Paris - Hints & Observations from the last 2 weeks
 

Part 1 of 3<BR><BR>We just spent two weeks in Paris and were treated well by all the French we encountered. This time we tried to see some of the lessor known sights as well as the favorites. I've compiled a list of some observations and things I learned that I thought might be helpful if you're going to Paris.<BR><BR>1. If you take the RER train from CDG into Paris (7.70 euros), take note of which stops it will be making before you get on. I saw some disappointed tourist ride past unscheduled stops that are on the metro map but were not on the train's scheduled stops. Also, we had no trouble purchasing Carte Orange metro passes at CDG and later the Mobilis pass at the metro station.<BR><BR>2. If you are visiting the Musee d'Orsay with a museum pass, don't stand in line with everyone else. Due to renovations, the entrance is now on the north side (Seine side) and there was just one long line to the entrance. I passed several folks in line (holding passes) as I walked to the entrance and inquired about a line for pass holders. We were immediately shown around a barrier and into the museum. Another quick way to enter is from the museum shop. It's open to anyone and if you have the museum pass, you can go from the shop directly into the museum by just showing your pass.<BR><BR>3. We tried to visit as many markets as possible, but our favorite had to be one close to where we stayed. The market at Place Monge is open on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and offers a good variety of meats, vegetables, cheeses, wines, clothes, and all sorts of other stuff from around 50 vendors. <BR><BR>4. We viewed Paris from the top of every conceivable point including the department stores, Sacre Couer, Tour Eiffel, and the two Arcs. Our favorite was the view from the Montparnasse Tower. The 56th floor view is from the inside of the building and the 59th floor view is from the roof. The worst view was from La Grande Arche. This offered a very limited view in one direction only. Not worth the admission price in my opinion.<BR><BR>5. If you do day trips out of Paris, check the train schedules for express trains rather than local trains. We did Montparnasse to Chartes (Euro 17.40 RT) and I noticed that some of the trains made the trip in about 50 minutes while others take 70 minutes. For some trips (like to Chartes) there are printed schedules just for the asking.<BR><BR>6. Although the euro is the only currency accepted, you will still find prices in department stores and shops in French francs as well as euros. Every cash register and credit card receipt that I received had the total in euros and francs.<BR>

<BR>Part 2 of 3<BR><BR>7. If you make purchases in a grocery store, you are expected to bag your own groceries. I watched some tourists standing and waiting at the end of the counter for someone to bag their groceries only to be told by the cashier where the bags were. You kinda have to move fast when you pay or the next customer's stuff will be mixed in with yours.<BR><BR>8. If you've not been on the Paris metro before, get familiar with how the door opens before the train stops at your location. I watched an older couple fumble with the handle and nearly miss their stop. Some have handles, some have green buttons, and some open automatically like the newer trains on line 1.<BR><BR>9. You've heard it before about pickpockets so be prepared. As I got on the train at the Chatelet station (line 7) two young boys about 8 or 9 abruptly turned around and started asking me questions with their hands outstretched. I immediately knew something was amiss and instinctively reached for my back pocket when there was an empty wallet (everything of value was in my money belt). There, I found the hand of a woman behind me. I turned in time to see this adult woman with a coat draped over her arms through which she had reached and lifted my coat and was feeling for my wallet. I slapped her had away and she and the two boys jumped off the train as the doors closed. It all took place in about seven or eight seconds. I was told by a local that the metro stops near the department stores are popular for pickpockets as the tourist are plentiful, easy to spot, and are easy prey with their arms full of packages. <BR><BR>10. The Internet keyboard I used in Paris was quite different than those used in the US. The letters &quot;A&quot; and &quot;Q&quot; are switched as well as several others. If you are a speed typist, this will certainly slow you down.<BR><BR>11. Have an alternate plan for every day. One day, with no notice, the metro was on strike. We walked to the Louve only to find half the museum closed because half the workers couldn't get in due to the strike. We decided to do several churches on our list. Another day, we went to the Nissan de Camondo museum only to find it closed due to a strike by the workers at that museum. The Jacquemart Andre museum (8.00 euros and includes audio guide) nearby was open so we toured it instead. It's now one of my favorites. Bottom line, be flexible and have an alternate plan.<BR><BR>

