Paris: Walking distance
Nov 26th, 2007, 07:09 PM
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Paris: Walking distance
We will be traveling with my older parents this December, and wondering how far apart things really are. Even though a lot of people say Paris is walkable, I still would like to know, especially that it's be gonna be in winter, how long it takes from point A to B if we walk non-stop leisurely.
For instance, how long of a walk is it from the Louvre to Place Vendome, along Rue St. Honore? and from Place Vendome to Opera Garnier?
thanks in advance.
For instance, how long of a walk is it from the Louvre to Place Vendome, along Rue St. Honore? and from Place Vendome to Opera Garnier?
thanks in advance.
Nov 26th, 2007, 07:34 PM
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Nov 26th, 2007, 07:43 PM
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I like to use a combination of
2 wonderful pieces of free
software...
Download Google Earth from earth.google.com Then go to
communitywalk.com
One the second, you can trace out routes you want to take or have taken.
These can then be exported to your
Google Earth where you'll see the lines of your routes right on the streets of Paris. You'll also have the distances.
Explore the different layers in Google Earth and you can see things
like every restaurant you'll pass on your planned route!
A great pair of tools.
Rob
2 wonderful pieces of free
software...
Download Google Earth from earth.google.com Then go to
communitywalk.com
One the second, you can trace out routes you want to take or have taken.
These can then be exported to your
Google Earth where you'll see the lines of your routes right on the streets of Paris. You'll also have the distances.
Explore the different layers in Google Earth and you can see things
like every restaurant you'll pass on your planned route!
A great pair of tools.
Rob
Nov 26th, 2007, 07:57 PM
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I use mappy.com to determine distances. I get an approximate address or metro stop of each place, and then do the calculation. Be sure to choose Pedestrian.
Mappy says Place Vendome is about 0.6 km from Opera Garnier, which is less than I expected.
Mappy says Place Vendome is about 0.6 km from Opera Garnier, which is less than I expected.
Nov 26th, 2007, 08:00 PM
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Walking from Place vendome to the louvre should take ten minutes or so.
Paris is definitely walkable, but it's also huge- you would need to use the metro or other means of transportation to go from Place Vendome to the Marais for example.
Paris is definitely walkable, but it's also huge- you would need to use the metro or other means of transportation to go from Place Vendome to the Marais for example.
Nov 26th, 2007, 10:26 PM
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Hi
I also think that http://mapfrappe.com/ is worth checking out. Here you can compare an area that you know to a place you are going to
And here is my Paris trip report with pictures, links and maps: http://gardkarlsen.com/Paris_France.htm
Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures
I also think that http://mapfrappe.com/ is worth checking out. Here you can compare an area that you know to a place you are going to
And here is my Paris trip report with pictures, links and maps: http://gardkarlsen.com/Paris_France.htm
Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures
Nov 27th, 2007, 05:10 AM
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Nov 27th, 2007, 05:34 AM
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You will probably want to use the metro or bus system, because no matter where you stay, there will be things that are very worthwhile seeing, but are longer walks, as example Place des Vosges. It sounds like you will be near the Louvre. That is one good central point. From there you have Place Vendome, Arc de Triomphe, Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysee, Palais Royal, Rivoli arcades, Opera Garnier, the passsages,Laduree desserts,etc.
I've taken my parents, and I made sure to have plenty of rest stops. The nice thing with Paris is the cafes and parks which are good places to rest.
Another key area to stay would be near Notre Dame. From there you can access some interesting areas on foot. I stayed across from Notre Dame with my parents, and we enjoyed that area.
One thing you might also consider ae tours, such as Paris Walks. Say that they stay in the Louvre area, but would like to have an overview of the Marais. Instead of doing it on your own, why not metro over to St Paul and take a tour. You see the highlites, are entertained, and it's not too expensive. I did the 2 Marais tours my last trip.
A useful guide to using public transit
http://www.atkielski.com/PDF/data/ParMetro.pdf
I usually buy a carnet (book of 10) tickets for the Metro. Metro to an area, walk all day, and when I'm done in, metro back to hotel, eat nearby or metro to resto I've planned on trying.
There are some good threads here about using the bus system in Paris. Another good choice, since some of the metro stations have longer walks.
I've taken my parents, and I made sure to have plenty of rest stops. The nice thing with Paris is the cafes and parks which are good places to rest.
Another key area to stay would be near Notre Dame. From there you can access some interesting areas on foot. I stayed across from Notre Dame with my parents, and we enjoyed that area.
One thing you might also consider ae tours, such as Paris Walks. Say that they stay in the Louvre area, but would like to have an overview of the Marais. Instead of doing it on your own, why not metro over to St Paul and take a tour. You see the highlites, are entertained, and it's not too expensive. I did the 2 Marais tours my last trip.
A useful guide to using public transit
http://www.atkielski.com/PDF/data/ParMetro.pdf
I usually buy a carnet (book of 10) tickets for the Metro. Metro to an area, walk all day, and when I'm done in, metro back to hotel, eat nearby or metro to resto I've planned on trying.
There are some good threads here about using the bus system in Paris. Another good choice, since some of the metro stations have longer walks.
Nov 27th, 2007, 06:58 AM
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A second vote for using the bus system in Paris. First trip with my not hobbled but not able to walk a lot Mom we used metro, but the sometimes long walks when transferring, numerous stairs, and frequent escalator outages made it a challenge. Next time we used the buses and since then I use it even when not traveling with a mobility impaired companion. In addition to avoiding the steps, you get to see things above ground as you make your way. If you have a pass it is easy to jump off if you see something along the way that strikes your fancy.
