How much does a trip to Paris cost?

[mama squeak!]

^Ay kaya pala they cancelled your reservations. Apartment leasing or renting works differently compared to hotels. Hotels can afford guests cancelling with certain conditions/fee plus they are a hotel at meron at merong guests na pwedeng mag walk-in.

Unlike private apartments na they only advertise thru a website. Syempre uunahin nila yung guest na nag-confirm than take a chance na hindi matutuloy yung nag-prebook lang. First come, first serve ang SOP nila. So, if you're decided na then confirm mo na agad.

[foxymom]

@mamasqueak, diba grabe ang attraction ng paris? ewan ko ba. just strolling along the streets is so nice! nag stroll kami kahit winter. lol im so tempted to join my parents this may but i need to save up for our trip at the end of the year. sana manalo ako ng lotto!

@m_lim, i agree with mamasqueak, for me disneyland paris was not worth the trip. you can go to versailles and giverny versailles would take almost whole day, you can go back to the city and go around champs elysees at night.

[garei]

Hi again mama squeak!ok ba ang vueling? we need tickets for amsterdam-barcelona, upon checking vueling is cheaper than easyjet.kaso im not familiar with vueling...pls help...thanks again.

[mama squeak!]

^sis, sorry not familiar with that airline. 

Wait, from Paris you'll go to Amsterdam then Barcelona? Para kang nag backtrack? It's much nearer if you go to Barcelona from Paris. And the airfare would be cheaper I assume. Probably you can go to Amsterdam first then down to Paris then Barcelona.

[garei]

that was our original plan but we're meeting our friend in Paris over the weekend, yun lang free days niya kaya ganun yung naging route namin.thanks anyway

[m_lim]

may iba pa bang option bukod sa Easyjet from Paris to Venice??

[Thelay]

whatr is the best way to go rome from lourdes? thanks!

[garei]

hi mama squeak! we're leaving this weekend, just wondering if I should have my money changed here already or just in Paris? Any suggestions where we can have our money changed in Paris, that is very safe and w good rates.thanks a lot!

[mama squeak!]

^sis, if you still have time better to change your money here para diretso Euros na. In Paris you can only change from USD to Euros. There will be a service fee pa involved. Unless you withdraw from an ATM, pwede din yun. I get my Euros from Czarina's but I have to make reservations in advance since I don't pick them up at their main office. Try calling them now para maipunan ka na. I got some Euros last month and the conversion that time was Php57.00 to Eur1.00

@Thelay, the fastest way to get to Rome from Lourdes is by air. If you choose that option the nearest airport is in Toulouse, an hour away by train from Lourdes.

[garei]

ok mama squeak! thanks again!:)

[Vera]

I used Airbnb.com to stay in Paris - there you have a lot of options and can actually meet locals (the owners) who can show you around if they are available. You also get to experience French hospitality since you'll be renting either sublets or rooms within a house. For tours naman, I book through viator.com -- and I've used them in many cities without any glitches.

[Thelay]

saan pong area maganda mag stay sa Paris? 7eme, 8eme, 1eme or 12eme? or may ma susuggest po kayo?

[m_lim]

^according to mama squeak, 1to8th ang maganda.

[mama squeak!]

Yup! If it is your first time in Paris and your stay is very short (less than 4 days) better stay in the inner districts. So you don't have to commute all the time. Having said that hindi din naman mahirap mag-commute using their metro or their bus systems but the main must-sees are concentrated in the inner districts kasi.

Of all the inner arrondissements my favorite is the 5th (Latin Quarter) followed by the 6th (Saint-Germain). The 4th (Le Marais) is also a fun and "Gay" place to be.

If you will be staying for more than 4 days then a better and cheaper option would be to stay at the outer arrondissements. It will take you the most is 20 minutes by metro to get to the inner districts.

Here's a good primer on the different arrondissements (districts) in Paris and the main tourist sights you can find located there.

http://www.aviewoncities.com/paris/arrondissements.htm

 

[Thelay]

Thanks!!!

