>>But what do y'all usually tip the city walk tour guides? Especially when it's free?<<

I *think* we tipped our Rome guide about 15 Euros each, and 10-15 each for our Florence guide, but I'm not sure. We thought the Rome tour was a little better quality than the Florence one, hence the bigger tip.

Lee Ann

At forvo.com, the pronunciation dictionary, you can listen to words pronounced by native speakers.

Paris, we eat lunch out for the most part and stop off at the grocery and street markets for evening items. I found this great cider at the local grocery store. House wine is cheap and good. My husband always gets mineral water. If you are in a hostel they usually have a kitchen you can use.

I did a cooking class in Florence and loved it. I loved all the grilled veggies there.

Oh, hadn't considered a cooking class! Neat- how did you find it?

marvelousmouse - here is a budget hotel right on rue Saint-Antoine, about 3 blocks from MIJE. Friends have stayed here - it's basic, has private bathrooms and is clean and cheap. Perhaps you might want to re-think MIJE, since the rates for a private room would be about the same, and you'd have more freedom. http://www.sullyhotelparis.com/
I'd book on booking.com for best rates and confirm directly with the hotel.
(Don't confuse this with Hotel Sully, which is a museum nearby)

MIJE overflows with high school students during the summer months. There are families and older people staying there during the rest of the year. Private rooms have private bathrooms. Communal bathrooms are cleaned regularly. There are security lockers available. Evening meals are offered for 12 EU and a "balanced breakfast" is served in the morning. This organization doesn't tolerate noise or nonsense - you might be relying on some ancient information.

The map booklet StCirq mentioned is "Paris Pratique - Paris par Arrondissement". It's blue, pocket-sized, has every street in Paris listed, Metro stops, Metro and Bus maps, etc - impossible to get lost. Costs around 7 EU at most newspaper kiosks or bookstores.

I don't know your budget for a meal but there are lots of restaurants in Paris which offer you a meal from 18-30 euros/ menu. Try to find them around Bastille quarter or Notre Dame St Michel (hope I don't mistake). Some french special foods: fois gras, escagot, croissant...
About Versailles : If you like museums, it's one of the must-see in Paris. However, Versailles is also famous for its garden. So visiting this castle in winter seems quite boring...

marvelousmouse on Oct 29, 16 at 7:18pm
Oh, hadn't considered a cooking class! Neat- how did you find it?




http://www.florencecookingclasses.com/

We met up and then headed to the market where we tasted cheese, honey, balsamic vinegar and stopped at the butcher to buy meat. Class was very good and food and wine excellent.

Fuzzbucket- thank you for the rec but I think we got our wires crossed:) I am staying in a dorm because I don't want to pay the price for a private room. Dorm means more days in Paris! And relieved that MIJE is strict about noise as a few of the reviews seemed to indicate otherwise.

Do you know if the security lockers are in the rooms or in the common area? How large are they? Luggage sized or small valuable sized?

There's a picture of the lockers and it also says there's a staffed storage room. (now I don't see my post with the website. I'll try again)
https://visit.gent.be/en/luggage-sto...ontext=tourist

The MIJE website only states that there is a secured room with lockers - no mention of the sizes. I presume they will be larger than a breadbox, possibly big enough for a standard cabin-size suitcase. There is someone on desk duty 24/7 and the premises is under video surveillance.
Remember that towels and toiletries are not provided.

My friends stayed in the MIJE on rue Fauconnier, which is the one I think you picked.

The link MmePerdu listed is not in Paris but in Ghent, Belgium.

So sorry, mm, I confused threads and the very clever Fuzzy is correct - not pertinent to your thread. Again, apologies (no wonder the link was "gone").