Shanna

In my eternal quest to be the "favorite daughter" for a while anyway, Mom, my sister Stephanie and I are discussing a short - 5 day - trip to Paris this May. Mom will turn 85 (while we're there) and is somewhat fragile, tires easily, but is mentally alert and usually mobile. My thought is to capture a Parisian atmosphere from the 30's, 40's newsreels (minus the war) and I'm hoping to find hotel availability on Ile Saint Louis or Ile de la Cite, price not being too much of a concern on this trip. I'm not sure what I'm asking here - only that I awoke in the middle of the night wondering if this was a completely bad idea. Has anyone visited Paris under these circumstances? What can we do that doesn't involve standing in long lines? Mom is a gardener, so there's plenty of gardens. She likes to eat and drink coffee and chat, so that will work too. Any hints and suggestions for easy excursions would be most appreciated. Maybe we should just drive to Quebec? No, no. Every woman should go to Paris once in her life! I've been several times; why am I panic-stricken?

Sue

Shanna, I would maybe try to be closer to things--I think the Relais Christine or le Regent on rue Dauphine would be good--close to Buci market, close to park on the tip of Ile de la Cite and the pretty little Place Dauphine, not too far from Luxembourg Gardens (or take bus 58). You can check both out on www.france.com (and see comments, too). I'm sure you've seen them mentioned a lot here.<BR><BR>Do get travel insurance within a week of purchasing your airline tickets to allow pre-existing conditions (Medicare doesn't cover foreign expenses). TravelGuard or Access America are pretty good.<BR><BR>Do take buses to avoid stairs/long walks underground.

c

Shanna, you are panic stricken because you have these feeling of responsibility -that your mom will have that wonderful time in Paris, that every moment should count and that she will still like you when it is over<BR>I would think that if I were doing this for my grandmother(same age) and she being fragile,but still clear minded and very sociable..that I would do the following things..<BR>be sure that there are lots of stops in the day for breaks, tea/coffee/sweets,catching breath.<BR>take lots of buses,skip the metro,too many stairs and long tunnels,keep the museums down to small doable, or a room or two at the larger ones.<BR>A morning in the D'Orsay with lunch would be great.Lunch in the Cafe Borgogne(sp) in the Place Des Vosges would be nice,with a walk in that area,and perhaps the Picasso Museum,or the Carnavalet.<BR>Gardens, OF course the Tuileries , but the Rodin Museum has wonderful gardens, with seats to rest and contemplate, and the house/museum itself is small enough not to be exhausting.Likewise Napoleans Tomb.A ride on a bateau Mouche would be great, just sit back and admire Paris~<BR>Maybe a salon for a shampoo and set to make her feel special.The Luxembourg Gardens has a little cafe where you can have a snack or light meal and then stroll the walks with all the flowers an fountains..and orange trees.<BR>I stayed on the Ille St Louis at the DeLutece, it is fine, small rooms with a lot of charm, a tiny elevator,which could be important for tired ladies of a certain age.And the staff is very considerate.<BR>These are my thoughts, hope something is helpful.and by the way-even if you didnt go-for having such thoughts to do such a nice thing for your mother, should make you favorite daughter for at least a year~Candice

Sue

Forget Relais Christine--at $400-600/night it's much too pricy, but le Regent at $200 for a deluxe triple isn't bad and looks very nice. If you look for it in the little square bottom left, just type Regent (leave out the "le").

anne

dear fav daughter, do the eiffel tower/night dinner cruise, louvre after 5pm -9pm wed (no crowd), cafe la paix at the opera for lunch after the printemps fashion show every tuesday morning(free), lunch at monmarte for hours watching the artists and take L"tour 2 day just to sit, absorb and get an overall i took my 76 year old mother and she is now determined to go again ! if you hit the gardens luxenbourg don't miss tea and chocolates or cakes upstairs at dalloyau Good Luck! AMM

