Paris - End of August

Loobz

Providing I get the all clear at work to take holidays, Im thinking of going to Paris with my girlfriend.

I was there years ago on a school tour.
So, whats it like?
Are the shops cheaper than Dublin for instance?
Is there anything we should be aware of while over there (good or bad)?

We are thinking of going for 5 days.

drane2

August is usually the best time to see Paris cos all the Parisians head down south for their holidays so the city is mad empty. However it is extremely hot, so it's a bitof a tradeoff. I'd advise not using the metro and trying to use buses or walk around instead (Paris is a very walkable city in my experience). I think the queues for all the major attractions are shorter during August aswell.

I generally found shops to be a bit cheaper over there and the range of goods they stocked was far superior to anything in Dublin. I got the Time Out guide to Paris and that lists quite a few places to go shopping. If you want to go one of the largest shopping centres in Europe, get the metro to La Defense, (worth it alone for the Grande Arche) and there'sa shopping centre there called Les Quatres Peints (I think).

Eating out is about the same as Dublin. I tended to find the food was well priced but drinks will bring the bill up. A pint will set you back about the same as in Dublin these days, possibly more. A cup of coffee will also be the same, unless you go somehwere like McDonalds.

Can't think of anything that's on at the end of August.

I recommend the following
- climb Eiffel Tower (duh!)
- check oiut the area around Chatelet-Les-Halles metro station (it's called Saint Michel)
- If you can try and arrange it, arrange so you're there during the first Sunday of a month, cos all the major museums are free during that period. Skip the Louvre though and head straight for Musee D'Orsay
- Go to Versailles, small bit out of the way but well worth it
- eat in the Quartier Latin. It's the best value place to eat out
- walk / take the bus as much as possible, it's the only way you'll properly see the city.

Ponster

Personally I find Paris to be cheaper than Dublin but that's probably always the case for someone living in a city.

A pint in an Irish bar will set you back about 4€50 during happy hour and 5€50 from 8/9 onwards in all the Irish bars. French bars are cheaper though where you’ll pay about 4€ all day (cafés close at about 6/7, bars at 2am but there’s always a 24/7 place somwhere if needed).


Eating can be done really cheaply and the Quartier Latin is pretty cheap but probably not what you’d call ‘haute cuisine’


In a lot of places main corses are smaller than in Ireland. French people will most likely go for a 3-course meal rather than just a main course.
So don’t be surprised to find a steak & chips for 10€ and also find a ‘formula’ offering you 3 courses for the same 10€

Loobz

Thanks Drane2 and Ponster. You have been most helpful.

I have been approved 9 days holidays from work. Flights seem cheap with Ryanair - 130 return per person.

We just want to have a good time over there. We also want to shop. Im a bit of a gatget person - what is it like there for electrical goods?

We are thinking of accomodation.
We seem to have two choices:

1) Hostel
2) Hotel

I dont want my gear stolen so a hostel may be a bit dodgy.
A hotel will cost a fortune (i think).

Any suggestions for reasonable accomodation for 5 - 6 days?

Ponster

A 1-star or a small 2-star in the centre of town will set you back about 55€ per night for the room. In France you pay per room and not per person.

On the edge of the city, but still on a metro line (i.e. 20minutes away from the town centre) hotels will cost about 45€ for a room.

I've never stayed in a hostel in Paris but there's a very nice one about 10 minutes from where I live that's pretty good and I'm sure that most have private rooms (o just like a hotel) incase you're wondering about having things stolen. A private room will set you back about 60€ for both of you per night but you can hotels for the same price as this.


No idea about how much electronic good cost as I get what I want via the web where I almost always find a cheaper deal than the highstreet.

www.surcouf.com is the address of the biggest computer superstore in the city.

Check out www.fnac.fr and www.darty.fr for the chain stores (like Darty is like Dixons and Fnac is more upmarket, but a little pricey).

Beruthiel

as everyone else has said, the place to eat out is the Quartier Latin/Left Bank
also,
if you wish to picnic in a park or by the river sceine, then head down any side street where you can tell the locals live, their delicatessens are simply the best, fantastic range of products and the guy will also sell wines which he will recommend to you depending on what you just bought.
I always find it annoying the way people come back from Paris saying it was expensive. Go down side street and the prices drop dramatically, always better value than anywhere in Dublin

The_Conductor

Buy a 5 zone Paris-visite at the airport, they are available in 3/5/7 day tickets.
It means all the undergrounds are covered, along with your transport to and from the airport and also gives you discounts into a number of museums and other public places. It works out as probably the most economic way of getting around.

Strongly recommend taking the Metro to Sveres Babylon and heading in the direction of Trocadero by foot. Printemp Food emporium is on your left- and via a footbridge their main Paris department store. Upstairs is a fairly reasonably priced restraunt.

Visiting the Eiffel tower- get there really early (9AM) and don't be afraid to give the Japanese tourists good digs with your elbows to make them keep inline (quite strangely they seem to think its a national pasttime to both skip the queue and then fight to keep their skipped places- maybe their underground in Japan prepares them for this?)

Louvre- don't bother getting tickets, its free into the main concourse- which is almost 3/4 mile long and includes many famous works.

Have to recommend visiting that railway station across the river that was converted into a museum- can't think of the name offhand.

If you head in the wrong direction and end up in weird subburbs that you don't recognise (e.g. Bibliotheq Francois Mitterand etc) DO NOT LEAVE THE TRAIN STATION- the odd burning car down the street should be a give away though!

I love Paris!

