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Old Feb 22, 2005, 12:42 pm
  #1  
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Smile 4 Days in Paris

Arrive in Paris early Fri., 3/4, depart Mon. eve., 3/7. Want to include Versailles but will spend rest of time in the city. Looking for suggestions for an itinerary (don't know if some attractions are closed on any of those days), and places to eat. Would like to find some little bistros where the food is good but not too expensive. Also, what's the best way to get from CDG to the city without spending a fortune? There are 2 of us (me and my daughter).
Thanks for any input.


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Old Feb 22, 2005, 2:28 pm
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The cheapest ways to get into Paris are as follows:

1. RER / Metro 7.85 euros
2. Roissy Bus 8.30 euros ( http://www.ratp.info/orienter/aeroport_roissybus.php )
3. Air France bus 12 euros one way, 18 euros round trip ( http://cars.airfrance.fr/ )
4. Shuttle Hire : about 19 euros (http://www.parishuttle.com/)

If you let me know where you are staying I can help you with which might be best.
Many museums are closed on Monday but not all.
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Old Feb 22, 2005, 2:41 pm
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Paris

Thank you. Staying at the Prince de Galles on Ave. George V in 8e.
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Old Feb 22, 2005, 3:12 pm
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I am a little bit in a hurry, so I don't have the time to give you many details right now but I'll come back to you later:

As you are coming from CDG and going back there again, then want to go to Versailles, in order to reduce your expenses, buy a carte visite for all the zones and for the lenght of your stay directly at the airport. This way, you won't have to spend any additional money on transportation during the whole stay and use all the metros and buses.

Two good restaurants at reasonable rates:

http://www.domainedelintillac-paris.com/La%20carte.htm

http://mmmm.free.fr/scripts/script_d...sto.php?id=301

both have good deal menus at lunch and evening
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Old Feb 22, 2005, 4:13 pm
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My mother and I just returned from Paris. We left on Thursday, February 17 and arrived the morning of Friday, February 18, 2005. We returned home on Monday, February 21, 2005.

What are your age ranges and interests and I will try to recommend some places that would be particularly interesting to visit?

We usually travel to Paris two times a year to just visit museums and other historical places. We also travel to France once or twice a year, rent a car, and enjoy visiting areas outside of Paris.

During our recent two and one half day trip (three nights at an apartment/hotel), we visited museums mainly. We purchased a three day museum card (36 Euros per person). On our first day we visited the Rodin Museum and the d'Orsay Museum; we purchased our passes with a credit card at the Rodin Museum. The Rodin Museum has beautiful gardens filled with staues; we had a picnic lunch in the gardens.

We stopped at a Champion SuperMarche (located at Pl. de Italie) and purchased groceries for our stay. They have the Champion brand of coca cola light for only 0.39 Euros per two liter bottle - a huge savings for those of us who must have diet coke. We also purchased wine, bread, and snack items. This location is out of the way but our aparthotel was only 65 Euros per night and had a kitchen.

Day two was spent at various musems. Our first stop was the Louvre (do not miss the recently-renovated Apollo Gallery that features the few but glorious remnants of the crown jewels). We then walked along the Seine to the Conciergerie (just past the Samaritaine Department store are numerous pet shops; we always enjoy pricing the dogs and cats that are for sale); our next stop was St. Chapelle; we then went to Notre Dame to make a special trip to the Treasury. We then took the metro to the Musee Marmottan (not included in the museum pass); there is a lovely park that has lots of children playing and even pony rides between the La Muette metro station and the Marmottan. Our last stop of the day was another visit to d'Orsay.

