Guenmai is right about transport on St-Louis, but metro is short, short walk. Metro stops of main east-west line at Hotel de Ville, St. Paul to north are few minutes stroll. The island is a terrific spot to use as base. It is in the shadow of Notre Dame, Concergerie, St-Chapelle and many, many other of the most visited monuments, museums and sites are minutes away by foot. Again, Paris is compact. If you are hearty you can walk its length and breadth.

VBRO usually urks me with its estimates of walking distances in minutes. On that St. Germain Luxembourg apartment, they say it's a 10-minute walk to the river. Not. And I remember when we were helping someone else look for an apartment and VBRO was saying that it was a 5-minute walk from the Ile St. Louis to the rue de Seine/rue Buci area. I really laughed on that one. Happy Travels!

Guenmai -

http://www.parisbestlodge.com/studiocallot.html

I have just sent Thierry another message asking if this is still available. After talking with my husband, we decided that a small studio would not be bad because we won't spend a lot of time there. Plus the apartment looks very nice. I figure for the amount of money that we would save, I could buy a lot more souveniers to bring home. I hope this is the studio that you were talking about!!

Yes, that's the one that I was talking about. Let's cross our fingers that you get it. If you get it and would like, I can walk you through the neighborhood with which buses to take and where the metro is etc...You will be very happy in this neighborhood. And it looks as if the apartment is quiet from the description. The street that it's on is a small street. Happy Travels!

Just a quick FYI - my husband does understand and speak some French! That will be helpful. Waiting to hear from Thierry - - - -

http://www.parisbestlodge.com/studiocallot.html
I got it! I'm happy the search is over. It was totally overwhelming - too many choices out there with little knowledge of the best areas. Thierry seems like he is going to be very helpful. And yes, Guenmai, I would love to have you walk me through whatever information would be helpful. I have heard that it is smart to buy some sort of museum pass before you get there or when you first arrive because then you don't need to stand in line. Is there also some sort of Metro pass you can buy for a week? Thanks to everybody for all of your input. This forum is great.

The museum pass is the Carte Musee. It saves time, as you skip most lines. The metro "pass" to which most refer is the Paris Visite, though there are many other passes and individual tickets that you could purchase. The Carte Musees may be purchased at the member sites. Metro tickets/passes in many stations and both may be bought at CDG on arrival. They are also offered on the internet. parismetro.com is one outfit.

Have a great trip.

What a relief! That's done. As for museum passes, I've never bought one. As for metro passes, do a search, in the "Search" box because they have been explained in depth in those threads. Paris Visite is expensive. I've 99% of the time bought Carte Orange. I had Carte Orange on the March 2008 trip as well as way back in the 70s(?)/80s/90s. I don't remember exactly when I first bought it. But, the system has changed and I can't remember what I will need to buy from now on.

I'll work, on a walk through plan, of the neighborhood, for you this weekend as it will take some time. I'll try to get you on public buses,too so that you can see more.

Before I forget, as for restaurants:
Rotissiere D'en Face is on the rue Christine (a very short block). That's one place you should have dinner. I started eating there when they first opened. Your apartment will be a 5-10 minute walk from it. Look on the map of, where the apartment is located, and you'll see it. The rue Christine is entered right at the rue Dauphine. The restaurant is about mid block.

Also there's the famous Allard Bistro. It was less than a 5-minute walk from #122. From you, about 15 minutes, if that. Just walk to rue Mazarine and then turn right. Walk down rue Mazarine to rue St. Andres des Arts and turn left. Walk out(east) rue St. Andres des Arts until you get to a tiny street called L'Eperon and turn right ( the only way possible). Allard is right there.
While in the area, if you walk a few steps more past rue L'Eperon, but still on rue St. Andres des Arts, you'll see a movie theater on your left. Apt #122 is in the building next to (to the right) of the movie theater. Directly across the street, from the apartment building is a crepe restaurant. It's a great place to grab a crepe. I've eaten their crepes for a couple of decades. There is a to-go window facing the street. Just put in your order and the guy will start making the crepe, fresh, not the reheated kinds that one can see around Paris. Then he'll wrap it to go. Happy Travels!

Have the restaurants gone smokeless in Paris? While I was visting in Scotland a couple of years ago, all of the bars and restaurants went smokeless and I thought I heard the same for Paris.

