We are leaving in a couple of days for Paris. <BR>Do we need resturant reservations? We may splurge a couple of nights. <BR>Any resturant suggestions?

At this time of year, reservations are a good thing to have!

Wendy is certainly right, especially if you are aiming for one of the upper end restaurants. I have also discovered that a reservation is considered a matter of politeness, even in the off season and is expected. <BR> <BR>You'll have to be more speific to get restaurant recommendations. What price range? What kind of food? What neighborhood are you staying in? I tend to eat "locally" -- that way "home" isn't far from dinner -- but then I also like to stay in different areas to experience the new neighborhood. Paris IS a city of neighborhoods and it's fun to become a transitory part of one, if only for a few days.

Josie: Most upscale places might be booked already considering you're leaving in a couple of days. Please tell us where you will be staying and your price range. <BR>Usually, hotel staff is well informed too, especially regarding the hotel's neighbourhood. They always have nice suggestions and ideas that sometimes also have been brought to them even by guests.

Thank you everyone. We are staying in the 5th. We leave in 2 days should I try to make reservations through my hotel (Minerve)or call the resturants directly? I am using the May Bon Appetit restaurant issue as my guide. <BR>

Josie: If you can make the reservations yourself, do so and double-check upon your arrival. Otherwise, if the hotel staff is helpful, they will do it for you. <BR>I heard "Brasserie Balzar", Rue des Ecoles, 5th, is a place to go. <BR> <BR>have fun!

Reservations are always a good idea in Paris. Try making them as soon as you get to your hotel; the conciergerie at the hotel can do this for you. Some times you're lucky and the restaurant can take you without one; sometimes not. <BR> <BR>La Rotisserie en Face is excellent. I forgot in which arrondisement it's located, but it's right off the Seine, off the Quai d'Augustines, I think. It's pricy and was recommended by the manager at one of the Guy Savoy restaurants (Les Bookinistes [sp?], which is very good in it's own right) because his was full. It turned out that the food was just as good. (Savoy is Michelin three star chef). Try also Le Bistro d'Alexis. It's very "francaise" and the food is also very good.

Bonjour, <BR> <BR>I agree with the above, reservations are the best way to go and the restauranteurs really appreciate it. If your French is good, go ahead and make reservations yourself, otherwise your hotel concierge will be happy to. Also ask your concierge for recommendations. Frequently they will be able to guide you to the less touristy and more intimate restaurants for better food and less money. <BR> <BR>Also spend some time at Shakespear and Company on the left bank just diagonally across from the cathedral of Notre Dame. Check out the piano bar Les Trois Mailletz just around the corner from Saint Julien le Pauvre, in the same area as Shakespear and Company. You might also want to visit La Villette and the Cite de la Musique, and or the Cite de la Science, and take a 2 hour boat ride on the Canal St. Martin, it is a lot more up close and personal than the Bateaux Mouches rides on the Scene. You pass through some of the less visited areas of the real Paris. <BR> <BR>Finally you might visit some of the Cemetaries, such as Montmartre, Montparnasse, and Pere Lachaise. <BR> <BR>Have a wonderful time, <BR> <BR>RJS

I second the recommendation for the Canal St. Martin trip -- my memory was that it took 3 hours from Quai D'Orsay to La Villette. It was fun going throughh the locks and being close to non-touristy Paris. Here's a picture I took suring our boat ride in 1992: http://geocities.com/travelswithus/travel/paris.htm

Hello again, <BR> <BR>I believe cher M. Fowler, is correct it probably was in the neighborhood of 3 hours. I did run across two Url's concerning the Canal St. Martin. Follow the following urls: <BR> <BR>http://www.pariswater.com/walks/canal/canal.htm <BR> <BR>http://www.allparis.com/tourism/circ...ux/canaux.html <BR> <BR>We actually took the trip "a sens invers", leaving from La Villette after a wonderful visit at the Cite de la Music, one of my favorate museum visits ever, it is a must if you love music. You will also enjoy the old French classic pieces which they play as background on the canal ride. They play Piaf, Arletty (as you pass by the Hotel du Nord) and many others, finally after you actually pass under the Place de la Bastille you come out to the Port de Plaisance de Paris Arsenal, it is a wonderful sight on a beautiful day. <BR> <BR>Thank-you M. Fowler for the picture and the memories. I took video and it is one of my favorites. <BR> <BR>Ciao, <BR> <BR>Randall Smith

La Rotisserie d'en Face is excellent - I've eaten there the past 2 times I was in Paris. You can get ressies there usually in a day or 2. <BR> <BR>As a note - call ahead and have your hotel book ressies. We leave for Paris again in 6 days, and have had 3 dinner ressies lined up for 4 weeks. <BR> <BR>Bon Appetit!