Paris Hotel advice?
Mar 8, 2001, 2:36 pm
#16
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP Gold
Posts: 1,093
puppypaws:
Paul Palmer is right: you really must see the Sainte-Chapelle. What a treasure!
PAUL PALMER:
Paul, you are my biggest fan on FT yet I fear, still, that you give me more credit than I am due. Thank you for your kind words.
Nanook:
Glad you found the description of Hôtel Relais-Bosquet to be so inviting; I do not believe you will be disappointed when you have the chance to stay there.
RK7:
I am delighted that you had such a wonderful stay at Hôtel Relais-Bosquet! I do not even consider another hotel when returning to Paris as this one is my "home" in the City of Light.
Paul Palmer is right: you really must see the Sainte-Chapelle. What a treasure!
PAUL PALMER:
Paul, you are my biggest fan on FT yet I fear, still, that you give me more credit than I am due. Thank you for your kind words.
Nanook:
Glad you found the description of Hôtel Relais-Bosquet to be so inviting; I do not believe you will be disappointed when you have the chance to stay there.
RK7:
I am delighted that you had such a wonderful stay at Hôtel Relais-Bosquet! I do not even consider another hotel when returning to Paris as this one is my "home" in the City of Light.
Mar 8, 2001, 3:45 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: South Bend, IN - UA 1P
Posts: 137
Funny that I ran across this topic having just returned from Paris LAST NIGHT.
We stayed at a decent but affordable hotel called the Hotel Chopin in the 9th arr. and I have a couple of things to add to what's already been posted.
Plan on a day trip to Versailles. It was perhaps the highlight of my trip. try to get there first thing in the morning to take in the pallace before the hoards and then spend the afternoon in the miles of gardens. It's amazing. It's an easy 30 minute train ride on the RER-B line.
If you have a Palm compatible organizer, download a program called metro. (www.palmgear.com) It is probably the singularily most useful Palm program I've ever used and makes an already easy subway system even easier. It will give you the routing that you should take from ANY metro station in Paris. It's amazing!
The Louvre is huge - so find a guide book and FOLLOW THE LOUVRE TOUR suggested. We used the "Rick Steves" book and it really helped understand what we should see. Plus he has some interesting commentaries about things.
We found a lot of the staff at our hotel actually interested in speaking english to us as they wanted to practice. Be polite and they will do the same in return.
Enjoy the trip - I know I'll be back there soon.
We stayed at a decent but affordable hotel called the Hotel Chopin in the 9th arr. and I have a couple of things to add to what's already been posted.
Plan on a day trip to Versailles. It was perhaps the highlight of my trip. try to get there first thing in the morning to take in the pallace before the hoards and then spend the afternoon in the miles of gardens. It's amazing. It's an easy 30 minute train ride on the RER-B line.
If you have a Palm compatible organizer, download a program called metro. (www.palmgear.com) It is probably the singularily most useful Palm program I've ever used and makes an already easy subway system even easier. It will give you the routing that you should take from ANY metro station in Paris. It's amazing!
The Louvre is huge - so find a guide book and FOLLOW THE LOUVRE TOUR suggested. We used the "Rick Steves" book and it really helped understand what we should see. Plus he has some interesting commentaries about things.
We found a lot of the staff at our hotel actually interested in speaking english to us as they wanted to practice. Be polite and they will do the same in return.
Enjoy the trip - I know I'll be back there soon.
Mar 8, 2001, 4:18 pm
#18
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Naples, Florida
Posts: 7,419
Hotel Lenox Montparnass is good.
Hotel Lenox Saint Germain is better http://www.lenoxsaintgermain.com/
2 other good hotels are "Suede" and "L'universitee"
I have been over 40 times in Paris. Need more infos/help? E-mail me.
Hotel Lenox Saint Germain is better http://www.lenoxsaintgermain.com/
2 other good hotels are "Suede" and "L'universitee"
I have been over 40 times in Paris. Need more infos/help? E-mail me.