<BR>Part 3 of 3<BR><BR>12. We ate at a bunch of different places from cheap to moderately expensive. I want to pass on two that I thought were remarkable for their value.<BR><BR>Au Piano Muet - rue Mouffetard in the 5th - No English menu and only a little English spoken.<BR>It's a fondue place just 4 doors up from the Comfort Inn. Their 15 euro &quot;menu&quot; was a good deal with exceptional choices and large portions. I would suggest the mussels in cream for a starter, the salmon for the main course, and cream brulee for dessert. We ate the 15 euro menu several different times and were well pleased with food and the service. The staff are very pleasant and patient with those that don't speak French.<BR><BR>Cote Sud - rue Gregoire de Tours in the 6th - No English menu and no English spoken. <BR> We happened upon this place while wandering and looking for a place for lunch. The 12.50 euro three course &quot;menu&quot; include an AYCE buffet of salads and a delicious fish soup. I chose the quail for my main course and there is a AYCE buffet of desserts, fruits, and cheeses. The 12.50 also includes wine. You will not go away hungry. Best deal we found.<BR><BR>13. We visited as many parks and cemeteries as possible but my favorite was the Parc de Monceau. The flowers were in bloom and it was just beautiful. The other parks were very nice but the Monceau was magical each time we visited.<BR><BR>14. We tried to do all of the museums in Paris on the museum pass during our 14 days there (not possible) but my favorite wasn't even on the pass list. The Musee Marmottan was my favorite, but then I'm partial to the impressionists. It wasn't crowded and being able to wander around 50+ Monets without lots of others in the room was nice. I must have circled that ground floor a half dozen times.<BR><BR>15. We bought concert tickets for St. Chapelle (23 euros for front) on the day of the concert without a problem. Tickets were still being sold at the door that evening. Seating is wherever you want so get there early. (Doors opened about � hour before performance) We sat on the front row next to a French couple that were holding tickets for the rear section. No one was checking tickets once you entered. <BR><BR>16. If you tour the Church of the Madeleine, check out the public toilets just outside the front. It will cost you 41 cents but it's well worth the price. Never could figure out why this toilet was 1 cent higher than the others.<BR><BR>17. Be prepared for the unexpected. We decided to visit the American Church one Sunday while strolling along the Seine. Walked in as a free concert was just beginning. What a lovely surprise. <BR><BR>My list has gotten longer that I expected so I will close. I could go on and on about everything from who had the best chocolate and cheese to where the best shoe sales on Mephistos were. Let me know if you have any questions. You can e-mail me directly if you want to.<BR><BR>Richard<BR>[email protected]

Great suggestions. Thanks.<BR><BR>I'm going to Paris in early May (woohoo!) and I'll keep these in mind.<BR><BR>I'm hoping you or any other Fodorites answer a credit card question. When I was in Paris last summer, I noticed that when paying with credit cards (might have been check cards, though), my French friends appeared to only use their PIN when making payments and not their signature on the credit card receipt. Does anyone know if I'll need my PIN for making purchases in stores and/or restaurants?

My compliments, jeff, for a great list of tips and insights.<BR>I'll verify a two of them first hand.<BR>We had our moment of panic on the metro when we couldn't figure out how to open the door. Happily, the locals were more than helpful is &quot;rescuing&quot; us!<BR>We had a similar experience at the d'Orsay last May and entered through the gift shop. We found that it is best to have your museum pass visible as you approach any of the sites where you could use the pass. A couple times, we were hold the pass out as we approached the sites and didn't know where to go. Both times, the guards saw our passes and signaled us to walk right in.<BR>To answer janeygirl, no, you don't need your pin to urge your cards. At least, we never encountered the situation.