Yes, smoke free finally last year. It's great not to have to eat in my hotel room, or go to a restaurant just when it's opening and hope for the best, or eat outside and freeze. It was so exciting last March to finally see and sit inside of the Cafe Flore which I've been going to since the 70s. My Parisian friend and I went to have my traditional glass of kir royal. He's also elated over the smoke free restaurants. Happy Travels!

That makes me really, very happy!

Yellowrose, I just read all the excellent advice you have received. We have rented 3 apartments in recent years from Rothray.com. I can't tell you how completely reliable Ray is and how very, very nice his apartments are. He is English and is rec. in many travel books. Look at his website and know he will help you with everything and is 100% honest, plus his properties are great. Our last place was a studio, quite spacious, and it was very reasonable...all apartments are well located. Don't wait....he books up fast.

MAP - Thanks for the advice - a few posts above I posted that I already booked an apartment through parisbestlodge. They were also recommended. I looked at apartments from rothray as well. I think I looked at apartments through everybody. I did not know there could be so many choices. I think the one we booked will be fine. It is in St. Germain.http://www.parisbestlodge.com/studiocallot.html
It is a small studio, but looks very nice and as I have been advised here - is in a good location. Now I just need advice about what to see and where to go!

I think you made a wonderful choice. Will be anxious to hear how it turned out. I love that area. Have a ball!

bookmarking, thanks!

Thanks - I was reading some other posts and read that some people would never stay in this area! I suppose that every person has their own areas they love best. I'm sure we are going to love it. Went to the bookstore today and got a map. I see where we will be and it looks like a great area. My husband was wondering the best way to get to the apartment from the airport. The metro?

Take a shuttle. I've listed a company under my Paris Apartment Thread.

As for some folks not staying in that area, usually it's during the summer when it's crowded since it's a very popular area. You're going in March, not a problem. Plus, there are plenty of areas around Paris that folks might recommend that I would have no interest in staying in. That will always be the case. To each his own.
I've been going to Paris almost every year in March/April for a good two decades after going in the summer for over a decade. I prefer the spring although it's colder. There are fewer people.

Anyhow, now to get you on some bus routes so that you can SEE things.

1) Eiffel Tower: Take the bus. It's more interesting than being underground on the metro.
* From your apartment, make a LEFT onto rue de Seine (south) and walk until you get to rue St. Suplice. It'll be past Blvd. St. Germain. When you get to rue St. Suplice, make a RIGHT onto the street and walk about 5 minutes. You'll come to Place St.Suplice and you'll see the church of St. Suplice and a cafe. The bus stop will be right there. Take NUMBER 63. Ride for about 20 minutes and get off at TROCADERO. You can't miss it. Inside the bus is a list of all the stops, plus the names of the stops are posted at each stop. It's sort of public transportation 101 in Paris. Now, cross the street and go right and you'll see the Palais de Chaillot. Follow the folks and after a short walk, to your left, you will see the stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. This is the photo spot. I've been going to the same spot since the 70s and it's still breathtaking.

2) Arc de Triomphe Etoile: Since you'll be so close by after leaving Trocadero, go on to the Arc de Triomphe. When you get back up to the street, cross it and go to Avenue Kleber. You'll have a map. Walk on the right side of the street. Get on either Bus 22 or 30. You'll go around two stops and get off at Charles de Gaulle-Etiolle- Kleber. You'll now be at the Arc de Triomphe and the top of the Champs des Elysees.

3) Walk- You can either walk down the Champs des Elysees or if you get tired, then jump on a bus, on the right side of the street, and go down as far as you need to go. Then get off at or around Concorde, depending on where you are. Just look at the bus signs and see which one might say Concorde. I can't off the top of my head, remember which one stops right at it. But Concorde is at the end of the Champs des Elysees. You'll have a map. You can also take the metro down to Concorde as Line 1 , runs right under the Champs des Elysees. Just remember to go Direction: Chateau de Vincennes.

4) Concorde: This is also the beginning or end of the Tuillerie Gardens. You'll see the Hotel Crillon to your left. The side street to the Hotel Crillon is rue Boissy D'Anglais. The famous Buddha Bar is at 8, rue Boissy D'Anglais. It's in part of the former housewares building that I used to shop at. You can google the Buddha Bar. I plan to check it out in April. I still haven't had a chance to go.

