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Paris- Early December- Bumped for hotel Rec on Page 2

Posted on 7/6/19 at 4:34 pm
Posted by Lawyered
The Sip
Member since Oct 2016
29293 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 4:34 pm
Looking for recs...

Flight/ 4 star hotel for 4 or 5 nights in 1st Arrondissement for $1200 total... which after using Points/ an unexpected $1000 gift from my parents for my 30th birthday in August will fund this entirely.

Obviously will do the Louvre/ Eiffel Tower...

planning to take a day tour up to Normandy as well.

Any particular bars/ cafes you guys like I should go to?

I usually am a " tours" kind of tourist... but I think this time I am going to switch it up and do some solo sightseeing and really try to take in Paris as best I can

This post was edited on 8/4/19 at 7:07 pm
Posted by BlackCoffeeKid
Member since Mar 2016
11714 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 4:38 pm to
Tomb of Napoleon and walking around the Army Museum at Les Invalides is a must do.

Highly recommend getting the museum pass. Worth it for cutting long lines.


Go to La Grange aux Canards if you like duck.
This post was edited on 7/6/19 at 4:40 pm
Posted by geauxpurple
New Orleans
Member since Jul 2014
12336 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 6:29 pm to
We were there in April. We spent several days in Normandy and toured the D-Day beaches extensively. Normandy is doable as a day trip from Paris but it is a long one. Try to spend a couple of days there if you can. We stayed in Bayeux. We toured the D-Day beaches with Overlord Tours with Yannick as our guide. Highly recommended...... In Paris we stayed at the Westin Place Vendomme which is a very nice hotel in the 1st. Arr...... In Paris we had some spectacular meals, but if you are looking for small cafes, our favorite near the 1st. Arr.was Juvenile's across from the Palais Royal. We ate there twice. Chez Monsieur is an excellent bistro in the 1st. We also enjoyed Fish La Boissonnerie in the 6th which was right across the street from the hotel we stayed at before we left for Normandy. Hebe in the Latin Quarter was fantastic. Make reservations .
Posted by Civildawg
Member since May 2012
8562 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 6:45 pm to
We were there a couple of weeks ago and we used overlord tours for our Normandy tour. I suggest staying in the city of Bayeux and do the full day tour instead
Posted by Lawyered
The Sip
Member since Oct 2016
29293 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 6:58 pm to
quote:

geauxpurple




THank you.. will def take this into consideration...

also..

Checked the stickys... but didn't really find much in the way of helpful info pertinent to me hence the thread.
Posted by hungryone
river parishes
Member since Sep 2010
11987 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 8:18 pm to
Solo in Paris is a great time, esp,if you enjoy people watching. Find a cafe, get a window seat, settle in with a cafe creme in the AM or a kir in the PM.....watch the world go by. Bring a novel, a sketchbook, some postcards to write.....buy a fountain pen and a fresh journal, reflect on your 30 years on the planet. If you’re lucky, it will drizzle and the skies will be moody and grey....perfect introspection weather. The museum pass is nice for the skip-the-line privileges, and I think it encourages you to pop into lesser visited spots since you’ve already got the pass.

Restaurants, cafes, etc in the 1st:
—La Tour Montlhéry - Chez Denise, open all night until 4-5 am. Old school, escargots, food gras, cheap and decent house wines. Rue des
—da Rosa, rue du Seine. French & Spanish food, with some specialty food items for sale. Have lunch & buy edible souvenirs. LINK
—Wine bars: Juveniles, rue de Richelieu; good food, too; Le Garde Robe, rue d’arbre sec, wine bar, (IIRC, not much food beyond snacks); le Rubis, rue Marche St Honore
Other arrondissments:
—6th, near Odeon: Any of the family of Yves Cambord places: le Relais de Comptoir (restaurant with a few outdoor tables), Avant le Comptoir (a small plates place next door), Avant le Comptoir de la Met (the seafoody-tapas iteration), or the Avant le Comptoir au marche a few blocks away....all are near the Odeon, with minimal or no seating, but a convivial, tapas bar like atmosphere.
—Jacques Genin for chocolates & pastry, in the northern Marais. Not too far from le Marche des Enfants Rouge, an old historic covered market with some stalls selling cooked foods as well as groceries.

I could go on and on about Paris. So post some specific q’s & I’ll be happy to answer.

RE: Normandy/Bayeux, if you can at least an overnight in Bayeux and spend a full day to day and a half if you’re interested in the WWII sights. It’s more than a day trip.
Posted by tigeroarz1
Winston-Salem, NC
Member since Oct 2013
3375 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 8:56 pm to
I’m going in two weeks. Paris->Bayeux\D Day Tour->Loire Valley->Paris
This thread is exactly what I need. Keep them coming.
Posted by tigeroarz1
Winston-Salem, NC
Member since Oct 2013
3375 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 9:00 pm to
quote:

Checked the stickys... but didn't really find much in the way of helpful info pertinent to me hence the thread.
BTW, It seems threads in the search function on this site have expiration dates. Go to google and search Paris Tigerdroppings and you’ll have better luck.
Posted by Lawyered
The Sip
Member since Oct 2016
29293 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 9:15 pm to
Have an upvote for this
quote:

Solo in Paris is a great time, esp,if you enjoy people watching. Find a cafe, get a window seat, settle in with a cafe creme in the AM or a kir in the PM.....watch the world go by. Bring a novel, a sketchbook, some postcards to write.....buy a fountain pen and a fresh journal, reflect on your 30 years on the planet. If you’re lucky, it will drizzle and the skies will be moody and grey....perfect introspection weather. The museum pass is nice for the skip-the-line privileges, and I think it encourages you to pop into lesser visited spots since you’ve already got the pass.