janis

I've been to Paris several times and have a friend who went to Paris lst year with her 82 y/o mother - here are some of my thoughts: <BR><BR>I probably would not choose a hotel on one of the islands. Just easier logistics. <BR><BR>Buy the museum pass - even if you only use it once or twice. The main advantage is not the cost savings (which are modest unless you use them a lot) but that you get to jump the queue everywher. No lines at the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, etc is worth its weight in gold.<BR><BR>Take taxis. Sure buses will work - but cabs are not that expensive and will be easier for your Mom.<BR><BR>Don't push it - but you know that already.<BR><BR>The Open Tour sightseeing buses are good since they drop you off right at most sites - but the good views are on the top level which means climbing stairs - but not like a whole flight.<BR><BR>My friend's mother had a great time and as long as the hotel is comfortable you shouldn't have too many problems.

Christina

If you've been to Paris, you may know what those locations are like, but I wouldn't think being on the Ile St Louis would be the best choice for someone fragile who tires easily. There is only one hotel on the other island, and it's rock bottom, one or no stars. I would choose a hotel near good bus lines and a hotel that will call a cab readily and good traffic patterns. I think some of those hotels over in the 7th people stay are near the Ecole Militaire metro stop, etc might be good, or around Luxembourg Gardens. <BR><BR>There are a couple bus lines that cross that island (86,87), but they do it on pont de Sully, which is the far east end and the hotels are on the other end of the island (Jeu de Paume is closest, it's just west of rue des deux Ponts). There is one bus line, 67, that crosses one direction on rue des deux Ponts, but that line doesn't go where you are likely to want to go, the others on the end do. If you don't care about the bus at all, that won't matter obviously. Since she likes gardens, I personally would choose a hotel around the Pantheon and Lux. Gardens. It's fairly flat there, lots of bus lines and taxi stands, cafes, a good tea salon/patisserie/glacerie on the corner (Dallyou's), etc. The Hotel du Pantheon is supposed to be nice, but I haven't stayed there, or the nearby Hotel St Paul is also small and cozy from what I've heard on here.<BR><BR>The island may work, too, if that's what you want.

elvira

Can't help with hotels in that area, but I can help with the older mom thing.<BR><BR>No lines - if you want to do the d'Orsay or Louvre, arrive either before it opens or about an hour or so before it closes. The Louvre does have a separate entrance for the holders of the museum pass; the d'Orsay does not. The smaller museums like the Picasso or Marmottan or Rodin rarely have lines longer than a few people (unless there's some big exhibit or something), but they also don't have elevators or escalators.<BR><BR>Stop a lot - in the parks and gardens there are plenty of benches; along the streets there are benches and walls to sit on; there are cafes everywhere. You also get a different perspective; at Versailles, Mom sat down and looked up at the ceilings - Sacre bleu! everytime I've been there I've been so busy looking at the furniture and walls that I never looked at the ceilings.<BR><BR>Eat when you're hungry, not when the restaurants are open - fancy schmancy restaurants open noonish-2ish and 7ish-midnightish. Cafes, bistros and most brasseries are open all day so you can eat when you want, or just get a snack. Don't forget McDonald's for Coke with ice, American-style coffee and "American" bathrooms.<BR><BR>Paris parks and gardens - I'm not sure how long the promotion is running, but there's a big to-do about "urban parks" with exhibits in the parks and gardens, on and off. Check out the gardens at Parc de Bercy.<BR><BR>Go out on your own - Mom was tired one afternoon, so she went back to the hotel to take a nap; I went off on my own, coming back in time to go to dinner. At the d'Orsay there's a restaurant on the top with a great view of the city; not a bad place to park tired Mom for a cup of tea and a pastry while you check out the Monets. Talk about it before the trip - Mom might be thinking "oh I'll get tired and ruin their trip so I won't go".<BR><BR>Splurge on taxis - buses are easier than the Metro for accessibility, but if she's really pooped, the taxis are worth it. Consider hiring a car/driver for a day or half-day for further-flung sightseeing. It's fun to go around the Etoile if YOU'RE not driving (otherwise, it'll take years off your life). Arrange a car/driver to pick you up at the airport; taxi lines can be long, and your chauffeur will help you with your baggage.<BR><BR>Shopping - hee hee my favorite subject. Flea markets, street markets, the rue du Rivoli - plan short excursions as the crowds can be overwhelming (I'm tempted to cry sometimes because all the pushing and shoving can make me cranky). The department stores (Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, Bon Marche, Samaritaine) have escalators and elevators, and lots of cool stuff to look at and buy. There's a flower market not far from Notre Dame (Monday or Tuesday mornings, not sure which; the bird market is the other morning).<BR><BR>Churches - okay there're the biggies like Notre Dame and St Eustache, but even the smallest churches are beautiful and mouth-dropping. And they've got places to sit and no crowds, a quiet cool respite from the hurly-burly of crowded Paris streets.<BR><BR>Health and emergencies - French medical care is excellent - doctors and hospitals are on a par with US hospitals. Pharmacists (mostly women) can offer very sound advice and help with everyday maladies (it's a practice I wish we'd allow in the US). They're sort of like nurse-practitioners. OTC drugs are just like ours - you can get cold medication, cough syrup, cortisone cream, laxatives, diarrhea medicine, etc. in pharmacies, corner stores and even in the department and grocery stores. If your mother is on medication of any sort, be sure to bring a LEGIBLE prescription or the bottle in case she needs a refill.<BR><BR>Go ahead and worry if it makes you plan better. Fretting does no good.<BR><BR>

