jetsetj-Batobus up and down the Seine, perhaps? batobus.com

Tickets sold at each of the 8 stops, among other points of sale.

yep thats it, batobus...

stealing ur itinerary for reference!
just that i reach Paris too late on Saturday to do anything, but what you have on Saturday, I will do on Sunday!
And your Sunday I will do on Tuesday.

3sica,

You have to let me know how it turns out
I wont be there until the end of Sept.

Jetsetj, are you sure that Ira suggested batobus for your daily transportation?

If you have your heart set on a particular restaurant, a reservation makes sense but just wanted to note that I was in Paris a couple of weeks ago and ate out every night for a week at what seemed to be popular places (recommended in Pudlo or Lobrano) around 8 or 9pm and we didn't have any reservations. Maybe March is slow or it is just the economy but we didn't have any problems. A couple of the places that were highly recommended didn't look that great or were very quiet when we walked by so we just picked another restaurant in the same area.

JETSETJ - I don't know if you got fixed up with a studio apartment yet. You said 2 studios? And you need accommodation Fri, Sat, Sun & Monday right?
Well, I'd like to tell you that at The Ibis Hotel La Defense (a few minutes by metro from Charles de Gaulle Etoile metro stop at the top of the Champs Elysees) you can book a double en-suite for 49 euros. Yes, 2 people staying in a clean modern facility for 49 euros! It must be booked on the internet and is a weekend special offer. If you walk off the street it's 69 euros. Only one snag - Monday will revert back to about 126 euros for the same room but hey!that's what a studio will cost anyway.
We stayed there last May and have booked the 3 night special again this May.

Tod,
Thanks for the suggestion.

We would like a place where we can cook for ourselves.
We have decided that the 5th arrondisment might not be so bad either.
We just want 2 studios or rooms with kitchettes within walking distance of each other.

IRA.. Are you here...

MrNuke on Mar 25, 09 at 08:10 PM
Jetsetj, are you sure that Ira suggested batobus for your daily transportation?
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I thought I read where he said he used it to go up and down the Seine for sightseeing.

In my opinion there is a difference between sightseeing and daily transportation. A lot of your sites are very near the Seine, some others aren't. Batobus isn't exactly an optimal example of effective transportation. I would recommend the metro or buses as your primary method of navigating the city. It is more efficient and cheaper.

So for example...
from Marais to Eiffel Tower is best on Metro?

Well lets put it this way, according to the Batobus time table it would take you about 40 minutes to get from Hotel de Ville to the Eiffel tower, about an hour doing the trip in the opposite direction. This isn't including the 15-30 minute intervals between boats versus the typically sub 5 minute intervals between trains.

The same trip takes under 20 minutes on the metro in either direction. The buses and trains are cheaper, quicker, and will get you closer to where you ultimately want to end up.

Well that settles it... no batobus for daily transport..
thanks mrnuke

Cathinjoetown on Mar 28, 09 at 11:37 AM
To maximize your time in Paris, I would take the batobus(12 euros) to see many of the illuminated sights along the river. You can board at Notre Dame and ride to the Eiffel Tower and back, or a bit beyond Notre Dame, on the same ticket. Fare is for all day, on and off at any point, I believe 8 stops in all.

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Now this person says this...

I think we showed in my last post that batobus hardly "maximizes" your time. You are still going to see all of the sites as you planned a Seine cruise on that Saturday. You can Wait up to 30 minutes for a boat that will take an hour to get from point A to B versus waiting 5 minutes for a bus or train that will do the same trip in 20-30 minutes. In addition the second option is cheaper. Especially on that last day, how would you plan on using batobus to get around?

Of course we couldnt use it on our last day

We may take it up and down the Seine a few times in the daylight when we want the water perspective.

Hopefully we can walk alot or take Metro too.

We will be in Paris end of Sept too so I am booking marking too

What street map should I buy ?

Streetwise?
Insight?
Michelin?

I like laminated ones.

ttt

Jetsetj - I found my Eyewitness Guide to Paris has a wonderful street map and index BUT it's far to heavy to carry around all day long - SO I colour photocopied the map etc. and made a small lightweight little map book of my own.
The useful thing is I can scrawl all over the map marking various things and use the blank back of each page to make detailed notes on restaurants without the thought that I'm spoiling my book. You can easily laminate the pages but I wouldn't bother.
I am taking this very same little 'file' from last year with me this May trip as it has so much info now I rely on it completely!

I also take a VERY detailed MICHELIN 54 fold up lightweight map to look up any very out of the way places.
I bought mine at Dover ferry terminal last year but see that the address on the bottom is:
Michelin Cartes et Guides, 46 Ave.Breteuil, 75324 Paris.
That code 75324 has me puzzled.
www.ViaMichelin.com

I still feel comfortable with paper maps but now that we have a GPS I guess they may fall by the wayside?!