France Thread 2 (Paris and all other cities) *Check Pg. 1 for reference links*

[little_princess]

^ try manila forwarder, they might have a base in paris but not so sure. I know they have it in London

[mama squeak!]

@Starlust, I was just advised by my staff that his uncle who lives in Paris uses Bayan Ko balikbayan box service and Manzen Air and Sea. I'll try to get in touch with them and will update na lang.

 

[d_zialcita]

hi everyone and mama squeak,

just a few weeks before we leave for our europe honeymoon.

i already had an itinerary, thanks to mama squeak, but i need  help in revising it because i need to remove 1 day to make way for our postnup shoot,

here's the old itinerary:

april10: fly from manila to paris (CDG) arriving at 13:30, april 11
april 11: check in hotel, and join siene river cruise at night
april 12: day tour of versailles
april 13: ste-chapelle, notre dame, le marais and eiffel tower
april 14: d'orsay and louve
april 15: place vendome, place de la madeleine , 7pm night train to florence

the postnup is scheduled on april 15.

mama squeak and everyone else, please help me

can i do this instead:

april 11: check in hotel
april 12: day tour of versailles, siene river cruise and eiffel tower
april 13: ste-chapelle, notre dame, le marais and eiffel tower
april 14: d'orsay and louve, place vendome, place de la madeleine
april 15: postnup , 7pm night train to florence


follow up question, would it be good to get the museum pass? and where can i squeeze in the invalidez?
thanks!

thank you!

[Starlust]

^Invalides you can do on days where you're going to the Eiffel Tower since it's very close.

Where are you having your postnup?

[little_princess]

is the river cruise at night lang? i did that many years ago and i didn't appreciate it as much and would want to try and do it in the morning naman.

been to versailles so thinking of chateau fontainebleau, ok naman here?

what are the nice markets within the city center? would want to try the food and maybe go to montmarte for little bits and bobs

can you guess suggest nice restaurants? mga 15-20EUR budget per head maybe even a really nice restaurant where we can splurge a bit

thanks! planning our trip, will be there may 11-16.

[letters_to_cleo]

Scored a super cheap fare to Lyon for mid-June! 60 Euros return na (from Madrid ah!). Excited na!
I will be doing this solo (for a change), anybody here visited Lyon na? They say it's the gastronomic capital of France kaya naeexcite ako because I love eating hehe!

[mom_G]

@little_princess, there are seine river cruises during the day.  we went on an afternoon cruise a few years ago and we all enjoyed it.  you'll get to see the details of the buildings, bridges, etc. better during the day.  by the way, try the Bastille or Mouffetard markets too!

[mama squeak!]

@d_zialcita, what arrondissement will you be staying? You might be able to squeeze in one more attraction between your check-in and river cruise.

If this is your first time in Paris, I suggest you do the river cruise during the day so you get an orientation of the city. Then if you have more time later you can go on the night cruise. I've tried both and enjoyed them maski touristy pa yung dating. 

Probably you can do this IT:

April 11   -  Check-in at hotel
                  Afternoon Seine river cruise (check the first page for the websites of the different boat companies/scheds/fares)
                  Eiffel Tower (if you're definite on this visit get your tickets online now so you get your preferred time. It will also save you queuing up when you get there). Have dinner na rin here.

April 12  -  Versailles (for both the Chateau and garden it will probably take you a good 4 hours. Lunch na rin kayo here).
                    You can do Les Invalides after Versailles since the RER C (train to/from Versailles) has a stop at Invalides. The stop is right in front of Les Invalides but is a bit of a walk since there is a big plaza right in front. If you're tired then you can hop on the nearest Metro (ligne 13 Invalides) and the get off at Saint-Francois-Xavier stop at the back (nearer) . You can check the first page for the transport options (ratp.fr).

April 13  - Sainte-Chapelle / Notre Dame / Latin Quarter / Le Marais

April 14  - Louvre / D'Orsay
                 Place Vendome / Madeleine
                 Walk along Champs Elysees and end up at the Arc de Triomphe
                 If you're not too tired, you can hop on the metro to Trocadero to get a great photo op of the Eiffel.

April 15  - post-nup

**Re Museum Pass, since you will be doing a lot of museums and attractions it is a good idea to get this. All the attractions you plan to visit is included in the pass even Versailles. The Eiffel Tower lang ang di kasama. I have pictures of the metro tickets/museum pass in my blog.

 

[d_zialcita]

am so thankful for everyone's replies.
 
sis starlust, postnup probably near the Eiffel and Louvre.

mamasqueak thanks!

am just wondering, when you travel to europe, usually can you already go out and about after arriving?

or would i probably get jet-lagged?

or since you sleep in the airplane, we should be fine?


by the way, we are staying here:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/177719
so excited. thank you for helping me!

