My husband and I spent 8 days in Paris and Lyon March 18-27 '05. As usual, I haunted this message board for months before the trip, looking for ideas. Now I want to share and hopefully give back a little too.

Some background; we are in our mid-thirties and have traveled quite a bit all over Europe and Asia. This is our fourth time in Paris together (in the last 15 years) and the second time we've rented an apartment for a full week. So, we didn't feel the need to do all the major tourist sites again. We like to walk around, search out unusual things, and eat well. We pack light and only took carry-on for this trip. My husband is fluent in French, so I think that adds to our experience quite a bit. Unfortunately, I don't speak French at all.

We flew Air Tahiti Nui LAX-CDG because they were the only non-stop from LA besides Air France and they had the best price for the high season week we were traveling (Holy week before Easter). They turned out to be a fantastic choice; new planes, seatback video, 2x4x2 seating configuration on an Airbus 340 (which meant we didn't have to risk sitting next to a stranger or being stuck in a middle seat),and surprisingly edible food. The flight was an easy one, 10.5 hours.

Immigration and customs was a breeze. They just looked at our passports and waved us through. I was disappointed not to get a stamp in my passport. Customs was non-existent and we just walked right out of the terminal.

First, we had to get cash from the ATM (located to the left as we exited). We needed enough euro to pay for our apartment in full. Much to our amazement, the machine gave us 1000 euro all at once, no problem. The hard part was finding the RER station. We wound up walking in circles a bit inside, walking outside, and finally stopping to ask. Then we walked more inside and finally found it. While we now had Euro, we still could not buy tickets in the machines because they only take coins, so we had to wait in line in the ticket office. Once ticketed (7.70 euro each) we caught our train and we were in central Paris in about 20 minutes. We then changed to the metro (on the same ticket), twice, to get to our apartment's stop, Place de Clichy in the 9th.

I found the apartment after searching www.vrbo.com. One of the listings led me to another website called www.letsparis.com. It's run by an American woman named Lauren who lives in Paris and represents 6 or 7 apartments. She was very helpful and professional.

The apartment is fantastic, only two short blocks from the Place de Clichy Metro stop. It's tiny, but nicely done. There are large windows onto the street which let in a lot of light. The floors look like they are probably the original wood, uneven and creaky, but charming. The furniture is stylish, including some nice wood antiques, and there are quality linens on the bed. It's a nice blend of old and modern with exposed beams in lieu of an old wall, and opaque wall panels which allow light to pass though. The kitchen is tiny but very serviceable with a 3/4 size refrigerator (large by European standards), a full size Miele dishwasher and a washing machine.
At this point we needed to rest so we napped for a couple of hours and then went out for our first walk up toward Montmartre....

Hi Kristina,

Great trip report! I would love to do that some day. The last time I was in Paris was when I was a graduate student in 1996 and I backpacked all over France. I hope to go back to Paris again and do what you guys did, relax and enjoy the stay.

I 'bookmarked' the apartment rental sites you listed and will look it up when I'm ready to travel again.

Thanks.

After a nap we went on a long, uphill, circular walk to Montmartre in search of lunch. We found ourselves in the place du Tetre, the tourist center of Montmartre, surprisingly a place we'd never been to before. It was a beautiful day and every cafe was packed with outdoor diners. The square was filled with portrait artists vying for the tourist dollar.

From there we walked around the side of Sacre Coeur and down to the street at the bottom of the hill. By this point were were really hungry, it was getting late for lunch (around 2 PM) and we wound up walking in a big loop back up to the Place du Tertre. Still, it felt really good to get out and walk around in the sun.

We must have looked at every menu in a half mile radius. As usual, we had a hard time deciding and finally just plopped ourselves down in the first available space we could find, weak from hunger. This place turned out to be Chez La Cousine on a side street off Place du Tetre. It has a very tiny dining room in front which was filled with French tourists. In the back however, is a large room in which they do a Caberet show, all in French. We could hear quite a bit of laughter coming from there. We each had a 12.9 E munu. I had Salad au lardon, David had terrine pork maison, we both had entrecote frites and chocolate mousse. That, plus 2 beers was 30 E total.