Day three was spent at even more museums. We first went to the Picasso Museum in the Marais area. The next stop was at the Maison Victor Hugo (free); it is a quick walk from the Picasso Museum and the Place de Voges (sorry about my spelling) is also fascinating; Hugo's house is located there. We then took the metro to the Fashion Museum near Pont de Alma (the tunnel where Princess Diana died is here). The museum had a fascinating special exhibit on Sylvie Vartan and her influence on fashion; her Bob Mackie and Dior gowns were incredible. We then went to the Muses le Mode near the Louvre and spent a few minutes looking at the exhibit of purses (we saw the same exhibit in November 2004); we then went back to the Louvre. We then walked to d'Orsay for one last look at the incredible paintings and sculptures. We took the metro to the George V stop to view the Louis Vuitton renovations (the shop resembles two huge purses) and to walk along the Champs de Ellyses. We were going to climb to the top of the Arch de Triomphe but it was raining and cold and we were really tired (we usually end our trips to Paris viewing the Eiffle Tour from the Arch).

Versailles is closed on Monday and is half-price on Sundays; the chateau and the Trianons are covered by the museums pass. Do not skip the Petit Trianon, the Grande Trianon, and the Hameau (Marie Antoinette's village) The RER is a fast and inexpensive way to get to Versailles; take any train with a V in the name (VICK for example).

We took the Roissybus from CDG to Opera and then took the metro to our aparthotel; we had metro tickets left over from our last trip. The Roissybus costs 8.3 Euros and can be caught in terminal 2B just across from McDonalds. Our aparthotel was on a metro line that also had Opera as a station so we had no changes. Our trip back to CDG took anly an hour from the hotel to the Admirals Club but we left early (7:15 AM).

I'll be glad to provide more details. Have a great trip!
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Old Feb 22, 2005, 6:11 pm
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Well the Prince de Galles does not have any metro stops that are just right next to it. Here are the options as I see it. You could use the Air France Bus and take it from CDG to the Arc de Triomphe (Line 2) then either transfer to bus 73 at the avenue de la grande armee (1 minute walk from where the Air France bus drops you off) direction Musee d'Orsay and get off at the George V stop (3 minute ride) then walk 3 minutes to your hotel, or you could just walk from the bus to the hotel. Would take 15 minutes I would expect. If you chose to take the bus you can buy a ticket on the bus for 1.20 euros.

Second choice is to take the RER B to Chatelet and change onto the Line 1 direction La Defense and get off at George V. There is a bit of a walk in the station between these lines. Its not nearly as nice as the Air France bus but it is the cheapest option.

A shuttle will take you directly to your hotel which is nice. You might have to stop off at someone elses hotel on the way.

I will fill in on what magexpert was talking about. A Paris visite card which you can buy for 3 or 5 days will allow you to travel on the Metro, RER and bus as much as you like. It will include your ride on the RER in from the airport as well as the ride out to Versailles. You would need a zone 1-5 which costs 37.35 for 3 days and 45.70 for 5 days. If you decide to take the RER in it might be worth it. Otherwise I would probably stick with a carnet of 10 metro tickets for 10.50 euros and buy a seperate ticket for Versailles.
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Old Feb 22, 2005, 6:44 pm
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Originally Posted by FlyForFun
My mother and I just returned from Paris. We left on Thursday, February 17 and arrived the morning of Friday, February 18, 2005. We returned home on Monday, February 21, 2005.

What are your age ranges and interests and I will try to recommend some places that would be particularly interesting to visit?

We usually travel to Paris two times a year to just visit museums and other historical places. We also travel to France once or twice a year, rent a car, and enjoy visiting areas outside of Paris.

During our recent two and one half day trip (three nights at an apartment/hotel), we visited museums mainly. We purchased a three day museum card (36 Euros per person). On our first day we visited the Rodin Museum and the d'Orsay Museum; we purchased our passes with a credit card at the Rodin Museum. The Rodin Museum has beautiful gardens filled with staues; we had a picnic lunch in the gardens.

We stopped at a Champion SuperMarche (located at Pl. de Italie) and purchased groceries for our stay. They have the Champion brand of coca cola light for only 0.39 Euros per two liter bottle - a huge savings for those of us who must have diet coke. We also purchased wine, bread, and snack items. This location is out of the way but our aparthotel was only 65 Euros per night and had a kitchen.

