tsakali_gr

Hello all!! The moment has finally come and tomorrow morning i am travelling to PARIS!! So after lots of searching and browsing i've made a reservation at the Louvre Montana Hotel because i got a very nice price for a double superior room (140 euros per night). I have some questions though considering the hotel and some other stuff and i would appreciate it a lot if you guys could offer some answers-advice!

So here goes:

1) Has anyone ever stayed at the hotel i booked, because i know it is situated in a very good location but i have some doubts about the quality of the hotel, because in some sites it appears as a 3* HOTEL and in others as a 2* INN!?

2)I accidentaly bumped into a tv program yesterday (one of those that a reporter-traveller goes around the world) in which a girl went to Paris and featured some good places to see and things to do. She said that rather than paying a city tour by bus, it's cheaper and easier to use the bus line number 73 which goes around the city in order to have a general look to most of the attractions. Is that true?

3)I watched a dance show at Lido?! and i wondered how much does it cost and if it's worth going there or if there's anything similar that's really worth seeing with my girlfriend?!

4)Bastille Square, Arc De Triomphe, Chateau Rouge and Jardin Luxembourg, Mare (close to Picasso Museum)...do they really worth a visit in a 5 day-fisrt time to Paris trip?!

5)She mentioned a shop name 'TATI' where you can find really cheap clothes of reasonable quality. Can you please tell me it's address or where exactly it's located and if it's really as good as it seems?

6)I heard about the museum passes that help you skip queques and offer an unlimited entry. I am planning to visit Louvre, Museum D' Orsay and maybe Picasso or one more, so i am basically talking for a one-day pass for 3 museums most. I think that from what i have read that will cost 15-17 euros right? Is there a place other than a museum where i can easily buy it without getting in too much trouble?

7)I need to know where Cafe Bonapart and Restaurant Le Florimond are located and if they worth their money?

8)Lastly...i definitely want to go to Eurodisney (i've been to Disneyworld twice but my girlfriend has never been to one) and i wonder about 2 things. First i know i have to get there by train, so i need to ask where i get on this train, what time of the day for arrival-return and how much does the ticket cost. I also want to know how much does reasonable ticket (enough to get you in the must-see rides) for disney cost and if there's another place apart from Eurodisney where i can buy it?

That's all! hi hi...
I know i am a pain in the ass but any help offered would be a life saver because it's my first time in Paris!!!


Many thanks in advance!

elaine

Hi
I stayed at the Emeraude Louvre Montana a few times, but not for several years. It is definitely at least a 3 star--I never remember. It was renovated within the past few years so it's probably even nicer than the last time I saw it. The location, on the right bank, is OUTSTANDING imo.
Did you get the good rate directly from the hotel? I had inquired several weeks ago and was quoted more, if I can get them down a bit I'll stay there again.

You can buy the museum pass at many metro stations, some hotels even sell them at face value at their front desks.

As for what's worth it to see on a first trip, no one can say for you. Place de la Bastille is just a busy traffic center with a column in the middle that has nothing to do with the Bastille. There are no remains of the Bastille, except for some cobblestones in the ground that outline where it was.
The Luxembourg Gardens are charming, and there benches to sit on, puppet shows for children in good weather, the lovely Medicis fountain. It depends on whether walking through a nice park in late October appeals to you. Surely if it's on the way to somewhere else, you should walk through.

mamc

I can't help with some of your questions but will try with others. You should definitely see the Arc de Triomphe. It can be seen from many vantage points but the best, IMHO, is to walk up the Champs Elysee from the Place de Concorde.

It is lovely to see different French "neighborhoods". My favorites are the Marais, the Ile de Ste. Louis, and Ste. Germaine. The Jardin Luxembourg was beautiful about two weeks ago - it should be still.

You can get a 1-day museum pass in any covered museum and in a few of the major Metro stations. It is especially worth it for the Louvre and the D'Orsay, if only to avoid long lines. Most other museums do not have lines this time of year.

The Cafe Bonaparte is my favorite sidewalk cafe in Paris. It is on the Place Iglise de St. Germaine des Pres, beside the church and at the corner of Rue Bonaparte. Go for breakfast early one morning (around 8) and see the children on their way to a nearby school. Cafe Bonaparte is great for people-watching and has the best cafe creme and croissants in Paris!

Have a wonderful time in Paris!

elaine

Le Florimond
19 Ave de la Motte Picquet, 7th. 01 45 55 40 38 closed Sat and Sunday

ira

Hi ts,

Tickets to the Lido show will be about 90E.

Kristinelaine

I would question whether you want to do three or more museums (especially the size of the Louvre and Orsay) in one day! That's alot of museum-going in one day.

kappa

I think Tati went bankrupt at least half a year ago. Could its shops somehow remain open? I took a visitor once to one of them years ago as she had heard about it(I had not known Tati until she mentioned). I found it a cheap bazar like shop but she still found a few clothes to buy so it must have had certain charms to women.

