jazzd

An earlier post may have mentioned that my husband and I (in our 40's) will be in Paris May 6 for 7 nights and staying near the Marais/Bastille area. Hotel CAstex - I think around 3 or 4 Ar.

I would LOVE to hear what everyone would do if they were me. We wanted to do some :
1) People watching in a cafe - for fashion / clothing trends
2) A bit of clothing shopping
3) Walk the Seine
4) Get an overview of the most important landmarks and pop in to some - not all and perhaps just go to one art museum - if it does not take up a day.
5) Eat !!!! After hearing all the wonderful food we just want to try it all.

We just don't want to feel overwhelmed by walking on end trying to go to each particular restaurant that is suggested and hope that we are lucky enough to find some that are really good.

I just love to hear about other people's itinerary but getting excited about our trip though we don't have time to plan out every detail.

Thanks !!

TravelMaster

Hi:

We just got back from Paris (8 nights), our 'travelogue' is still evolving (hazards of having to be back at work) but check out our website at http://travel.masterpiece-cs.com for some of the basic stuff.

Z

Dave_in_Paris

That's a very good location and the hotel looks great! You're just west of Place de la Bastille, with numerous good-sized cafes on the square. Your agenda sounds near-perfect. But I would advise a little planning around meals, minimally noting an interesting restaurant on your walks, including a phone number for a reservation, and perhaps returning the next day. The Paris Zagat restaurant guide and the Time Out "Paris Eating & Drinking" are excellent. You can carry the Zagat in a pocket or purse, and quickly check comments on restaurants you come across. The Time Out is cutting-edge and very well-researched, and the writers really know food. A few good reastuarants to think about, fairly near you: Le C'Amelot, on the rue Amelot, the Pause Cafe, on rue de Charonne, the Square Trusseau, on rue Antoine-Vollon, Le Temps au Temps on rue Paul Bert, and Chez Ramulaud, on rue du Faubourg St. Antoine. Sights: the Place de Vosges (the most beautiful housing project in the world); a stoll along the cobblestone quays of the Canal St. Martin, with its locks and footbridges, and a number of good restaurants nearby, like the Madonnina on rue Marie et Louise, a great little Italian bistro; an hour or so in Pere La Chaise cemetery, tomb hunting and enjoying the green and the quiet; a pop down to the Bassin d'Arsenal at the Bastile, for a look at how the boating crowd lives; and the fabulous Sunday food market on boulevard Richard Lenoir, starting at the Bastille. Have a wonderful stay!

hopingtotravel

In case OP is still reading, I'm curious what he (or anyone) has thought of Hotel Castex as I know someone planning to stay there.

LoveItaly

I wish that travellers, after asking for help and getting the information they needed would report back so that others could benefit from their experiences. Most travellers do but I notice from time to time some do not.

jazzd

To Hopingtotravel.

It is a bit late to respond to your question about HOtel Castex in Paris.
We stayed there for a week. It was rather nice if you just want a restful quiet place . The room was spacious enough and there were french windows.
The upstairs bathroom leaked on our last day but we still thought it was very convenient, nice and quiet and clean. Not tacky or anything. Very tasteful. I would stay again.