Shane

Ponster

Originally posted by Beruthiel
I always find it annoying the way people come back from Paris saying it was expensive. Go down side street and the prices drop dramatically, always better value than anywhere in Dublin

Yep, doesn't get much truer than that
And remember that it's legal to drink in public (i.e. sitting by the river/in a park having a few beers/bottle of wine). Wearing a soccer strip and walking around with a flagon of cider will only get you noticed by the cops.

Originally posted by smccarrick
Have to recommend visiting that railway station across the river that was converted into a museum- can't think of the name offhand.

Musee d'orsay. Well worth the visit even if you're not a 'museum person'

Loobz

Thanks again people. Things are looking good. Im booking tickets at the weekend.

I am having trouble finding a map online with all of the above attractions on it. If anyone can point me in the right direction, please link it. There are a few books at home somewhere.

Monday to saturday hould be plenty of time. Is there anything worth seeing in or near Paris that might take the full day to do? Im sure we could see many things in a day but is there anything that would talk a full day?

Bri

I'm travelling across to Paris next week from Germany...so stole a few of those tips there thanks!

Wondering if I'm staying for 3 weeks is there anything that's a worthwhile full day trip?
Is Disneyland do-able on the cheap?
Has anyone travelled to Normandy with an interest in D-Day stuff, etc.

Thanks!

Loobz

Hey - the only thing we are worried about is accomodation. We are a couple and basically need privacy and security (no gear robbed from backpackers).

Can someone suggest a place to stay. We would like to stay in the same place for about 5 days, just so we wont be lugging our stuff around from place to place.

Thanks ; )

Mutz

Hey Loobz - I went January Last Year and stayed in Hotel De France Invalides. It was €80 a night (dunno what your price range is) but IMO it was worth it - nice staff, nice room (basic but had everything that we needed) and easily booked by email.

look at www.parishotels.com

Loobz

Cheers Mutz.

Has anyone ever had experience with Formule1 Hotels ?

They seem reasonable and looks like what we are looking - basically a secure bedroom with a bed.

Let me know what these hotels are like please.

drane2

I would avoid Formule 1 Hotels. They're grand and cheap, but the ones in Paris I think are located a good bit out from the centre and there's communal showers and toilets, so it's kind of like one tiny step up from a hostel.

Loobz

Nice one drane2. Wil avoid at all costs. I dont wanna be a cheapskate but I want to spend my money on other stuff. All we want is a roof over our heads with some security. A shower would be nice also lol

Can someone advise a place to stay in the 40-50 yo yo mark?

drane2

Is that 50 yo-yo each?

Anyway, there's a chain called villages hotel (www.villages-hotel.com) which are quite good. The one in Paris though is a fair bit out (20 minutes by metro) to the centre, but they are cheap and clean and do come with private bathroom. It's 45 euro a night per double room (it's Paris Porte De La Villette)

Apart from that the only hotel I've stayed in Paris is Carladez Cambronne, which is about 80 euro for a double room per night. It's a very nice hotel, located in a really nice area that's pretty central (10 minutes walk from the eiffel tower). Just do a google search for Carladez Cambronne and the first page is full of results for that hotel.

Ponster

Originally posted by Loobz
Can someone advise a place to stay in the 40-50 yo yo mark?

Depends on if that is per person or not.


60€ should get you a bed in a 2-star hotel in the town centre.
That's 30€ each.

These hotels are very easy to find all over the web.

If you really want a specific hotel I can have a look later on this evening for a good one....

Loobz

60 euro for two seems good. I am having difficulty locating one on the web for that price. I would appreciate if I could get helf finding one for this price. Thanks people.

Moonbeam

Visit Nore Dame its amazing!
I was totally unimpressed with the eiffel tour when I saw it I thought it looked like a big rusty tin can so dont get ur hopes up!!
Though I was there durin chinese new year and it was all lit up and amazingly looking at night especially when it was snowing:)
I'd recommend the red bus tours think it was 25 euro for a 2 day bus ticket and u can hop on and off as u like and it brings you to all the main sites.
The metro is amazing there too and if like me u have an amazing ability to get lost u are always within 1/2 mile of a metro station in the city:)
It also gives u the freedom to wander with out worryin about straying off too far

I stayed in the 3 ducks hostel it is about 15 minutes from the eiffel tower was nice friendly ,clean had english speaking staff and think it cost me bout 20euros a night.

Von

I've stayed in Hotel Tolbiac in the 13th between Bercy and the latin quarter. 38 euros for a double with sink, shower, toilet, telly. I'll be there for August. It's an Asian area with lots of good restaurants. Sinorama next door to the hotel is dead cheap. Passage Brady in the 10th also has a string of good and cheap Indian restaurants.

http://www.hotel-tolbiac.com/us/index.html

DawnMc

Hey,
I went to Paris last September and made it around very cheaply. A very good hotel is Hotel Des argonouts(can't spell properly) It's located in the Latin Quater. It's a really cheap, clean and nice hotel which is so centrally located, the price is unheard of in those parts for a hotel! The Latin Quater is Paris's student district and the Metro is two seconds away. The street the hotel is on is adjacent to a huge shopping district. Also, try flying aer lingus, we got the flights for e144 return

Ponster

Les Argonautes

Personally speaking I've been taking Ryanair for the past 5 years to travel back to Ireland but after countless trips on that bus to and from Beauvais I've decided that it's better to pay the extra 30€ and go with aer lingus. If you can get a flight for 15€ return with Ryanair then go for it, but if you're playing 60/70 and it's the late flight coming into Beauvais it means that you won't get into the city until 11:30.

Try this site......

http://www.venere.com/

Switch it to English and you can find hotels classed by price and area...