. (I'd looked for a very quiet location since I'm sensitive to noise,and also I didn't want to haul luggage up steps if I didn't have to). When we went inside, we found Philippe, the young French man who cleans the apartment and acts as concierge. Philippe was dressed in suit pants, a vest and a white dress shirt with French cuffs. In this attractive outfit, he was running the vacuum in the living room. My husband has never dressed in a suit to clean our house, so this was quite the treat.

Philippe spoke English and welcomed us to the apartment. We learned that he gives private tours of the Marais, and that he was headed to a tour after he cleaned our rooms, so that explained his elegant outfit. I asked if he gave his Marais tours in English, and he said, "Non!" He said the tours were in French for French people, commenting: "They are about French culture, and that would mean nothing to you." (He said this in a nice voice, not snooty, but very definitive). Then I said, "Au contraire, I love French history and culture, and I do speak French." But then I rambled on and got my queens mixed up, confusing Catherine de Medici with Marie Antoinette, so my credibility was shot. Some people might have been offended by Philippe's comment, but I found it amusing, mostly because he reminded me of a French friend I had long ago, who also was very precise.

Philippe had to continue cleaning, and we took off to explore the Marais and to try to get tickets for the ballet.
Rats! I just realized I have to pick up my son at school. Will continue later.

OK, Emily, but please comeback asap, as I'm really enjoying your nice easy style, and of course, the visions of Paris!

I remember your original enquiry about rue Béranger. Sounds like it worked out OK - I do hope so.

I love the location of your apartment. I hope you visited the chocolatier Jacques Genin right around the block. I have bookmarked it for future trips.

Looking forward to more.

Emily, I am looking forward to the rest of your trip report. My wife and I are renting an apartment a few blocks down rue de Archives from the apartment you rented! We will be there Oct 31.

Bob T

Lovely so far, looking forward to reading the next instalment.

Hello, I'm back. A reply to Patrick: yes, we did like our apartment at 21, rue Beranger in the 3rd, and it worked quite well for us. And thanks for your tips about that particular part of the Marais and the metro exits at Republique; it was very helpful to know we should exit at either rue du Temple or Bld du Temple, rather than the five other exits leading out to Place de la Republique.
I learned after we booked the apartment that the Place is sometimes a gathering point for demonstrations and rallies, but luckily for us, nothing was going on the week we were there. I know the French are famous for their demonstrations, and had there been one, I probably would have joined in for the experience.
And yes, Leely, we did go to Jacques Genin's chocolatier on 133 rue de Turenne (Metro: Filles du Calvaire or Republique, open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 pm). It was thanks to your trip report that I even knew about it, so merci beaucoup! For those who don't know about Jacques, he's one of the more elusive chocolatiers. Previously he only had a shop in the 15th that you could visit by appointment only, but now he has this nice store in the northern Marais.
I didn't eat the famous Genin caramels, but we did buy a luscious chocolate dessert and took it back to the apartment where we savored every bite. I really liked the shop's atmosphere. It was elegant and spacious, with displays of chocolates and small groups of people talking quietly at tables. But there was a line of people at checkout, and the retail clerk seemed frazzled. I read in another trip report that someone was overcharged there, so you should look at your bill just to double check. I work as a clerk in a cafe/bookstore, so I know what's it like to be harried, and I know that most mistakes are unintentional.
Anyway, the only thing I wish is that I'd bought a box of Jacques' chocolates to bring home. Especially on this freezing cold, rainy Ohio day, where a chocolate would warm me up and melt away my worries. But wait! I do have a box of Fauchon chocolates, purchased in a hurry at the Charles de Gaulle airport for my hubby. Allow me a moment to run off and get one....
Ah! I am back, biting into a piece of dark chocolate with a dense chocolate filling. La vie est belle.
Putting on my trip reporter hat again, I will summarize my review of the apartment here, before I continue on with our travels. In short, the apartment was clean, spacious and quiet. The high ceilings and wood floors gave it charm. The modern kitchen had a stove,fridge, dishwasher and washer/dryer and a table. Philippe, our concierge, gave a talk and demonstration about how to use this intriguing combo washer/dryer. In fact, the lecture was so involved, and Philippe so very precise, that we sat quietly in our kitchen chairs while he lectured. The instructions sounded complicated, with too many steps for my brain to recall. No way did I want to risk flooding the dryer or something like that. Besides, I'd brought enough clothes.

