Paris with DS17 Jan 24

[ParisJanuary2024]

Happy New Year Everyone! I have booked Eurostar tickets for me and DS17 to go to Paris Jan 19-22nd. Advice about where to go, what to see and do and places to eat would be very much appreciated. Any recommendations for accommodation which I need to book are very welcome. Ideally 2 bed (or 1 bed and a sofa bed), self catering and somewhere easy to get to from the train station as we arrive quite late at 21.18pm and leave at 8.42am on 22nd. Many thanks everyone and thank you for reading xx

Book art galleries in advance. Dd (19) and I went just before Christmas. The queue for The Orangerie (Monet exhibition) was over an hour.

We went to The Louvre which was wonderful.

We also went on a boat trip up the Seine. There are lots of options - we splashed out and had a lovely meal on the boat.

The Marais is a great area if you like vintage clothes shops.

A mooch around Galleries Lafayette was eye opening in terms of high end designer labels (we didn't even buy a pair of socks!)

Don't bother with the Moulin Rouge.

Many thanks Littlefish - great suggestions - glad you and your Dd19 had a fab time x

@ParisJanuary2024 If the weather is ok, walk along the Left Bank of the Seine. Book Musee D’Orsay. Consider the Louvre. It’s huge but can be busy at the Mona Lisa! Go to the Opera Garnier for a tour and definitely do a boat trip. Galleries Lafayette is beautiful. So is Fauchon! Just look at the window. Gee a coffee there! (It’s a food shop).

It’s much easier to check into a hotel at night. January should have offers.

The restaurant at the top of the Pompidou Centre is a bit pricy but has good views. You can just get the escalator up to take in the view if you don’t want to eat.

We stayed here it's a great location and very close to the Marais. Picasso museum is a must. The Canal St Martin cruise was interesting but may be too cold to enjoy in winter. The secret Montmarte tour with Urban Adventures was fun.

Here's the hotel

All the usual tourist attractions and definitely a river cruise. You don't need specific restaurant or cafe recommendations. They are literally everywhere and I've never ever been to a bad one. The joy is honestly in wandering the streets and just stopping at a cafe that catches your eye, having bread, cheese, salad, chips and wine of course!! It's wonderful. Have fun and take a brolly!!

If you like reading, The Shakespeare Book Company will keep you occupied for an hour or so.

Following this as planning a trip in Feb with my DS 18!!!

I took my 15 year old to Paris last spring. We stayed in Le Marais district which was perfect for wandering and had great links to all the main attractions. Our hotel was lovely - Grand Hotel Malher. It was right by Saint Paul Metro which was very handy. We were there for three days and visited Musee D'Orsay (book an early slot and work down from top floors before crowds build up), Galleries Lafayette (there is a roof terrace which offers great views of the city for free), Montmartre and obviously Eiffel Tower although we didn't go up. Loads of nice places to eat in Le Marais. We had amazing crepes at Le Cidrerie du Marais and the best hot chocolate at Cafe Carette on Place des Vosges. We had a fabulous time!

Sounds great....just off to look at that hotel

If you are arriving at the Gare du Nord late at night, it’s best to ensure you can get to your hotel easily.

Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone I really appreciate all your advice and suggestions :) I have just booked our accommodation (Le Marais). Is it possible to walk from here to the Eiffel Tower along the left bank staying close to the river most of the time or would it be best to get the metro? It looks like it will take over an hour to walk which is fine for us - I'm not so keen though if we're on busy roads though for a lot of the time!!! I was also thinking of getting the boat back from the Eiffel tower - does anyone know if there is a specific company/know further
details. Many thanks x

If/when you go to Galeries Lafayette, make sure you go to the ground-floor perfume department: incredibly beautiful and they're happy for you to test!
Also, there is a (free) rooftop with amazing views over the Opera: go up as far as possible in the lift, then walk up one more flight.

Within walking distance of there is Bouillon Chartier, a VERY reasonably-priced restaurant for trying some delicious French dishes.

Went with DD, 20, last summer. We did a tour of Musee D’Orsay (very good), the Catacombs (also fascinating but not everyone’s cup of tea), the streets around the back of the Sacre Coeur and then just wandered and ate! Reallly liked the area around Marché des Enfants Rouges for interesting shops and restaurants.

We were there at the end of November with DS 23.

If you want to go to the galleries, book in advance as you will otherwise spend a long time queuing. If you want to see anything in particular, check in advance as both the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay had closed areas. If your DC has a European passport, by any chance, it's free for under-25s!

We bought a deal which included a bus tour, boat trip and top of the Eiffel Tower which was well worth it. Try to sit at the front at the top of the bus to get views of the lunatic driving around the Arc de Triomphe. Make sure you're well wrapped up for the boat trip as it can be freezing with the wind. If you get a ticket to the third floor of the Eiffel Tower, do that first and work your way down the floors, as the lifts from the top get full later on and you end up having to run down the external stairs if you have an appointment to keep!

We stayed in Montmartre which is lovely and safe, with lots of restaurants, but do not engage with anyone collecting signatures on clipboards around the church as they are scammers (they also have them at the Eiffel Tower). Do not bother with the Moulin Rouge.

Visit the Galleries Lafayette for the experience- the main women's dome building has views over Paris and also has a second-hand section which is well worth a rummage.

Although Notre Dame is still being renovated after the fire, it is well worth going to see the damage and there is a fascinating exhibition about the reconstruction on the fences around the site.

To get around, I would recommend getting a 10-journey Metro pass which you can top up if needed.

Enjoy!