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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Paris!?

21 replies

Ready · 12/12/2006 22:23

Thinking of a weekend break in Paris, any suggestions of lovely hotels to stay, places to visit??

Much obliged

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iwouldloveadollypleaseSanta · 12/12/2006 22:45

it depends on your budget! i think you can't fail with a lovely stroll in the 4th arr. (the marais) especially the Places des Vosges. and the 'village st paul' on the other side of the rue du rivoli. there are some cool and unusual shops down the rue des francs bourgois (i am probably spelling this wrong) which is near there and quite a few decent small hotels between that area, bastille and the river. its very olde world paris, but be aware that the rue des archives is a gay area if you are going out for a drink in the evening!!

MistletoeGolightly · 12/12/2006 22:49

I love the Marais - by far my favourite area. The Hotel de la Bretonnerie there is lovely. It has fantastic restaurants and several nice museums (inc the Musee Picasso) and is less touristy than many other central places. It is walking distance from Notre Dame and the rue de Rivoli.

Tips: Go up the Eiffel Tower at night - queues are generally much better and the city is beautiful at night.

Walk the Champs Elysees in the evening and appreciate the Christmas lights but don't buy anything!

A very good street market runs from the Canal St Martin to Bastille on Sunday mornings. You can start at Bastille, walk up the blvd and then continue along the beautiful canal, take in coffee at Antoine et Lili on the left bank of the canal.

There is usually a Christmas market in the square next to Les Halles - not sure if it's there this year though.

Have a lovely time - so jealous!

MistletoeGolightly · 12/12/2006 22:50

Iwldlove... snap! Xed posts, great minds and all that.

iwouldloveadollypleaseSanta · 12/12/2006 22:51

i think this site here has some decent hotels on it. the hotel axial beaubourg, for instance, looks very smart on the outside and is in a good location but i haven't stayed there so i can't recommend. i have stayed at the hotel due 7eme art in rue st paul which was definately quirky (is devoted to film) and OK but in this area most have steep stairs and small corridors...

iwouldloveadollypleaseSanta · 12/12/2006 22:55

ha x mistletoe we did - but it is the best! if you want to visit some real french bistro/bars it is a great area.

Ready · 12/12/2006 23:00

Darn... I missed out an important piece of information... silly me!! It's for June... I know I am asking early, but I desperately need something to look forward to, and I have always wanted to go to Paris.

Does the fact that I am thinking of a June change your recommendations??

Thanks so much for your responses and for the link to hotels. I want to splash some cash at the hotel, to make it extra special (does that sound stupid??)

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kid · 12/12/2006 23:04

I went to Paris a few weeks ago for the weekend. We went to see Notre Dame, Champs Elysees, a boat trip along the Seine (sp?) and of course the Eiffel Tower.
We got the Metro which was really easy to find our way around on and there are metro stations everywhere
If you are set on going there, book early so you can get a good deal. We left it quite late to book and ended up having to pay an extra £100.
We went by Eurostar which was good, no hanging around at the airport for 2hours or more.

iwouldloveadollypleaseSanta · 12/12/2006 23:05

not stupid at all - there are some AMAZING hotels in Paris if you have the euros, but the cute location is what makes so many of the Marais ones lovely.

Ready · 12/12/2006 23:12

I'd like to stay in something really swanky, as it's our only holiday next year (yeah, get the violins out ) as we have so many commitments and can't have a week away.
What was the Eurostar like? I might quite fancy that!! I hadn't even thought about getting there

When I mentioned to a friend that I was thinking of Paris, she turned her nose up and said it was a filthy city!! I've never been, but am not going to let her put me off. I love London, and that is filthy enough!!

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iwouldloveadollypleaseSanta · 13/12/2006 01:11

it is less filthy than london! but there IS more dog poo

iwouldloveadollypleaseSanta · 13/12/2006 01:17

how swank? this swank? le belier or this? le meurice

sandcastlesforanaussiexmas · 13/12/2006 04:09

Paris can be dirty, but is a lovely city. However I would not visit again...too many thieves on the metro for my liking. Just hold onto your stuff...very tightly!

ImMcDreamyingofawhitexmas · 13/12/2006 05:25

Versailles is definitly worth a visit - it is beautiful. The Louvre is also an amazing museum.

MistletoeGolightly · 13/12/2006 09:43

Sand castles -poor you! I think you must have been unlucky though, I lived in Paris for two years and have visited numerous times and have never been mugged or had any trouble at all. The only place I have ever heard of problems was Montmartre - it's so crowded it's a notorious picking ground for pick-pockets.