The bathroom had a nice shower stall with plenty of hot water. There was also a separate bathtub -- sparkling white but super narrow. I was afraid to get in for fear I couldn't get out. I didn't want to have to make a frantic phone call to Philippe to tell him I was stuck. However, my travel companion, K, is quite thin, and she used the bathtub every day and enjoyed it.
The main bedroom, where K slept, had a lovely fire place, queen bed and bookshelves. I slept in the living room on a fold out armchair. There was also a foldout couch to use, but Philippe said the armchair was more comfortable, so that's why I used it, and I slept well. It was nice that the bedroom and living room were separated by a door that closed, so if one person wanted to stay up later, it didn't bother the other. We had a TV/VCR and travel books galore and wanted for nothing.
The only thing we didn't like about the apartment was that it was very dark. Like a cave. Or a bank vault. There were very large windows, but they had formidable shutters and we were afraid if we opened them, we might not be able to close them. Keep in mind that K and I are not at all mechanical. Also, since we were on the ground floor facing a courtyard, we kept the shutters closed for privacy and safety. Had we been on a higher floor, we probably would have tried to open them. We had our alarm clocks, which was a good thing since no daylight could penetrate the sleeping areas, but the kitchen did have light coming in.
Oh, another small problem was we couldn't use the laptop computer provided. When I tried to go online I kept getting messages that the computer had viruses, and I had no idea how to clean them off. We weren't planning to send emails, but I did want to use the computer to check out opening times at museums and such. Overall, it was not a problem but if I were the "wired" type, I would have been on the phone to Philippe asking him for help in fixing it.

Other notes: the apartment was convenient to the bakery, post office and metro. Rue Beranger is a fairly quiet street right off the very busy Place de la Republique, where seven boulevards/roads come together. I didn't care for the busyness, but it was good to have several lines to take.
As for the metro, you can only buy your tickets at the entrance near the Carousel and creperie in the square. We bought the weeklong Navigo metro card on Monday. The clerk at the metro loaded it for us quickly, and we were on our way. I was relieved that we didn't have to deal with any machines to get our cards. And since we used the metro a lot, it was a good value. I enjoyed having ust one card to keep track of rather than carnet tickets.
About the neighborhood itself: it was not at all touristy. It was a place for people who lived and worked in Paris. There was more graffiti on the walls than I cared for. It didn't have the coziness and charm of St. Germain or the historic part of the Marais near Place des Vosges, but then again, it was cheaper. The Place de la Republique and the stores/cafes fronting on the square were bustling and spread out. But if you explored the side streets, it was much nicer and calmer.
I really liked the nearby Carreau du Temple, a charming square with cafes where I wanted to linger, and rue de Bretagne with wonderful food stores and a great covered market, Marche des Enfants Rouges. Inside the market were all kinds of ethnic foods as well as fresh produce and meat. You could eat at tables or take home food. We saw a wine bar/restaurant in the Marche des Enfants Rouges called L'Estaminet, open for lunch. A wonderful chocolate torte was "resting" or "settling" on one of the tables, and we were tempted to run off with it, but did not. We didn't eat there because we weren't hungry yet (it was about 11 AM), but I would definitely go back there.
And Racer042, since you will be in that area, I think you might enjoy wandering and exploring those sections.
What else to note? Nearby roads Rue du Turenne and Rue du Temple have a lot of wholesalers selling clothes, shoes and sundries, so you can't buy from them directly. Technically. We did meet a woman who convinced a wholesaler to sell her two scarves at a wholesale price. I didn't bother to try.
Rue du Turenne had many stores featuring men's fashions. I saw more purple shirts than you can imagine. Rue de Turenne led us straight to La Place des Vosges (about 20 minutes from our apartment), which is one of my favorite places in Paris. We walked there on our first day, so I'll pick up there on the next installment. A bientot!




Yes, Patrick

Loving reading about your trip to Paris. I hope you'll give restaurant tips. I've made a note about the chocolate shop.