janis

To clarify something elvira said - Yes, everyone enters the Orsay via the same door - BUT Museum pass holders do not have to wait in the long line there. They just walk straight in - jumping the queue. <BR><BR>Last time I was there (Oct.) I overheard a few tourists in the line talking about having to wait in line even with the pass. I approached them and they said they had just assumed they had to stand in line because there was only one entrance. I pulled them out of the line and we all went in together. <BR><BR>And even for smaller sites such as Ste Chapelle, the queue can be several minutes long - but with the Museum pass you walk right in.

Susan

Elvira, Do you have a source for a driver to pick you up at the airport? How expensive is this? Also, isn't the bird market on Sun? Thanks.

c

janis-last time in Paris at the D'Orsay,we entered through a side door with our card..the line went around the building too-what a treat it was not to have to wait!The same with Versailles, we walked right in past all the tourists from the buses.I wish I had one here to use when I want to go to the Metropolitan in NYC.

pam

Do you mean that you just walk to the front of these lines and show your museum pass and they let you in?<BR>I'ts my first trip to Paris and I want to make certain I understand the protocol involved.<BR>Merci

janis

pam - yes. It depends on the venue. Some have a special entrance (Louvre for example). The Orsay has a side door but you also can go in the entrance right next to the head of the line. But nowhere would you have to wait in the line if you have the Pass.

greg

Use taxi and pay enough to get a hotel with elevator.<BR><BR>My sister took our mom in her 70's to Paris for the first time. They have gotten "normally" good advice to use RER from airport and a modest hotel from her friend. BUT they were terrible advices for them. They were totally exhausted lugging luggages thru RER and metro and more walk from metro to their hotel. The hotel did not have an elevator so they had to carry their luggage up the stairs in addition to themselves. They saw the light and took the taxi back to the airport on the way home.

sandra

I travel to france evry year with my mother, who is in her 60's but has servre back and knee problems. This is how we do it , we stay in a hotel with in a short walk to rue buci and i mean no more then 15 feet. I recommend Hotel Du Seine, 52 rue Seine. It has air conditioning, mini bar and elevator that works. I superior tripe is 177 euros a night. It is practically on the rue bici. I take her on the Cityrama tours as there is no waitng in lines and they drop you in front of your destination and have no problem helping you with wheel chairs , which can be ranted in Paris. Ask the concierge at your hotel to get it for yoiu.. If you have any question email me as I old hat at this

bobbie

I can't give you advice on places to stay or where to go since it's been decades since I've been to Paree, but another vote for your confidence...my brother took my father to Prague last year when he was 85, and has a bit of Parkinson's but he loved it and plans on doing it again this year! They did a fair amount each day but they spurged on taxis, it seemed to make the differnce. So go for it! It's an experience that you and your mom will never forget! (How will your sister top this!?!)