Paris - without using Metro

[Marshmarigoldssss]

Going to Paris in the autumn. Hate metros/undergrounds. Any advice on areas to stay where it will be possible to use buses/local trains or walk?

Thanks

You haven't mentioned a budget, but I recently stayed in a beautiful apartment in Meudon, a suburb just outside Paris. I chose it based on price because I couldn't really afford to be more central in August and I had a car and didn't want to drive in the centre. It was brilliant - the apartment had an amazing view of the city and it was 15 mins by train and then all the main attractions were in walking distance - about 20 mins walk to the river with a nice park en route for a breather. I'm not an expert on Paris by any means but from what I could see if you stayed somewhere in the centre you could probably do most things on foot, and there also seemed to be plenty of buses around too, though I didn't investigate those.

I’ve stayed in district 1 for a week and walked everywhere.

Thanks all. Budget medium I think, currently looking at around £100-£200 per night for a family of 4.

Just about anywhere in the centre of Paris will be fine. How are you travelling there - air, Eurostar? Identity your point of arrival and choose somewhere quick and easily accessible by bus.

Paris public transport website has bus map and a journey planner. Some pages are in English.
www.ratp.fr

Which sites are you planning to see? Choose a location with relevant bus routes.

Bear in mind that bus travel will mean longer journeys, especially during rush hour (traffic jams). Good incentive to walk instead as you'll come across unexpected things, but not good if you just want to get from site A to site B as quickly as possibly.

If you have a Goggle account, use the My Maps feature to create a map and pin all the places you want to go. That will visually show you the places you want to go to, and then you can group them together on the same day and see which bus routes (or walking) are appropriate.

I stayed near gare du Lyon and only used the metro from Eurostar plus to go to Versailles, rest of the time we walked on used the bike rentals.

Central Paris and all the main sights are very easily walkable but for those purposes you would be best to stay centrally rather than towards the boulevard peripherique. Alternatively stay on a train line into the centre . The odd cab ride eg from main line station to an attraction won't break the bank and will be mitigated by lower cost of accommodation in suburbs. I can't ( unhelpful) remember where we stayed but found it very easy for both Disney and Paris to be near commuter line .

I would recommend staying at a Novotel or Ibis Styles in the centre. We have stayed at Novotel Gare de Lyon before which is fine. It is enjoyable exploring Paris on foot but I think it would be worth using the Metro for the odd journey....some of the lines have outside sections eg near the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur. The RER is deeper underground but covers large distances in one or two stops. The Metro/RER are best avoided at rush hour.

Thank you! All very helpful. Will check out Ibis hotels; also transport website is exactly what I need. Getting excited now, haven't been to Paris for about 20 years.

Going with kids who are into going to art galleries, will do Eiffel Tower and boat ride. Any other must sees?

We only use the metro for the longer journeys, as you often have to walk such a long way if you're changing lines anyway. Stay in a central hotel (St Germain des Pres) and everywhere is pretty much walkable anyway.

If you're coming in on the Eurostar, St Germain is 2 stops on the RER, which is slightly different to the metro (you can choose upper or lower deck) so not too painful. I assume there are buses as well, but they would not be very quick.

Musee D'Orsay is a must. The streets around St Germain are the best for aimlessly wandering around, and for eating.