I used to journal... may have to find it an bring it out and have some self reflection time.

Speaking of the museum passes..... are you really in a small minority if you do this? or does pretty much everyone get the pass therefore it doesnt make much of a difference?

thank you.
Posted by Lawyered
The Sip
Member since Oct 2016
29293 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 9:21 pm to
I'm not a big fan of wine.. however I'm going to make an exception and have some/ bring a bottle or two back for some dear friends who would really appreciate it.

I've googled it but other than giving options... is there maybe a good cigar bar of which I can buy/smoke/drink at in the 1st? or nearby.
Posted by hungryone
river parishes
Member since Sep 2010
11987 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 10:08 pm to
Yes, the skip the line will get you in faster, esp at the busy places.
Paris is great for wandering semi aimlessly. There are some good audio guides for walks through specific areas. VoiceMap has some good ones: LINK
Make a Google map “saved locations” of all your recs and then you can wander and find things nearest to you no matter where you are.

Download the CityMapper app. It’s a great wayfinder for all public transit options from point A to B. Gives you Metro, bus, walking, biking, cab options and ETAs. Buses may seem lame, but if you’re not in a hurry, you can sightsee and enjoy the streetscape, which isn’t possible on the metro.

I’m not a shopper, but Paris is full of things to tempt. The big dept store display windows are very cool at the holidays, and you just might want to knock out your holiday shopping while you’re there. Pack light, or buy a swank tote to carry home gifts and souvenirs. The Goyard store on rue St Honore is lovely, and Goyard hasn’t gone all mass market like LV. But if Goyard is out f range, even the Monoprix (kind of a French Target) has interesting things. I often load up on French soap and sea salt at Monoprix as easily packable gifts for ppl at home.
Posted by hungryone
river parishes
Member since Sep 2010
11987 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 10:15 pm to
Make an effort w your travel wardrobe....Parisians do judge on appearance.
Posted by Thecoz
Member since Dec 2018
2530 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 10:26 pm to
spent a lot of time in Paris when I worked for s French company a while back
Lots of good suggestions already made but
Best thing is to get the museum pass so you can visit different ones and may want to go back to a few a couple of times for seeing different aspects
Some are quite large
Also get a tube pass so you can get places fast
The tube is easy and routes color coded so you can follow the map easily
Make sure you visit the isle Norte Dame is on and walk around it. It is fun
Also they have a trader market on weekends there and good place to interact with locals
Of course go up the tower and walk under the arch
Should be beautiful with the main shopping streets lit up for the holidays
You can extend the museum pass to include some of the castles :palaces also sorta nearby

Walk along the river as much as possible it is a great walking city
Posted by Lawyered
The Sip
Member since Oct 2016
29293 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 10:34 pm to
quote:

Make an effort w your travel wardrobe....Parisians do judge on appearance.


They're already gonna know I'm American by seeing my lard arse walking along
Posted by Thecoz
Member since Dec 2018
2530 posts
Posted on 7/6/19 at 10:48 pm to
Lol. Yeah they will know
Black pants bright neon shirt dirty sweater and skip a bath or two if you want to try to blend in
Posted by hungryone
river parishes
Member since Sep 2010
11987 posts
Posted on 7/7/19 at 6:00 am to
It’s not about looking non American, it’s about looking well put together.

Musee Rodin, the Orangerie, the Picasso museum in the Marais, and the Musee de Quai Branly (non European art) are my favorites. The Louvre is huge, crowded, and best enjoyed over a few days, just a couple hrs at a time. It is so sprawling that you can easily become overwhelmed and turned around. Best to go with a plan on what you want to see (maps on the website). The Musee Des artes et decoratifs next door has a nice cafe/restaurant, LOuLou, where you can recover from a morning of Louvre madness.
This post was edited on 7/7/19 at 6:45 am
Posted by Thecoz
Member since Dec 2018
2530 posts
Posted on 7/7/19 at 10:55 am to
Looking put together
You going to a fashion show?
You are a tourist and they will know it and I am not sure what looking together is
Dress like a normal person
Slacks if nice
Tie if required
Jeans if American
Black jeans and black shoes if European
They will know your American not really like you but act like they do as long as you have a fat wallet

Posted by Thecoz
Member since Dec 2018
2530 posts
Posted on 7/7/19 at 11:10 am to
Oh and also be VERY careful of pickpockets they are everywhere and good
To favorite tricks are a group of teenagers will get on the tube and all chatter and bump around the crowd causing confusion
Just before the doors close for the train to move they all jump off out of the doors
Of course with walkers etc

If it happens you can stop the door closing grab one and say give it back
They usually will and go off laughing
Another one is if a a place like a train station taxi line do NOT let go of you luggage a few will come stand next to you then one will start a conversation while the other reaches down grabs your luggage and slips off behind you then runs
You look down to get your luggage to get on the train and it is gone
Also your bag purse etc will need to go through a screener when going into museum
Have a quick lock so you can unlock it so security can see inside but lock it back when walking around
Posted by Thecoz
Member since Dec 2018
2530 posts
Posted on 7/7/19 at 11:13 am to
Wallets not walkers sorry
Posted by hungryone
river parishes
Member since Sep 2010
11987 posts
Posted on 7/7/19 at 12:40 pm to
Dress like a normal person? What does that even mean? Walk through your average US airport full of “normal people” and you’ll see pajamas, flip flops, crocs, and cargo shorts, fishing shirts, golf shirts, and sports jerseys. I’m simply saying don’t go to Paris in December dressed like most Americans. You will definitely receive better treatment in bars, restaurants, etc if you’re not rolling up wearing average southern US middle class male leisure wear. Make a damn effort to look like a grownup, that’s all.
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