Ready, I don't know what your budget is but the Pavillon de la Reine in Place de Vosges is supposed to be amazing, sadly out of my budget so I haven't tried it but friends have said it's wonderful and the location is simply beautiful, in one of the most romantic squares in Paris. Details here

Ready · 13/12/2006 11:58

Thank you all so much!! I am looking for a hotel that is a little less Marie Antoinette... does that sound daft since I am going to Paris? I want to visit all the museums and places of interest, but I like my hotels to be sleek and modern. Is it sacrilege to stay in a minimalist hotel in France? Like I said, I've never been and don't know what to expect really.

Although now I know to take very little personal belongings on the metro, and whatever I do take, taped to my tummy !!

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MistletoeGolightly · 13/12/2006 14:39

Fraid my taste is for old romantic hotels so I am not very good on modern - but I'm sure someone else will have a suggestion. In the meantime have you tried tripadvisor.co.uk? They have Paris hotels ranked in order of reader reviews and are quite useful for getting ideas.

chocolatequeen · 13/12/2006 14:55

Hotel Costes is very very cool, and very very minimal. Fairly expensive though, maybe 400? a night at least. There is a sister hotel, called the Costes K which is still cool and minimal, but costs less.

George V, Ritz, Bristol, Prince des Galles, Plaza Athenee all old school 5 star(grand and ornate). Big beautiful rooms though and great locations.

Visit the Baccarat crystal museum/shop - totally mindblowing. The catacombs are supposed to be worth a trip, although haven´t done it. Walk down Boulevard St Germain, and from there to St Sulpice church, which is very beautiful but probably packed out as it´s the one in the Da Vinci Code.

If you´re only going for the weekend, rule out The Louvre. Too much to see, unless you can shortlist works you want to see and just go to those rooms.

Chez Benoit is a beautiful bistro near Pompidou centre, very french, good for lunch. Also near there is the Pied de Cochon, another Paris landmark restaurant, not as good tho in my opinion, although it is open virtually all night, so quite fun at 2 in the morning.

Watch the beautiful people at the bar in the Plaza Athenee.

A must do is a restaurant called Chartier, which is near Boulevard Haussmann (IIRC), just the best french bistro in the world. Like stepping back in time to 1920´s Paris. The rudest Parisian waiters you will ever meet, but the best atmosphere. You HAVE to go.....

Samaritaine is a beautiful department store, I still remember the christmas lights from when I was about 4. Sells everything, DH goes bonkers in their hardware department.

Bon Marche has the best food hall, fun to go and buy a picnic to eat out somewhere.

I love Paris, don´t find it that dirty apart from the dog shit, hope you have a fab time, we´re trying to go too between Xmas and NY!

Ready · 13/12/2006 15:16

Oh all of this is making me wish I was going this weekend!! Not in 6 months time. Thinking about maybe during the week insteada, as it won't be as manic as a weekend perhaps??

tripadvisor website is great, thank you. I have found a couple of more modern hotels, although I wonder if I am missing out if I stay in something which looks like it could be in any country... will see what DH thinks.

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iwouldloveadollypleaseSanta · 13/12/2006 23:18

I'll also just chip in to agree with mistletoe, i lived in paris 1 year, went on the metro everyday and encountered no pickpockets. i think the trick is not to look like you've anything worth stealing!

Beadmum · 15/12/2006 00:07

dh and i have been to paris 5 times now and we love it!!

we have stayed in the marais twice, montparnasse, montmarte and bastille and I agree that the marais is the nicest area to stay in, less touristy, fab restaurants and relaxing bars, fantastic place. i do think with paris you dont have to stay in really expensive places to enjoy as the place is so great, it makes the holiday!

The metro is great and makes it so easy to get around paris no matter what area you stay in, never encountered any pickpocketing problems, just think its like any major city where you are cautious with purse/wallet/bag just incase.

places to visit - eiffel tower, sacre coeur (highest point of city, on clear day you can see all over paris), louvre and just sitting in cafes watching the world go by, ahh to be in paris right now

i love paris, its so special to dh and i as he proposed there, very romantic we are going in may for our 2nd wedding anniversary as we couldnt go for our 1st anniversary as i was 8 months pg. cant wait.

Have a fab time, wherever you decide to stay.

sandcastlesforanaussiexmas · 15/12/2006 00:39

MistletoeGolightly, wasn't me, was FIL.

I also know of 2 other people who have been mugged on the metro. I don't think we were unlucky. Even the police who dealth with FIL said it was weekly occurance. He said they advised to keep wallet/bags out of view, but these people would stand behind ticket buyer in the queues & grab wallets/purses as they were being put away. That's how FIL was done. Literally, he paid, went to put his wallet away & it was snatched from his hand.

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