When we finished eating we walked back over to the basillica, checked out view from the front balconies, and as we walked down the central steps below the church, an African street vendor took me for Italian and approached me with "Alorra!" I think that made my day

Later, we went out for dinner around 9 PM, with no reservations. We headed toward Le Petit Canard, a restaurant in the 9th that I had read about on Chowhound.com International message board. The menu looked good, they had only two tables left, so we sat. This restaurant serves most duck, all of which have been raised on the farm owned by restaurant. There are menus posted on the window outside, including one in English, but inside you'll need to read the blackboard with menu on it. The place is very hot and smoky inside, and tiny, seating maybe 40. It seemed very much to be a "locals" type of place, we heard no English spoken. That said, both the server and owner spoke English, so if you don't speak French, I don't think it would be a problem.

We ordered; "Les Vins du Moment"-Chateau des Turquets 2002 Bordeaux 1/2 bottle 9 E. I had a warm goat cheese salad for 7 E. David had Fois gras de Canard 15 E. For my main course I had Confit de Canard 16 E which was very good, and served with roasted potatoes and an eggplant casserole. David had Canard a l'Orange 16 E which was probably the same duck as the confit but with an Orange sauce. The service was very casual, as was the server's outfit; camisole, black pants, belly showing, no shoes. We were back to apartment in bed by 12:30 AM.

To the top for the day crowd.

Kristina,

Thanks for checking back in.

Le Petit Canard sounds great, it's nowofficially on my list.

"Air Tahiti N/S to CDG" - I had no idea (probably because I'm on the East Coast).

Intersting report, K.

Looking forward to more.

Kristina:
Thanks for the great trip report! My husband and I leave Tuesday (4/5) for Lyon, Paris and points South. We have been to both cities previously, but always in the summer. So I am curious--how was the weather(we live in Hawaii, so I know it will be quite different)--and what are women wearing--day for walking around and evening for dinner out?
Also, do you have restaurant recommendations in Lyon? Thanks for your help!

Roamer-
Yes, there will be more coming, including Lyon, later when I get home. The weather was "springlike"; chilly on some days, a couple days in the 70's and warm, and a couple of days with rain.
As for fashion, that's a constant debate here. I brought jeans, black pants and grey pants and paired them with sweaters and scarves and a black leather jacket. Along with black shoes, I think I fit in fairly well.
In the shop windows I was seeing a lot of light spring colors, lots of layered bohemian looks, and cowboy boots.

Thanks, Kristina--
Your Paris look sounds fine to me--I just bought 5 scarves! Cowboy boots seem to be de rigueur in the fashion world today--not my idea of comfort!

Day 2:
The day was sunny and warm and somehow we slept until 10:45! Usually, I expect to be up at 5 AM, but not this time. I made coffee in a french press coffee pot while D went out to find a bakery. He returned with a baguette and two pain au chocolate which would become our daily ritual. D said, "this is the best chocolate croissant I've ever had." I thought he might be exaggerating, but no, it was light, flakey, perfect, and it made me never want to eat the leaden lumps that pass for pastry at home again.

We left the apartment at 12:30 in search of a passageway I had read about off Rue Saint-Denis. Little did I know this is the real red light district. The street is not really seedy, there are plenty of shops and clothing boutiques which were all closed because it was Sunday. However, there were also, well, hookers. Old hookers. They were standing in every other doorway, dressed for work. It was a little shocking, but somehow it still felt safe. Finally we found the Passage Sainte-Foy and it was not as interesting as I'd hoped. It dates back to medieval times.
We walked from there to find the oldest house in Paris, now a restaurant. It's called "La Maison du Haut" or "Grand-Pignon" and was built in 1407 by the alchemist and writer Nicolas Flamel. It's located at at 51, rue de Montmorency, in the 3rd arr.

