Itinerary Help

Hi

I am in Paris for 2 full days and 1 part day in July, and was wondering if I could get some feedback from you experts on the itinerary I have planned:

Sat -

Arrive CDG 2pm

Musee de l%26#39;Orangerie (closes 7pm)

Eiffel Tower

Sun -

Mussee D%26#39;Orsay (this is museum free-day, but it%26#39;s the only way I can realistically fit it in, I will just have to line up early and make a dash for the secret escalator at the back)

Notre Dame

Mon -

Louvre

Rue Cler market (have heard one bad review but it%26#39;s only about 200 metres from my hotel so I may as well)

Arc De Triomphe

Does anyone know of any good cheap eateries in the 7e or close by? I%26#39;ll eat street vendor food during the day, but at night I may like to eat a little fancier...although I%26#39;ll be by myself so I don%26#39;t know how I%26#39;ll be with the %26#39;eating alone in a restaurant%26#39; thing yet, I%26#39;ve never done it before...

Do you think I%26#39;ll need a travel pass? I%26#39;m pretty fit, so I%26#39;m planning on walking to most of the places, I might need to resort to the metro just for the Notre Dame and Arc De Triomphe?

Thanks for your feedback in advance

Shelley :)

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Hi Shelley, your itinerary looks good, very workable and not too much at all in the time you have allocated. IMHO I do not think that you would need a travel pass. If you do get tired and want to take the metro back at the end of the day, just buy a single ticket. In the time you are there, you probably would not utilise a whole %26#39;carnet%26#39;.

The best way to see Paris is on foot.

As for eateries, we all seem to worry about where, when and how but mostly we just fall upon them in our travels and are certainly not disappointed, especially in Paris.

Personally I do not have any experience of restaurants in the 7th, so would prefer not to offer any solutions. There are many other posters with excellent experience in this area.

A personal favourite, in the 6th not far from the banks of the Seine and certainly walkable from the 7th is as follows:

http://www.zekitchengalerie.fr/

Happy travels.

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Thanks Blossom, you%26#39;re right about the restaurant thing, I%26#39;ve only ever ended up at one or two bad places - I was hoping (dreaming) that just around the corner from my hotel there might be a perfect little restaurant with amazing set menus for 10 Euros or something!

Dreaming on.....

Shelley :)

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Hi Shelley! I agree, the itinerary doesn%26#39;t try to stuff too much into too short a period of time.

Also, agree that a %26quot;carnet%26quot; of 10 Metro tickets is more than enough to get you anywhere you want for at least 2, maybe 3 days considering all the walking you%26#39;ll do (if for nothing else, than to drink in the view that surrounds you!).

%26quot;Rue Cler%26quot; gets a bad name because of it%26#39;s association with the Rick Steve%26#39;s guidebooks and the Americans that follow in his wake. If you got a good deal on your hotel, great! The Rue Cler/7th district is very central to anywhere in Paris via the Ecole Militaire Metro stop. There are a LOT of specialty shops on Rue Cler that do actually serve a local clientele, the quality is high, and in this way is perfectly Parisian!

Best budget eaterie - Cafe du Marche - not exactly $10E per dinner, but good, staple French fare w/out too much %26quot;embellishment%26quot;. Good crowd thoughout the evening (although Rue Cler gets criticized for being quiet). I%26#39;m told they also own/operate the next-door Tribeca, which has rec%26#39;d good reviews on this board. Dinner for $10E might be a little lite in this neighborhood.

As for eating alone, do you speak any French? Either way, look for a crowded place, try to find a seat, and I%26#39;ve found that if you eat alone, at least one of the tables around you will attempt to solicit some sort of coversation - ask them what they%26#39;ve ordered? Do they come here often? What do they recommend (short of organs)? You typically do fine if you understand a little French, even if not, any pidgen French will usuall prompt nods/smiles from most French

You WILL see a lot of Americans in Rue Cler, but they are the supposedly %26quot;good%26quot; Americans, yes, there%26#39;s plenty of French too, but the rest of the city is easily accessible to at least midnight via the Ecole Militaire stop. And like most of Paris, the neighborhood is particularly safe for solo women travelers.

Have a safe and lovely trip!

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You guys are awesome, thanks for the great advice! :)

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Removed on: 8:20 am, August 30, 2009

13 th arrondissmont? Type of area/.

Well , heres a sticky spot I %26#39;m in,, I mentioned to a friend at work that I hoped to go to Paris this August,, she begged to come with me.. Shes never been, and really had no one to go with as she is a single lady over 50, never married, who lives with and supports her mom( her mom doesn%26#39;t speak english) .

