How much does a trip to Paris cost?

[Starlust]

^Have you figured out how many changes you need to take on the metro? Also, what time are you arriving - some metro lines can be terrible during rush hour.

[melvel]

^Yes, we need to change lines once (from Line 4 at Gare du Nord to Line .  We're arriving at 3 p.m.

Post modified. Please use the ^ or @ sign instead of quoting posts directly above yours. Thanks!

[mama squeak!]

^Cheaper and faster to take the metro. Although if you have big/heavy bags with you you might have a hard time lugging them up to street level. Not all metro stations have escalators or elevators. Though having said that hubby and I always manage fine. We travel with our 4 Rimowas (2 check-in/2 carry-ons).

[foxymom]

@melvel: i would recommend taking the pick-up option of the hotel. 90euros is a good deal already for 2pax. im sure you will be lugging around luggages and 3pm is close to the rush hour. 

[mama squeak!]

^mahal pa rin sa akin yan! Pang-shopping ko na lang    You can get a pair of Repettos (outlet shop) for that price. 

@melvel, purely for convenience probably pwede mo nang patulan yung hotel pick-up since 6 pax pala kayo. The fare comes out to EUR15/pax. One way metro fare with transfers will cost you EUR1.70/pax only cheaper if you get the pass or carnets.

[melvel]

^Sige, I guess we'll take the pick-up service from the hotel.  I'm pretty sure our luggage will be loaded, since we are six shopping-crazy ladies coming from London.

Ang hirap ng waiting game for the visas.  Since we're all set with flights and accommodations, the next step is visa applications na, and that's still three months away!

[foxymom]

^i know how that feels! nakaka inip talaga! lol nakaka excite mag plan and research

[whitestarrr]

Ingat sa metro mga sis, marami na din pickpocketers in Paris. I was there 3 weeks ago. Romanians na magaganda pa kadalasan snatchers

[d_zialcita]

hi everyone,

hope you can help me with my itinerary.

april 10: manila-paris
april 11: arrive at paris at 1:30pm.. check in, rest, siene river at night
april 12: le marais, louve
april 13: Ste-Chapelle, Notre Dame, Le Marais and Eiffel at night.- suggested by mamasqeak
april 14: day tour to versailles
april 15: ________ then night train at 7pm to florence

is this itinerary doable? should i remove/add/switch some?

thank you for your help!

diana

[mama squeak!]

^sis, suggest you do Versailles on the 12th instead of the 14th which is a Sunday. Though lagi naman marami tao there it is more crowded on Sundays. Otherwise just try to be there first thing in the morning when they open.

You mentioned the Marais twice, you can do that on the 13th na lang. The Louvre you can partner with D'Orsay which is on the other side of the Seine, just cross the pedestrian steel bridge. If you're into Monet, you can check out his Water Lilies mural at the Orangerie (same side as the Louvre and not as crowded as the Louvre and Orsay). After doing the museum route, you can do some shopping at the Place Vendome, Place de la Madeleine areas where you can see most of the branded stuff here. Or take the metro to Sacre Coeur and the Montmartre area. Or just walk around the area, you won't run out of things to see and do here.

And yes, your IT is definitely doable. 

[d_zialcita]

thank you again mamasqueak!

here's a revised itinerary:

april 10: manila-paris
april 11: arrive at paris at 1:30pm.. check in, rest, siene river at night.
april 12: day tour to Versailles
april 13: Ste-Chapelle, Notre Dame, Le Marais and Eiffel at night.
april 14: D'Orsay and Louvre
april 15: go around the area, last minute shopping at Place Vendome, Place de la Madeleine then night train at 7pm to Florence


so happy our honeymoon trip is coming together.
thank you for your help dears! 

[mama squeak!]

^Sis, here's a detailed IT I posted earlier on this thread. Take a look at it and see if it will work out for you. You can tweak it according to your preference.

When you do your IT treat it as a guide lang and not a schedule you have to follow. Believe me when you get there you will be deviating from your IT. Hubby and I always end up doing something different from what we have planned, minor deviations lang naman. That's the beauty of DIYing your trip, anything goes! 

Just post your Qs lang if any after checking out the ITs. 

[hefi_ness]

hello mga sis! i'm also doing our itinerary for our January trip in Paris. We'll be arriving in Jan 16 kaso gabi na and will leave on the 21st in the morning so hindi sya counted sa gala  Bale yung allotted days for tour is Jan 17, Thursday to Jan 20 Sunday (4 days). We'll be staying in an apartment in 18e arrondissement (Montmartre area). And base sa mga nababasa ko, Sacre Coeur is located on that area so balak ko kasama sya sa "to visit" on the 17th 

So here's my IT. Please let me know if i missed or need to delete or change anything 

Jan 17 Thursday
Montmartre area:
Sacre Coeur Basilica
Moulin Rouge
Place des Abbesses - Rue Houdon/Rue des Martyrs

Champs-Élysées area:
Arc de Triomphe
Avenue des Champs Elysee
Grand Palais<--do i need to include this?

