Specific Paris questions
 

We are gearing up for our trip to Paris Oct. 1; its my third trip but my husbands first. I have some questions that I know can be answered here, sorry if they have been asked before and I just cant find them.
1. I want to visit 2 new districts, the 16 th and 20 th ( dont know why I never got there before ) and wondered if there are areas withings these districts that are expecially nice. Not looking for tourist attractions, just nice wandering neighbourhoods.
2. Has anyone, particularly a man, gone to the hamman baths in the 5th and if so how did you like it?
3. I want to watch the roller bladers go by on a Friday night; I know where they start but know they change their route each week; any suggestionss?
4. would like to take a couple of bus rides this time ( not tours ) and wondered which are your favourites
5. somewhere on this site it was once mentioned the best street to approach the Eiffel tower to see the lights come on but I cant find it!
6. And finally my husband has a birthday while we are there and I am looking for that great place to take him to dinner. We are renting an apartment in the 5th, close to the 6th, but are happy to travel as long as its not too far. Nothing crazy fancy, ( we dont have money or the clothes ) cost about not more than $250.00 canadian ( sorry not sure of how euros that is ).

Well i sure appreciate any help you can give me ; I promise I will give a detailed trip report when we get back!

Pat

My favorite areas of the 16th are the Place Victor Hugo...poke around the streets around the Place itself...a short walk down Ave. Raymond Poincare to the Trocadero is pleasant and you're rewarded with a fab view of the Eiffel Tower. Suggestion: walk down Raymond Poincare at night, stop at the champagne bar at the Sofitel Dokhan for a glass or two, then continue on to the Trocadero to watch the Tower sparkle (and the Trocadero is one of the BEST spots in Paris to watch the Tower light up). The 82 bus will take you to the Place Victor Hugo from the Luxembourg Gardens, passing by Les Invalides, Ecole Militaire, the Eiffel Tower and other scenic stops along the way.
The Austeuil section of the 16th is also pleasant, in the time of Louis XIV it produced some of the Sun King's favorite wine. Now the Place Lorrain by the Michel-Ange Auteuil metro stop hosts one of the best outdoor food markets in Paris on Wednesday and Saturday mornings--there is often live music during the Saturday market. Getting there is a straight shot on the number 10 line from Maubert/Mutualite, Cluny-La Sorbonne or Odeon metro stops (among others) in your general neigbhorhood. Walking around the rue Fontaine will give you a good view of several beautiful Art Nouveau buildings. Or you could walk up the Ave. Mozart to the Jasmin area; several inexpensive nontourist cafes are there with good lunch specials--we especially like the Royal Mozart (but beware, it has one of those Turkish bathrooms). As you continue up the Ave. Mozart you come to the La Muette area not far from the Marmottan and it's noticeably more touristy and crowded.
The Michelin-starred Relais D'Auteuil is one of our favorite restaurants and could be one of your husband's birthday dinner options. It's on 31 Blvd. Murat. Set dinners run about 110 euro per person. Set lunches are a LOT cheaper (about 45 euro pp)--so maybe you would enjoy having a mild splurge lunch there at some point during your trip and snacking from street vendors in the 6th at dinner. More info:
http://www.wguides.com/city/8/84_6329.cfm

Whatever you choose, have a lovely time!

I like most of the areas Btilke mentions, also -- I also like the Passy area. Maybe starting around Passy metro, seeing Balzac's house, museum of win, market street rue de l'Annonciation towards place de Passy. I would find out a little more bout what's around rather than just wandering aimlessly. Auteuil is nice, and you can see great buildings if you are interested in Art Nouveau and find out addresses or a walking tour.

The 20th isn't one of my favorite areas, but most arrondisements are pretty big, you can't walk over all of them, most likely. I've enjoyed walking through the parts north of PEre Lachaise (above Gambetta), through Menilmontant west and then continuing on Oberkampf through the 11th.

As for the roller thing, it does vary, but I think virtually always is on bd St Germain at some point going or coming (around corner of rue de Rennes); I think they almost always go through place de l'Opera, also.

4. http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568214

5. The top of the Montparnasse Tower also affords a good view.

Pat,
I like the #24 and the #69. The #24, I believe, is the one that crosses the Seine 6 times, and some of its stops are Le Madeleine, Place de Concorde, Musée d’Orsay, Quai des Tuileries, St. Michel, Notre Dame, and Maubert Mutualité.
The #69 stops, among other places at Champ de Mars, Musée d’Orsay, Quai du Louvre, Hôtel de Ville, and Saint-Paul. You can take the #E69 out to Pére Lachaise from the Bastille.

Sandy

>>I want to watch the roller bladers go by on a Friday night; I know where they start but know they change their route each week; any suggestionss?>>

I've checked out the route many times, and it's always hit Boulevard Saint Germain sometime. Check out the Pari-roller website on Thursday. It gives the current route:

http://www.pari-roller.com/

Sandy

Hi J,

While wandering in the 16th you might wish to stop by the Monet Museum.

http://www.marmottan.com/uk/sommaire/index.htm

Also in the vicinity is the Castel Beranger (Guimard) at 14 Rue La Fontaine off Rue Assomption SW of Radio France.