Anyways, my friends dream is to go to Paris,, but, she wants to do it very very cheap( she promised to take her mom %26quot; home%26quot; to Hong Kong to see a grandchild next year, so she must save her money)

Point is, she says she has a %26quot; friend%26quot; who lives in the 13th( she gave me that address to look up, which I did, Rue Glaciere, 75013) and she want to write to this friend to see if we can stay free with her!!!!!!!!!

I don%26#39;t want to sleep on someones couch, I can afford a hotel. I actually have relatives I could sponge off if I wanted to, but, I LIKE having a hotel!

I also don%26#39;t think I like the area this apartment is in, I may be wrong, but it seems less then desirable as a tourist accomadation area? Am I wrong?

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Hi Joan

It may depend where on rue de la Glaciere her friend lives as it is quite a long street. Early numbers are near the Val de Grace hospital which is the area where Raphy lives and she has said it is a nice area.

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Oh thanks Faux, she does live near that area I believe( the hospital) as I used Mappy to show me on the map where the address was, and the hospital was nearby. She is in the %26quot; 40%26#39;s.

If Raphy lives in that area I am sure it is fine,, but still, does not solve my socail dilema. Travelling on my own is best for me I think , I am quite selfish of my time in Paris!

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Well,goodness if she can pay to fly with you, she can make it on her own as well. Espec. knowing she already has someone there. I suppose the friend might not be able to escort her around Paris every day... she can take organized tours and walks in that case.

If you are not the gregarious type and aren%26#39;t accustomed to traveling with others, espec. someone you don%26#39;t know well, then do not do it. It isn%26#39;t being selfish, it%26#39;s being wise.

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I agree with most of what you say travelnutty, but, I am very gregarious,, it is a big part of my job. I can pretty well chat with anyone,, I just really am selfish,, I want to do , what I want to do!! LOL I hate shopping, I love museams,, etc, I have a busy life, job, three kids, etc, so I really treasure %26quot;alone time%26quot; , but, I guess , it is nice to have someone you know join you for dinner and discuss the day.

I am going to chat more with her tomorrow to see if she is fully aware of the money involved in such a trip.

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Hi Joan

If your friend does stay with her friend and you decide to stay nearby in a hotel, one possible hotel where you could easily meet up with your friend is the Residence des Gobelins. It is close to the southern end of rues Mouffetard and Monge and only 600m walk from No 40 rue de la Glaciere according to via michelin. Rue des Gobelins is a pretty little street and the rest of the walk is along Bd Arago to rue de la Glaciere so it should %26quot;feel%26quot; safe for either one of you walking home when you part at night if she does stay with her friend.

http://www.hotelgobelins.com/frame.html

Another possibility but 900 m away is the Vert Galant. It is opposite an entry to a lovely park called Square Rene le Galle and via michelin suggests walking south to Bd Auguste Blanqui and then to the north along rue de la Glaciere (using No 40 as the destination). I walked past this hotel too and the internal garden could be seen from the entrance and looked as nice as on the website. I personally prefer the location of the other one and it is also near another entrance to Sq Rene le Galle

http://www.vertgalant.com/index_uk.html

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joan1 - there are SO many lovely things to see in the 13th !!!

First of all the village

** Butte aux Cailles

which is like a doll%26#39;s size Montmartre only without the souvenirshops and without the tourists.

Then a little to the west Rue Daviel with the

** Petite Alsace

and on the other side of the road

**Villa Daviel

Due south to paradise forgotten, just behind Place de Rungis/Rue Savarin

**Cité Florale

And since you have come this far south - pop over to Parc de Montsouris in the 14th, follow its western edge along Rue Emile Deutsch and visit yet another forgotten paradise

**Square de Montsouris

Then retrace your steps through the park into the 13th again, head north-east to Place de l%26#39;Abbé Henocque and another forgotten paradise with small houses with the strangest roofs

**Rue Dieulafoy

Walk north up Rue des Peupliers and visit

**Square des Peupliers

Trust me, you will phone your bankadvisor instantly begging her to lend you 5 mill. $ so you can buy a house in any of these seceret places.

You are in for a walk through Alladin%26#39;s cave, trust me !!

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Wow, Gitte, I am going to have print your post out, I have never heard of any of these spots,, see, I know you travel alone also, so you have learned many secret spots that if one was with a group ,, one might miss! Thanks.

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Faux,. thank you for the hotel recommendations, I will look these up, it may be an option for my friend to spend time with her friends( and save money) and yet still be able to have me near by , to meet for evenings or meals and an occasional day trip( I would take her to Versailles for instance)

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joan1 - your%26#39;e welcome. I am sending you a private message.