Day two was spent at various musems. Our first stop was the Louvre (do not miss the recently-renovated Apollo Gallery that features the few but glorious remnants of the crown jewels). We then walked along the Seine to the Conciergerie (just past the Samaritaine Department store are numerous pet shops; we always enjoy pricing the dogs and cats that are for sale); our next stop was St. Chapelle; we then went to Notre Dame to make a special trip to the Treasury. We then took the metro to the Musee Marmottan (not included in the museum pass); there is a lovely park that has lots of children playing and even pony rides between the La Muette metro station and the Marmottan. Our last stop of the day was another visit to d'Orsay.

Day three was spent at even more museums. We first went to the Picasso Museum in the Marais area. The next stop was at the Maison Victor Hugo (free); it is a quick walk from the Picasso Museum and the Place de Voges (sorry about my spelling) is also fascinating; Hugo's house is located there. We then took the metro to the Fashion Museum near Pont de Alma (the tunnel where Princess Diana died is here). The museum had a fascinating special exhibit on Sylvie Vartan and her influence on fashion; her Bob Mackie and Dior gowns were incredible. We then went to the Muses le Mode near the Louvre and spent a few minutes looking at the exhibit of purses (we saw the same exhibit in November 2004); we then went back to the Louvre. We then walked to d'Orsay for one last look at the incredible paintings and sculptures. We took the metro to the George V stop to view the Louis Vuitton renovations (the shop resembles two huge purses) and to walk along the Champs de Ellyses. We were going to climb to the top of the Arch de Triomphe but it was raining and cold and we were really tired (we usually end our trips to Paris viewing the Eiffle Tour from the Arch).

Versailles is closed on Monday and is half-price on Sundays; the chateau and the Trianons are covered by the museums pass. Do not skip the Petit Trianon, the Grande Trianon, and the Hameau (Marie Antoinette's village) The RER is a fast and inexpensive way to get to Versailles; take any train with a V in the name (VICK for example).

We took the Roissybus from CDG to Opera and then took the metro to our aparthotel; we had metro tickets left over from our last trip. The Roissybus costs 8.3 Euros and can be caught in terminal 2B just across from McDonalds. Our aparthotel was on a metro line that also had Opera as a station so we had no changes. Our trip back to CDG took anly an hour from the hotel to the Admirals Club but we left early (7:15 AM).

I'll be glad to provide more details. Have a great trip!

Thank you. This is great. We just want to do sightseeing as much as possible but not go crazy trying to see everything in 4 days. I'm 59, she's 25. We both like history (she teaches it). Want to see the major sights like Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, etc., cruise the Seine, and soak up the French atmosphere in some reasonable cafes or non-tourist restaurants. Also, what's the best way to get on the Internet? I'm told the hotel connections are a fortune and I'm leaving my computer home.
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Old Feb 23, 2005, 12:10 am
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Originally Posted by Pokey77
Also, what's the best way to get on the Internet? I'm told the hotel connections are a fortune and I'm leaving my computer home.
Just keep an eye out for internet cafe´s - don´t think it will be a major problem finding one. Should give you access for 1 or 2 euro for a half hour.
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Old Feb 23, 2005, 1:51 am
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Here a list (PDF) of internet cafes in Paris.

http://www.amb-usa.fr/consul/guideoas/cybercafe.pdf

and for the whole of France:

http://www.cybercafes.com/country.as...country=France
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Old Feb 23, 2005, 2:26 am
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Originally Posted by Pokey77
Would like to find some little bistros where the food is good but not too expensive.
Regarding other restaurants (incidentally, Magexpect's Domaine de Lintillac is one of my favorites!), one suggestion close to your hotel is Bistrot de Marius. It's the sister restaurant of the famed Chez Francisse next door, but at half the price (at #6 av George V). Les Deux Abeilles (189 r Université 7th arr.) is a delightful "girls place" lunch room/tea salon just across the river, about 6 blocks walk from your hotel.
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Old Feb 23, 2005, 2:17 pm
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The two of you will have a great time. Every time I go, I see a lot of American mother/daughter combinations, usually while standing in line for a museum entry (or trying to figure out how to bypass the line - one of the primary perks of the Carte Musees & Monuments AKA the Paris Museum Pass).