5) Facing the Tuileries and looking east. To your left is rue Rivoli. If the weather is rainy then walk along rue Rivoli as it's covered. When you get to rue Cambon, turn left and walk up it if you want to see the original Chanel store. It's a couple of blocks up, on your LEFT side. Then back to rue Rivoli and left onto it. When you get to rue Castiglione, turn LEFT. Walk about two blocks and you'll come to Place Vendome (Ritz Hotel). I think the Catherine discount perfume store is on that street,too. If you mention that you heard about the store from the "Born To Shop" book, I think they give an additional discount. I've shopped there for years. So, after Place Vendome then back to rue Rivoli.

6) Rue Rivoli: Continue walking out the rue Rivoli until you get to the end of the Tuileries Gardens and then make a RIGHT and you'll see the huge glass pyramid of the Louvre to your left after you've walked a bit down that street. You'll probably be too tired to do the Louvre on the same day, but if you walk along the sidewalk on the RIGHT side of the street, directly across from the Louvre, then there will be a bus stop. BUS 95 (Direction:Montparnasse) goes back to the 6th. Just get off at St. Germain des Pres...in front of Armani and the Monoprix store. You should know where you are now. You'll see Cafe Deux Maggots, Cafe Flore, and the Louis Vuitton store. The church of saint Germain is also there. From here you can walk back to your apartment.

***On a day that you're just starting your walk, and not tired, you can walk to the Louvre. When you leave your apartment building, go RIGHT (North) onto rue de Seine and then walk to the end, cross the street, walk left and then when you get to the bridge then turn right and go over it. You'll now be at the Louvre complex. you'll see it on the map.

7)* Bastille and Place Vosges: OK, from your apartment building, go to rue Mazarine and turn RIGHT onto rue Mazarine. Walk all the way up to Blvd. St. Germain and cross the boulevard. You'll see the Odeon metro station. In front of it will be the bus stop. Get on Bus 86. Stay on that bus until you get to Bastille. Get off there. To get to Place Vosges, walk out rue St. Antoine until you get to rue Birague. Turn right into rue Birague and walk one short block and you will be entering Place Vosges. Walk the tiny streets around it by exiting Place Vosges to its LEFT side. There are tons of great streets like rue des Francs-Bourgeois, rue des Rosiers, rue Vielle du Temple, etc. There's also the Marriage des Freres (sp?) tea salon. You can google it. There's also one in the 6th , on a tiny side street to rue St.Andres des Arts. If you want a cafe, in the Marais area, then you can try the one on rue des Rosier, between rue Pavee and rue de Mahler. I can't remember the name of it, but there's only one cafe there. It's next door to where my optician, Alain Milki had his store before moving to the 6th. And he was at 1, rue des Rosiers. That cafe is very good.

8)* To get out of the Marais: If you want to get back across town, you can go to rue Parc Royal, between rue Payenne and rue Sevigne and BEHIND the Victor Hugo Museum which faces rue des Francs-Bourgeois. By the way the Picasso Museum is nearby if you want to go there first before leaving the Marais.

Anyhow, there is a bus stop right on rue Parc Royal between the two cross streets that I just mentioned. It's Bus #29 (Bus Stop: Turenne St. Gilles). The bus ends at Gare St. Lazare. By the way, if you're standing at the bus stop of Bus #29, to your left, down the street, a block is a great bakery. Also, right behind the bus stop, you'll see a restaurant and to the left of it, at #6,(?) rue Parc Royal, was the atelier and boutique of the famous American fashion designer, Patrick Kelly. It's the building with the nice courtyard. I used to go there often as I knew him and would shop at his boutique. The inside of the atelier was beautiful. He unfortunately passed away, in his 30s, on Jan 01, 1990. He's buried in Paris at the Pere Lachaise (sp?) cemetary. I've visited his grave several times as I have 3 friends buried there. So, just a bit of history.

If you take the #29, then get off at Opera. It will put you right at the old opera house. If you're facing the opera house, to your left will be rue Scribe, where the American Express office is. It was on the corner in the big building, for decades, even in the movie Charades with Audry Hepburn, but has moved a few steps down in a much smaller space. It's not the same.

