Paris newbie seeking advice on where to stay, things to do & places to eat

[bunjies]

Dh & I are lucky enough to have a couple of child free days over half term so we've booked Eurostar tickets for a 2 night stay (arriving noon on the Monday and leaving at 5pm on the Wednesday).

Soooo, neither of us has been before so have no idea of good areas to stay & eat. Obviously there's the usual touristy things like the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, Louvres etc. But what else should we do/see?

We're on a budget so would be looking for a clean, comfortable hotel with good access to the centre (and easily accessible from the Gare du Nord). We would prefer to spend our money on decent food, so ideas of places to go for breakfast & dinner would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Anyone...?

Try posting in the Living Overseas section. A lot of MN are living in Paris and you'll get more help from them .
You'll find it in the Home & Garden category

Wow! Wish I was going with you, I love Paris!

Anyway, a good hotel (as far as I remember fairly reasonable) is L'hotel du Theatre near Montmartre (is a converted theatre). Very friendly staff & lovely breakfasts & it is walking distance to the centre.

So if you're stating in Montmartre it makes sense to visit there first; nicknamed "the last village in Paris" it is a real oldy worldy place - very pretty. Sacre Coeur Church is a mist see & it has an amazing view of Paris. From there you can get a Funincular down to the centre.

Other things - Norte Dame (obviously), Eiffel Tower (make sure you go up at night - the view at night is spectacular.). Other than that, the best way to see Paris is on foot, just wandering about. Oh the Louvre (free) too.

Eating wise - there are loads of roadside creperies which make amazing pancakes (Nutella with everything!). When going to cafes/restaurants, make sure you choose ones all in French (any with English translations or pictures of the dishes (for the poor ignorant British) will be vastly overpriced & poor quality.

Enjoy!

This is a fantastic place to eat - www.bouillon-chartier.com/ - it does great food at a very reasonable price. It is about a 20 minute walk from Gare du Nord, IIRC.

Oh meant to say the hotel I suggested is right by a Metro stop - the rail network in Paris is fab

if you get a hotel fairly near the seine get a several day boat pass and you can use this for the site-seeing - most places seem to be near the river. can't remember the name of the boats....think they start with a B

God, sorry, I stopped checking for replies so missed all these . Thanks for the tips.

In the end we decided to splash out on a ridiculously OTT hotel in the Latin Quarter which is rated as one of the top "romantic" hotels on Trip Advisor .

Definitely want to walk around for the most part but we love our food so will be combining sightseeing with lovely places to eat! DH has an inclination to visit the cafe featured in Amelie but I'm not sure I can be bothered & it will probably be incredibly overpriced as a result.

Is the Sacre Coeur still a magnet for crime? I've read a lot about how there are gangs hanging round there hassling the tourists and how it can be quite aggressive.

Just over 2 weeks til we go. I am ridiculously excited as this is our first trip sans kids for over 8 years!

The Musee d'Orsay and the Musee de l'Orangerie are both fab. You can get a combined ticket. There's also a ticket which covers loads of attractions (Paris Visite, maybe?) which might be worth it if cramming stuff in, otherwise maybe not.

OP, you just have to keep your wits about you at the Sacre Couer, basically, there will be guys there who try to sell you bracelets (a bit like friendship bracelets). When they approach you, just smile & say "no thank you" in a firm voice & move away. DO NOT let them put the bracelet on your wrist (they will try) as you must then give them money (this is non negotiable btw). Other than that, it's just the normal stuff you need to be aware of - dont flash your iPhone about, leave your purse open etc. I went to Paris a few years back & never had any problem - as long as you're careful you'll be fine.

Have a lovely time

We liked Le Quai 21 on the banks of the Seine [http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d793627-Reviews-Le_Quai_21-Paris_Ile_de_France.html here]. You can't really tell if places are tourists traps or not but this wine bar has a good "only in France" menu (runny cheese and honey for pud) and appealing cosy candle lit style.
Easy to find and well located near a bridge and cheap but extensive list of wine by the bottle or glass.

sorry link

Ooh I like the look of Bouillon Chartier for lunch when we arrive.

I would recommend going to the top floor of the Tour Montparnasse for post-dinner drinks. Fabulous views of Paris from there!

If you like crepes, the best street is Rue du Montparnasse (which is not too far from the Montparnasse Tower coincidentally): it is creperie after creperie and they are all competing with each other so the standard is very high. Never choose fancy crepes though: the best ones are the simplest ones! (I am a crepe expert )

Lots of shops are shut on Sundays but the Rue des Francs Bourgeois is situated in the Jewish area and most shops there will be open that day.

The Rodin museum is also great on a nice day as there are many pictures in the gardens of the museum.

sculptures, I mean