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

[letters_to_cleo]

Currently waiting for my plane out of Lyon. 2nd honor ako sa early birds bilang 11 AM pa flight ko 8:20 andito na ako, pero may mas nauna pa sa akin haha!

About Lyon: I love Lyon! I want to schedule a weekend trip ulit by Aug ( para summer sale lol) because even though I tried to see as much as possible in 48 hours, madami pa rin akong  gustong libutin (at kainin!)

Things to do before your Lyon Trip:
Buy your rhone express card ( the fast train from the airport to the Lyon city center).  You'll save a few euros here and mas convenient. Train travel time is only 40 minutes. Return tix via internet is 24.50 €

Buy your Lyon City Card online ( comes in 1, 2 and 4 days ata, I just bought a one day city card)~ very sulit! Unlimited access to all metro, trains, funiculars, trams PLUS museum access, free river boat tour ( you choose either Saone or Rhone)! Free audio guides too ( though madaling naubos yung English so pickup your tickets sa tourism office early!) Also note that you have to reserve for a slot fir some of the shows (guignol marrionette show, Celestin theatre) also the river cruise, but you can do this via email Lang even before you arrive in Lyon. The 1 day city pass is 18 €

Also Lyon has a city greeter program - volunteers who will spend 2 hours to tour you around in Lyon for free! They will match you and your interests in Lyon ( say food, the old city, shopping, etc). Ang catch is you have to apply at least 1 week before your arrival. I tried applying 2 days before my trip haha and I got very fast replies but in the end they told me na Walang makita kasi Friday pa yung gusto kong tour with the CG ( May itinerary na kasi ako NG sat. Lol) but if you plan your trip way ahead this is a nice and cheap way to get to know Lyon!

I was surprised how nice and warm the people of Lyon were! At the train station fresh from the Rhone express, I was trying to buy a carnet of ticket pero ayaw mag receive NG bills Nung machine, yung French guy na NASA tabi kong machine binigyan ako NG 1 ticket bigla! Then sa Starbucks while I was buying mugs for myself and mga pabili, pinasingit ako sa line Nung Nasa harap ko kasi mabigat na daw yung Dala kong souvenirs :-) then siguro napansin Nung NASA counter na pawisan ako, Inalok ako NG ice water lol. Even the sellers at Les Halles Lyon Paul Bocuse na alam na umuuzi ka Lang sa mga mouthwatering (but hella expensive) food tinda nila are mabait tapos welcoming. Sa Bernachon ( my number 1 to do sa trip ko sa Lyon) kahit intimidating sa presyo Ang chocs, nice yung people~ yung seller she even said in English ha na take care because the weather is really hot today. A+ for warm customer service!

I also had lunch at Daniel et Denise St. Jean,hangsarap! Sarap NG fish nila at di intimidating kahit na Magisa Lang ako. Nag reserve Lang din ako online then magreply yung owner~ yung chef- owner, Joseph Viola, ay winner Nung MOF ( may title syang Millieur Ouvrier de France) because of his cooking. If you watch the docu film , In Search of Perfection, eto yung style ng MOF though yung sa film is for pastry making. When I come back to Lyon I want to try dun ulit pero yung full multi course na ( I got the plate plus dessert set Lang kasi)

Except for the Daniel et Denise meal, sa cafes Lang ako kuma kain haha, Bouchée Doree yung lagi kong kunak sunan~ 10 euro set (sandwich and tart + drink) okay na. Sa snacks and water, may Monoprix  na kadikit sa Cordeliers train station ( dami SPECULOOS products dito for those crazy about them, but mahal 3.20 €) however I discovered na mas mura Ang items sa U EXPRESS na shops, so dun na Lang ako bumili~

Of course dami chocolatiers sa Lyon! ~ Bernachon, Voisin, Seve ( masarap daw Ang savory macarons nito, will try sa susunod. Mahal Lang 9€ for 6 pieces), Boullet , though Bernachon Lang binili ko bilang dun pa Lang Mauubos na money lol I tried one na of my stash, perhaps psychological din since dream ko to try this choc noon pa, but for me worth the expense! A small 220 gram assortment is 24 € it contains I think 20 pranine size chocs Lang lol , yung bars nila ( you can choose if dark or milk Ang base NG bars) is 6 € each.

Aside from the food though madaming attractions, there's the rivers Rhone and Saone. Nice to walk around the river walkways pag pa sundown para di masyadong mainit, also the buildings along the river are illuminated at night kaya Ganda atmosphere. I think safe naman here kahit alone Lang ako naglalakad wala namang any point na kinabahan ako.

