My adult son and I traveled to Paris again this year, from October 25 to November 3. This was our second visit together, his third, my baker’s dozen. Last year we flew in UA Polaris together but this time I chose to use miles accumulated which might never be of use due to the ever changing rules and regulations in the UA and AA frequent flyer programs. At this point it has become inordinately difficult to accrue and then actually use the miles toward international travel. Forget upgrades due to “elite” status requirements now that I am retired and not flying as often on business. Oh, and there was that little three year interlude due to Covid that put the kibosh on travel.

DS traveled on UA while I flew AA, Chicago to Paris, Premium Economy for 140,000 miles each. UA is IMO the better product for seat comfort and amenities in this class. Eight years ago I flew First Class round trip on Swissair using 70,000 UA miles which illustrates how much things have changed with these programs. Almost not worth it for this mere mortal unless one is a frequent business flyer and/or has “elite” status.

DS arrived two hours ahead of me so it was mid day before we met up to check in to Le Petit Belloy Hotel on rue Racine in the 6th Arr., our preferred base. This 2 star hotel was fine with the usual small room, nicely appointed except for the disgusting, inexcusably filthy carpeting throughout the hotel. First thing we did in our rooms was throw back the sheets and peer around the headboard to check for bedbugs as the rumors were rampant just prior to our departure on October 25.

I came prepared with bug spray, lavender wipes, peppermint spray and various other equipment to thwart any beasties. During our stay of eight days we did not encounter any bugs in hotel, public transport, restaurants, etc. On line news sources have attributed these rumors to Russian disinformation. Go figure. While there may have been evidence of some bedbugs as is the case in any large city at any given time, we did not see any such.

Our rooms, 51 and 52, had step-out balconies with a close view of Notre Dame and Tour Eiffel in the distance, the only rooms in the hotel with this very nice perk.

I had researched and planned out our eight days with a day trip to Chartres, a market visit, “free” walks of the Latin Quarter, Monmartre and one paid tour of Pere Lachaise on Halloween Day along with several museum visits. And of course, loads of good dining. Last year we had focused on the classics. This time DS wanted to see more modern art.

We prefer the area around Boulevard St Michel for its eclectic mix of restaurants, shops and walkability to the nearby Seine. Also a Monoprix is very conveniently located close by. Last year we stayed at the very nice 4 star Relais Hotel de Vieux on Gite le Coeur but they were booked up and hotel rooms were scarce in that area due to the rugby and other events the last week in October, thus the 2 star Petit Belloy.

After checking in we did a Monoprix run for water and snacks for the room, then a nap was necessary before venturing out to dinner. We wandered a bit looking for a good spot and happened upon a small cafe, LaCochenaille on rue de La Harpe for an omelet and croque Madam, a light meal before heading back and crashing for the night.

Tomorrow would begin what DS refers to as an “epic week” with our day trip to Chartres to view the cathedral and labrynth accompanied by a week of off and on rain. More to come.

I like your beginning, Travelchat!

Just curious, how did you come by your hotel in Paris? Have you had long-term experience with it?

Lavandula

That was one fast reply, Lavandula! No experience with Petit Belloy. I checked reviews for the hotel and most were positive, several referring to the dismal carpets so I was aware. Hotels were scarce in the St Michel area that week so I grabbed this one. Turned out to be a superb location, albeit with a few caveats and a few perks.

More to your point, Lavandula, I did extensive research for a good solid month before booking, zeroing in on hotels using maps of the 5th and 6th with hotels showing in that particular area, as well as Paris various tourism on line sites, vetting many that were either booked up or not desirable, finally decided on the Petit Belloy. Hope this better answers your query.

looking forward to the rest... I am planning our trip to Paris for next year so am loving these trip reports.

Sign me up as well!

Me too. Great start!

Looking forward to more!

Heading to Paris in December and hoping the rain lets up a bit by then.

Sounds like an adventurous trip to Paris! Glad to hear you had a bedbug-free stay despite the rumors. The balcony views of Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower from rooms 51 and 52 must have been amazing. Looking forward to hearing more about your Parisian escapades in the rain!

My absolute fav city, DH and I lived there for five years when we were newly married, 1979-1984! Yes, we’re ancient, but we loved it 😍

Day 3 began with DS and I meeting up outside the Segur Metro with Jacqueline, our hostess from Paris Greeters for a walk in the 7th Arrondisement which I had arranged a month or so before our arrival. Paris Greeters is a volunteer organization of residents who give their time to visitors with specific interests in subjects of their expertise, such as architecture, history, etc. A morning or afternoon tour is agreed upon once a host is assigned after filling out a questionnaire on the web site. A modest donation is requested.

