How much does a trip to Paris cost?

[mama squeak!]

sis mama squeak and juana_antonio - i need your help asap!
will go to france this wednesday, i have only two days coz it is a business trip. but our plane will arrive in Paris (Orly) at 9a.m on thursday and we will leave for Toulouse at 7 p.m. So may window ako na maglibot between 10 a.m to 5 p.m. sa Paris. This is my first time to Paris so I want to maximize my few hours of stay there. Priority ko is the Eiffel, a visit to the Louvre to see the Monalisa painting and the Notre Dame cathedral. Pwede ko ba mapuntahan ito within my time frame? What's my best bet to go about it? Thanks in advance. So excited na to go!

Sorry for the late reply as I just came back from my vacation. You basically have 5 hours to get in some of the sights in Paris. Your travel time between the airport and Paris is already one hour each way. Plus you have to contend pa with getting and leaving your bags in storage. Unless they're tagged all the way to Toulouse.

Since your priority is the Eiffel Tower, go there straight from the airport. Are you planning to climb it or just take pictures? If you plan to do the former, get tickets online so you don't have to stand in line for long. I posted their website in an earlier post.

For the Louvre, I'm afraid this will be a waste of time as the lines here are humongous. The only way you can avoid the line is to get a Paris Museum Pass as they have a special entrance for pass holders. But this is an expensive option since to get the value of this pass is for one to go to at least 3 to 4 museums included in the pass.

Suggest to try to get on the hop on-hop off bus. This bus will go around the major tourist spots in Paris and it's a cheaper alternative compared to getting day tours or specialised tours. Check this website for details:

http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21896/open-tour/

Enjoy your trip!

 

[lesters_gal]

we wasnt able to get our ticket for eiffel tour..wala ng slot..sad naman.. we have no choice but to get our ticket there..my god i can imagine now the loooooooooong lineeeeeeeeeeeee...

[mama squeak!]

^To avoid the long lines go first thing in the morning or late at night.

[lesters_gal]

^yes sis were planning to go there as early as 7am....para talagang walang line... thanks sis,im excited now..
were flying tomorrow...

[foxymom]

omg!! im so excited!

we booked our paris tickets already via klm!! they have a promo now and pwede i-refund ticket if
denied (pero hopefully not!)

im so freakin excited!!!

[mama squeak!]

^Is that the USD1085 all-in fare? I got their email too. Okay na yang fare na yan. I'm also looking into getting KLM again for our trip next year. Hopefully I can get it cheaper pa since we'll be travelling during off-season.

Getting approved for a schengen visa is no problem as long as you have complete papers and means of support for your stay. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

 

[foxymom]

^Is that the USD1085 all-in fare? I got their email too. Okay na yang fare na yan. I'm also looking into getting KLM again for our trip next year. Hopefully I can get it cheaper pa since we'll be travelling during off-season.

Getting approved for a schengen visa is no problem as long as you have complete papers and means of support for your stay. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

 

thanks mama squeak! naku, i will contact you again with my other questions soon! we've decided to do
a paris-venice-rome trip. i'm so happy i can't work! LOL

[lesters_gal]

i just came back from paris yesterday...oh my god i fell inlove with the city.....i want to live there.LOL...napaka aristocrat ng paris....yung mga building ng houses nila is really sosyal....medyo pricey nga lang talaga doon...pati mode of transportation nila expensive.

^mama squeak muntik ko ng hindi makita yung KFC...buti nalang yung hop on hop off bus eh dumaan dun sa moulin rouge kaya ayun pagkakita ko agad the next stop bumaba na kami.... thanks sis for the help....

[iggypop]

^ am sooo inggit

[mommyfirst]

hi everybody!
just got back from paris and toulouse. medyo bitin sa paris coz we only had a few hours. pero ok na rin at least we got to the major tourist spots.
thanks for the tips mamasqueak! at least i got to experience parisian life kahit few hours lang.
ganda ng place pero pricey talaga. coke in a bottle is 4 euros na so medyo konti konti lang ako uminom. hehe.
the lines at eiffel tower is really looooong kaya no chance talaga to go up. but it was a good day to go there because the weather was perfect.
i plan to go back there hopefully next year with hubby and the kids pero we plan to go around europe like rome, venice, spain, germany para sulit ang pamasahe. medyo kelangan lang talaga kumayod at sobrang tipid so we could afford that.
bonjour everyone!

[mama squeak!]

@lesters_gal, sis talagang hinanap mo ang KFC ha.     Malayo-layo din ang napuntahan mo if it's near Moulin Rouge. That's in the Montmarte area (18th arrondissement) where you find the Sacré Cœur basilica.
Glad you enjoyed Paris. Kaka-in love talaga di ba?

[mama squeak!]

@mommyfirst - sis, natawa ako sa comment mo na coke    Did you buy your soda at one of the cafes? Mahal talaga if you buy from there but I'm glad though you were still able to enjoy your short visit to Paris.