Thanks for the great suggestions. If you like the impressionists, I can recommend a day trip to Auvers sur Oise and the very clever multimedia presentation at the Auvers Chateau. I have a file on these and others.<BR><BR>[email protected]<BR>

Janeygirl, French bank cards (called &quot;carte bleue&quot; - not strictly a credit card) are smart cards that are read via a chip rather than the magnetic strip on the back. Holders of these cards key in their PIN rather than signing when paying for goods. Holders of foreign-issued credit cards will be required to sign, as their cards are read by swiping the magnetic strip.

Thanks for the clarification, HowardR and hanl. I know I have PINs for my credit cards but I never need them since I never use credit cards for cash advances. Since I have no idea where I put these PINs (perhaps through the shredder?) this is one less thing that I need to take care of before my trip.<BR><BR>A big relief!

Great report, I'd love to read more about your time in Paris, I wish my husband would agree to spend two full weeks in Paris, he likes to get out of the city to other regions after three or four days. Curious, did you go to Gerard M in the 15th for your Mephistos, I found their prices to be super with a great selection. Thanks for your observations, Deborah

Please- where is the best shoe sales on Mephistos???

janeg<BR><BR>We didn't find any good sales at the Mephisto stores. The best sale for men was at Galeries Lafayette. 30% off a wide selection of Mephistos with the additional 10% off that you get with your tourist card. The best sale for ladies was at Magfred's on rue Cler. Selection wasn't all that great but the prices were.

Deborah, work on your husband to convince him to spend two weeks in Paris. It makes all the difference in the world. You can move at a leisurely pace, never feeling that you must rush. Even two weeks doesn't guarantee that you will see everything that you had hoped to see (we didn't), but it was still great and it really didn't bother us since we had seen and done so much. After a while, we felt less like tourists and more like we were actually living there!

Thanks very much, Jeff. Going in September and will definitely add those restaurants to our list. Oooh, I wanna go NOW!!! :-D

QueenMab, great minds must think alike: I'll be in Paris in September, also (9/23-9/27) and I, too, want to go now! In addition, I copied down Jeff's restaurant suggestions and put them on my list. Ha-ha!<BR><BR>Jeff, thanks so much for your suggestions. They're great!<BR><BR>Jennie

thanks for the excellent trip report. You certainly had a good time. Where did you stay?

HowardR you have certainly described my dream trip the best I could do was a two week stretch in Paris but the first week was with my son and the second week with my daughter and my sisters so I found myself doing the same tourist things, ughhhh but it was still a great trip, Janeg, if found the Gerard M store on 101 rue de la Convention 75015 Metro Boucicaut or Bus 62 to be a bit of a jaunt from the 5th arr. but well worth it, I think I only paid about 50.00 dollars each for three pairs of Mephistos, thought that was a good price in June 2001 Going to keep my eye out this year when we are in southwest France, may find some good buys there, Happy shopping, Deborah

Elainee,<BR> We stayed in an apartment on rue Clef that was about 30 yards from the Monge metro stop and line 47 bus stop. Of all my trips to Paris, I liked this location best. Bakery next door, ATM on the square, market 3 days a week, and lots of cheap eating places within a few blocks. Being on metro line 7 was especially convenient for us and coming home in the afternoons to a stop with an escalator was a plus I really enjoyed. We rented a room with bath in a 3rd floor apartment with elevator. We had access of the apartments other facilities such as fully equipped kitchen, washer/dryer, dining room, and living room. Cost for two weeks was about $70/night. E-mail me for more specifics.<BR><BR>Richard<BR>[email protected]

I read somewhere that you can find many of the same things that the stores in Paris have, i.e. Mephistos outside Paris, in smaller towns, for a much better price. Has anyone experienced this?

Jeff49, Thanks!! I would very much like information on how you arranged this rental. I would like to &quot;repeat&quot; your trip in October. Having a washer/dryer for a two week stay makes a big difference. We have always stayed in the 6th, but this sounds worth the change. Plus I love the price.

Your laudromat exchange brings a smile to my face, as it brings back one of the favorite memories of our two-week stay in Paris last May....the trip to the laudromat. Talk about a language barrier. Only with the assistance of two Sorbonne students were we able to figure out how to get detergent, start the washer and start the dryer. Never were Franco-American relations so good!