I had done a tour of the 1st Arrondisement several years ago with PG and it’s a great personal way to see the city from a resident’s viewpoint.

Jacqueline asked our preference of walk in her neighborhood, whether in the direction of Ecole Militaire in terms of architecture or did we have another area in mind. I immediately requested a walk through the rue Cler market which she happily led us to. I had always wanted to see this famous market and here was the opportunity to see it through the eyes of one who visits on a regular basis. Such an amazing variety of colorful produce, prepared food, fresh poultry and meats, clothing, bakeries, food samples of every kind. Jacqueline pointed out items we would not have noticed, interacted with vendors, translated for us while expounding on her experienced shopping on a weekly, if not daily basis. In short, it was beyond fabulous.

After an hour plus at the market we walked over to Avenue de Breteuil and strolled up that promenade toward the back of Hotel des Invalides. As we were given the history of that imposing building we admired the magnificent residential architecture along the way and got a kick out of watching the sheep running about in the fenced in median grassy strip down the center of this promenade where they are kept to maintain the grass.

Our two hour walk was complete as we reached the top of Avenue de Breteuil and DS and I bid Jacqueline a fond farewell offering our profuse thanks for her time and expertise. We flagged down a taxi and returned to our hotel for a snack and rest before the afternoon prearranged meet up with Walkative! Tours to check out the 5th Arrondisement just a few streets over from rue Racine.

Walkative Tours is a company I came upon on line, very similar to ParisWalks, with good reviews. I had done several walks over the years with ParisWalks but this time their schedule wasn’t going to meet our needs, thus Walkative, a “free” walking tour company with a suggested gratuity of 25€ per person, a very reasonable sum for what is offered.

That afternoon we met our tour guide in front of Shakespeare & Co. Book Store along with a group of 15 eager walkers from U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Brazil. Our guide was a young man, an actor, born and bred in Paris and fluent in several languages. This was his part time gig. He was amazing, a born teacher who led us through the streets covering architecture, history and what all, expounding and entertaining us with anecdotes for 2 1/2 hours.

We strolled through the park adjacent to the book store, past the Cluny Museum’s ancient walls, through that park, past the Sorbonne along rue St Jacques where we viewed the Dali scallop sun clock set high up on the side of a building and ended up at The Pantheon. What an informative, detailed and enriching time! Alas, all was not perfect as it was raining on and off, finally pouring by the time we arrived at our final destination The Pantheon.

It being dinner time at this point we spied Restaurant Pantheon Comptoir on Rue Soufflot, kitty corner to The Pantheon and made a beeline over there. Soup l’onion and a burger hit the spot in this pleasantly crowded, typical French bistro. My dessert was a heavenly Pavlova Exotica. Pas mal to be in a warm, cozy bistro in Paris on a rainy, cold night downing comfort food in view of The Pantheon.

We Ubered back to Hotel Petit Belloy replete in knowledge and food for a well deserved night’s rest.

Very nice installment travelchat. Looking forward to more!

Super, travelchat! The walking tours sounded great. First-hand local knowledge is invaluable.

Day 4 began as usual with breakfast across the way at Hotel Belloy which accommodates (in a surprisingly unwelcome manner IMO) those staying at Hotel Petit Belloy for a 16€ per day charge. These hotels are owned by same company but operate under separate management. Not convenient but I prefer to have a hearty buffet breakfast to begin my day. DS, on the other hand, would wander to a Starbucks or stop in for a quiche at one of the nearby patisseries along Blvd. St. Michel.

After breakfast we taxied to Gare Montparnesse for a day trip to Chartres to view the Cathedral. We purposely chose a Friday when the chairs are removed for those wishing to walk the labrynth. An hour on the very crowded morning train brought us to the charming town of Chartres where just a ten minute walk to the Cathedral from the station. (Thanks to those Fodorites who contributed much helpful info on this jaunt.) It was a sparsely crowded day so we were able to see this beautiful Cathedral in all its glory minus the areas under renovation along one wall.

Sitting on the sidelines it was moving to observe those walking along the tiny lanes, stopping for prayer as they went, some barefoot. While we choose not to do the tour there was a gentleman in charge handing out pamphlets and speaking to those asking about the various aspects of the cathedral. I assume he was going to lead the afternoon tour. We were too early for the 2:00pm mini train tour of the town which sits outside the tourist shop (restrooms inside 1€) to the right of the cathedral so we wandered a bit and made our way back to the station just in time for the next hourly train back to Paris. This train was sparsely occupied and we enjoyed the quiet, restful ride back to the city. DS and I grabbed baguette sandwiches at Gare Montparnesse for a quick snack lunch at the hotel. Taxis were abundant to whisk us back to Petit Belloy and a rest before dinner.

