perkie1968

Hi,

Heading to Paris next summer. Have a boatload of attractions that we want to check out but have no idea how to plan what on what day. Hoping to find a map where I can plug in the attractions so that I can see what is close to what in order to figure out an itinerary. Is there anywhere online that I can create (or find) a map like that?

Questions two: what/where is the best place to stay for four people (2 adults, 1 teenager, 1 child). would likely want to put hubby/teenager in one room and me/child in the other (if such a thing exists). Also hoping for at least a fridge in the room so we can pick up some groceries for breakfast to save on restaurant.

Thanks

ParisAmsterdam

A Michelin Green Guide would be a good start. Knowing old IMG times and when things are closed is important.

To see what is where I open Google Maps and type Paris attractions.

Andrew

You can make your own customized Google Map for Paris (or anywhere) and save items on your map that you care about. On my last trip to Europe, I made a map like this for each city I visited.

Then when I was in the city, I used my phone to navigate from place to place using this map. Google would give me real-time walking or public transit directions to any place on my map. Of course you can use these same maps for planning ahead of time, too.

swandav2000

Hi perkie1968,

I lived in Paris in the 1970s and have visited a bunch of times, so I haven't ever thought about needing a tourist map while there. However, I recently visited with a friend who was on her first-ever visit -- and she wanted a map of Paris showing the locations of the major tourist sites & monuments. Well, we searched all over Paris, all the souvenir shops and the book shops, and we never found one.

When I got home, I found this:

https://travel.sygic.com/lp/Paris-Pr...e-Tourist-Map/

The attractions are already plugged in. You could use this as an overview, and then make up your daily itinerary on a google map. You can use what they call "layers" for each day, with one day's sights and nearby restaurant on one layer. Each layer will hold about 10-12 items, and each map will hold about 4 or 5 layers (I had to make two maps to cover my two weeks).

Have fun as you plan!

s

imaginaryjazz

Unless you're wanting a full English breakfast, this can be your most economical meal of the day. A fresh baguette and some good cheese will do, or stop by a patisserie and grab whatever pastries look good. They even have croissants in Paris! ;^)

Sarastro

I think having a map outlining the locations of what you want to visit is an excellent idea. I like www.mappy.fr but many people have google maps already on their smartphones.

The RATP has a large map with the bus routes and street names which could be helpful:

http://www.ratp.fr/informer/pdf/orie...ris_geo&fm=gif

Travelforbeer

Hi perkie- You have a year to plan. Go to your library and get a travel book on Paris (or 2 or 3). Books by Fodors, Frommers, Ricksteves, lonely planet, etc. are available. Have a great trip!!!

Gretchen

One reason I like to look at the DK Eyewitness Guide to Paris is that it graphically DOES group things by area. It makes it very easy to visualize.
The Michelin Green Guide is good for planning within that area, and particularly for choosing wings/areas of the museums to visit.

fuzzbucket

You didn't state your budget, so it's difficult to give hotel or apart'hotel advice.

Ibis, Accor, Mercure are good chains of family-friendly hotels, which are clean and reasonably priced. You won't find more than one bathroom per room, but can ask for adjoining rooms, so will have one bathroom in each room. Check the "amenities" or "services" list on the hotel website to see if there are mini-fridges.

If you need a kitchen, Adagio and Citadines are chains of legal apart'hotels with many locations throughout Paris. Prices depend on the neighborhood, but all are convenient to public transportation.

For a first time visit you'd probably be happiest staying in the Latin Quarter (Postal Codes 75005, 75006) or in the Marais (75003, 75004) - these are the areas most people think of when they imagine what Paris is like.

But you can save money by choosing neighborhoods very close to these areas - look in Bastille or Nation (75011, 75012) or Montparnasse (75014).

WWanderer

I am building maps like this for Florence and Rome at the moment. YOu can use Google "My Maps" to do this. Also as others have said, get some guidebooks out of the library and see what sample itineraries they have. The Green Guide will have some, the Eye Witness series for sure, yes they are very visual.

We stayed in the Latin Quarter last fall--loved it. Getting two rooms shouldn't be hard, although you perhaps want them to be adjoining, or at least close. That might be harder in some of the smaller hotels. And yes, find one with an included breakfast--baguettes, cheese and jam to fill up the kids, plus coffee for you.

Whathello

I sometimes sleep in hotels where I could bring my family.
In these ones we could sleep at 4, even 5.

Elysees union Amiral Hamelin, 44 16e Etoile - Kleber
Haut Marais Vertus 3e Temple
Villa Montmartre Clignancourt, 44 18e château rouge

I described Haut Marais here :
http://www.fodors.com/communit/europ...l-in-paris.cfm

You can also go to a Citadines, I slept in a great location, and very nice studio at Citadines Les Halles.

Enjoy Paris.

perkie1968

Thanks for the input everyone.

I guess I'm an idiot, because I can't get the google maps thing to work. I punch in paris attractions and it gives me a bunch, some of which I want but others that I don't. How do I remove the ones I don't and add some that aren't there already.

Andrew

Create your own map. When you start, it will be empty. You need a Google account for this. Go to Google Maps, then click on the "three lines" menu at top left (this is on a desktop computer not a phone or tablet). Choose "Your Places." Click on the Maps tab. At the bottom, click "Create Map."

Your new map will be in a new tab.

Now just start searching for places in your map, one at a time. (Don't search for "Paris Attractions" unless you want wade through a lot of results.) If you want to save one place, click on "+Add to Map."

Scootoir

I like the Knopf Mapguides for planning and carrying with me in cities we visit. The Paris book divides the city into about 8 sections with a foldout map of each. Major sights in that section are marked and have a brief entry on each. A selection of restaurants and shops in each area are also listed. Also includes a Metro map.

Kathie

The Fodor's Paris book has the best map we found for an overall view of Paris. We used google maps to find our way around. I liked the fact that google tells you which exit to take from the Metro to get you closest to your destination. Just don't count on their time estimates - way off - in part because they figure it takes just one minute to transfer from one metro line to another. There may be a place where that is true, but no transfers we did!

perkie1968

Ok, so I was able to create the map with google maps, thanks to everyone who told me about that, but I can't print it. (I can but it just squishes everything to the middle of the page instead of spread out so I can see/read the street names).

What I need is to list all the attractions I want to see and have someone build me an itienerary!!

denisea

You can use the map on the Paris Museum Pass website. It has most of the Paris attractions. I don't remember if you can print it but it can help you see what is close together so you can plan your days. You can also check the opening hours to be sure you avoid showing up at a site on the day it is closed.

Andrew

Google Maps has support for printing, but you can't just print the default you see on the screen and expect a usable map. Instead, in My Places (where you can edit the map), zoom on the map at the level you want it to be zoomed, then click on the "3 vertical dots" at upper left next to the map name, to get a menu, then choose "Print Map". Then you can save the map as a PDF and then print it. I just tried it; it will have the list of places in a column on the left.

You can zoom in to different levels and print multiple maps if you want for different areas. I used to make maps of directions from one place to another (e.g. from the train station to my hotel) and save/print that. It was nice to have step-by-step directions to each place. But since I started using my phone to navigate in real time, I don't bother with that anymore.

Really - having a smart phone (or tablet with data) with you in Paris would make things soooo much easier and really make a Google Map much more useful. Google Maps will even work WITHOUT mobile data to a point - GPS will work, and you can pre-load some maps (not sure about a custom map like you have made).