If you want to visit many museums, the Carte Musees & Monuments is a money and time saver. You can get a three-day pass for 36 Euros. You do not have to stand in line; you can walk to the front and show the guard your pass and gain entry; you can also visit the same museum every day if you want. My favorite museums are covered (except for the Marmottan) and include: the Musee du Louvre (Michelangelo's Slaves, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, Mona Lisa, crown jewels, Napoleon III's apartments); Musee de la Mode et du Texile (fashion); Musee National du Moyen Age - Thermes de Cluny (Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries); Musee d'Orsay (Impressionist paintings); Musee National Picasso (Picasso of course);and Musee Rodin (the sculptor's home and garden filled with his works and his collection of paintings - Van Gogh, Monet, Munch). In addition to musems, the following places are covered by the pass: Arch de Triomphe, St. Chapelle, Towers of Notre Dame, Crypts of Notre Dame, Pantheon, Napoleon's Tomb (Invalides), Conciergerie, and Egouts de Paris (Sewers of Paris). Versailles - the chateau and the Trianons - is covered also.

A self-guided tour of the Opera Garnier is worth a visit (gorgeous and historical). The homes of Victor Hugo and Honore de Balzac are open to the public and are free!

We had a boat ride on the Seine included in a cheap package that we bought a couple of years ago and went on the last boat of the day to take advantage of the sunset (it had snowed that day and was still really cold; the boats are heated).

The best views of the Eiffle Tower are from the top of the Arch de Triomphe and from the Trocadero. At the Trocadero viewing area, you will probably see lots of brides being photographed.

I cannot recommend places to eat but be sure to pop into a boulangerie and get fresh croissants, pain au chocolates, and a baguette; your purchase will usally be wrapped in lovely tissue paper. Visit a patisserie for pastries but not for bread. Crepes with nutella make a wonderful snack. Roasted chestnuts smell wonderful but taste icky. Ice cream is exquisite and worth the 2 Euros per dip; exotic flavors such as violet are often available.

If you must drink soft drinks (I am addicted to diet coke), buy them at a grocery store (a supermarche if possible) for a reasonable price. I buy 2 liter bottles of generic coca cola light at Champion for 0.34 Euros and refill my 0.5 liter bottle.

Paris is wonderful for just walking around and admiring the architecture, the clothes in the shops, the men, and other fascinating sights. I said in an earlier post that I really enjoy looking in the pet stores; you will be amazed at the prices.

Hope this helps.
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Old Feb 23, 2005, 3:36 pm
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I believe you are in Paris for the first Sunday of the month when many museums are free. Included are Louvre, Cluny, Musee d'Orsay, Pantheon monument, Arc monument (only until 5 or 6 pm though) etc. Maybe you can get the museums out of your system that day. If you do the major ones, I suggest getting there early. When we came out of the Orsay at noon the line was very long.

Also for smaller museums within walking distance of your hotel (suggested walk through Parc Monceau) are Musee Nissim de Camondo and down Haussman not far is Musee Jacquemart-Andre (beautiful restaurant also)-- both enjoyable collections in the collectors' homes with complimentary taped guides that enhance the visit. I loved the Marmottan (husband didn't) but it was a little more difficult to get there.

My favorite grocery is Ed but they are hard to find and you have to do battle with locals. I like their soda called The Best Cola and if you see something interesting grab it, as it may not be there again.
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Old Feb 23, 2005, 6:23 pm
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All very helpful advice. Thank you. Keep it coming.
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Old Feb 23, 2005, 6:32 pm
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Make a reservation at Chez George (on rue Mail) for lunch. A great bistro filled with local business-people, food is wonderful and walking afterwards by Place des Voges is a treat. Head towards the river. This is one of my favorite walks in Paris: The apres Chez George lunch
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Old Feb 24, 2005, 4:06 pm
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If it's still freezing when you're in Paris, remember that you can see the Eiffel tower easily from the warmth of metro line 6 (as it is above ground) especially as it crosses the river south of the tower.
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