((I))

I was in the Marmottan about 6 weeks ago and while it was nice, it was not a "wow" experience for me. In the 16th, I much prefer the Guimet (Asian arts) museum. I especially LOVE the painting of Buddha judging who's going to get into heaven. Looking over the crowd of hopeful heavenly wannabes, he's got the exact same skeptical "I don't THINK so" expression on his face as our good friend Danny.

If #82 is the one that runs from Ecole Militaire to Montmartre then I second the recommendation. You will also see Gare Lazare of Monet fame.

No, I think you mean the #80, which covers the route you mentioned. The #82 heads northwest over through the 16th and up to the American Hospital in Neuilly.

For the roller blade route, you'll need to go online Friday, from your apartment or an Internet cafe. The routes tend to be posted late in the game.

http://www.pari-roller.com/

My favorite approach to the Eiffel Tower is via Trocadero...get off the metro, walk thru Palais Chaillot and wham, there it is. Magical.
In the 16th Rue D'Auteil, Rue de la Fontaine and Avenue Mozart have some interesting shops, some Guimard buldings and there is a farmer's market twice a week in the square where Mozart and Fontaine meet. Neat neighbourhood.

Thank you all for your help, especially around the 16th area and the bus rides. I see no one took up the question on the hamman lol!

Still lookin for birthday dinner ideas for the S.O.

Pat

Hi Pat,
Like you this will be my 3rd trip to Paris and my fiancee's first (it's actually going to be our honeymoon). Wow, it even looks like we're going to be there at the same time (our travel dates are October 5th-11th). :)

As far as dinner sites, maybe Altitude 95 on the Eiffel Tower? I've read that the food is good and the atmosphere is excellent & also not terribly expensive or dressy. A little touristy I suppose, but it would be very memorable for your husband to have his birthday celebrated from the top of the Tower.
If you do this option, I'd make a reservation now.

I too am in the same situation as he and are looking for a great place to celebrate.

Bon chance!

A tip on the roller-bladers. They always seem to start at the Tour Montparnasse at 10pm, weather depending. The route for the week is listed under "parcours" on the top menu (there's another link that records previous routes, which seems always to say the current week's route is not yet available, when it is). Don't over-estimate the time it takes for them to get round, by the way. They passed a point a good kilometre away about 10.10 when I went to see them.

As for seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up, I went to Trocadero metro station and walked round to the esplanade outside the museums. You have a grandstand view of the tower from top to toe. But on the other hand, there's not much else there. If you just wanted to nip out from a bar for the ten minutes or so of the display and then nip back again, there may be rather more distant views with a bit more life around you, maybe at the other end of the Champs de Mars - but no doubt others can advise on their favourite standpoints.

I was referring to www.pari-roller.com, sorry (senior moment, there).

PatrickLondon, when you are at the Trocadero next time, walk up the Ave. Raymond Poincare to the Place Victor Hugo (about five minutes' walk). You will find some lively bars and restaurants. It's not dead at all!

5. We were staying near the Ecole Militaire Metro stop and from there it is a very short walk to the end of the Champs du Mars. You round the corner and see la Tour in all its glory with the beautiful grassy field leading up to it. I also like this approach because at night the Champs du Mars is alive with people picnicking and having a generally great time. It was a highlight of our trip to buy some groceries and a bottle of wine and eat on the grass while the sun went down behind the Eiffel Tower.

6. We had a spectacular dinner at Cafe de l'Esplanade in the 7th. It attracts a business crowd, but is elegant and the food is unbelievable.

thanks for the restaurant suggestions; neither of them get particularly consistently good reviews on a couple of web site; guess you were lucky!

Also thanks for the pari roller suggestions, I thought I would have to be trying to navigate an internet cafe in paris which is a nightmare for someone like me.

Pat

Hi all! I will be in Paris next summer and had read about Dokhan's champagne bar and thought that would be a great stop some night. Reading about Place Victor Hugo has given me the idea of perhaps having dinner there one night (any suggestions for good medium-price restaurants in that area?) and then taking the walk down Raymond Poincare, stopping at Dokhan's for the bubbly (I have the address somewhere, but is that on Raymond Poincare?), and then coming onto the Eiffel Tower in all its glory at the Trocadero. Approximately how long of a walk would that be? Merci! Joy

Dokhan's is technically on rue Lauriston, but in reality it's about 15 feet off Raymond Poincare, so if you walk down the Avenue, you'll see it (if you walk from Place Victor Hugo toward the Trocadero, it's on the left).
On the Place VH, Il Convivium is a popular Italian (Sicilian) restaurant. Crowded, family oriented, no reservations, you will see lots of locals there with their (well behaved) kids and dogs (also well-behaved). They do have a habit, though, of seating tourists in the basement. Ask for the main floor. If it's really crowded, though, you might not have a choice (and it often is). A little farther down the Avenue Victor Huge is Stella, a warm, traditional brasserie specializing in Alsace cuisine. Photos and menu at:
http://www.reservethebest.com/_fr_/r...ant.php?Id=385
Also on the Place itself is Scossa, a modern cafe that serves Asian fusion food. Very busy with the after work social crowd.
Il Conti, also on rue Lauriston is another Italian restaurant, more formal, with more "serious" French-Italian food than Il Convivium. They take reservations. Again, photos and menu can be found on Reserve the Best (fyi, I don't use them to reserve tables, but they are useful for checking out photos and restaurant menus).
http://www.reservethebest.com/_fr_/r...ant.php?Id=110