Hi Everyone,
We are traveling to Paris in July and need some help. First the name of a great hotel in the 300-450 per night range (dollars)
centrally located to all the sights. 2nd, we will be there for 10 days. Is that too many days? How about day trips? Any recommendations? Also, any great city tours that you all would recommend. Are we too far from say London, Rome?
This is our first time in Europe and we are CLUELESS. Please help!! THANKS!!
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First of all, yes, 10 days in July is a long time in Paris unless you love being surrounded by nothing but tourist.
Now as far as a very nice hotel in the 300 to 450 USD range, I have to point you in the direction of a new hotel we discovered in December. The Esprit Saint-Germain opened in August of last year and is one of the premiere botique hotels in Paris. It quality matches that of the Ritz, but is very personal. The hotel is located in the 6th near Saint Sulpice. You couldn%26#39;t ask for a better place to spend a few days in Paris. Their web page is still not complete, but you can check it out at http://www.espritsaintgermain.com and send them an email.
You should be able to book their superior double in July for 290 euros a night (223 USD + tax).
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I think that ten days is a great amount of time to really get to know the city and Paris has so much to offer that you are sure to find plenty of things to keep you intrigued.
As for being surrounded by tourists, it is merely a question of taking a left turn instead of a right turn and getting off the beaten path.
I think for day trips you may want to limit yourself to places near France. You could go to just about any other European city, as many capitals are 2-3 hours away by train or air, but then you wouldn%26#39;t really have enough time to get to know either place very well.
Some side trips that are easy include Reims and the champagne region. The Loire Valley chateaux, Chantilly and Senlis, Chartres, or Mont St Michel and the Calvados region.
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Hi!!
With this range of prices, you can book about all the hotels in Paris...not all, but a huge number.
I would advice you to stay at the hotel Cambon, located near Tuileries (famous garden of Paris). It is celtrally located hotel, it is a 4 star hotel and with the range opf prices you have , you can book a juinior suite without any problem. I really love this hotel bcause of its decoration, an alliance of modern and Parisian charm....
Have a look at its website on http://www.hcambon.com
Concerning the length of your stay, I would say that 10 days is not too much to see Paris...There are a lot of things to see...: Montmartre, Pere Lachaise Cemetary, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Mus��e d%26#39;Orsay, Seine cruise, have a walk in the Latin quarter, visit BHV and Rivoli area, Luxembourg gardens, Opera area too...Many many thingd to do...
But if you think it is too much, go to Londres for 2 days through the Eurostar, take it at Gare du Nord....it can be good alternative to also visit London...
Have a good trip!
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THANKS everyone I will research all that is posted here. One more question... Is it better to drive or take the train to London and if you had 10 days would you stick to France or do London as well. Wondering also if there any very good holiday inns in Paris that are centrally located. Have lots of points there so that may be an option. Also, The Hilton by the Eiffel Tower. Is it nice or not. THANKS again!!
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I stayed at the Hilton by the Eiffel Tower, and it was extremely comfortable, but then again, that was before the one at the Arc d%26#39;Triomphe was opened, and I think that I would opt for that one now, given equal pricing. The one near the E.T. is not new, but it was a great deal to use my Hilton Honors points, and it is in a nice residential neighborhood. very comfortable beds, great idea to have complimentary coffemaker in the room with cups, creamer...all we had to do was to purchase some croissants and we had instant breakfast in our PJ%26#39;s, without the usual expense of hotel breakfasts. I think the A d T Hilton only has coffeemakers in the executive rooms....figures, for the guys who can well afford it! LOL
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10 days in Paris? You really need to make the choice between discovering Paris and some other parts of France in those 10 days, or visit another capital/country as well. Being your first time in Europe, I would suggest visiting another country. Train to London is a good idea, or a plane anywhere..Mardrid, Rome, Venice. I think you can %26quot;do%26quot; most of Paris, plus have some nice evenings/strolls/cafe experiences, in 5 days.
