Paris Trip Report & Hotel d'Aubusson
 

Just got back from frist trip to Paris - loved it! What an enchanting city. We stayed at the Hotel d'Aubusson in the Left Bank (6th arr) and were thrilled with the hotel and the location. We spent a day at Versailles (chateau, fountains/gardens, triannon & hameau); a day at Chartres (town and cathedral/dome/crypt), and an afternoon at Giverney - loved Monet's house and gardens. The rest of the time we spent exploring the city itself, including the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Rodin Museum and Sculpture Garden, Hotel des Invalides (Napoleon's Tomb), the Paris Opera, Tuilleries and Luxembourg gardens, Notre Dame, and even attended a classical music concert at Ste Chapelle one night (Back concertos for the violin - fabulous!) and of course a cruise on the Seine and lots of stops along the way at pastry shops, cafes, tea salons (loved Angelina's hot chocolate) and restaurants! <BR> <BR>Feel free to e-mail if you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to share our experiences

Eileen,please can you can you tell me,how you got the tickets for the concert in Ste Chapelle.Did you book well in advance and how much were they ? <BR>Did you do Malcolm Millers tour of Chartes ?

Hi Catherine ... we did take the Malcolm Miller tour at Chartres. We were there on a weekday and he was giving tours at noon and 2:30 pm. He now charges for the hour long tour, I believe it was 40 FF per person. The tour was very good, he is really quite an expert .... a little on the pompous side, but still worth it. Re the concert at Ste Chapelle ... the concert began at 9:00 pm and based on the advice of our hotel we got there at 8:30 pm and purchased our tickets. The tickets were 150 FF per person and well worth it ... these were for "front row" seats, I think they did offer a cheaper ticket for "back row" seats ... there was a small audience the night we went so it probably didn't matter which way we went.

Eileen, <BR>Can you elaborate a little on the Hotel. <BR>-Price <BR>-Private Baths <BR>-Area Surroundings

I am going to Paris for the last week of May. What should I pack? how is the weather?

First the info on the hotel .... <BR> <BR>Hotel D'Aubusson, 33 rue Dauphine - its in the Left Bank / St Germain area. A really fun place to stay, lots to see and do - cafes, shops, close to Odeon and St Michel metro stops. A two block walk to the Seine (Pont Neuf Metro). We walked a lot in this neighborhood - Notre Dame, Ste Chapelle, the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay were all within easy walking distance. We had a standard double room, queen size bed, table and two chairs in front of the windows, desk, good size room with private bath - the bathroom appeared to be newly renovated - tub & shower, hair dryer, terry cloth robes, etc. We were there in what they call high season so the rate was 1350 FF per night including taxes. Breakfast buffet available each morning, but not included in the rate. They offer 24 hour room service, a mini bar in the room, a lovely parlour / salon with a fireplace where you can have cocktails or tea/coffer anytime during the day. <BR> <BR>Now the weather / clothes to pack ... I think it rained a little almost every day, but only for 5-10 min periods and then the sun would come back out, we only had one day of steady rain. Temps were in the 50's - 60's. I packed to dress in layers ... ex: sweater sets, with a light jacket (with a hood!) and always carried a small umbrella as well. Wore a lot of casual dresses with comfy shoes that way we could stay out for the day and go to dinner without having to stop back at the hotel to change clothes. I also stuck to three colors - black, tan and white. Didn't see many people at all in jeans or typical US casual clothes like sweats and sneakers. <BR> <BR>The women in Paris dress mainly in black, slacks / skirts / dresses. The men wear slacks with shirts vs chinos and golf shirts if you know what I mean?? <BR> <BR>Let me know if I can be of any further help ... most important ... wear comfy shoes (worry less about style and more about comfort) - we did a lot of walking <BR>