My husband and I are headed to Paris the first week of December for 3 nights/4 days. I%26#39;m always hesitant about booking hotels as we all know that they are rarely as they are pictured or described on the internet. I was looking at Hotel De la Tour Eiffel and while the reviews are pretty good about it, I am still hesitant. We%26#39;re on a budget and despite the expense of Paris would like to find a decent hotel that is within walking distance of more than one major site. Will this hotel work for us or are there any other hotels that are in a location we%26#39;re looking for that may be cheaper but decent?
Also, I read a reply to a thread that mentioned the Catacombs. I have never heard of this site before but am intrigued. Does anyone have any other information about it?
One more thing, is the Paris Pass an actual 2 in 1 (museum/monument %26amp; metro pass) or is it a scam?
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Looks like through more research my hotel question has been answered. It seems Hotel Champ de Mars is what I%26#39;m looking for.
I%26#39;m still looking for help with other questions, though.
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But wait...another hotel question has arisen. Where do I go to book a room at the Hotel Champ de Mars? There%26#39;s no direct link from TA and I can%26#39;t seem to find it at any of the hotel websites (venere.com, hotels.com, HRS, etc.). Am I missing something?
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Paris Pass is not a scam. But it is not a two in one metro/museum pass, either. Just for meuseums and it only pays if you really can not wait in lines (not really an issue in early Dec.) and/or plan to visit several museums each day.
The catacombs are basically underground tunnels lined with human bones. Sometimes they are jst stacked neatly, in other places they are %26quot;artistically%26quot; arranged. Worth it if you are into that sort of thing. The entrance is near the Denfert Rochereau metro.
One comment about the Champs de Mars/ET neighborhood. This area is only near the ET and a bit remote from any other %26quot;major sight%26quot;. It is also one of the most costly neighborhoods in the city. I only mention this because of your requirements.
%26quot;as we all know that they are rarely as they are pictured or described on the internet%26quot; - actually that is a myth. We travel a LOT and I have found internet descriptions given by hotels to be much more helpful and considerably more honest than anything a travel agent has ever sent my way.
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When I want to contact a hotel I just type its name and location ie%26quot; Hotel Champ de Mars Paris %26quot; and google or yahoo it. I then make sure I am contacting them directly , not through a booking site. I have never had any problem with this method, except for a very small hotel may not have a web site. I find most do nowadays though.
The Catacombs have a web site also. They are easy to find.
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http://www.paris-pass.com/
The Paris-Pass is just a bundling of two items:
- Museum Pass
- Paris Visite pass
The site is selling a 5-day Paris-Pass for 139E.
Separately the 4-day museum pass (there is no 5-day) would cost 45E and the 5-day P.V. pass would cost 27E = 72E.
So - no it isn%26#39;t a good deal. Just buy them separately.
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I enjoyed the catacombs years ago when I went.
It was during the summer so I just had t-shirt - but it was pretty chilly down there.
what freaked me out is occassionaly water would drip from the ceiling and hit me on the neck - not too may people were around and at times I was all alone, wandering among the bones.
gives me chills now just thinking about it.
you%26#39;ll enjoy
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The Catacombs are pretty cool!
Bring a flashlight and watch your head if!
You can see my Catacombs photos at: pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/solosks/my_photos
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;One more thing, is the Paris Pass an actual 2 in 1 (museum/monument %26amp; metro pass) or is it a scam?%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
If this is the PARIS PASS product that you are referring to-- http://www.paris-pass.com/ --it is not a %26quot;..scam..%26quot;....***BUT*** ...having said that.....it maybe one of the very WORST (terms like %26#39;..rapacious..%26#39; and %26#39;..highway robbery..%26#39; comes readily to mind) %26#39;..deals..%26#39; I have ever seen for the re-packaging and pre-purchase of two(2) different pass products--the PARIS MUSEUM PASS and PARIS VISITE transportation pass--that I%26#39;ve ever come across.
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;Also, I read a reply to a thread that mentioned the Catacombs. I have never heard of this site %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
You can quite easily tour through the Catacombs all on your own. There are tours available at the site that you can take for an additional 5 €uro. Bear in mind that you ENTER the Catacombes from the Place Denfret-Rochereau....BUT....you will EXIT at a DIFFERENT LOCATION (several blocks south) , through a non-descript %26#39;..hole-in-the-wall..%26#39;......at 36 rue Remy Dumoncel (mid-way btwn. Ave. du General Leclerc %26amp; rue Halle).
Le CATACOMBES de PARIS--
www.paris.fr/portail/Culture/Portal.lut…
http://triggur.org/cata/
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Thank you, everyone for your inputs. They were very helpful. The Catacombs sound somewhat morbid but intriguing nonetheless. Now, I%26#39;ll just have the %26quot;joyful%26quot; time of convincing my husband to go.
Yes, KDK, I was referring to that Paris Pass. Thank you for the eyeopener in the price. We just might skip the passes altogether. We%26#39;re still discussing possible savings between the 2-Day Museum/Monument pass and paying at each individual site. It appears (as pointed out by phread) since there are not really any long lines in Dec then our only major benefit would be the savings, but even then only if we go to a lot of museums/monuments. So many things to consider.
Again, thank you all.
Oh, one more thing. The one time I drove through Paris and stopped to enjoy some French Onion Soup, I went to several restaurants that had no idea what I was talking about. Is there another name for it or is it not native to France and we%26#39;ve just labeled it %26quot;French%26quot;?
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Sorry, travelnutty, thank YOU for the price comparison of the passes.
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