Nov 27th, 2007, 07:12 AM
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The entire city is only a few miles across and is completely walkable for anyone in good health who is accustomed to walking, irrespective of age.
It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the Louvre to the Place Vendôme.
On a typical day with visitors I'll walk around 6-7 miles. How tired they get depends on how accustomed they are to walking—people from Manhattan manage a lot better than people from Los Angeles. Age is not a factor, as I've had clients who were quite elderly and yet kept up a frantic pace, and people in their teens who were tired after walking a single block.
Walking is the best way to see the city. It seems big because it is very densely populated and there's a lot to see on every street, but the actual distances involved are not that great.
It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the Louvre to the Place Vendôme.
On a typical day with visitors I'll walk around 6-7 miles. How tired they get depends on how accustomed they are to walking—people from Manhattan manage a lot better than people from Los Angeles. Age is not a factor, as I've had clients who were quite elderly and yet kept up a frantic pace, and people in their teens who were tired after walking a single block.
Walking is the best way to see the city. It seems big because it is very densely populated and there's a lot to see on every street, but the actual distances involved are not that great.
Nov 27th, 2007, 08:06 AM
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I lived for five years in Paris and my first recomendation to visitors was to limit as much as possible walking between major sites. Take buses. It is less effective than the metro, but you are not in a hurry and buses will allow you to see more. Plus you avoid the stairs and corridors in the metro.
You mentioned Louvre to Place Vendome, this move is a walking distance as there is no practical alternative to walking. But from Place Vendome to Musee D'Orsay it is much better to take a Bus, and save your energy to the actual visit of the museum.The same thing applies to Tour Eiffel. Save your strength for the long line or to walk it down.
If you want to walk the Champs Elysee, take a bus or the metro to Etoile and then go direction Concorde, this is the downhill side.
So buy or get a map with metro and bus lines.
Another recomendation is to use hotels as stops instead of Bars or bistros. Hotels specialy luxury ones have very clean restrooms and you can seat at the lobby and they will not press you to have a drink, and if you decide to do so it will only be a bit more expensive than in a normal coffe shop.
My latest expirience was a couple of weeks ago, I was walking with my mother (81) and we decided to stop at the Park Hyatt(Rue de la Paix) nearby Place Vendome. And we had two coffees for 6€ each. It is obviously about double than the price elsewhere, but it was beautifully served with small cookies and chocolate. Sitting in a very nice enviroment.
You mentioned Louvre to Place Vendome, this move is a walking distance as there is no practical alternative to walking. But from Place Vendome to Musee D'Orsay it is much better to take a Bus, and save your energy to the actual visit of the museum.The same thing applies to Tour Eiffel. Save your strength for the long line or to walk it down.
If you want to walk the Champs Elysee, take a bus or the metro to Etoile and then go direction Concorde, this is the downhill side.
So buy or get a map with metro and bus lines.
Another recomendation is to use hotels as stops instead of Bars or bistros. Hotels specialy luxury ones have very clean restrooms and you can seat at the lobby and they will not press you to have a drink, and if you decide to do so it will only be a bit more expensive than in a normal coffe shop.
My latest expirience was a couple of weeks ago, I was walking with my mother (81) and we decided to stop at the Park Hyatt(Rue de la Paix) nearby Place Vendome. And we had two coffees for 6€ each. It is obviously about double than the price elsewhere, but it was beautifully served with small cookies and chocolate. Sitting in a very nice enviroment.
Nov 28th, 2007, 05:39 AM
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Things that minimize walking....
You might consider doing an overview bus tour of the city when you first arrive. Parisvision and Cityrama are the two big names, both start tours near the Louvre.
www.parisvision.com
www.pariscityrama.com
There is also L'Open Tour, which is a hop-on hop-off bus that you can use to get from main site to main site. It loops around the sites. A ticket lets you ride it all day.
www.paris-opentour.com/index_eng.htm
Seine river cruise is a must, I prefer nighttime when the buildings and bridges are lit up.
Smaller boats:
www.vedettesdupontneuf.com
Larger boats:
www.bateauxparisiens.com
www.bateaux-mouches.fr
There is also a water ferry service that services spots along the Seine.
www.batobus.com
And perhaps a tour along St Martin Canal
www.pariscanal.com
You might consider doing an overview bus tour of the city when you first arrive. Parisvision and Cityrama are the two big names, both start tours near the Louvre.
www.parisvision.com
www.pariscityrama.com
There is also L'Open Tour, which is a hop-on hop-off bus that you can use to get from main site to main site. It loops around the sites. A ticket lets you ride it all day.
www.paris-opentour.com/index_eng.htm
Seine river cruise is a must, I prefer nighttime when the buildings and bridges are lit up.
Smaller boats:
www.vedettesdupontneuf.com
Larger boats:
www.bateauxparisiens.com
www.bateaux-mouches.fr
There is also a water ferry service that services spots along the Seine.
www.batobus.com
And perhaps a tour along St Martin Canal
www.pariscanal.com
Nov 30th, 2007, 08:27 AM
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That http://mapfrappe.com site is amazing! I've been able to show the kids "look the walk from the apartment on Isle St Louis to the closest metro is as far as from the arena to the variety store". Showing the matching areas on the two maps was great for them! I've already mapped out distances using the viamichelin walking distance option, but the side by side "our neighbourhood" and "our neighbourhood in Paris" is awesome! Thanks gard for the tip