After strolling for a while along the Blvd. Michel area to check out menus in order to decide what might hit the spot for dinner we found Brasserie Balzac on rue des Ecoles. As we stepped in out of the drizzle we found ourselves in the quintessential Paris brasserie not just in atmosphere and decor, but one offering a gracious service. We opted to return for our final farewell to Paris dinner there because we enjoyed it so much. With no reservation we were assured of a table if we could be out in an hour or so as this place was filling up quickly with mostly locals who had reserved. Bottom line, done and done. We each chose the boeuf bourguignon with its deep wine flavor, tender slices of carrots - simply delicious with the crunchy baguette to dunk in that yummy sauce. DS had it with noodles while I chose the buttery mashed potato. It was a perfect choice for another cold, rainy night. Passed on dessert this night after such a very filling meal. Alas, our umbrellas left at the hotel required a run-for-it over to rue Racine to tuck into our cozy

Oops, cut and paste didn’t include: rooms, lulled to sleep by the soothing sound of the rain outside our windows.

Day 5. Our second Monmartre Walkative! tour began at 10:30am at Metro Blanche across from Moulon Rouge where our guide awaited us under the token yellow umbrella. We were a group of a dozen, mainly American and a family of four from Portugal. Before we began the winding 2 hour trek up toward Sacre Coeur our guide took us over to view the entry foyer walls of Moulon Rouge where the original iconic Talouse-Lautrec murals remain.

As we walked up Blvd de Clichy we paused across the street from the building where Van Gogh lived for a time with his brother who owned the apartment. According to our guide the apartment remains family owned.

We continued to huff and puff our way up the winding lanes (or maybe that was just me). stopping as we reached many landmarks - the restaurant Le Petit Moulin - the stone wall with half man sculpture suspended - le Bateau Lavoir the studios where Picasso and Van Gogh painted - le Moulin Gallette Restaurant and the windmill behind it that ground the buckwheat. We were “treated” at this point to the grisly story behind the windmill, creeping us out. We stopped once more at tiny le Clos Monmartre, the last working vineyard in Paris. Thank goodness for those pauses. That steep cobblestone climb, colorful as it was, it was not for the faint hearted.

We halted once more in front of au Lapin Agile, to hear about the cabaret of the singing chaunteuses after which we quickly walked up and through Place de Terte. Just down a bit and around the corner sat the magnificent Sacre Coeur, our final destination. It’s always a thrill to come upon that breathtaking panoramic view over Paris. As usual, here were the massive crowds, hawkers selling tacky locks and the ever present shell game with the inevitable suckers willingly losing their cash.

Our tour complete, we thanked our terrific guide, picked our way through the crowd and down the steps holding our valuables close, headed to a taxi that would drop us for a late lunch at Bistro des Augustines on Quai des Grands Augustines. We sat outside in the nippy air, people watching and dove into our steaming delicious potato au grautin lunches.

A short walk later we were back on Blvd St. Michel where I stopped into the bookstore between Monoprix and rue Racine to check out the English book selection since I was running short of reading material. I found just the right book for only 2€ and then it was back to Petit Belloy where we could put up our weary climbing legs for the remainder of the afternoon. DS and I were struck by the impressive number of book stores and the many browsers in them we saw all over Paris and the pathetic lack of such in our great city of Chicago.

Since our lunch was a late one and substantial we strolled over to dinner at Creperie Bobo on Blvd St. Germain for chicken curry gallettes and a banana caramel crepe. It was the perfect light meal to end another fabulous Paris day.

Apologies for the repetition. More care needed as I cut and paste from word.
Help Fodor Editors!

Day 6 - Best laid plans was the theme of this day. DS’s case of sniffles had become a full blown cold and he was definitely under the weather. He tested negative so we decided to go ahead with our plan for Centre Pompidou (noon timed tickets in hand) leaving the remainder of the day free to rest. DS especially wanted to see the Basquiat exhibit currently at the museum.

As we arrived and walked around the corner to the front entrance we were horrified to see a hundred or more waiting in line with timed tickets, another huge crowd in yet another line waiting to buy tickets. There was no way I could stand in the spitting rain for however long it might have been and DS was in no condition for that either, let alone go into what would have been an uncomfortably crowded museum. Most of the museums have allowed us in ahead of any line when they see my cane and difficulty walking. However, not the Pompidou. I was asked if I had the French Disability Card(!), the only identification accepted there that would allow special entry. In short, we gave up and did some souvenir shopping across from the museum then Ubered back in the direction of the hotel.

