Anybody been to Paris, France recently?
Looking for recommendations for hotels/lodging, restaurants, lighthouse(lol). - local insider stuff not tourist traps.
thanks,
Bob

Actually, I could use the same information. We are going to be in Amsterdam (3/16-3/17), Brussels (3/18-3/20) and Paris (3/20-3/23). Any info on any of these cities would be greatly appreciated. We, too, would like non touristy areas especially for restaurants. Our hotels are already picked. In Amsterdam we will be at the Novotel. In Brussels it will be the NH City Centre. And in Paris it will be he Novotel Porte d'Italie. Anything we should know about these hotels?

Cathy

Paris, Wow Bob! It was '93 when I was there and there were huge cranes everywhere, lots of refurbishments going on. My daughter was there then, her semester abroad, so she helped me figure out the subway system which can be quite confusing. Helpful is a good map and a book of the city "par arrondissement". The city is divided into sections called arrondissements. Street names are indexed and there's a map of the subway system.

I stayed in a real old, as in 1600's, small hotel right across the river from Notre Dame, which was fine for me, but probably not suitable for you guys. I had two books, Cheap Sleeps in Paris and Cheap Eats in Paris. Found the hotel in the Sleeps book and booked my room directly. We also tried some of the restaurants which were ok.

Firstly, you need to bring lots of money as nothing is really cheap! If you go to a cafe for a coffee you will get one cup, no refills and they will be small, expresso or cafe au lait, type stuff. The cafes down side streets will be less expensive than those on the main steets. Restaurants must post their menus in the windows and most offer a "prix fixe" option, several courses for one price. Portions will be much smaller than we'e accustomed to here. The only overweight people you will see are tourists! Seem to recall that tips were included but you can leave a bit extra if you feel the service justifies that. Get a couple of good guidebooks and they will tell you all that stuff. Fromers is one that I had.

While the subway is a good mode of transportation, if you are only going a short distance, just walk. You will see a lot more of the city and by the time you spend entering, exiting and riding you can be there quicker.

Go to the Eiffel tower twice, in the daytime to go to the top and at night to see it lit up. It's gorgeous at night. We went my first night and bought a crepe from a street vendor, messy but good.

You will also have to go to Notre Dame, it's awesome. The Arche de Triomphe of course, Sacre-Coeur, Les Invalides, and all those places. The Louvre is massive, go there on a rainy day. Another great museum is the Musee D'Orsay which is housed in a former railroad station. Much smaller but you will see lots of good paintings you will recognize. Much if it's collection was brought over from the Louvre. Another neat place to explore is the famous cemetery, Pere-Lachaise. Lots of famous folks are buried there.

Our big night out was a night at the original Paris Opera. It has the largest chandelier in the world. The newer opera house is a modern affair.

We went to Versailles one day, it's a good train ride away but well worth the trip. I would have liked also to have gone to Monet's Gardens at Giverney but it was March and not open then.

Paris is full of different neighborhoods. Pick a different one each day and just explore! If you want to see a lighthouse you'll have to go to Euro Disney but there is a small version of the Statue of Liberty that I think you can see from the Eifel Tower.

Sue,

Your write-up makes me want to change plans to travel to Maryland to photograph some 30+ lighthouses this week and next. If you weren't/aren't in the advertising field, you've missed your calling.

Sandy

Sue...thanks for such a great write-up. I was there twice this summer and you remember better details from 12 years ago!

You are correct in saying that you can see the small Statue of Liberty from the Eiffel Tower. However, the best was to see it is from a river boat tour. Paris is fun to see from the water in addition to seeing all the beautiful bridges.

I thought the subways were easy to get around on but if you asked John...he was always confused! It's a good thing I would drag him in the right direction.

One night a week the Louvre was open until 9:00pm. We went in around dinner time and stayed until closing and it wasn't very crowded. We were able to go to Versailles on Bastille Day. (July 14). This turned out to be a bonus day for us since they had all the outside fountains on for the holiday. Normally they are not running. They are quite interesting to see since they are based on gravity flow. (If you ever go to St. Petersburg, Russis, Peterhof has the same kind of fountains).

Like Sue has mentioned...Paris is VERY expensive. Be prepared to open your wallet. A small, basic lunch, can run you $50 for two people.

No matter how you look at it...Paris is worth the price for the visit.

Bob...I hope you and MaryAnn have a fantastic time and tell us how it all works out.

Thanks Sue and Lorie, all the tips are very helpful.
thanks,
Bob

I was in Paris when I was 18 years old. I thought it was very easy to get around on the Metro (subway) and I don't speak any French, just German. It is a lovely city.

One day, we had lunch near the Louvre. It was very expensive and the waiter kept telling us we hadn't paid enough money.

Our group of 16-18 year old women did have an experience with a group of drunken French Sailors near the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur of Montmartre, but we successfully fought them off.

My son was just in Paris this May. His night photos of the Eiffel Tower were impressive. I didn't get to see the tower at night, only during the day. It looks worth seeing it in both the day and night.