Eiffel Tower area:
Eiffel Tower
Hotel des Invalides (Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb)
Champ de Mars<--anong meron dito?

Jan 18 Friday
The Islands area:
Notre Dame
Sainte-Chapelle
Berthillion ice cream - ita-try ko to kahit malamig!

Around the Louvre:
The Louvre
Musee de l'Orangerie
Palais Royal
Jardin des Tuileries

Jan 19 Saturday
Latin Quarter:
Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Gardens)
Pantheon
Rue Mouffetard

St Germain des Pres (Boulevard St Germain):
Église St-Germain-des-Prés
Institut de France
Jardin du Luxembourg
Musee d'Orsay

Jan 20 Sunday
The Marais:
Centre Pompidou

Grand Boulevard:
Opera Garnier
Theatre des Nouveautes - to see that famous play "How to become Parisian in one hour"

Eastern area:
Canal St-Martin
Bastille

I did not include the Versailles. Do you think I should include it? Saan magandang mag-shopping ng clothes, bags, perfumes, cosmetics, etc. Yung hindi sobrang mahal  Sabi dun daw sa Grand Boulevard may mga shoppings malls like Gallery Lafayette pero mahal daw eh.

Did you try going to bar or clubs? Meron ba kayong maisu-suggest? Thanks ng marami mga sis! 

[lavieenrose]

^ Champs de Mars is the large park / grassy area by the Eiffel Tower, it's near the Ecole Militaire metro stop. It's a nice place to admire the Tour Eiffel from a distance, also good for picnics, but it might be too cold for that at this weather.

In my opinion, the itinerary looks generally good but in some instances are many sights crammed in a day (specifically Jan. 18). Also check the opening times of each area, I think they close earlier in the winter.

Shopping: I guess in "normal" less touristy malls, like the Forum des Halles (Chatelet Metro stop) or at the Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville (BHV). I agree, stuff at Galeries Lafayette can be a tad expensive, it's more for higher end / luxury goods.

Some Paris-related posts are at my blog (mods: please call me out if this is not allowed and I will edit my post) happy travels.

[berrycherry]

how's the weather now in Paris?

[Starlust]

^cloudy, overcast, rainy. It is warmer this week than the last couple of weeks. Lows at 3-4 degrees. For accurate weather forecasts check: www.meteo.fr - it's in french but just hover over the map to see Paris & click for detailed forecasts.

[mama squeak!]

sis, here are my comments on your IT:

So here's my IT. Please let me know if i missed or need to delete or change anything 

Since this will be in winter, sunrise will start around 8AM and the sun sets around 5PM. You basically have 8 hours to maximize the daylight hours. Kaya be out of your apartment as soon as the sun rises. 

Jan 17 Thursday
Montmartre area:
Sacre Coeur Basilica - The basilica opens as early as 6AM but you can only climb the towers starting at 9AM. Here's the link to guide you.
Moulin Rouge - skip this. There is nothing to see here in the morning. The show starts at night and IMO not worth it, too expensive and touristy. If you've seen the movie Moulin Rouge, yun na rin yun.
Place des Abbesses - Rue Houdon/Rue des Martyrs - Depends on where your apartment is you might be able to walk/pass by these streets. There really is nothing to see here. Plus it's going to be cold you will want to be indoors quick!

Champs-Élysées area:
Arc de Triomphe - Take the metro from Montmartre (depends on which metro stop/line) and get off at the Charles De Gaulle-Etoile (nearest stop to the Arc).
Avenue des Champs Elysee - From the Arc, you can walk along the avenue until the Franklin D. Roosevelt metro stop (ligne 1 or 9) then hop on the metro ligne 9 direction Billancourt and get off at Trocadero where you get a great photo view of the Eiffel. By the way, the flagship store of LV is located here along with other luxury brands kaya baka dito pa lang ubos na oras nyo Plus of course any excuse to go indoors will be very much welcome since it will be cold outside.
Grand Palais<--do i need to include this? - You can if you want to but this is more of an exhibition place nowadays. Photo op siguro but to go inside there's nothing unless meron exhibition. But if you're into architecture then go visit it.

Eiffel Tower area:
Eiffel Tower - From Trocadero you can cross the boulevard to get to the tower. If you made prior reservations online the line will be quick otherwise mauubos oras nyo sa pila dito. So either save this first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Unless you made reservations at the Jules Verne restaurant, they have their own access to the tower.
Hotel des Invalides (Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb) - With all the places you will be going to above you might not have enough time to do this. But try nyo na rin otherwise skip it. Hubby and I visited this only on our second trip to Paris.
Champ de Mars<--anong meron dito? - It's the park at the back of the Eiffel tower. Perfect for picnic lunches but not advisable in the dead of winter. Skip this.

Jan 18 Friday
The Islands area:
Notre Dame - Dothis first thing if you want to do the towers since the line can be very long. Facing the church the line to the towers is at the left side. While the line going inside of the church is right in front.
Sainte-Chapelle - I love this chapel and its stained glass windows. It's smaller and more intimate comoared to the Notre Dame. If you have the Paris Museum Pass, no need to queue up again once inside. Though you need to queue up for security to get inside the justice compound where the chapel is located.
Berthillion ice cream - ita-try ko to kahit malamig!