From there we walked past the Georges Pompidou to the plaza in front of Notre Dame where there were long lines to get inside. No surprise, since it was Palm Sunday. Many people go inside Notre Dame, but neglect to walk around it. There's a lovely little park in the back where you can sit on a bench and admire the gothic architecture; flying buttresses, pointy spires, grinning gargoyles, and all.

By now it was about 2:30 and we knew we wanted to go to the weekly Sunday Organ recital at St. Eustache at 5:30 PM, so we headed in that direction in search of a place to eat. We stopped in the church, to confirm the recital time and then went around the corner to a great little walking street, Rue Montorgueil, filled with restaurants and shops, and Parisian families out for a Sunday afternoon stroll. We settled on Comptoir du Commerce and ordered a cheese plate, some pate, and a 1/2 bottle of wine. D got scolded, in a nice way, by the waiter for trying to name the cheeses (incorrectly). It's located at 1 rue des Petits Carreaux.

D has always had a fascination with church organs so I knew that hearing a concert in a 700 year old church would be a treat for him. It was, and I know we heard a Bach piece, I just can't remember which one. The recital lasted about a half hour and was free.

We had been considering having lunch at the three-starred Le Grand Vefour, so after the recital we walked over to the Grand Palais (where the restaurant is located overlooking the gardens) to look at menu. Lunch is a 3 course pre-fix of 70 E per person, but dinner would be about 250 E per person. After that it was time to rest before dinner.

I'm always nervous when I go back to a place I consider special. I'm concerned it won't live up to my memory. For dinner, we decided to go back to Terminus Nord, a restraurant we'd eaten in on two prior trips to Paris. Both meals had been wonderful and we love the Belle Epoque decor and effecient service. It's located at 23, rue Dunkerque, across the street from the Gare du Nord.

When we arrived the restuarant was busy and they asked us to wait at the bar for a moment. D's curse is ordering a "Martini" in countries where they are not made (just about anywhere outside the US or Britain, or British commonwealth). The young bartender grabbed a bottle of "Martini" (vermouth) and was about to pour it into a glass when D stopped him gave him instructions on what went into a proper Dry Gin Martini and how to make it. Unfortunately, they had no shaker, no olives, and no martini glasses. The bartender shook the martini in a clean juice bottle and served it over ice in a water glass. It was actually pretty good.

Terminus has a full menu which includes heaping platters of shellfish. I've never ordered one, but vow to do it someday. We went with the set menu, which for 34.40 euro each includes 3 courses, water, 1/2 bottle wine, and service/tax. We opted for a bottle of white wine, Petit Bourgeois, 2004 Sauvignon Blanc, Henri Bourgeois for an extra 8 euro suppliment. I had 6 oysters, Belon #4, which were very briny. D had Fois Gras du Canard, good but better the night before at Le Petit Canard. I had Bar (seabass), roasted with a risotto and saffron sauce, garnished with a bit of caviar. D had salmon, roasted with skin on served with mashed potatoes and mushrooms. Both of us cleaned our plates. For dessert, I had a chocolate torte with coffee sorbet and D had three small creme brulee; coffee, plain and pistachio. Once again, we left satisfied and not at all disappointed with our meal.

Day 3:
This morning we were determined to get up and out earlier. The first thing we did was call Le Grand Vefour, but we could not get reservations for either Monday or Tuesday. So, we decided to walk to Lucas Carton (another 3-star) in the Place de la Madeleine, but they had no menu in the window, and we decided against the expense of a 3 star lunch.

The Place de la Madeleine contains what some consider the most beautiful public "toilettes" in the world. They were designed and built by Porcher in 1905. As you stand in front of the church, they are to your right and below ground. The room is beautifully tiled, with individual stalls made of dark stained wood and stained glass. Each stall has it's own mirror and sink and in the center of the room is a men's old fashioned shoe shine stand (no longer in use). From a little bakery on the place we bought a jambon and chevre sandwich to eat on steps of church and then went inside. As we entered, we could hear a priest chanting at the pulpit, but the church was empty of worshipers, save a few tourists like us walking around.