If possible, choose a hotel sa center kasi that way very walkable sa shopping areas, and in between ka NG two rivers. I got one sa Perrache, which is 6 minutes walking to Bellecour Lang, then paglabas NG hotel train station na rin, Also yung shopping areas walking distance Lang (since all the shops are to the west Lang NG Bellecour). Mumu and very basic Lang the hotel but the location was great.

Went to visit the basilica at the top of the hill ( you ride a funicular to get there. Madami ding gardens dun and if you so decide you can go down from the hill to the old town of Lyon through a scenic garden route , 10 minutes walking Lang ) the old town has the traboules mga passage ways sa bulildings na tagusan, nagtry ako magpass sa ilang traboules pero I think better to go there through a guided tour ( free sa city pass depending on sched).

Meron din museums for their famous marionettes (guignol theatre), may free shop kaso you need to reserve beforehand. There's also a cinema and miniature museum at the old town, if you watched The movie about the perfume~ the sets are here.

I was not able to go to the famous and expansive park and was not able to take day trip to the countryside but next time ill do that :-) Honestly I don't think a daytour is enough in Lyon~ at least an overnighter para you can spread the activities ~ shopping , sightseeing and eating :-)

[mama squeak!]

^Once again I'm salivating after reading your blog post!  Great trip report! I knew a day trip to Lyon would not do the place justice. Hay! Have to rethink my itinerary again.

There are two train stations serviced by the TGV, Perrache and Part-Dieu. By any chance would you know which is the best one to use? Or the one nearest to the city center. In case we decide to overnight it, I'm looking at Le Boulevardier which is near Vieux Lyon. What was name the hotel you stayed at? We'd like everything to be walking distance lang sana. We're interested more on Vieux Lyon and its traboules, the silk museum and definitely their gastronomic offerings. A trip to Bernachon is definitely on the top of the list. 

[letters_to_cleo]

^Perrache!  Part Dieu is the one closest to Les Halles Paul Bocuse (on the River Rhone side) but Perrache is where I stayed in. It's right smack in the middle, near the shopping areas, and Bellecour (where the Tourism Office is).  The mumu hotel I stayed in is Dubost. It's literally in front of Perrache Place Carnot exit :-)

[letters_to_cleo]

Perrache pala is in the city center, literally between the 2 rivers.  Vieux Lyon naman is on the River Saone side. But note ha na walkable lahat naman sa Lyon. Yung Vieux Lyon is very walkable from Perrache, tatawid lang ng bridge to the River Saone.  Here sa Vieux Lyon yung maraming restaurants :-)

[vain_kixie]

Is the 3rd arrondissement a great area to stay at for first timers in Paris?

We're choosing between the 2nd and the 3rd arrondissement but mas gusto ni hubby yung airbnb room at the 2nd arrondissement since free breakfast. Its 1.1 km away from the Louvre.

[mama squeak!]

Just to borrow aquacharly's term, nagkaroon din kami ng talaba! My sister-in-law's now joining us to Paris. Nainggit lang naman at nagpabili na ng ticket  . Good thing mabait si landlord namin at pumayag ng additional person with a fee sa apartment. Now I have to adjust our itinerary to accommodate yung mga gustong puntahan ni SIL. Looks like we might not be going to Lyon anymore    Oh well, there's always a next time. 

[vain_kixie]

I'm having a hard time booking our apartment on airbnb for November. Parang most of them answer
is they are not sure if they will be in Paris on the date of my arrival. Am I booking too early?

Meron na akong mock booking which I will show to the embassy for my visa application. So I can book on a much
later date.

[little_princess]

^ medyo maaga kasi people usually let their places rented if they have a trip. if you want, find hosts na you can book kaagad the place and don't have to inquire. we do that para no hassle because the last time that we tried to inquire, we were declined 3x even if their schedule says it's open.

[mama squeak!]

Good news for those buying train tickets using the Rail Europe (ASEAN) or SNCF website. You can now print e-tickets at home unlike last year na they will deliver paper tickets to you. No need to worry na the tickets will get lost in the mail. Pwede na rin last minute purchase of tickets (mahal na nga lang).

I just bought us round trip tickets to Mont Saint-Michel this coming September.   

[little_princess]

anything to see in lille or calais? hubby and i are thinking of a weekend in france this september. or if not baka brussels na lang since it is the closest to london via train

[mama squeak!]

I'm sharing on this thread my PM reply to one of our GT sis who is planning a DIY trip to Paris since it might help in your apartment-hunting in the City of Lights.   

