Anybody from France/Paris, been to paris? Planning to have a vacation in Paris late in March this year, and I'm looking for a modest hotel room at a reasonable price for 2/3 nights. Any suggestions for places to look around, sight-seeing are welcome. I'll be carrying my US driving license, so may rent a car for those days. Please help!

Thanks in advance!
Magdadela

` in and around paris, just use public transportation - subway and the railway system.

If you are looking for a budget place, try "love and peace hostel" and you can't go wrong. This hostel even provides linen and pillow cover. But since its a hostel, chances are you will be sharing the room with other travellers (but thats the fun part). It was only 26US$ per night last year, couldn't have changed by much. There is a direct train from Gare Nord (the main rail station) to this hostel.

And like whats more suggested above, don't drive there. It is a lot of hassel and expensive. Take the trains (subway). Buy the daily rail pass, it's worth it.

First rule when landing in ANY touristic country: DON'T LOOK LIKE A TOURIST, DON'T ACT LIKE A TOURIST, BLEND IN!!!

So, if you're staying in hostel's taking advantage of student discounts. Buy your weekly metro pass . I highly recommend making a trip out to Chamonix, in the French Alps.

Avoid eating in touristy areas of Paris. You'll find it mediocre. Try to get off the beaten path, have some crepes. Eat French Bread----it has the most delicious bread. The smell alone is better than the finest freebase...France is also home (as is most of western Europe) to many fine local cheeses (as well as wine) and these go brilliantly with their bread. French people are wonderful people with a fantastic culture in a beautfiful country.

Go to the Louvre. Look at the Mona Lisa, say "ooh", then turn left, go around the corner and see the painting ("The Raft of the Medusa" by Gericault) smile Versailles is right outside of Paris and can easily chew up the better part of a day. Can stand in the room where the treaty that ended WWI (and arguably brought on WWII) was signed.
On the northern coast, so see the Bayeux Tapestry (a 900 year old tapestry depicting the Norman invasion of Britain in 1066) And by all means, absolutely go to Normandy (D-Day landing site in WWII). Go to the cemetery and pay respect to the soldiers that died there, and then walk on the beach and imagine what that morning must have felt like.


How to not be a stupid tourist?

1 - Don't running around yelling to your friend across the town square "HEY! LOOKIT THIS OLD MAN HERE, DOESN'T HE LOOK FUNNY?" as if you were the only people around speaking english. :P

2 - We know that everything in USA is bigger (including your mouths), so don't tell us. :)

3 - In Europe we have invented the "queue". In a queue you stay in line. If you know what's good for you.

4 - When you enter some establishment, start by looking if there is a queue. They might not be apparent, but that loose groupe of people around the counter are probably not loitering, so don't just bark forth to the clerk expecting to be served right away.

5 - We have thousands of years of culinary traditions, so a meal may be composed of finely proportioned ingredients, assembled and prepared for your pleasure. If you pour a gallon of dressing or ketchup on everything you could as well have stayed at home.

6 - Roads with multiple lanes are usually like this: Right: marching speed lane Left: overtaking lane (not in UK)

WOW PARIS????

Are you going alone???

magdadela
If ya going to Paris for 2-3 days, you probably won't even need to rent the car. the subway system is awesome there. It took me just bout 10 mins to figure out the map. dont' forget to visit jim morrison!! If ya lookin for da cheap hotel, go around train station!!!

I am glad you started this thread because even I am going to France this month along with other neighboring countries. I will be in France in the week of 20th of this month. I would greatly appreciate advice from those of you who have been to France and have knowledge of France. Can someone tell me what will be the easiest way to visit neighboring countries as well? I heard Euro - rail passes are valid for a day only. What are other alternative ways are there to visit Western Europe?

Thanks in advance

Its easy, just take a train everywhere....

wow paris, one of the bestest places la monde. many monuments, old buildings, chuirches, musuem..BEST for vacation .. la louvre, sacré coeur, la pantheon, la tour d'eiffel.. hmm baguetteee! one thing, you HAVE to travel on métro

napoleon's tomb et mona lisa de léonardo da vinci!!

In my experiance no need to hire a car , European public transport is supub but don,t fly without hotel booking.and click www.ryanairhotel.com

Wow,
awesome info. Thanks to all of you. I'm going with my better half and two young kids, so I'll need a modest, private room with double beds. Can't wait to be there. I'm still waiting for my ticket confirmation.

Thanks!
Magdadela

don't hire a car seriously in europe, its bettere traveling in the subway!! the traffic's a disaster and very expensive parkings plus its scary how they dont have traffic rules, people drive with eye contacts!! bonne journée à paris!

Well! i was in paris last year.
my suggestions.

1) do not travel in march because rain could disturb u and its little bit cold in march.
2)be careful while travelling in metros and local transports system bcoz there is lots of pic pocketing cases.
3)dont forget to take a tour in sighseeing bus which starts from the Effel tower. its 2 hours trip and paris trip is nothing without it. and its not so expensive.
4) if you have never been to Disney land in US then go and try it.BUT if you have plan to visit Florida in future then you can drop this plan.

i had hired a car during my visit, it was a great experince of my life because i travelled toward BERLIN(Germany) from Paris. If you have also plan to visit germany also then hire a car, it will be an unforgotable tour of your life. Because in the AUTO BAHN (motorway) of germany ,it's permitted to drive up to 200km/h in the left lane.

if you are planning to hire a car then do not forget to have a satelite navigation. i stayed in ebis hotel. i liked this hotel, it could be found every where in the europe and i paid 45 euro for dobbel bed room. u can find ti www.ebishotel.com

if u need more info then don't be shy to ask me.

Very well said ladyinred..that ketchup thing made me Laugh my a** off.

Well said ladyinred. To add to her list of things not to do to look stupid or out of place, do not wear sweat-pants or sweat-shirts, more so with your college/university mascot or US flag, or shorts to restaurants. It just looks trashy in the european environment.
If you lack a good sense of fashion style, look around and try to pick some from the people there.

And when in France, try their smoked salmon sandwich. It is delicious.
And expect most public places in France to smell of cigratte smoke as almost everyone seems to smoke there.

If visiting Eiffel Tower, plan to spend at least few good hours there and do so in the evening so that you can enjoy the picturesque tower when it starts to get dark with it's golden lights.

It is hard to visit place where they don't wanna speak english PERIOD. The menu is not in english wotsoever. It took me 2 hours to find an place who spoke back to me finally when I asked them give me anything to eat, MAKE SURE YOU GET ME BEER I AM TIRED OF LOOKING AROUND NOW> LOUDLY>FEW Foreigners Laughed but hell wot the heck>>>>finally that guy silently broke a little english and said beer and fry - he probably meant fries - I said thank god someone does understand the language - Even nepalese at nepal speak better english but nOOOOOOOOO even if they knew he wouldn't break a word of english - One time was enough for me got to see the tower and took a fairy boat ride that was enough no more - I guess next time Spain and Italy will be better as I heard they do comprende english...

Yes, go to the Louvre, as ladyinred suggested, but don't be suprised if the Mona Lisa turns out to be smaller than you expected. Some people are known to pass it by without realizing it is the real thing

:)

Namaste Captain!
Where were u lost????
:)

Sadly, nowhere too fancy - only in the hurly burly of mundane life :)

Hope all is well with you Birkhe. What's new with you these days?