Hello, I've been away a few days.
I see that "yestravel" would like some restaurant tips, so I'll share our experiences.
First, we planned to have only a few meals out to keep expenses low. While I love restaurants and food, I knew that restaurant dinners could be costly, so we looked for brasseries and cafes. We also sought places to eat based on where we were when we were hungry. Finally, we like to dine at 6 pm or 7 pm so most restaurants didn't fit into our time frame. We had some very good dining experiences at four places.

"Au Chien qui Fume," 33 rue du Pont Neuf, first arrondissement. Got there at 6 pm and seated quickly -- only a few guests then, but it filled up later. Great service. We both had fixed price menus for 21Euros (which included 2 courses), plus a glass of wine each. I had a delicious bowl of onion soup to start and a main dish of chicken fricasse. The chicken was so tender and smothered in a delicious sauce, accompanied by potatoes. K had the salmon, which she liked very much. Neither of us had any room for dessert, which would have been extra or we could have chosen the 30 Euro menu for three courses. Fun, festive atmosphere. We were seated near four French businessmen on one side and an American woman dining alone, whom we chatted with. She had a huge seafood platter and loved it. Check out out the web site:auchienquifume.com.

Le Zimmer -- 1 place de Chatelet. First arrondissement. Lovely brasserie/cafe. We got there at 6:15 pm and were seated right way. They offered a 17Euro dinner for two courses, which was a great deal. I had a huge artichoke for a starter and another delicious chicken dish cooked in a fig sauce that was to die for. I don't know what they do to the chicken but it was so succulent and meaty. K had the same thing. We both had a kir and I had one glass of wine. The total for both of us, including alcohol, was 50 Euros. The cafe soon filled up, and it seemed to be mostly French people. We chatted with two French couples nearby, and they were going to the Theatre du Chatelet that evening, right next to Le Zimmer. Our service was excellent to start with, but not as good as the evening progressed. There was only one waiter for our room, and he "zimmed" around the cafe, working as fast and as hard as he could, but he really could have used some help. Still, K and I didn't feel pressured to leave or to rush. Go early if you can. Check out lezimmer.com.

Cafe Breizh - 109, rue Vieille du Temple, 3rd arrondissement. Delicious lunch of Breton crepes and cider. Got there at noon, when it was first opening, and nabbed a window seat in this small cafe. We had a special -- coquille St. Jacques crepes with scallops and leeks -- and cider. We were too full to order any dessert crepes, if I'd had room I would have ordered the banana and chocolate crepe. The special was 16E each, and the total bill for two, including cider, was 43 Euros. Very filling and satisfying. I got the recommendation from "Clothilde's Edible Adventures" in Paris.

Veggie, 38 rue Verneuil, 7th arrondissemnet. This was a shop and restaurant, on a quiet lovely street not far from Musee d'Orsay. My French friend, Flo, who works nearby, took us there for lunch because the food is healthy and organic, and the restaurant is intimate and quiet, so you could actually talk. I had a vegetable soup that was kind of bland but nourishing, and I split a tarte and salad plate with K since neither one of us are big eaters. My friend Flo had a lentil dish. It felt great to eat healthy after my indulging in too much cheese, bread and wine at times! I don't know the price because Flo paid, but I really enjoyed eating here. The shop looked interesting, but we didn't have time to browse.

Cafe at Musee Andre Jacquemart, 158 Blvd. Haussman, 8th. Wow, what a great lunch in this elegant museum restaurant. We both had the special for 16Euros, which included quiche, salad and dessert. I had a wonderful apple caramel tart. We drank water with our meal, and I had a cafe espresso later. The only downside was the service was really slow. The restaurant was absolutely packed. We waited in line for 45 minutes to get seated and then our service was mediocre. Still, the food and atmosphere were great and if you're not in a rush, it's a great place to unwind. The restaurant was filled with French people, and it seemed to be the "chic" place to lunch in Paris.

Those were our major dining experiences. I do wish we'd had more time in Paris, and if we could have had one more night out, I would have chosen "Le Florimond" in the 7th and "Cafe qui Parle" in the 18th based on recommendations from Fodor's folks (see Schnauzer's trip report in May for Le Cafe qui Parle and search for "Le Florimond" in the forums if you want more info.) For those going to Paris soon, bon appetit!

Lovely food reviews. Thank you again for giving us all this atmosphere and information. You've got such an easy style.

Thank you for sharing your restaurant info! Appreciate it.