How did you find Toulouse, the Red City? Between Paris and Toulouse when it comes to the people I prefer the latter. Toulouse kasi is a university town, you have more students there. People are friendlier and warmer, don't you think? 

[lesters_gal]

^yes sis hinanap ko sha talaga..its been 3 years already since the last time na nakakain ako nun.LOL nawawalan na nga ako ng hope kasi sabi ng mga pinagtatanungan namin sabi nila is wala nga daw or malayo... pero i hold on to your words na meron KFC sa paris...LOL ayun buti nalang nagkamali kami ng bus na sinakyan at yun ang dumadaan dun sa moulin rouge...kaya happiness talaga...

sis meron ba ticket sa mga buses and metro's na pwede pang 4 days ang kunin?kasi i really find their transpo really expensive...imagine yung ticket nila sa bus one way lang cost 1.90euro.tapos nung papunta kami ng disneyland yung bayad namin sa metro papunta is 1.70euro..tapos pauwi is 7 euro...ano yun hindi fix?unlike here in rome meron pang 75mins 1euro lang.pwede mo gamitin sa metro and bus....tapos yun if you want you can buy for a month, week, and 4 days.....sa paris iba ang ticket sa bus at sa metro kaloka.....

but above all i really enjoyed my 5 days trip there...paris is my favorite city now..i will come back for sure sooooooooooooooooon.....

[mama squeak!]

^sis, they do have passes for 1, 2, 3 and 5 days. It's called the Paris Visite pass. This is ideal for tourists. There are weekly and monthly passes too. I have written about the visite pass on earlier posts and have also explained the advantages of this card. Aside from the validity days the pass comes in different zones, zones 1-3 for the immediate city center and zones 1-5 including the outer arrondissements (districts) plus Disneyland. Check this website:

http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_22088/parisvisite-presentation/

Oh and there are 3 more branches of KFC that I know of that are within the inner districts. So next time mas malapit na yung hahanapin mo.

 

[mommyfirst]

@mama squeak - yeah, i enjoyed my stay in toulouse more than in paris siguro kasi i was there longer so I got to enjoy the place and the people more.
yeah, the people are warmer in toulouse, probinsya sya compared sa very cosmopolitan paris and mas friendly nga mga locals doon. they try to help you kahit they have a hard time speaking english.
when we were there, the students were on a holiday kasi school break. the locals were telling us nga the place is so quiet kasi wala daw mga students pero it could get crazy when they all come back. wala masyado traffic although madami pa rin tao all around especially around dinner time when the french go out and eat.
naging cheese and wine lover ako after my trip. yun ang mura sa toulouse, i guess france in general. feeling level up, haha!

[design21]

Dear Mama Squeak,

I've been reading a lot and thanks for your advices. I'll be on Paris Oct 25-28 coming from Ashford (London). I would like to ask you advie on my itinerary. First day is Louvre and eiffel tower at night. second day is versailles (whole day) now my third day is hindi ko na alam where can i go cause we need to fly to Rome. We will be staying near Paris Nord station. I wanted sana to go to Lourdes kaso malayo mashado hindi kaya balikan you really need one night to stay there.

anyway, have you tried from Paris to Rome? Delikado daw by train and personally my sister in law was robbed sa train. With her whole family. Might be gassed.

[mama squeak!]

^sis, what time will you be in Paris on the 25th Oct and what time are you leaving for Rome on the 28th Oct?

[design21]

sa morning nalang kasi available sis eurostar na sale so ill be leaving 7:20 sa london dating paris mga 10am? On oct 28 naman im checking out ryan air 915am flight saka 21:00 i hate flying at night so malamang (am flight ko. No final bookings yet. Apply palang visa this week. I need insurance so we might get insurance tom. Ask ko nadin sis while you're online if saan ok kumuha insurance? I'm thinking blue cross. Thanks sis!

[mama squeak!]

^Blue Cross is okay. Lately I've been getting Blue Cross for my trips, yan kasi yung kini-carry ng travel agent ko.

Here's a tentative itinerary you can do:

Oct 25  - arrive Paris 10AM. Check-in at hotel. If your room is not ready, ask to leave your bags at the hotel's storage. Then you can visit the following places:

Opera National de Paris Garnier / Place de la Madeleine / Galeries Lafayette / Printemps
Avenue des Champs Elysees / Trocadero / Eiffel Tower (at night)

Oct 26 - Louvre (first thing in the morning) / Notre Dame / Sainte-Chapelle / Latin Quarter / boat ride along the Seine (Bateaux Mouches)

Oct 27 - Versailles (whole day)

Oct 28 - Flight to Rome. Have you checked EasyJet? They have good deals too. They use both CDG and ORY airports.

Lourdes is doable as a day trip but you will have to leave on the first train in the morning and come back on the last train that day.

I haven't tried the Paris-Rome train service. And yes,  I have heard of horror stories on the night service.

[Starlust]

@mama squeak and the others how do you deal with getting the LV/LC bags, etc through Phil Customs. Do they poke around a lot in your luggage? Any packing tips?