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Joan you will love Commerical Place d%26#39; italie and all the cinamas and the restos that are so great! I love 13 e! Great Chinese food!

Have fun and do stay by yourself so you can do exactly what you want to do! I do that and I love my time to do what ever I please when ever I please!

When I ever talked about going I always have a few people want to go with me but then they don%26#39;t realize the expense and they are not into museums or art. I usually just say I enjoy to travel alone but if they want to share a room or apt. fine but we would be going our own ways during the day time unless we planned particular things to do together.

Call it selfish but it is you time and your money.. spend it the way you want it!

CoN ArTiStS in Paris!!

This may be well known, however i thought it would be informative to highlight this!

There are many male conmen in Paris using the same method-

They will give a member of your party an item, you will feel amazed at their generousity, HOWEVER- they then approach a different member of the party and expect them to pay and refuse to accept the item back!!!

EGs- i was approached by two coloured nigerian males in the dodgy area of Montematre. they were charming and made me and my boyfriend lucky braided bracelets, they then distracted me, while asking my worried boyfriend for $70!! (about £50!).

I was approached by a young male who gave me a rose under the eiffel tower, he then secretly asked my boyfriend for the $7 (only about £5) BUT STILL SCAMS. I overheard, and so refused the rose (which he wouldn%26#39;t accept back, as he had made a %26#39;sale%26#39;) so i gave it him and walked off.

BE CAREFUL!

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No stranger will every give you something for nothing. When you are approached, it is not your lucky day and you are not getting something for free. It%26#39;s not a scam, it%26#39;s just very pushy tactics. Just walk away. If you look open to them, they will definitely approach. If you accept their wares, they will definitely want money.

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%26quot; They will give a member of your party an item, you will feel amazed at their generousity, %26quot;

I think this may be the problem...as much as we%26#39;d all like to believe in our fellow man...is anyone really going to come up to you and give you free things on the street? Anywhere?

Rather than being amazed at their generosity, I would definitely have my radar up if anyone approached me in a foreign city with any kind of %26quot;gift%26quot;.

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Yeh don%26#39;t get me wrong, it was VERY naive of me!! however, i wouldn%26#39;t of minded paying for the bracelet at all, it was really nice. But they scared us by how much they were asking for!! We felt very threatened! :( we dreaded the consquences if we didn%26#39;t hand over the money... x

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Just keep in mind, they are there illegally....mention %26quot;la police%26quot; and they will go find someone else to sell to.

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There%26#39;s a very similar scam I%26#39;ve had tried on my on several different trips. A young woman will approach (always speaking English, so clear targeting tourists) claiming that she %26quot;found%26quot; a %26quot;gold%26quot; ring and can%26#39;t keep it because of her religion. She obviously wants money for it, although I%26#39;ve never listened to the whole scam. She approached me twice in as many days, so the second day I expressed (loudly) my amazement that she was so lucky as to find a SECOND ring so soon -- she took off, of course.

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Okay...the first time one of these scam artists approaches a stranger on the street and lays hands on an unsuspecting %26#39;..mark..%26#39; or %26#39;..forces..%26#39; someting onto them that may be being %26#39;..conned..%26#39; or %26#39;..scammed..%26#39; But the second time it happens to the same person......well, the %26#39;..conned..%26#39; begins to take on a decided shade of %26#39;..stupid..%26#39;. One of the invariable and most oft repeated bits of parental advice, common the world over, is %26#39;..don%26#39;t take treats from strangers..%26#39;.

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This type of thing happens all over the place. Similar people have approached me in Avignon, Ste. Marie de la Mer, Nice, etc.

If anyone you do not know approaches you, move on. Any genuine greeting / question will be obvious. These people stand out, literally.

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Removed on: 7:18 am, September 01, 2009

Room for 4?

My husband and two girls will be visiting Paris in two weeks. I noted that the tour operators offer rooms for two, and in some cases, for three persons. Does you know any hotel have sufficient room spaces and large bed to accomodate 4?

In the other hands, which is the dress code for the Eifell Restaurant and Sena Cruise dinner, and Lido Show?

Your help will be very appretiate.

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Try to get two communicating rooms or a suite.

Rooms for 4 are very rare and very tight. One of the few good ones is at Hotel des Bains on rue Delambre and always booked.

Dress nicely for the places you have in mind. Nothing fancy but nice.

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Removed on: 10:19 am, August 31, 2009

Arles-Lake como -will this work? Opinions please.

