Trip Report

We’re back after a scant 4 days in Paris. Thanks to everyone on this board. The trip was wonderful and I wish we had more time. I’d be more than glad to answer questions, comments, etc.

The purpose of the trip was to meet our 20 year old college junior daughter, studying in London, who Chunneled it over on Eurostar. We went with our 17 year old son who had never been to Paris before. This was the second time for my wife, and I and our daughter.

Our itinerary was as follows;

Wed 11/22

Arrive CDG in the am

Nap at hotel

Eiffel Tower

Meet up with daughter

Dinner and bed

Thursday 11/23

Notre Dame

Ste. Chapelle

Lunch

Rodin Museum

Napolean’s Tomb

Dinner in Latin Quarter

Walk along the Seine

Friday 11/24

Louvre till 1:00pm

Montmartre walking tour (thru Classic Walks)

Angelina%26#39;s for dinner and Hot Chocolate

(they stop dinner service at around 6 pm and thereafter

serve only the sweet stuff)

Back to Louvre for 1.5 hrs

Arc De Triomphe (kids climbed up for pix– we

sat underneath)

Sat 11/25

Versailles - all day

Latin quarter for dinner

Sunday Home

Tips:

Carte Orange – Absolutement!. However, the carte requires photo id to be annexed. It requires about a thumbnail size expressionless headshot – looking straight at the camera. I might suggest that you obtain the photos in the USA before heading over. There are photo machines in the metro station, but they do no produce the size necessary picture, and the ones I tried weren’t working in any event. And at 4 Euros per sitting, it can be expensive.

The Metro is easy to understand. However, the system shuts down at 1 am. It begins to slow down as you approach midnight (fewer trains run) So, be back at the hotel by then or be prepared to get back by taxi.

Museum Pass - Absolutement! Hence on Friday we had the liberty to do the Louvre in the am and come back in the pm. Note that the Louvre is only open late on Fridays (9:45pm.) Also, local Louvre sponsored art students appeared (I suspect that this was because it was Friday -- but this is only speculation on my part) and offered lectures on artwork as you passed by.

Versailles - My son’s highlight. I planned on 2-3 hours at the castle and back to Paris for some other activity. But we left Paris at 10:30 am and did not get back till 7:30 pm. The tour books say that the fountains are on only on weekends this time of year. Nope. They are completely off after October till April, I believe (or May?) We nonetheless walked a sizeable chunk of the grounds. Things to note about Versailles:

Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet - It’s a huge hike to get there but the kids loved it. You can get there by tram (for a fee – 3.5 Euros, one-way) or rent an electric golf cart but the signage makes these transports alternatives very tough to locate. Wear comfortable walking shoes.

Get out of Dodge at Closing - This was the big adventure of our stay. We stayed to till sunset at the hamlet, only to realize that the tram shut down at 5, and we had to hoof it back to the castle in darkness – and it is a huge walk. We got to the Rive Gauche Train station by 6:30 to find out that the station was closed. We were told to walk another 10-15 mins. to the Versailles Montparnasse. Makes sense, I guess, that the Rive Gauche station, servicing primarily the castle traffic, would close when the castle closes.

Hall of Mirrors sorry to say this but renovation work is ongoing in the Hall of Mirrors. Two-thirds of the room is covered but a yeoman’s try is made, with reflecting –mirrored walls over the work areas, etc., to minimize the effect of the work.

After you are finished with the Queens’ apartments and walk through the gift shop, don’t forget to walk through the staricase into the adjacent room with wall size paintings of moments in French history (yes, battles), walk downstairs and return through the hallway of busts of significant personages in French history (That’s where it struck me that there is so little that I’ve been able to see in Paris on Charlemagne. There is much more focus on Louis IV-VI, Napolean, etc. Odd.)

I didn’t realize that the Museum Pass gets you into Versailles (but doesn’t get you the audio guide – well worth paying the extra Euros.

Weather - It was November. It rained every day.. but only in quick spurts. If you see rain, don’t panic. It won’t last long. But be prepared. It will rain hard. So, take a mini-umbrella with you.

Cost - The cost of food was my biggest surprise. Nothing that can be done about it. Just be prepared. A cup of coffee will cost 5 Euros ( translates into $6.25 US.) A croissant/toast/ galette (yay! – you’ll like that!) are likewise more expensive then you might expect to find in the States, and the currency conversion premium needs to be accounted for.

Enjoy your trip!

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Nice report... good advice for a new person planning to visit Paris!

%26quot;...so little that I’ve been able to see in Paris on Charlemagne%26quot;

you are so right!