Mar 11, 2001, 8:13 am
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Knoxville, TN, USA
Posts: 19
Many thanks for the tips. Yes, Bbinchi's description ought to be in a tour book. I have just emailed Hotel Relais Bosquet to ask re. availability and prix....uh I mean price. I can almost feel myself in Paris now! I am writing down all of your tips for places to see, dine at, etc. How wonderful! Do you have a favorite guide book that I should get? Does one need to have francs available immediately or can they be obtained in the airport? Do many of the places take Visa or travelers checks? Thanks for your help! 
Mar 11, 2001, 8:46 am
#24
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: PHX and LIH
Programs: AA: 2 MM
Posts: 85,570
I would not bother with Travelers checks at all. There are ATMs everywhere, including the airport. Visa is accepted pretty much everywhere that it is in the States. Further, you'll get better exchange rates using plastic and avoiding currency exchanges. The guide books - and there may be more for Paris than just about any place - are a matter of personal taste. I prefer the Access guides. Our trips overlap - I'll be there April 6 -16. I've been there many times and I still get just as excited. Have a great time.
Mar 12, 2001, 9:12 am
#25
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP Gold
Posts: 1,093
puppypaws:
I am so excited for you - it is almost like reliving my last trip! It is good to know you have contacted Hôtel Relais Bosquet to check room availability and rates; I hope they can accommodate you.
As for the money matters, you might consider getting only a small amount (enough to get out of the airport and to your hotel) of Francs before leaving the U.S. although you could use the ATMs in both CDG and ORY airports.
Generally I use credit cards for most purchases (hotels, restaurants, shopping)wherever possible and also use ATMs to withdraw Francs for smaller purchases and transportation costs (bus, métro, taxi, cafés, bakeries, etc.).
If you stay at Hôtel Relais Bosquet, there is an ATM (Crédit Agricole) on the corner of rue du Champ de Mars and avenue Bosquet, maybe 40 feet from the hotel (and don't miss the excellent bakery, "Pain d'Epis", on the opposite corner). Also, "La Poste" has ATMs and there is a post office only three blocks from the hotel.
Should you need to exchange U.S. currency, there is a "Change" office, across the street from La Poste, that offers excellent rates with no commission (presumably built into the rate). My sister and friend each used this service and were quite pleased with the rates and speed of the transactions.
Upon returning home, I noticed that all ATM withdrawals I had made (some at Crédit Agricole, others at La Poste) were posted to my Citibank account with excellent exchange rates, slightly better than what the Change office had given.
I agree with 'ILuvParis' about not bothering with travelers checks although many guide books and travel experts will advise one to carry a few hundred dollars in travelers checks as an emergency backup.
I am so excited for you - it is almost like reliving my last trip! It is good to know you have contacted Hôtel Relais Bosquet to check room availability and rates; I hope they can accommodate you.
As for the money matters, you might consider getting only a small amount (enough to get out of the airport and to your hotel) of Francs before leaving the U.S. although you could use the ATMs in both CDG and ORY airports.
Generally I use credit cards for most purchases (hotels, restaurants, shopping)wherever possible and also use ATMs to withdraw Francs for smaller purchases and transportation costs (bus, métro, taxi, cafés, bakeries, etc.).
If you stay at Hôtel Relais Bosquet, there is an ATM (Crédit Agricole) on the corner of rue du Champ de Mars and avenue Bosquet, maybe 40 feet from the hotel (and don't miss the excellent bakery, "Pain d'Epis", on the opposite corner). Also, "La Poste" has ATMs and there is a post office only three blocks from the hotel.
Should you need to exchange U.S. currency, there is a "Change" office, across the street from La Poste, that offers excellent rates with no commission (presumably built into the rate). My sister and friend each used this service and were quite pleased with the rates and speed of the transactions.
Upon returning home, I noticed that all ATM withdrawals I had made (some at Crédit Agricole, others at La Poste) were posted to my Citibank account with excellent exchange rates, slightly better than what the Change office had given.
I agree with 'ILuvParis' about not bothering with travelers checks although many guide books and travel experts will advise one to carry a few hundred dollars in travelers checks as an emergency backup.
Mar 12, 2001, 10:58 am
#26
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: somewhere north of stateside...