If you walk to the end of rue Scribe there will be the gorgeous Galeries Layfayette Home store (Maison). It opened a few years ago. Now you'll be at a big, busy boulevard....Blvd. Haussman and both huge department stores, Galeries Layfayette and Printemps are there. The first thing I do is go to the information desks at the front of both stores and get a tourist discount card. One needs to have a passport for that.
Inside the department stores are restaurants and a cafeteria if you get tired and just want to sit and have a light bite to eat. I lke the cafeteria inside of Galeries Layfayette.

9) Exhaustion: Now if you're exhausted and want to go back to the apartment, walk back down rue de Scribe, past the AmExp office, and when you get to the corner, cross the street straight and then cross the street, one more time to your left. Oh, by the way there's a nice watch shop right at that corner area (to your right though). Anyhow, now you'll be at Bus #95 (Direction:Montparnasse). The bus stop is right across from the opera building. Then remember to get off again at the St. Germain des Pres (Armani and Monoprix).

10) Walk: A nice walk is to walk down rue Mazarine (south) to St. Andres des Arts and then left and all the way out it until you get to Blvd. St. Michel. Cross Blvd. St. Michel and now you've entered the 5th. Walk out rue Huchette and the small streets. Then there will be a street to cross...can't remember the name, but you can't miss it. It's a busy street. When you cross it, then some more tiny streets will pick up and you'll come to the tiny little church..St. Julien Pauvre (sp?). It's a great little church that has concerts. Check the outside walls of the church as concerts are posted there. A few years ago, I went and there were gospel singers from South Africa I think it was. he church was packed. My mom and I just bought tickets at the door. They have all types of concerts. I've been to several. Then a few blocks north of the church will be the river and Notre Dame is in that area along with the Ile St. Louis.

11) MUST-DO: Go to Poilane bakery. It's heaven on earth. It's at the beginning of rue de Cherche Midi. You can either walk or take the metro. If you take the metro, it'll be one stop. Get on at Odeon and take Line 10: Direction: Boulogne Pont de Saint Cloud and get off at the station called, Sevres Babylone. You will notice that there's Bon Marche Department store at that metro stop. It's the most beautiful department store in Paris, in my opinion. It used to be a frompy store until a full renovation was done. Check it out for the gorgeous displays. Next door to it is their gourmet grocery store that's great. It's on the side street, to the left of the front of the department store.

To get to Poilane bakery, walk down rue de Sevres, away from the department store, and then when you get to rue Cherche Midi, make a right. A few steps down and to your right, is Poilane. you'll see the line. Baked goods don't get much better than these. You can buy the bread by the slice. That way you can buy fresh every day. The apple tarts and apple croissants are to die for. After leaving the bakery, go to your right and walk a few more steps and there's the Karine Dupont handbag store....another to die for shop. I first bought her handbags when she introduced them at either Printemps or Galeries Layfayette some years ago. You can easily walk back to your apartment from here. you'll have the map.

11) Last but not least: The Guenmai restaurant. And no I have absolutely no affiliation to it. I've had this nickname since the 80s. I have eaten there for about 25 years I think it's been. Sophie and her family own it and they live upstairs above the restaurant. This is a real neighborhood place. I've seen many of the same folks for decades. It's vegetarian/vegan/fish and all home made. Her son and the cook, of decades, work the kitchen and she works the cash register and serves some of the food. She makes the best natural fruit tarts along with the rest of her delicious food. She's only open for lunch and she'll pack anything to go. To get there, from your apartment, walk down rue de Seine (south) and then make a right on rue Jacob and a quick left onto the first, tiny side street. Walk straight ahead, for a block, and you'll see a huge white and green building, on your right. That's it. This supposedly is the oldest organic restaurant in Paris. It's packed every day.

So, I think the above ought to keep you busy. I've tried to make it as easy as possible for you and get you on some buses so that you can see more. The same tickets used for the metro are also used for the buses. If there are typo mistakes in the above, please read around them. I'm too tired to reread and edit again. Happy Travels!

Oops, either I'm tired and seeing double or I've typed the number eleven twice. Smiles. Happy Travels!

I'm bookmarking this one - fabulous advice for what is proving to be an overwhelming amount of choices.

Guenmai, you are a treasure. I'm going to have to read many of your other posts now too!

guenmai - Just printed out your post and will read it tomorrow as it is very late here. You are a treasure! I really do appreciate all of your time and thoughtfulness. Will probably have a few more questions tomorrow after reading through this. Night. Patti