[little_princess]

^ your having your pre-nup with ryan ortega, right? after i arrive, i usually am ready to go kasi i can easily sleep in the plane. what always happen to me when i travel to europe is that i aleep early and wake up early when i am there which is ok lang. but when i get back to manila, i don't sleep until 3 or 6am and wake up after lunch na.

mom_G, thanks! will surely try the cruise when there is light. do you think it's adviseable to do this in the late afternoon before sunset then go to Eiffel tower after sunset? oh great, will try those to! what would be the merchandise that they sell?

[mama squeak!]

@diana, hubby and I hit the ground running. Try to get some sleep on the plane so you're good to go when you get to Paris. Don't ever be tempted to take a nap after you check-in at your apartment! Otherwise you might wake up next day na. Sayang oras! Plus going around as soon as you get in will help you adjust to jet lag sooner than later.

I was considering that apartment on our last trip too! Let me know how it goes ha. I'll be back in Paris this coming September/October with my sister in tow naman. The previous apartment we stayed at is not available so I'm looking for a decent one again.

Enjoy your trip! 
 

[mom_G]

@little_princess,  that should be fine, late afternoon din kami dati.  the bastille (thursday & sunday) and mouffetard are mainly food markets.  they do have arts and crafts at the bastille market on saturdays but i haven't tried it yet.

[mama squeak!]

^Hubby and I enjoyed the Marche Richard Lenoir also known as the Bastille market. We're both foodies so we went on a Sunday. I made a post on my blog about our outing there. What I like about it is it gets more of the local crowd than tourists so you get the feel of what a quintessential Paris market is all about without the tourist prices.

I'll try the Saturday market on my next visit since my sister who'll be with me is into arts and crafts naman.

 

[little_princess]

Here's our planned itinerary. Please check naman if feasible, we want something light and not too stressing

11-May
Arrive 2pm
Check In at hotel
Seine River Cruise
Eiffel Tower at night

12-May
Chateau du Fontainebleu
Sacre Coure

13-May
Champs Elysees
Arc du Triomphe
Les Invalides
Trocadero

14-May
Notre Dame
Conciergerie
Sainte Chapelle
Latin Quarter
Jardins de Luxembourg

15-May
Louvre
D Orsay
Grand Palais
Galeries Lafayette

16-May
Depart 1pm

Questions:
1. Aside from Champs Elysee and Galeries Lafayette, where else can we shop? I might buy a bag in Paris but not fussed as we still have London. More on pasalubong and souvenirs.
2. Can we squeeze in a market? I really love markets but then parang they are only available in the mornings?

[Starlust]

For shopping check out the following:

Colette www.colette.fr

Afwosh www.afwosh.fr/

Specialty chocolate shops (great for pasalubong)

La Maison du Chocolat http://www.lamaisonduchocolat.com/fr/
Dalloyau http://www.dalloyau.fr/
Debauve et Gallais http://www.debauve-et-gallais.fr/fr/

There are a lot of kikay stuff you can buy for yourself or for pasalubong at parapharmacies.
My favorite parapharmacie (well stocked & really cheap prices) is this one beside Galeries Lafayette
http://www.yelp.fr/biz/pharmacie-de-l-op%C3%A9ra-mogador-paris-2

[vanity fair]

Has anybody visited the outlet stores in LA VALLEE in Paris?  Is it worth the trip?  Thanks!

[little_princess]

Thanks Starlust! Hope everything is going well with you there how about souvenir stuff like shirts, magnets and keychains?

how about restaurants? i want to dine in Laduree for sure but do you have any other recommendations? somewhere well recommended or locals would visit.

[d_zialcita]

thank you mamasqueak, tama ka, sayang ang time if we don't explore na agad.

yes, you told me nga you almost booked with ludwig too. i'll let you know how it goes.

also mamasueak, how do we go from the cdg airport to the apartment? by train or bus please, no money for cab.


thank you again!

[little_princess]

is it better to buy euros here in manila or maybe we will get a better rate if we convert it from pounds?

also, those planning to go to the eiffel tower, book your tickets way in advance. will be in paris may and book the eiffel tower tickets last week, the only times available are 10pm and later na. there were even some days that it's sold out.

[melvel]

Little princess: We're going to Paris for the same number of days, pati arrival and departure natin same! I'll copy your itinerary! LOL

Anyway, we're doing the same thing sa first day... Eiffel Tower and Seine River Cruise lang.

What's the best day ba to go to the Louvre?

You're not going to Versailles?

i'm also buying a bag or two, probably Givenchy and Balenciaga. Where's the best boutique in Paris for those two labels?