Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report Paris in the Spring - brrr!

Having a sister in Paris means that DH and I visit there every year for a couple of days. She lives in the Montmartre Area and we usually stay in this guesthouse - http://www.ermitagesacrecoeur.fr/ - which is quaint, safe, clean and good value, but the rooms are small and the husband is tall, so this time we decided to rent an apartment for three days.

We rented this one - http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p147702 - which was exactly what we wanted. The owner quoted a price of €250 for three nights (inc. cleaning) which is good value, so we went with it.

We had no trouble finding the apartment - it's very close to Abbesses Metro - and the landlady's mother lives down the road so she was able to let us in and show us around. It is clean and safe - if a bit dark - but very quiet. The bed - although a bit small - was very comfortable, and we enjoyed staying there very much. Only caveat - no toilet paper! I think this was an oversight though. The weather was very cold, but dry for most of the time and fine for sightseeing once you wrapped up.

On arrival we bought some provisions - there is a boulangerie about 20m down the road and - for those who enjoyed the film - the "Amelie" grocery is just across the street (it has seen better days though), so we had a "Maigret" lunch in the apartment of beer and sandwishes (DH is a big detective fiction fan).

That evening we ate with my sister and BIL in Pulcinella, 17 Rue Damremont - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...de_France.html. This is a real "local" restaurant and we have eaten there a number of times, but if you're looking for good Italian food at a reasonable price (my seafood pasta included a whole lobster and cost €21) then it's highly recommended and worth finding your way off the beaten track to take it in. The rest of the evening was spent bar hopping in the bars around Abbesses - lots of fun mixing with the locals - it really helps to have someone to show you around the neighbourhood.

The next morning was Sunday so we went to mass in Sacre Coeur which was lovely - a number of adults were getting baptized so the mass was quite moving. We bought croissants and pain au chocolate and returned back to the apartment for breakfast, and then headed out to visit the Cluny Museum to see the tapestries. We had bought a carnet the day before and decided to try the buses instead of the Metro - we could pick up the no.95 from the end of Rue Damremont and it goes by the Opera Garnier, through the Louvre and to the Left Bank area - a very scenic journey and much nicer than braving the underground. It was the first Sunday of the month so entrance to the museums was free - but we managed to avoid most of the crowds by visiting at lunchtime! On the way back we got our photos taken outside Serge Gainsbourg's house, and then we walked to this pub - www.thegreenlinnet.com - to watch the rugby.

The plan for the rest of the afternoon was to vist the Dashiell Hammett exhibition in the museum of detective fiction in the Marais, but alas it closes on Sundays and Mondays so we didn't make it. Such a pity - but maybe the next time.

The next day - a Monday - was set aside for some shopping, so we visited the Grands Magasins and went for a wander around the Champs Elysees - DH to see the car showrooms and me to visit Sephora (sigh!). For lunch we had a treat and had a glass of champagne and a plate of smoked salmon and blinis in the bar in Laduree - worth a visit for the decor alone - it really is gorgeous (www.laduree.fr/public_en/maisons/bar_accueil.htm) . The no.80 bus goes directly from Montmartre to the Champs Elysees and is very frequent.

The rest of our time was spent doing family stuff but I thought I'd add a word of warning about our journey home. Because our flight was quite early in the morning, my sister booked a taxi to pick us up. Now I've had numerous bad experience of Parisian taxi drivers - from overcharging to not turning up at all - so I was a little nervous. The taxi was 5 minutes late when he rang to say that he was on his way, but he was stuck behind a refuse truck - all okay because we had a bit of time to spare. However when he arrived there was nearly €14 on the clock!! We were warned by my sister that this is often the case - they start charging from the moment they leave the depot, but my message is that if you can avoid taking a taxi, then do. Having said that, it was a miserable morning - with sleet turning to snow - and he got us out there in plenty of time for our flight, so although it wasn't a cheap journey, it was worth it.

All in all it was a lovely trip to Paris and we'd have no hesitation in staying in that apartment again. As I said at the start of the report, we've been there quite a number of times now so we're pretty lazy about sightseeing, but it was great pretending to be a Parisienne for the weekend. For those visiting Paris for the first time, I would really recommend giving the buses a try instead of relying on the Metro all the time - you get a much better idea of how the different areas relate to each other. Paris in the winter isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it's nice not having to queue for anything and you don't get that overcrowded feeling that you get in the Summer. The people seem friendlier too.