Very specific Paris questions
 

Hello. I've got some specific questions that I can't find information on and would like to ask for any help possible.

1. I have something scribbled down about something called 'the illumination tour.' A search of google doesn't yield anything real interesting. Anyone have info on this?

2. I've seen conflicting posts regarding tap water in Paris. Once and for all, is it going to cause digestion problems or not?

3. At cafes, can I get a coffee at the bar and then sit outside at the tables? Again, I saw conflcting posts on this here at Fodors. I may not be phrasing the question appropriately so sorry if I am confused.

4. I need to find a good to great margarita. Any suggestions? Being able to get some good nachos or other Mexican food would be a huge added bonus.

5. Is it true that the Paris Viste pass is a bust?

6. Assuming the answer to 5 above is 'yes' and that I should get the weekly metro pass, is that pass good for a calendar week or simply seven days from first use? If a calendar week, when does the week officially begin?

I only have a comment to #3 and #5. I did get a coffe at the bar and sat down. Although nobody ran me off, I got some stares and was told later that they charge more for the coffee at the table because you are paying for the real estate. As for the Paris Viste. I would just get a carnet of metro tickets. They are very cheap and there is so much to see just by walking around you may find you will use the Metro less than you anticipate.

It is considered by most to be quite rude to buy coffee at the bar and then sit down. The same with the water. I have always found it to be safe, but it is rare to get tap water from a restaurant. If I were you I would just buy it. The metro pass..(carte orange) is good for one week...always beginning on a Monday.

I will comment on questions #1 and #2.
The illuminations tour is a tour of the Parisian monuments which are lit up at night. Alot of tour companies offer this. Your hotel will most likely deal with a couple of tour companies and will have brochures to give you.

Regarding the tap water, my family and I never had any stomach problems from drinking it. Everyone's system is different and it could cause problems I guess but I'd say no, you shouldn't have problems with it. We always order tap water everywhere we eat. Also we fill up our empty water bottles in the hotel room; this saves us from buying bottled water. Sometimes we will buy bottled water anyway but rarely.

Things I have info on:

1) The illumination tour takes you around the city at night and shows you all the beautiful buildings lit up. I don't generally like 'tours' but found this to be really fun. You go everywhere including Montmarte to the Moulin Rouge. Get your tickets at the tourism office, there is one on Champs d'Elyese just before the Arc de Triumph. You can also take a bateux mouches boat trip on the Seine at night but you obviously only see what is on the river banks.

2. I've always just ordered tap water and never had a problem. If you are especially sensitive than order bottled water.

3. Coffee at the bar is one price, inside at a table is another price and outside at a table yet another price (as is wine, tea, etc.) Consume where you order.

5. I have used the Paris Viste card and found it very handy. Not sure why it would be a bust unless you weren't there long enough to really get your monies worth. It is quite handy to not have to purchase tickets each time you go to the Metro.

Hope my answers help:

1. I have something scribbled down about something called 'the illumination tour.'

I think it's the night tour on one of the Seine boats. I took one years ago that had a recording and couldn't understand anything that was said.

2. I've seen conflicting posts regarding tap water in Paris. Once and for all, is it going to cause digestion problems or not?

Absolutely safe to drink the tap water.

3. At cafes, can I get a coffee at the bar and then sit outside at the tables?

My understanding is that it costs more to sit down at a table than to take-away. I wouldn't be surprised if they spoke to you about sitting without ordering at the table. But, really, it's not costly.

4. I need to find a good to great margarita. Any suggestions? Being able to get some good nachos or other Mexican food would be a huge added bonus.

Can't help here but you might try a search in the search function above.

5. Is it true that the Paris Viste pass is a bust?

Since I was in Paris for a month I got the monthly pass; however, my sister who visited me for a week got the carnet. I think she even had a ticket or two left over since you wind up walking so much. If I recall, a weekly pass is only good for certain days, e.g. Sunday thru Saturday. If true it will depend on which day you arrive.

mdtravel-

#2. Never had problem drinking tap water. Also always ordered tap water at restaurants.

#5. Regarding the Paris Visite Card, I don't think it is worth it. Apart from transportation, it also has some discounts. Here is the website for it:

http://www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng/index.htm

#6 Carte Orange starts on Monday, but I believe you can buy it up until Wed. Otherwise, just get the carnet.

"I have always found it to be safe, but it is rare to get tap water from a restaurant."

It may be rare for you to order it at a restaurant but I've done it for years at every restaurant I've gone to in Paris. It is not the least bit unusual. In fact most places are well prepared to bring it in a carafe, picher, or bottle. Often they are even prefilled and chilled. Now in Italy -- that's quite another matter.

The water is quite safe, but different chemicals are used for water purification in different cities. If your stomach is at all sensitive, it makes sense to stick with one brand of bottled water throughout a trip.