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We tried renting an apartment only after our second trip. Since then we've never looked back, when we're in Paris no hotels for us! We've tried staying at three different apartments (well actually two pa lang since the third one this coming Sept pa) in Paris.

Our first apartment was right in the inner arrondissement, 1ere. Very central and most sights/attractions are within 10-15 minutes walk only. A lot of restos in the area so no worries on where to eat. Ang cons lang nung place is it was very small. Between hubby and myself tapos nakabukas pa sila maleta talagang masikip. But since we're almost out all day, carry na rin. Medyo expensive din sya compared to the other apartments we've rented since nasa inner arrondissement sya. Here's the airbnb link to the apartment.

Our second apartment was way bigger than our first. It was a two-room apartment, hiwalay si bedroom. It was cheaper too since nasa outer arrondissement sya, 9eme. But no problem going to the sights/attractions since lapit lang ang metro station. Mga 5 minutes ride nandun ka na sa Louvre or Notre Dame. Then Sacre Coeur is a 15-minute walk from the apartment. I have a blog post on this apartment, just click on my signature and look for the post "A Local Wannabe in Paris" (bawal to post links to personal blogs on this thread kasi) . Here's the airbnb link to the apartment.

Our third apartment which we will be staying at this coming September is the cheapest one so far at EUR76/night for three persons (sumama bigla kasi yung SIL ko). Maganda mga reviews sa kanya plus my initial first hand experience super bait and accommodating yung owner. Her apartment is good for two persons only which was perfect for me and my sister. Eh bigla sumama si SIL! I didn't want to let go of the apartment kasi nga maganda yung location, malinis and mura lang rent. So I asked the owner kung pwede mag-add ng one more person and maski sa sahig na lang using a fold away futon/mattress. Pumayag naman with additional fee of course kasi bibili na lang daw sya ng fold away mattress and camping style na lang daw  Plus pumayag din sya na cash on arrival yung added fee since kung idadaan pa sa airbnb meron service charge ulit. Here's the airbnb link to the apartment.

By the way, I got the third apartment really cheap since long staying kami (2 weeks). So if you intend to stay longer than 3 days (most apartment minimum stay requirement) you can negotiate with the owner/landlord to give you a lower rent than what is published in the airbnb page. Basta always ask, no harm naman in trying di ba?

 

[vhanya]

mama squeak, you have to pay the security deposit dba thru airbnb? =)

[mama squeak!]

^Yup! Then after the 48 ba or 24 hour period after you check out if no damage claim is filed by the landlord airbnb credits it back to your cc.

 

[vhanya]

Thank! This is my first time to use airbnb for our Paris accommodation. =) I will look for some prospects and I'll pm you if they are good locations ha?

[mama squeak!]

^sure, no problem  . You've been to Paris before so you can probably get a place in the outer arrondissements. They will be cheaper plus most of them will be bigger pa compared to the tiny studios that are quite popular (but more expensive) in the inner arrondissements.

[jenger109]

hi joining! can you recommend an affordable hotel in paris, just for an overnight stay lang for 2? tia..

[vain_kixie]

try airbnb sis. Cheaper parin siya ng hotels even if your staying overnight lang.


Was finally able to book our apartment na. We'll be staying at the 5th ere. Thank you mama squeak
for being so helpful here. Super dami kong natipid just by back reading here.

[jenger109]

try airbnb sis. Cheaper parin siya ng hotels even if your staying overnight lang.

thanks sis, nakita ko na, hanap lang ako ng walking distance lang from the eiffel tower.. 

haiz, tried to book on feb, not avail na agad yung date? ganda pa naman sana nung place.. 


3x na ako nag try pa book on feb, just now.. haiz, talagang  booked na mga bet ko.. ang dami atang tourists pag love month..

[letters_to_cleo]

Was in Paris this weekend, awts wala nang sale! Wala tuloy akong nabili except yung mga skincare products nila.
Mura kasi mga Skincare goodies sa mga pharmacy sa Paris (Bioderma, Avene, LaRoche Posay etc.) but pansin ko
di pare pareho ang prices, pag sa center (malapit sa Louvre) mataas ang prices ng 1-2€. Buti na lang may malapit
na parapharmacy malapit sa pinagstay-an namin.

^Yung hotel namin sis cheap lang, but sa 19arrondisement so hindi walking distance from Louvre, mga 15 minutes by metro. Parang 65€ a day lang sya.

[jenger109]

^Yung hotel namin sis cheap lang, but sa 19arrondisement so hindi walking distance from Louvre, mga 15 minutes by metro. Parang 65€ a day lang sya.

hi, sige sis, check ko later, can you give me the link? thanks..