Have you gone to St. Dennis ? You can see one of his robes there.

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The photo booths in the metro stations do, indeed, produce the correct size photos needed for Cartes Oranges and Navigo passes, but it%26#39;s not necessarily easy to figure out how to use the machines to get what you want.

The last metro trains leave their terminal points at midnight, meaning that as long as you%26#39;ve made your last transfer and are in your final tunnel by midnight, you%26#39;ll be able to get on a train.

Paris wasn%26#39;t a particularly important story in the story of Charlemagne. He was neither born, crowned, ruled or died there, so it%26#39;s not unusual that the city doesn%26#39;t pay him that much heed.

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I agree with the observations about the cost of food. For somebody from a major American city, the cost differential isn%26#39;t that much, but if you%26#39;re from a smaller city or a rural area, the prices for simple meals like breakfast and lunch can be downright shocking.

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I agree - nice report. So many people seem to write one long paragraph that seems like a stream of conscience....

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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; Carte Orange – Absolutement!. However, the carte requires photo id to be annexed. It requires about a thumbnail size expressionless headshot – looking straight at the camera. %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Almost any basic headshot about 1.25%26quot; square or smaller will do as long as it is recognizably you and not your cat. Doesn%26#39;t even have to be colour — B%26amp;W will work. We generally use pics clipped from discarded snapshots and have never had a problem. And, trust me, I am happy to see most of those gone...

As for the food price comment, the price of a cup of coffee depends on where you buy it and whether you are sitting on a café terrace in a smart place like Les Deux Magots or standing at the counter in some little corner joint in the 19th. Not so different from NYC in my experience. Also remember that the price includes taxes and service — not included in US restaurant prices. I am actually always surprised at how inexpensive almost all baked goods are, even very fancy tortes and gâteaux and the like, in Parisian patisseries. Even with today%26#39;s appallingly weak US$ I think eating in Paris is — relatively speaking — a bargain. If you don%26#39;t I would advise staying away from London...

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IrishRovr and dwass1

I agree in one way with you Irish, it depends alot. For the moment I got a few friends that got work in the champs E area and they all complain alot becuse of the high prices in that district compared to what they are use to, and I was once going to buy a coca cola can for 4 euro and when the guy said the price my friend took the can out of my hand and said something angerly to the person selling it, no coke for me that day (the friend she is french from Paris, living in 3ed so center too)

But else I have to say that food can be very cheap in Paris, just the fact that you can buy 3 courses for 12 euro, that would simply not happen in Sweden (okay the food is not great but still) and you can actually get really good food 3 courses for 30 euro, the same type of food in sweden, that would be about that price for the main dish! I went to Miami last dec, and actually (except silly cheap GREAT sushi) I spent more money there on a dinner than I usually do in Paris. The saddest thing in Paris according to me when it comes to food is not the price but tha fact that they serve so much crap, I never been in a city in my life with more tourist traps than paris, its sad and I feel sorry and ashamed for all the people that unknowingly ends up on them.

Emma

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dwass1,

Where did you have dinner in the Latin Quarter and how was the food? Although, I%26#39;m particularly interested in French Onion Soup, I%26#39;m really interested in trying genuine French cuisine. I%26#39;m not a fan of German food, but I love Portuguese food, so I can%26#39;t even imagine how French food will taste.

Your itinerary looks very much like what I envision mine and my husband%26#39;s to be except I was going to bypass Versailles because I read the fountains were not on during the winter. Should I reconsider (your opinion, of course)?

Also, I see that you went home on Sunday. So you won%26#39;t be able to answer this next question but anyone who can, please feel free. Are most sites closed on Sunday? I%26#39;ve been researching but I%26#39;ve read different things that say Monday is a bad day, but then some things say Sunday is a bad day. Is either or are both bad days?

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Calicobaby

When you choose restaurants really look it up here first, I had great french food but very seldom in paris, the place is filled with tourist traps with food that my old school cafteria beats, sad but true!

Mvh / Emma

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Good points all.

We found nice restaurants by falling into them. I%26#39;d recommend you ask your hotel concierge for recommendations. They%26#39;ll be very helpful.

Forgot to mention that my 17 year old son is a vegetarian - and the rest of us are carnivores. It wasn%26#39;t easy, and there wasn%26#39;t a lot of selection for him in the restaurants which we did find, but it was doable - and he enjoyed the appetiizers and desert in any event.

For anyone going with a vegetarian, don%26#39;t forget to reserve a vegetarian meal with your airline, both ways.

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Hi Dwass1, thank you for you interesting trip report. As others have said it was informative and especially useful for someone who is looking to plan their own itinerary.