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We usually visit Paris in July for 10-11 days and I can tell you from personal experience that it%26#39;s NOT too long at all. As for the numbers of tourists, being one of the dreraded horde myself, I%26#39;ve never been much bothered by it. I%26#39;m always amused by those %26#39;..tourists..%26#39; who visit Paris in the off-winter season (to crow about the bargain airfares and complain about the cold, rainy weather) and wonder who they think they are?...and what they think they%26#39;re doing? Tourists are as much a part of the Paris cityscape as streetsweepers and taxis. Bear in mind that all of these great monuments and attractions were originally built to awe, inspire and attract visitors to the city from all over France and the known world--%26#39;tourists%26#39;--even all of those centuries ago.
With 10 days to work with, you can see a great many of the sights and attractions, have some time to %26#39;..just do nothing%26#39; (some of the best experiences you may have) and do a day-trip or two out of the city. You most certainly won%26#39;t see or do it all but you will come away with the sense that you are at least %26#39;acquainted%26#39; with Paris.
For easy DIY daytrips from Paris there are is Chateau de VERSAILLES, the old city of CHARTRES, Chateau de CHANTILLY, Chateau de FONTAINEBLEAU/the old city of SENLIS, MONET%26#39;S HOME %26amp; GARDENS at GIVERNY (from Apr. 1st to Oct. 31st) %26amp; ROUEN. Though for a single day-trip, there really are few convenient public transportation connections, one of the escorted tours out to the chateau of the LOIRE VALLEY is possible or even up to Normandy to the D-DAY BEACHES. With fast TGV train connections you could even venture farther afield to cities like DIJON, LYON, the old city of BRUGGES in Belgium or even LONDON via Eurostar. By all means research and plan as many day-trips as you like (it%26#39;s better to have choices/alternatives than not) but for a ten(10) itinerary, two(2) is probably the limit to actually do.
If London is high on your priority list, rather than visiting it as a Eurostar day-trip from Paris, you might consider a %26#39;split%26#39; itinerary--flying into London first for a day or two, then Eurostar to Paris for the remainder, then fly home from Paris. This %26#39;split%26#39; itinerary would require a slightly more expensive %26#39;..open-jawed..%26#39; airfare but might work better. I recommend London first because while London is a wonderful city and well worth the time and trouble; Paris is %26#39;..special..%26#39;. I%26#39;m afraid that as wonderful as London is, it tends to suffer by comparison to Paris. But, the Eurostar day-trip to London works well (Rome is just too far). Though the train travel time is 2:35 hrs, because of the local time difference (London is an hour earlier) you arrive in 1:35 hrs. local time---a bit like a longish %26#39;commute%26#39;. Take the earliest train you can out from Paris and the latest train you can back from London and you%26#39;ve a very full day. The best place to shop for men%26#39;s clothing %26amp; acccessories in Paris is at the Waterloo-end of the Eurostar. As for shopping, July is when Paris and London have one if their semi-annual Clearance Sale periods (January %26amp; July)...and even with a weak US dollar, these sales can very often turn up great bargains.