Okay this is what I%26#39;m thinking. Please tell me if any aspects of this plan won%26#39;t work/ are not practical, especially whether we will be able to pick up and drop off the hire car in the places I%26#39;ve mentioned.

1. After spending 6 days in Paris, catch the train down to Arles. Stay overnight and hire car.

2. Spend all of next day exploring the area from Arles to Nice, then spend next two nights in Eze. Use these 2 days to explore area around Nice and Monaco.

3. Drive to Milan and drop car off. Catch train to Lake Como for our next two nights accommodation. OR drive all the way to Lake Como and drop car off there. We%26#39;re not really worried about going to Milan but seems to be on the route to Lake Como.

After Lake Como we will be travelling by train on to Venice(2 nights), then train to Florence (4 days and where we may also hire a car for a couple of days to explore surrounding areas), then train to Sorrento for 5 days and train back to Rome for the final 5 days.

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Hi Perthmum

Sounds like a busy, but very interesting tour you%26#39;ve got planned! It seems like it should be possible to me.

To help you find the best value car hire for your trip, may i recommend you copy and paste the following link into your browser:

https:/…

Also, add it to your favourites, as wherever and whenever you are travelling, it searches all the usual car hire companies available at the location, and gives you a better rate!

T

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Perthmum

Please check the drop-off charges for picking a car up in France and leaving it in Italy. They can be very expensive as at some point the car needs to get back to France. You might want to look at dropping the car in Nice.

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Removed on: 9:15 pm, August 31, 2009

Cocktails?!

Salut!

Do anyone of you know some cool, not too pricy, store where you can buy diffrent equipment for cocktails like shakers, bar spoons etc?

Thanx in advance!

Emma

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Resonances is a good place to start.

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Hi Emma

Have you looked at ebay, loads of good value cocktail stuff...

;-)

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Thanx Phread!

When it comes to e-bay it seest to exist some month ago in sweden, we have anoter thing Tradera, that works some how with e-bay but I looked and they only had bad platic stuff (and in total only 8 shakers), small market here. And from other countries it gets expensive to ship for a private person, but i did actually think of Amazone cause they ship rather cheap from the US. But now also I would like to buy it in Paris for other reasons, thats why I wrote cool, id like to buy something diffrent so not any of the big brandnames that I can aswell by in sweden, so maybe something a bt designed or so=)

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Hmmmm..... design but not too price is something of an oxymoron. You could try Habitat, but they may have that in Sweden. Actually for cheap stuff that has high design, IKEA is THE place to go, even in Paris. Sorry about that.

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I agree on IKEA, except when it comes to kitcen stuff, its all big with really bad design, went to IKEA 2 days ago and looked at shakers, it was then and there I decided to buy in paris instead=)

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Removed on: 1:27 am, September 01, 2009

Parking in Paris, is 24 euros a day good?

Hello, hubby and his friend( who lives in UK) will be visiting Paris this June. They plan on driving over to Calais,, then onto Paris. After a few days in Paris , hubbys friend is travelling on to visit friends in Belguim .

Question is,, the hotel where I have them booked said there is parking near by ( Hotel Des Mines on Boulevard St Michel just past Luxembourg gardens) for 24 euros a day. Since they have no intention of using car in Paris, I was wondering, is there somewhere else they could park ,, nearer the perimeter ,, for less money, and just take the metro into city?

Thanks

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€ 24 per 24 hours is not uncommon. Go to www.vincipark.com - there you can find all the parkings of this company, the prices vary. Their parking %26quot;Pasteur-Montparnasse%26quot; in the 15th arrondissement is cheaper (€ 17). In the 13 th, they have a parking %26quot;Vincent Auriol%26quot; that has a three-day offer for € 28, and %26quot;Porte d%26#39;Italie%26quot; for € 10 per 24 hrs.

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That is a pretty good price for 24 hours. We found a hotel (Bestwestern) in the 13 e that charged us 16 euros per day last year. It may have gone up but you had to stay there.

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Parking Le Chateau at St Germain en Laye -EUR 10 per day through vincipark.com. RER line A (right next door to parking ) direct to central Paris less than EUR4 per person. We used this in December and it worked like a dream.

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Hello Joan,

I´m an expert about finding a hotel with moderately priced parking because we will drive from Prague in September for 7 nights and didn´t want to pay 24 E or more/day! So I searched and searched and ... searched for a nice hotel within walking distance from that kind of underground garage and I finally decided to book a hotel in 12e with parking 96 Boulevard de Picpus 37 euros per 3

days +12 euros per extra day.

Hope that helps.

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Removed on: 3:18 pm, August 31, 2009