Around the Louvre:
The Louvre - This place is too big to finish in a day or three! Suggest to check online at their website what you want to see and yun lang puntahan nyo. With the Paris Museum Pass, there is a separate entrance (Richelieu entrance).
Musee de l'Orangerie - Not much line here since this is only a small museum with Monet's Waterlily mural.
Palais Royal - Nothing much to see here. Better go to the Place de L'Opera or the Pompidou instead.
Jardin des Tuileries - This garden is just in front of the Louvre. Same comment as the Champs De Mars.

Jan 19 Saturday
Latin Quarter:
Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Gardens) - Check before you go since they close if weather is not too good.
Pantheon - Good photo op outside. Nothing much inside except for the pendulum.
Rue Mouffetard - This is an open air street market with some small shops. Be sure to check the opening times before you go.

St Germain des Pres (Boulevard St Germain):
Église St-Germain-des-Prés
Institut de France
Jardin du Luxembourg 
Musee d'Orsay - Expect long lines here even with the pass. Suggest do this first thing in the morning then do the rest in your IT after visiting this museum.

Jan 20 Sunday
The Marais:
Centre Pompidou - Great photo op outside. Unless you're into modern/contemporary art you can skip going inside.

Grand Boulevard:
Opera Garnier - Lots of shopping in this area. The Galeries Lafayette is nearby if you're interested in luxury branded items. Check out their stained glass dome.
Theatre des Nouveautes - to see that famous play "How to become Parisian in one hour"

Eastern area:
Canal St-Martin - Nice to stroll here in spring, summer or fall but too cold in winter.
Bastille - You can skip this unless you're going to the Marche Richard Lenoir, another open air street market.

I did not include the Versailles. Do you think I should include it? Saan magandang mag-shopping ng clothes, bags, perfumes, cosmetics, etc. Yung hindi sobrang mahal  Sabi dun daw sa Grand Boulevard may mga shoppings malls like Gallery Lafayette pero mahal daw eh.

Did you try going to bar or clubs? Meron ba kayong maisu-suggest? Thanks ng marami mga sis! 

Suggest your last day take it easy na lang and go shopping  or window shopping if budget constrained kayo. Personally for me, I buy European luxury brands in Paris na I know will cost an arm and a leg if you buy it back here. Kasi kung bibili ka rin lang ng mga unbranded items na mura eh dito ka na lang bumili sa atin di ba?

[shegie_285]

hefi_ness there's so many things in Paris to see and i feel four days is not enough to see everything - taking into consideration all the queues to the tourist attractions.  i went to Paris on a holy week, which i thought was a wrong time to visit because there were sooo many tourists!!  we were there three full days. we felt we were chasing things all the time. your jan 17 itinerary is similar to one of our days, except the montmarte area, but we started our day around lunchtime.. we walked the whole length of champs elysee (with several stop overs on shops specifically the LV. . we didnt go inside the grand palace, we just had photo ops. we only added one attraction, la defense. then from there we went to the eiffel (night time).

just some tips, book the eiffel ticket in advance if you want to go up.. and as far as i can remember, there is a special ticket if you want to go to the top. the normal ticket is only up to a certain height  but mataas naman sya. we climbed up night time, and we were on the eiffel when it sparkled! i didnt see it, sana nasa baba ako.

The champ de mars we went there for some photo ops and that was it really (we went back the following day because i wanted pictures of the eiffel at day time).

[shegie_285]

oops i hit 'post'... moulin rouge -  mama squeak is right nothing to see here at day time. we just went there for the show. it is expensive and yes touristy - my hubby (then boyfriend) just wanted to see it that's why we went.

Enjoy your Paris trip!

[hefi_ness]

@mama squeak thanks so much sis for the suggestions. its really helpful, lalo na sa tulad ko na walang alam sa paggawa ng itinerary. oh my, sakit sa ulo lalo na't hindi pa naman ako nakakarating dun 
anyway, i have some few questions/clarifications for you:

1. Palais Royal - Nothing much to see here. Better go to the Place de L'Opera or the Pompidou instead. --i believe pareho silang theatre/opera, tama ba'ko? saan sila malapit? have you tried watching some shows/plays? my boyfriend wants to watch a play or show daw 

Also, yung mga lugar na i mentioned we'll visit, is there a ticket or pass na we can buy na pwede namin magamit for those places? Lastly, anong ticket nga ulit yung bibilhin namin para sa trains/metro? Do we have to buy na good for 4 days? Where can we buy those tickets para sa museums and train?

Thanks ulit sis!

@shegie_285feeling ko rin naman dadaanan ko rin lang yung ibang lugar na nasa lists ko  pa-picture lang siguro tapos sa iba naman. gusto namin ni bf na hindi lang mag-concentrate sa mga museums, etc. we also want to go to cafes, watch plays/shows, spa, go clubbing and shopping hihi...did you try any of those when you went there? baka may masa-suggest ka

thanks ulit