Malapit na matapos itinerary ko for Paris. Ang hirap lalo na pag konti lang ang time. Anyway eto yung natapos ko

April 5 pm - Arrival at Paris (CDG Airport)
April 6  - explore paris
April 7 - explore paris
April 7 pm - fly to Toulouse via easy jet (since kulang sa time and hindi match ang schedule ng train we opted to go via air)
April 8 - availed city tour to Lourdes (kulang din sa oras kaya kami nag avail ng city tour and same price lang din sa gastos)
April 9 - fly to Rome via easyjet

Ayan! pag naka hanap na ako ng hotel, pwede na ako mag focus sa Italy itinerary namin.

[mama squeak!]

What we did before to save on one night hotel stay, we took the night train from Paris to Lourdes. Since two couples kami we got their 4 bunk cabin. The train left Paris at 10PM and arrived Lourdes around 6AM sabay check-in at the Best Western just across the train station. We had breakfast muna and pasyal na the whole day until late at night.

Next day we took the train to Toulouse where we stayed another 3 days sightseeing before taking home a brand new A320 for CebPac   

[Thelay]

Actually ganyan din gusto ko kaso when I tried to check the TGV schedule, wala akong nakita ganon schedule. pinaka mbilis na nakita ko is
paris to dax - tgv
dax to lourdes - rer

kaso ang alis nya and dating alanganing oras, mga hapon ang alis.
ganito din ba yung route mo mama squeak?

[mama squeak!]

I was wondering why you couldn't get the train schedule I was mentioning and realised that you were looking at the TGV website. No, we didn't take the TGV to Lourdes. There are no late night TGV to Lourdes. We took the Corail Lunea train. This is another French train that does an overnight schedule. It's still part of the French Rail system (SNCF). The TGV are the fast trains while the Corails or RERs are the much slower and with a lot of stops train.

I just did a mock booking and there are services leaving Paris Austerlitz at 10PM and arriving Lourdes at 6AM next day.

http://horaires1.agence.voyages-sncf.com/

Problem is the website is in French. I'll try to see if I can get an English one.

[Thelay]

kaya pala kahit anong hanap ko hindi ko makita! hehe

additional questions
1. saan yung station ng paris to lourdes
2. how much yung cost?
3. spacious ba ang train, kasi kasama ko mom ko so may possibility syang mangalay or something. Nakaidlip kayo ng maayos?

Lourdes
1. isa lang stop to lourdes? anong name?
2. from there, madali na po bang umikot sa mga tourist spot?
3. eto yung cover ng tour sa Lourdes thru Ophorus:

Lourdes Day Tour at Euro130 per person
1. Guided visit of the Sanctuary
2. Visit of the Boly Mill and Cachot
3. Visit of St Bernadette Museum (summer season)
4. English speaking driver guide
5. Travel in recent, comfortable and fully equipped minivan
6. Small group tour of 8 passengers maximum

worth it ba siya or kaya na namin sya?

[mama squeak!]

^1. We used Gare d'Austerlitz
  2. We got the cabin good for 4 persons (bunk bed style). Not sure how much it is right now but for the four of us before we paid roughly EUR200.00 lumalabas EUR50/person
  3. The four of us plus 3 big bags and 2 carry ons, medyo masikip na. There are no extra space for luggage so they ended up in between the seats. Check mo the picture on the right of the overnight train in this link:

http://www.seat61.com/France-trains.htm#What are French trains like

We got the 1st class, 4 berth cabin. Worked for us since 4 kami magkakilala. You'll be lucky if dalawa lang kayo ng Mom mo so maso-solo nyo yung cabin. Yes, nakatulog naman kami ng maayos kasi para kang dinuduyan.   

Lourdes:

1. Yes, you get dropped off direct at Lourdes train station. Tip: to exit the station, just cross the tracks. No need to use the underpass specially when you have luggage in tow. Just make sure to look both ways before you cross.
2. Small lang ang Lourdes so madali umikot. The bus driver even knows some basic Tagalog words kasi nga puro Pinoy pilgrims pumupunta dun. We stayed at the Best Western hotel right in front of the train station so very convenient for us. The bus stop is also right in front of the train station and hotel.
3. We didn't take the tour kasi ang sadya namin dun is just to go to the basilica and take the baths. Even if you want to go around Lourdes, you can DIY it since the place is very small. In my opinion, EUR130/person is not worth it.