For hotels, with your budget range, ($300-450 / 225-350 Euro) you will have no difficulty finding a good hotel. This range puts you solidly within the 3-star category and at the beginning of the 4-star category. For a first trip (or 101st) you should trade stars for LOCATION or trade $%26#39;s for LOCATION. With this in mind, you could restrict your hotel search to those within the 1st-Louvre/Tuileries, 3rd-Marais, 4th-lower Marais/Iles on the Right Bank and 5th-Latin Quarter, 6th-Saint Germain des Pres on the Left Bank. On either Bank, the closer to the Seine the better. We%26#39;re very fond of the neighborhoods of the 6th-Saint Germain des Pres--from the Luxembourg north to the Seine. Within these neighborhoods you will find no shortage of excellent 3 and 4-star hotel choices. But for a July stay, the one hotel amenitiy that you should look for is air-conditioning (you hope you won%26#39;t need it but.....) Most (but not all) 3-stars will have it, all 4-stars will) Among the many, check out:
HOTEL d%26#39;AUBUSSON (4-star)-- http://www.hoteldaubusson.com/
HOTEL de BUCI (4-star)-- http://www.bucihotel.com/
RELAIS HOTEL du VIEUX PARIS (4-star)-- http://www.paris-hotel-vieuxparis.com/
HOTEL La VILLA SAINT GERMAIN (4-star)-- http://www.villa-saintgermain.com/
HOTEL RELAIS SAINT JACQUES (4-star)-- http://www.relais-saint-jacques.com/
HOTEL RIVES de NOTRE DAME (4-star)-- http://www.rivesdenotredame.com/
HOTEL LEFT BANK SAINT GERMAIN (3-star)-- www.hotelleftbank.com/uk/navigation.htm
HOTEL Le REGENT (3-star)-- http://www.regent-paris-hotel.com/
ARTIS HOTEL (3-star)-- http://www.artushotel.com/fr/
HOTEL DAUPHINE-SAINT GERMAIN (3-star)-- http://www.dauphine-paris-hotel.com/
HOTEL de SEINE (3-star)-- http://www.paris-hotel-seine-river.com/
HOTEL de FLEURIE (3-star)-- http://www.fleurie-hotel-paris.com/
HOTEL MILLESIME (3-star)-- http://www.millesimehotel.com/
HOTEL du DANUBE (3-star)-- http://www.hoteldanube.fr/
HOTEL des DEUX CONTINENTS (3-star)-- http://www.continents-paris-hotel.com/
HOTEL des MARRONNIERS (3-star)-- http://www.hotel-marronniers.com/
Pick up a good guidebook and streetmap for Paris and locate these and any other hotels you come across or are recommended to you. For general touring purposes, we like the ACCESS-PARIS guide and the STREETWISE PARIS map.
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%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;I recommend London first because while London is a wonderful city and well worth the time and trouble; Paris is %26#39;..special..%26#39;. I%26#39;m afraid that as wonderful as London is, it tends to suffer by comparison to Paris.%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;
Since we are on the Paris board...I%26#39;ll respect that view. However, I can think of a few other cities in Europe that outshine London, and Paris too. I think we all can agree that different cities have different charms, and Paris has many.
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I love many cities on this planet, but I have to think that there is a reason that this is the number one visited city on the planet.
As for London, a split itinerary giving you 5 days in each place, means you will have time to get your bearings, but you won%26#39;t really know either place.
I am not one who subscribes to the concept of %26quot;doing%26quot; a city. If you are just there to see the sights, stay home and watch it on video. I think that the entire point of travel is to get out there and see the world in a new way. This does not happen hopping from place to place, collecting monument sightings like baseballs cards.
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We LOVE LONDON and return as often as we can (great museums, wonderful sights and attractions, great theater and shopping, rich history, pomp %26amp; circumstance...and the food has gotten a lot better---but as wonderful as London is, Paris is simply %26#39;..enchanting..%26#39;. In some ways, it%26#39;s unfair to compare the two cities. Paris wasn%26#39;t bombed to hell %26#39;n gone during WW II and so remains a much more %26#39;homogenous%26#39; city. London, on the other hand, is an architectural poly-glot--with building dating back to Elizabeth I, thrust up against Marshall Plan reconstruction, thrust up against a horrible %26#39;70s vintage %26#39;utilatarian%26#39;. The three most notable aspects of the skyline of London are the magnificent dome of Saint Paul%26#39;s (533 steps to the top), the Millenium Wheel and the %26#39;climbing%26#39; construction crane. But, riding in the front seat, on the top of a London double-decker is a better %26#39;..ride..%26#39; than anything that Disney or Six Flags has to offer.
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