BootsnAll Travel Community

I guess other people have similar threads on this forum, but my mom and cousin (both over 50, mom closer to 60) are going to Paris and around for about a week in March. I was just curious if anyone had an idea for them as to what to do? i.e. arrange a tour to see paris? Where to stay (I think 4 star and above for them)...They are also thinking of going to San michel? Not sure if that is how you spell it, but I was curious as to the best way they could get there?

Thanks

Has either your mom or her cousin done much traveling before? Paris is extremely easy to navigate if you've had some travel experience. Are they confident enough to travel independently? If they are then armed with a couple of guidebooks they should do just fine. If they prefer an organized guided vacation then look into the Rick Steves tours (http://www.ricksteves.com). Getting around between towns and cities in France is best accomplished by train. The TGV and other trains will take you just about every place quickly and efficiently. The SNCF web site will give you detailed train schedules. SNCF has also opened several physical stores spread around popular areas of Paris where you can buy tickets and ask about schedules.

thanks...

I will probably hold the record of having traversed Paris four or five times and only ever really stopped once and it was pissing down, but don't let that deter them.

Paris central is relatively flat and there was a thread recently on walking between main interest sites, and a bit of walking will be a good warm up for Mont St Michel
Alternately, for those not too accustomed to underground rail, the Paris one can be intimidating at first, but get a good colour coded map and when they know what station they want, and also see what station is at end of the line (for my experience was that was how you worked out which direction to go in) they'll be OK unless they get claustrophobic (sp.) because some of the access tunnels themselves are quite lengthy.

The trip advisor link mentions driving and if that is their forte, a few days would allow a nice drive down the Seine Valley, Hon Fleur near mouth of Seine being an interesting town and also Bayeaux (near where Normandy landings were) and on to St Michel, and then there is also St Malo not too far away.
Otherwise they could probably do most of that by train/bus but take an extra day.

Have you checked out parislogue.com? I've mentioned some hotels that friends have stayed at including Villa Modigliani (which is a 3-star) but very nice in the Montparnasse district on Rue Delambre, but to really know what would suit your Mom and her cousin, it would be good to know more about their interests. If they plan on spending a lot of time visiting museums they might want a hotel on the Right Bank near the Louvre. The Regina is an elegant hotel right across from the Louvre (but you pay for the location). The advice about picking up a copy of Rick Steve's guide to Paris is good advice. I'd second that. And the Metro really is the best way to get around Paris. As in any big city, you should be aware of your surroundings and not distracted by talking to one another. March should be a great time to visit Mont St. Michel because it will be off season. If your Mom can book a hotel and stay overnight in Mont St. Michel that's the best time to see the Mont when the tour buses have left. Another town in the general region, in neighboring Brittany, is St. Malo. They could take a train to St. Malo and then rent a car for the drive to Mont St. Michel (that would avoid driving out of Paris!).

P.S. Paris Walks is definitely a good way to go if you want to explore a specific neighborhood in Paris. Paris can be overwhelming so I think for visitors who want to come back home with a good understanding of at least one neighborhood, this is definitely worth checking out:
http://www.parislogue.com/travel-tips/november-1st-all-...ts-day.html#more-286
or www.paris-walks.com

I'm currently in Paris, and while the hotel I'm staying in is not 4-star, it is definitely nice enough, in a good location and the staff is very friendly and helpful. It's the Castex Hotel (http://www.castexhotel.com) located near the Bastille in Marais. I takes under 5 minutes to walk to the Bastille Metro station and 15 minutes to walk to Notre Dame Cathedral.

perfect thanks a lot i'll look in to it

There is only one hint I can give you on this, since I am a hostel person.

You want a hotel in the center of paris, defined as being within the circle of the center. The suburbs are not a good place to be at night, and its not walkable from the suburbs.

In the center, between the metro, bus, and feet, you can get just about anywhere up to 12 midnight.

That's true. Some suburbs are fine, but others are dicey. Neuilly sur Seine or Boulougne are very nice suburbs just bordering Paris but most visitors want to be within the city proper to have quick access. Many of the Metro lines extend to the adjacent suburbs. That's not to say that there aren't some parts of Paris where two fifty/sixty year old women would feel less at ease. La Goutte d'Or or Metro: Chateau d'Eau for example if okay if you live in Paris and know your way around but out of towners might be slightly freaked out when a group of men is shouting at them as soon as they walk out of the Metro on to the street. If you understand French, you'd realize that they're just touts for the local hair salons that want to braid your hair.

yea this is my mom and her cousin...both have traveled, not extensively but my mom has been throughout europe before not paris though...I am looking for a safe place to recommend otherwise they will just book it through whoever and I don't want them in a bad area...

I consider Montparnasse to be a pretty good area because there's plenty of street traffic. It's also a student area so you may not be particularly 'targeted' as tourist. I think the majority of pickpockets (there really aren't that many compared to some other major European cities) tend to focus on the Right Bank or in crowded train stations. Your Mom should feel comfortable walking around Montparnasse at night, but once again if she really wants to focus on the museums, she might want to look at hotels in the Louvre area. St. Germain des Pres is also a very nice area. Start in those three areas. Rick Steves mentions the Marais which is good too but maybe not where first-time visitors would choose.

Even if they don't go for the Rick Steves' tour, he does have a lot of information on his website that might be helpful for your mom and her cousin. If you check out the France link, there's a whole section on Paris as well as a sample itinerary for Paris in 3-7 days. It looks pretty complete.

By the way, one place they should get to is Angelina's, 226 Rue de Rivoli (near the Louvre). It has this incredibly thick rich chocolate to drink, and is a nice thing to do after touring the Louvre. Also, tell them not to miss seeing the Musee d'Orsay - it some some wonderful Impressionistic pieces of art, and the building itself is beautiful. I liked it better than the Louvre.

They also might enjoy walking through Père Lachaise Cemetary - it has a lot of very well-known people buried there (including Jim Morrison), but it's interesting and beautiful in its own right.

thanks for all the info!

A good street is Rue Saint Honore, I hope the spelling is correct, It is in a fantastic location, very safe and very central. From memry it is near the Tuilleries .

You can get travel passes for a number of days . Fontainebleau, which is about 60kms south of Paris can be done as a day trip and is very popular not mention magnificent.The garden of Versailles is another one which your mum would probably enjoy.


Have a nice day, Whistler.


If you can keep a sense of humour and see the funny side of life, you will never be old. SMC

Has your Mom picked out a hotel yet? If so, what neighborhood did she choose and what were her criteria? Just posted today on the dilemma of finding the right hotel in the right neighborhood. Always in search of the 'perfect Paris hotel'.

www.parislogue.com