RonZ

There is not one city bus line which goes all round the city. The line being referred to is probably 69, which has many popular sights along the route.

MorganB

2) Bus line 73 goes from the Musee d'Orsay, up the Champs Elysee to La Defense. I would not consider that as hitting the major sites. You are mainly seeing the Champs Elysee and , Etoile, and Place de La Concorde. You may want to consider L'Open Tour bus ride which is run by the same service that runs the city buses and metros. It goes to many major sites and allows you to get on and off as much as you like for one price. http://www.paris-opentour.com/index_eng.htm

4) Place de La Bastille is attractive but nothing earth shattering. I would do Place des Vosges over Bastille. If you like formal french gardens with an amazing palace in the middle then Luxembourg Gardens is a must. Arc de Triomphe is worth seeing but you can skip going on top and do the Eiffel Tower for views of the city instead. The Marais is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Paris and is filled with interesting shops and restaurants as well as a dynamic night life. Its a top of the list area IMHO.

5) Here is the website for a list of addresses : http://www.tati.fr/adresses/ad_france.htm

8) Eurodisney is on the RER A line so you would just take the metro and change onto the RER A line to get there. Assuming you are leaving from the hotel, take the Line 14 at Pyramides in the Biblotheque direction. Get off at Gare de Lyon and change to the RER A direction EuroDisney (Marne la Vallee). Disneyland is open from 9 am to 8 pm from the 25th of Oct to the 1st of Nov. Studio Disney is open from 9 am to 6 pm. Note that it is a holiday in France right now so the park may be loaded up with school children. Trains run about every 10 to 15 minutes from about 6 am to about 1 am. With just one day I would suggest that you skip Studio Disney which is a fairly uninteresting park. Tickets cost 40 euros for one day. You can buy a combined train / park entry ticket at the metro station rather than wait in line at the park for the ticket. If you are for some reason unable to do that then ticket lines tend to be much shorter at studio disney and you can buy your disneyland ticket there. I think the train is about 15 euros round trip.

regalada

5) I visited the Tati shops on the 9th near Montmartre to see what the deal was since I had heard of them too. They have many different stores on a couple of blocks, women's, men's, kids, home, etc. I went in and walked out in two minutes, it looked like it would take a while to look through the piles of stuff to find something I liked. I would skip them if I only had five days.

Richard_Davies

We visited the Louvre last Wednesday, and D'Orsay Thursday. We arrived within an hour of opening at both places, I don't remember exactly, but probably around 10 AM at each. No line at the Louvre, a short line at D'Orsay, I'd guess mostly from the security check. Didn't have advance ticket for either, but didn't really have to wait.

Arc du Triomphe is spectacular, but partially covered by scaffolding, I guess due to referbishment. I'm glad we went, but it is a little unsightly right now.

Jardin Luxembourg was beautiful, and there were lots of people to watch. If you like people watching, and soaking up the sun, it is a great place to be. This time of year it depends on the weather, of course. We went Friday, which was warm and sunny. The day we went to the Eiffel Tower, it poured on us. We were done doing what we wanted to do, and were prepared for rain, so it wasn't too bad. However, less prepared people got soaked. The day started out sunny, but we had umbrellas and wore our raincoats anyway. Glad we did.

Have a great trip! This was my first trip to Paris, and I had a great time. My wife had been before, and she was impressed by the lack of crowds at the Louvre this time of year.

beachbum

Yes, Cafe Bonaparte is in a great location, but be prepared for sticker shock. Continental breakfast consisting of croissant, piece of baguette, orange juice, coffee, butter and jam was euro 12.50. That may not be a high price to pay if you're planning to hang around the place for an hour or two. But, if you're just looking for a quick breakfast at the start of the day, try Paul's, a few blocks away at the corner of rue de Seine and rue Buci; same breakfast at about half the price.

Le Florimond is a couple blocks off Champs de Mars on the same street that runs in front the military academy (opposite end of Champs de Mars from the Eiffel Tower). The three course dinner menu is around euro 33.00, and was easily the best overall value meal we had during our week's stay in Paris last month.

bardo1

tsakiali_gr,

2) the bus is very pleasant, cheap and extremely easy to use. Consider looking at www.ratp.fr for the busses that pass by the sights you are interested in. You can re-use your ticket for free transfers as well.

3) There are probably a thousand things to take your GF to a night - all less expensive than Lido. Buy a Pariscope from a newstand at the airport or on the street for an exhaustive listing of events.

4) Bastille: there's nothing there - it's basically an unatractive traffice circle.

6) Consider doing only the Louvre (which takes at least a week to see) or hitting three or so other museums on "museum day".