Internet cafes?
 

We'll be spending a week in Paris following Thanksgiving, and I'd like to find a reliable Internet cafe within a reasonable distance. We'll be staying in an apartment near Les Halles.

I recall finding an easyEverything (or equiv) while walking around the Latin Quarter the summer before last, but didn't see it mentioned on their web site. I'd prefer something that is open late after my wife and son have gone to bed.

Alternatively I can take my laptop and would then only need WiFi access (which I'd prefer from a security standpoint, but didn't want to take).

While I don't recall the name, I know that there is an internet cafe on Rue St Andre des Arts, around the corner from where Rue Dauphine meets up with Rue de Buci.....
I recall it having some type of "orange" sign, if that's of any help.....Sorry I don't know the hours of operation, but have to believe its open till at least midnite.

Have a great trip! Dave

Willie Wonka told me that the Easy Everything in Paris is gone. You might search on this site for alternates.

Yes, it's been closed for a couple of years. However, there is another, XS Arena, about a block away from the old EasyEverything in the Latin Quarter, next to the McDonald's on the corner of Boulevards Saint Michel and Saint Germain. Technically, the address is 53 Rue de la Harpe. IIRC it's 3 Euros per hour. It's also right next to a crepe stand, so you can use the rest room at McDonald's, use the internet cafe and have a crepe all in one very efficient trip! :)

RE:internet cafes
 

Easy Everything is closed. However, there is a reasonable internet(not exactly a cafe)center with several American keyboards on Rue Rambuteau just west of Sebastopol. It's called Internet@ or something like that and is upstairs over a video arcade place. There's another one, quite reasonable at the junction of Brantome and Rambuteau, but it's hours are much shorter. I can probably map out a couple of others for you, but I'm not positive on the street names.

I'll be in Paris from the 25th to the 1st and have cable computer hook-up. Send me a PM and I can give you phone/directions and probably get you on if you need an internet fix.

Here's a site with a short list:

http://www.parisvacationshotels.com/cybercafes.html

While I make no representation as to the overall accuracy of the information, I can tell you that I've used XS Arena on several occasions, including less than three weeks ago. I believe they are open 24/7.

This one is near Les Halles. It opened at 10:00 AM. There is one nearby that opens earlier.

Thanks for everyones responses. The XS Arena looks promising (either of the Les Halles locations), and it should be too far from where we're staying. I'll likely take my laptop anyways and see if I can luck into a neighbor with an open wireless network, but won't count on it.

There are plenty of internet cafes in the area around Les Halles.
Just take a walk along Boulevard de Sebastopol and you should find at least two there.
Also in the small streets between Rue Saint Denis and Bd de Sebastopol there are a few others.

Finding an internet cafe should really not be a problem...
Might be a problem with the French keyboard though, but you get used to it...eventually. :p

Before you go, load the latest driver for your wifi from the Internet. My laptop crashed using a "wild" wifi connection .... after the update the connection was fine.

If you have a laptop with wireless you don't need an internet cafe. Most McDonalds have free wifi and you can go there and order a cup of coffee and work away on your laptop as long as you want. The speed, etc. is pretty fast too.

also keep in mind that french keyboards are laid out differently than u.s. keyboards. they don't use QWERTY. if you're not used to it, you may end up spending much more time than you'd wanted e.g. writing an email.

Many of the larger internet cafés have a QWERTY keyboard or two among their workstations. The person in charge should be able to point you to them if available.

Wi-Fi in Paris
 

We've been here for the past week now (arrived on Fri, leaving this coming Saturday) and I've made due with dial-up.

We're staying in an apartment right off Rue Montorgueil at the opposite end from Les Halles. From the apartment I can see six wireless networks, and _every single one_ has WEP enabled. ...? I drove from Chicago to California a few weeks ago and could reliably find an open AP in every po-dunk town along the way (which was pleasantly surprising).

I did find both of the XS Arena shops (and noted the next door KFC and bar/pub!) along Blvd de Sebastopol but didn't stop in. I can deal with French keyboards, but can't get the VPN access I need except on my laptop.

Actually, most of people using wifi at home here in France are equipped with modems designed for their provider and which automatically enable WEP/WPA encryption. And as the majority do not know how to disable it and, more important, do not care at all, this results in what you described.

On the 8 networks I see in my Parisian office, 0 are "open" :(

C'est la vie !