No 1..I would assume you are talking about an evening Seine cruise..no problem

NO 2..only you know your digestive tract, I've not ever had a problem anywhere in Paris or elswhere...we are not talking 3rd world country here!

No3...If you order at the bar, then stand. If you sit and are waited on, pay the price!

No 4..This is a joke or a troll question, right?

No 5. I've never bought or even considered one. I buy a carnet or 2 for 2 weeks for the 2 of us, and usually have a few left over.

I've always ordered tap water and never had a problem. You can order coffe even if you're sitiing at an outside table. It's never occurred to me to do otherwise.

1. 'the illumination tour.'
Never did it.

2. tap water in Paris.
Never drink it , always drink bottled water, but that is just me, I drink bottled water at home too. As others have said, you know better how your stomach reacts.
3. At cafes, can I get a coffee at the bar and then sit outside at the tables?
In the US, could you go to the bar, order a cup of coffee then take it to a table?
We always sit at the table and order coffee and people watch. Parisian waiters leave you alone, you can sit there for hours with a cup of coffee, that is worth the price of a tip.

4. good nachos or other Mexican food would be a huge added bonus.
I guess we all have something that makes us happy, unfortunately, Mexican food in Paris, or the lack of it.. might not make you happy. If you must have it, look in your guide books, it is the last food I would be looking for, perhaps this is your chance to really break away from the old food bonds that bind you and try new foods for a week or so.

5. Is it true that the Paris Viste pass is a bust?
Never used it.

6.We buy Travel cards when we arrive for the amount of time we are there, never think about it so can't really respond.

I hope you have a good time, try to think about it as a great adventure and let things just happen. You can enjoy your trip so much better if you let yourself be surprised .. Paris is so beautiful, it isn't hard to be thrilled every day.

There use to be a great little Mexican restaurant on the Left Bank. I'll try to track it down.

To 2 and 5:

Seemed to me the tap water in Paris was quite fine. (I assume that's what I was getting at restaurants). Beyond restaurants, I tend to buy bottled water everywhere, U.S. and abroad.

I also am a fan of the Visite Paris card. It saves you the hassle of having to take a picture (not sure if carte orange requires a foto). My only gripe is that it's so tiny!

I guess my palate is not as refined as some here -- I see nothing egregious in seeking out Mexican cuisine when abroad. I've had Indian in England, Indonesian in Holland, French in Italy, Chinese in USA and, oh yes, Mexican in Scotland... so why the bias? Maybe they have never had *real* Mexican food?

Anyway, mdtravel, I found info on this authentic Mexican restaurant in Paris, called Anahuacalli:

http://translate.google.com/translat...D%26ie%3DUTF-8

Perhaps it is the one historytraveler was thinking of.

I have not been there but have jotted it down for my next trip.

Since it is almost impossible to get authentic Mexican in the USA , I don't see what you expect to find in Paris. They don't have a lot of authentic Mexicans there.

You are not confusing Tex-Mex, or Cal-mex or any other Mex with authentic Mexican food are you?

We took the Paris Vision 3-hour combination Seine boat cruise/minivan tour on our last night in Paris. The driver picked us up at our hotel about 8pm, drove us to the Eiffel Tower where we boarded a pleasant cruise down the Seine and back. He then picked us up again and drove us (and a couple other people) around for about an hour or so seeing interesting sights by night. He was prompt and informative and it was a lot of fun. You can book online or through your hotel when you arrive in Paris. I liked dealing with this company. There was a mix-up in our reservations but they couldn't have been more accomodating about it and even upgraded us from a bus to the minivan without extra charge. We plan to repeat this combo tour with Paris vision next time.

I'm not sure what Tex-Mex and Cal-Mex are exactly, but I have had some excellent meals in Mexico City. I assumed them to be "authentic".

Yes , in Mexico City , you would get excellent Mexico City food, but it will be entirely different than what you would get in Acapulco .. Just as there is no "Authentic" Italian or French food...it all depends on where you are eating ... Food in the Veneto is entirely different than the food in Sicily, though they are both Italian. The food of Provence is nothing like the food in Normandy or Brittany, even though they are both French regions. So if you are going to France why not explore the different regional foods, which many cafes and restaurants specialize in.

Yes there is wonderful Indian, Thai and Chinese, etc. food in London, they have large populations of immigrants. There is not a large Mexican population in France. And certainly not many from the Mexico city area!

There is a DIFINITE difference in Tex-Mex and Cal-Mex!!

<<There is a DIFINITE [sic] difference in Tex-Mex and Cal-Mex!!>>



Aren't you assuming all people from Mexico who live in France, or Paris, are really "Mexican-Americans"?

How many nationals have to be living in a country before one of them becomes a restauranteur and opens a legitimate establishment reflecting the dishes of their homeland?