I would still go for it the seats are under roof there is 8 stops on the route you can get on and off when you want over the period of the pass there is a ticket office at every stop we found it to be a great way of getting around we were at all the stops a few times each, on the last afternoon are legs were weary so we had our lunch on the boat and went from the eiffel tower back to eiffel tower without gettng off took about 40mins we got one last look at everything along the river and gave our legs a rest it was 13 euros each for 2 day pass or if you want longer it was 16 euros for 5 day pass the website was excellent for researching each stop before you go http://www.batobus.com

Thanks for that link Louise, I'll have a look at home later as I really should be working now!
I've just booked our flights -2 for £71, what a bargain

It's quite a few years since we were there, but I think we got the metro pass at the station. You get different ones for different zones. I think we got one for Zone 3 as we wanted to go to Versailles, but we would probably have been better off just getting a Zone 2 one and paying to go to Versailles on the day.

You can also get a book of 10 tickets which is cheaper than paying each journey.

Another benefit of the museum pass is that you can go straight to the front of the queue without standing in line.

luci

When we were in Barcelona some of the museums where closed on the Monday, does anyone know if this is the case with Paris?
We'll be there Sat - Tues so if they will be shut on Monday we'll probably head out to a couple when we arrive on Saturday and do other things like Eiffel and Arc on the Monday.

Cheers!

puddleduck2 i noticed when i was on the batobus site that it gives you the opening times of some of the attractions and i remember thinking we had picked a good time to go (we went wed-fri) as some things were shut sat-mon also i noticed as we were leaving on the fri evening central paris got a lot busier so i think we made a good decision to go in the week for example the que for eiffel tower on fri aft was massive compared to thurs when we went we didnt que at all check out the batobus site i gave you in an earlier post very good for research before you go

Argh! My head is done in! The more I look, the more I'm confused about which area we should stay in.

We are only there for 3 nights so want to make the most of it. Our main wish list is the Louve, Notre Dame, going up the Eiffel Tower (weather permitting) and having a look around Monmarte so ideally want somewhere with convenient links around the city.

Are there any 'unsafe' areas or areas to avoid staying in?
How easy is the metro/bus to navigate if you don't speak the language?

I'm now going away to lie down in a darkened room...!!!

puddleduck2 we booked via easyjet for hotel as well check it out even if you dont book with them i found it very useful you can choose where you want to be near to we chose eiffel tower you get a list of hotels and it shows the distance we chose ours it was 15 mins walk from the tower not too close to cost a fortune but near enough to walk, the staff on the metro understood us quite easily when we got tickets, and our hotel confirmation gave instructions on which line to take and the stop to get off

Puddleduck,

we go to Paris every year for long weekends. The Metro is so easy to use. If you plan on using it buy a Carnet(10 tickets at discounted prices - good on the Metro, buses and trains)

Doesn't matter that you can't speak much French.

Everywhere in Paris is close using the Metro, and as for feeling safe just do as you do at home.

We will go anywhere if we feel comfortable with the area.

Use the tourist menus, and make sure you go to the Latin quarter across the river from Notre Dame,where every taste is catered for, and you will be ok

And don't forget that in France especially, if you at least make the effort to try their language, the French will appreciate it and reciprocate

have a fantastic time, Paris is a fantastic city, and other questions I can help with please don't hesitate to ask. I LOVE PARIS!!! Sorry to shout.

ps please ignore any spelling errors- had a bit too much lemonade tonight.

Bill

Thanks Bill - I think I was suffering from information overload!!
From the reading I've done I now see that Paris is very much like Barcelona in that (as you say) as long as you are near a metro you can get around just fine.

As per usually the hubby is leaving it all to me and I think I've decided that staying in area 1 would be best for us for a first time visit. We land at CDG at 10.30am and by staying there we can unpack, grab lunch and take a trip to the Louve on our first afternoon.

I've had the Flor Rivoli recommended to me but I notice that some people on Trip Advisor are quite vocal about not eating breakfast in your hotel and say it's a waste of money (6E pp) when you can eat in local bakeries far cheaper. I can't help thinking that in the chill of November, I'd rather eat in the hotel. It's not really pavement cafe weather then is it?

I did ask but no-one has replied yet so maybe you can help - do you know if some of the museums are shut on Mondays?

Thanks

Puddleduck,

if you visit this website you can find out all you need to know about museums.

http://www.parisinsites.com/museums.html

also if you don't want to spend the best part of £40 on a taxi from the airport, use the Air France coach. It stops at two points in Paris,and cost about 10 euros. There is a kiosk by the signposted stop.

if I can help anymore let me know

Bill

HI. Looking for some advice. My husband and I have booked a weekend away at the end of september. Flying with Ryanair from Glasgow (Prestwick) to Paris (Beauvais airport). Has anyone flown into this airport? I understand that Ryanair do a transfer bus from the airport into Paris City Centre which drops of at the Porte Maillot area. Does anyone have any info on this area. Would it be a good place for us to find a hotel in i.e. is it handy for doing "touristy" sightseeing around Paris.

Have never been to Paris before so any information/advice much appreciated.

Thanks

Skyegal,

you can go to

http://www.parisinfo.com.

choose the english version and browse for Paris Information

I am sure we stayed at a hotel in the Port Maillot area quite a few years ago. Wasn't that great for evenings(most places shut on a Sunday evening including restaurants)

Things may have changed, and I am sure someone who has stayed in that area more recently can inform you better. I will look up the phots etc from our stay there and if I find out moree I will post

Although as said before the metro makes life easy for getting around. Or you can even walk as we do a lot to soak up the Paris atmosphere. While you walk you can discover restaurants in some areas on corners of back streets. We tend to go for the "tourist" menus as they are quite good value and certainly you get some good choices.

Bill

Thanks Bill. Will have a good look through that site and see what is doing.
Really looking forward to our weekend away - will be happy once I have accommodation booked.

I am a bit of a worrier and will probably convince myself that we will get lost or something

Thanks for that museum site Bill, it's really useful. I can print off the info before we go.

You're right, I don't particulalry want to get a taxi, we'll got go for the coach or train. Once I've booked a hotel I'll see which will work best for us.

Louise, Bill et al

A quick question on breakfast. I'm not a huge fan of pastries so I'm thinking about ditching the bread, OJ and crossiants our hotel offers and going RO and eating out for brekkie.
What alternatives are there in Paris? I'm not asking for a fry up but from your experience do they have cafes that would serve something other than a continental breakfast?

Thanks.

Hi puddleduck2 we did mcdonalds on the champs elysee for breki cheap and varied i had pastry and cappacino everymorn hubi had latte and bacon n egg muffin same price as here about £2 cafe next door was £10 for same thing we still sat on the pavement enjoying the view of the arc de triomphe same as the expensive cafe patrons were doing

Thanks Louise.

If we can pay on a daily basis we might do it the first day in the hotel and then take it from there. I'm not a MacD's fan really either but we are only there for 3 breakfasts so I could do one morning. It makes me sound fussy I know and I'm not really!!
To be honest if I thought the hotel would let us, I'd be taking our bran flakes/porridge and asking them to provide us with some milk!

puddleduck2 take cereal bars then buy a cheap coffee at mcd's and enjoy the view

Hi all,
We have booked flights in October from East mids to CDG for £67 for the 2 of us. We are in Paris for 2 nights. Our flight arrival is 7.25 pm and or departure is 10 am.
Now because of the short time we are there we were wondering if anyone could tell us of a cheap centre hotel and the cheapest way to get there and back from the airport.
I know i'm asking for cheap but its only a whistle stop visi and it is October and when we return it will be only about 8wks till christmas, thanks