Thinking of a long weekend in Paris at the end of next month, before I start trawling through the travel guides, can anyone recommend a good base for a 3-night stay, fairly central or good metro links and not too spendy?
Also, any other pointers would be great.
Merci!
Lived 3 years in the eastern suburbs. Comments:
- A great area is near Place Bastille. The whole area is littered with small restaurants and has a real Paris feel to it (a winner if going with the wife/girlfriend).
- The latin quarter on the south bank of the Seine (Notre Dame and westwards) is good as well. Lively, loads of restaurants and close to the centre. Could be more expensive though.
- Ignore the area from Arch of Triumph to Eiffel Tower, too expensive and nothing to do (16/17 arondissement)
- Do NOT take a hotel "just north of Gare du Nord" regardless of the price. I rarely wen there during the daytime, let alone at night.
- Looking further out is not a problem as long as you are close to the Metro line 1 (east-west central line), RER A (red, east-west) or RER B (blue, north-south). They all go through Chatelet-Les Halles which is the central hub for the undergound. If you go further out be prepared to end the night at 11:30 to get the last train back around midnight-0:30. Check when you arrive in town.
To see:
- Take a stroll down Champs Elysee from Arc de Triumphe to Concorde
- Continue through the Louvre garden and go to the museum if it's your kind of thing
- Go see Sacre Coeur, great viewpoint and cool area behind it (to the west)
- Eiffel Tower by all means (watch your pockets)
- Rue Saint-Honore is good for shopping (just north of Rue de Rivoli next to Louvre)
Pop into la chapelle near the palais de justice, near notre dame, a quiet beautiful little chapel with the most stunning upstairs. other than that the catacombs are worth a visit for a different view of the world and all the above ^^^ I agree with.
Thanks Chrace, that's fantastic! And you too ti pin man. A great starting point. Any specific hotel recommendations?
Wot Chrace said, plus slightly extend the area to a walk along Canal St Martin, and the Marais.
Nice traffic-free walk for a few miles out from Place Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes on the Promenade Plantee, an elevated walkway that goes through residential neighbourhoods.
Nice place to stay is the Citadines Paris Bastille Marais (Apart'hotel),
37 Boulevard Richard Lenoir
01 53 36 90 00
citadines.com?
No sane person will recommend a hotel to you. The risk is too great. 😉
Just use Laterooms or similar, search for a hotel near Place Bastille and pick a lottery ticket. It could be the most fantastic small idyllic french perfection place - or a right sh1t dump. Welcome to Paris.
Sorry csb, no offence meant by the hotel comment there!
Just one comment on Bois de Vincennes - it's a prostitute area at night. But lovely in the day as csb says.
Thanks again, CSBs recommendation certainly looks worth a second look. I'll do a bit of digging on Trip Adviser.
Very helpful chaps, merci beaucoup!
booking.com is a good place to look for a hotel.
A great way to see Paris is to walk it. You will get to see loads more its easy.
I love Paris in the springtime...
Take some butter....
🙂
I'll be brave:
[url= http://www.premiere-classe-paris-ouest-pont-de-suresnes.fr/fr/index.aspx ]Première Classe, Pont de Suresne[/url]
It's just opposite one of the old village centres so there are good bars and resaurants, the bus stop and Vélib station are in front of the hotel, the Bois de Boulogne is over the bridge if you fancy a jog or a cheap shag, it's clean and cheap.
Agree with "walk everywhere". It's all worth seeing in Paris.
I'd also recommend Luxembourg Gardens if you are near to it. Not everyone's cup of tea, but a nice place to sit if the weather is hot enough to sit outdoors.
Just come back, had an amazing time -
our hotel was basic but clean and walkable to most of the sites, near the river and notre dame de etc situated in Saint Germain
[url= http://www.hotelclaudebernardparis.com/ ]Cheap et Cheerfull[/url]