Lunch was a very tasty pizza from Five Pizza Original on Blvd St. Michel. Leave it to the French to convert an ordinary, every day snack into a gourmet delight. This cheese pizza not only had the French version of mozzarella but with the addition of goat and gorgonzola it reached another level and was simply delicious.

As we came out from lunch I saw WOW Bubble Tea, a pretty pink fronted shop across the boulevard that I couldn’t resist. One lychee nut bubble tea later I was a happy camper.

After a trip to the pharmacy for cold meds for DS we spent the afternoon reading and resting with an early dinner reservation in place for Chez Fernand on rue Christine.

We had dinner at Chez Fernand last year when it was recommended highly by our hotel for the boeuf bourguignon and it proved to be very good, with tender chunks of beef in a deep wine sauce. This time, not so much. My portion of beef was so tough I couldn’t even cut it with a knife although DS’s portion was fine. Apparently mine had not been in the oven for nearly long enough. After calling the server over I was given another portion - disappointingly it was the same and I was not charged for this main. Baba au rum dessert was a nice finish to my vegetarian dinner of potato and carrots, with baguette soaked in that wonderful wine gravy.

So the day ended as it began with best laid plans theme securely in place. We were not daunted as we’ve traveled enough to know that flexibility, positivity are the order of the day. We soldier on!

Day 7 Today was the red letter day DS had been looking forward to for months. I had mentioned to him that one of the places I wanted to see during our Paris week when I was outlining our itinerary was the much lauded Foundation Louis Vuitton for its Frank Gehry architectural significance and whatever exhibit was on view. When I mentioned that the current exhibit we would see was a retrospective of Mark Rothko he jumped all over it, Rothko being one of his favorite artists.

With our 11:00 timed tickets in hand I had ordered on line a month earlier we caught the mini Vuitton bus (1€) from Place Charles DeGaulle to the Bois de Boulonge arriving just before 11:00. We entered through the doors dedicated to accommodating those needing assistance and were in this amazing building within a few minutes. There was a very short line on the main entrance but nothing like the nightmare at Centre Pompidou.

The exhibit was spaced out over the entire building spanning Rothko’s early representational art up to his final abstracts. DS was amazed at the size and scope of the exhibit and beyond excited to see so much of Rothko’s work compiled in one location. Christopher Rothko, Rothko’s son co-curated the exhibit, with his and his sister’s personal paintings hung as part of the exhibit.

Frank’s Restaurant in the main lobby of the building was the perfect bright and airy spot for lunch with its floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Park and school of fish sculptures soaring overhead. I couldn’t pass up having lunch here and DS kindly humored me. After a short wait we were seated and I chose the Compositions Garden, a grouping of small dishes served on a tray consisting of a mushroom veloute soup, butternut squash with a poached egg, lentils, panna cotta, along with a glass of champagne. DS’s appetite was nil due to his cold, so he passed on lunch, only having a soft drink.

At this point the crowds were pouring in as we left, happily we had timed our arrival early enough that we were able to enjoy the exhibit and wander the buildings decks and balconies in relative comfort.

Back on the standing room only Vuitton jitney bus to Place Charles DeGaulle where we caught an Uber back to the hotel for a brief rest before our afternoon Musee d’Art Moderne Paris late afternoon visit.

Christian Boltanski, another artist whose work DS greatly admires, was featured in an extensive multi room exhibit, a fun surprise we found during our visit to the Modern Art Museum of Paris. We walked through the galleries on the lower level and first floor in the pleasantly uncrowded museum viewing the extensive array. At this point we were museumed-out, I was starting to sniffle and sneeze, so back to the hotel we went.

Dinner this night was at Relais d’Entrecote on rue Saint-Benoit which never disappoints. We strolled down Blvd St. Germaine toward the restaurant then detoured over to Richart on rue Bonaparte for boxes of their beautiful chocolates to take home as gifts. We waited in line for over an hour which DS was not thrilled about since by the time we got to the restaurant the first wave of diners had only just been seated. It was painful but we stuck it out and finally it was our turn. Of course we enjoyed what has become one of my favorite reliably tasty, if quirky, places to eat over the course of many Paris trips. Love the simplicity of a meal there and that yummy steak sauce!

Another jam packed Paris day complete, we settled in to our rooms to wake up to our final day in Paris, me sniffling, DS much better.