From the place, we walked south toward the Tuileries. We passed a Laduree shop and a bell went off in my head. I knew I had read about it, but couldn't remember why. Inside I saw the macarons. These are not macaroons (coconut cookies we have in the US), but rather a cookie sandwich with a filling. They come in many flavors and both large and small sizes. The large ones were almost 3 euro each (I think), but you could get 6 little ones for 6 euro. We got an assortment of the small and the chocolate and caramel ones were my favorites.

The Orangerie museum turned out to still be closed for renovation. Drats! I'd never been there and had been looking forward to it. Instead, we took metro to the Marias and went to the Picasso museum. The museum is located in an old manor house once owned by a salt barron and is now owned by the state which claimed all the works inside in lieu of taxes upon his death. I had no idea that Picasso not only painted, but did sculptures as well. There were quite a few paintings in there by other masters which were part of his private collection.

From there we walked to the Place du Vosges and then through the Ille St. Louis and Ill de la Cite to the wine bar Henri IV.

The Taverne Henri IV is tiny and seats about 30. It's located at end of Place Dauphine and the Pont Neuf. We had a couple of glasses of wine, a cheese plate, one coffee, and two yummy crepes filled with orange creme. D ordered a "Pruno", but there was not enough for a full glass left in the bottle, so they gave him the 1/2 glass free.

Ummmmm, Yum

Thanks Ira. At least I'm entertaining someone here.

Welcome back and I am enjoying this report.

Thanks for the report thus far...I know the trouble it takes to write them. Many interesting tidbits and it is nice to know there are others who have come to the point of not having to feel compelled to rush around everywhere when they visit a place.

Thanks everyone.

Intrepid-I admit, my initial thought was to only spend 2 days in Paris at the end of the trip. We were going to rent a car, drive around the Loire or Burgundy regions and spend more time in Lyon (visiting family). However, after looking at the costs associated with renting a car (rental, gas, tolls, parking) and hotels for all those nights, the apartment in Paris seemed like a great idea. It was actually a relaxing trip, instead of being pushed to "go, go, go" every day which is what I tend to do.
And, there are still things I haven't seen for which I'll have to go back; the Orangerie, Giverney, Fontainebleu, more time in the Louvre, the weekend flea market, etc.

Great report, Kristina.

Reading your descriptions of meals is making the salad I am eating for lunch right now pale in comparison!

Day 3/evening:
We walked from the apartment to area with a few restaurant recommendations I had copied off the internet. The first place, Chez Jean was very expensive and the menu didn't seem all that appealing. Another, Bistro de Gala, no longer existed. Vaudeville (part of Flo group) looked too similar to the Terminus menu.

So, we walked back to a place we had seen in the Galerie De Varieties, in the Passage des Panoramas. It's called les Coulisses (means backstage) and it's located behind Theater des Varieties near the Grandes Boulevards metro stop. The "galerie" is an inside passageway lined with shops and restaurants that goes from the middle of one block to the other side.

Les Coulisses has a 19 euro two course menu, and a 24.50 euro three course menu. The walls are covered with movie posters, theater posters, and black and white photos of celebrities. The owner/waiter was smiling and joking with everyone and the Chef with his mis-buttoned jacket, was running food to table. It was busy and we took this as a good sign. As we were sitting waiting for our food, an orange and white cat walked under the tables and through the diner's feet. His name is Sascha and he seems to be a "regular" as people were continually letting him in and out of the front door.

We had Terrine de Fois Gras du Canard, Salmon Fume Maison, gigot d'agneau with pommes anna (lamb steak) and sole muniere (+4E). The wine was a glass of Cotes du Rhone, and a glass of (white)Chateau Menton Blanc. Since we had been eating so much the past few days, we decided to skip dessert for once and walked home.