Posts: 4,153
If you do decide to use the ATM, just be sure that your PIN number has only four digits. A five or six digit PIN number, while valid in Canada (and the United States?) will not work in Europe.
I stayed in the seventh last spring for more than a week. It was my third time in Paris and I really enjoyed that part of the city. My hotel was just on the other side of the Ecole Militaire Metro stop and a two minute walk from the Rue Cler, which I LOVE! Besides the Rick Steeve's books, which are great, I would consider buying 'Cheap Sleeps in Paris' written by Sandra Gustavson. It provides a lot of great information on hotels all over the city. But I definitely echo Paul's sentiments - bokk ASAP. Last time I went to Paris, I attempted to book an eight night stay three weeks before Easter, and a lot of *preferable* hotels did not have much available.
Be sure to get a crêpe from the tiny (maybe one metre square) crêperie on the street near the café on Rue Cler. They are wonderful.
I would also recommend visiting the Pêre Lachaise cemetery - its really beautiful in an interesting sort of way.
Since you are there during Easter week, be sure to hit the museums as early as possible, but avoid them on Sundays, as the crowds can be massive. Also, many museums are not open on Mondays, so be sure to watch out for that.
Since you are going to be in Paris for quite a while, consider purchasing a Carte Orange (only zones one and two) that will allow you unlimited travel on the métro for one week. It wont get you to/from the airport, but you can just purchase another ticket for that.
As far as I know, you have to climb the stairs of the Arc de Triomphe unless you are disabled or elderly. Its not so bad, though. IMHO, if you want even better views of some parts of the city, go to the free observation decks on the top of some of the department stores tucked behind the Opéra Garnier in the ninth. Also, the view from La Sacre Coeur in Monmartre is great.
The strong US dollar has really made Paris a great deal over the past couple of years. I really hope you have a wonderful time!
I stayed in the seventh last spring for more than a week. It was my third time in Paris and I really enjoyed that part of the city. My hotel was just on the other side of the Ecole Militaire Metro stop and a two minute walk from the Rue Cler, which I LOVE! Besides the Rick Steeve's books, which are great, I would consider buying 'Cheap Sleeps in Paris' written by Sandra Gustavson. It provides a lot of great information on hotels all over the city. But I definitely echo Paul's sentiments - bokk ASAP. Last time I went to Paris, I attempted to book an eight night stay three weeks before Easter, and a lot of *preferable* hotels did not have much available.
Be sure to get a crêpe from the tiny (maybe one metre square) crêperie on the street near the café on Rue Cler. They are wonderful.
I would also recommend visiting the Pêre Lachaise cemetery - its really beautiful in an interesting sort of way.
Since you are there during Easter week, be sure to hit the museums as early as possible, but avoid them on Sundays, as the crowds can be massive. Also, many museums are not open on Mondays, so be sure to watch out for that.
Since you are going to be in Paris for quite a while, consider purchasing a Carte Orange (only zones one and two) that will allow you unlimited travel on the métro for one week. It wont get you to/from the airport, but you can just purchase another ticket for that.
As far as I know, you have to climb the stairs of the Arc de Triomphe unless you are disabled or elderly. Its not so bad, though. IMHO, if you want even better views of some parts of the city, go to the free observation decks on the top of some of the department stores tucked behind the Opéra Garnier in the ninth. Also, the view from La Sacre Coeur in Monmartre is great.
The strong US dollar has really made Paris a great deal over the past couple of years. I really hope you have a wonderful time!
Mar 12, 2001, 11:00 am
#27
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: somewhere north of stateside...
Posts: 4,153
I should also add that the American Church in Paris has wonderful concerts on Sunday nights at 6pm (I think). I would recommend them. They are located on the Quai d'Orsay at #73 or something like that.
I'll have to look for a second, or third choice....as you have mentioned, I have indadvertently chosen a popular week.
Mar 12, 2001, 6:20 pm
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Knoxville, TN, USA
Posts: 19
Oops? Thats strange, further down in my mailbox was a message from "ludwine" in reservations that said "we would be really pleased to welcome yu for the period requested." Hmmmmm. I emailed him back my visa information, etc. I hope this means we really do have a reservation.