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

[caterpillar-girl]

Trendy: We were in Paris last May. We stayed in a hotel with a/c but we never once used it in our entire one week stay. We just left the window open. We even had to close the window sometimes because it got too cold.  I think you'll be fine.

[mama squeak!]

^^For EUR100/night budget, you might have more luck looking for an apartment at the outer arrondissements (arr. 10-20) that will accommodate the number of people in your party. Just look for one near a metro stop para easy access kayo to the inner arrondissements where most of the must-sees are located.

[trendy]

@caterpillar-girl, that's good to hear! at least di ko na poproblemahin kung maiinitan ba kami sa room even without ac.

@mama squeak, thank for the reco. I'm eyeing some apartments in Republique area. Mukhang ok naman yung location based on the reviews. 

[mama squeak!]

^Be sure to check google earth when you have the general location of the apartment to see the immediate area to make sure lang you won't be staying in a seedy area. Here's a website that might help you decide where to stay:

A brief description of the neighborhoods in Paris.

Happy hunting! 

[marchbaby]

Sisses, do you have an idea of the weather in Cannes around last week of September? What type of clothing should I wear? Will only spend a day there. TIA.

[mama squeak!]

^same as my answer to you in the Italy thread, do layering. A week before your departure check mo rin ang weather forecast on the cities you will be visiting.

[marchbaby]

^ thank you, sis. I was wondering kasi what to bring. Buti na lang you said na my chance pa na mainitan with layered clothing so not that cold pa talaga.

[^Vain_Chiq^]

Sisses, do you have an idea of the weather in Cannes around last week of September? What type of clothing should I wear? Will only spend a day there. TIA.

Hi sis. I just came back from St. Tropez and the weather there for now is still warm but the weather here in Europe can be very tricky. Minsan sobrang init pero maulan din on some days. A cardigan will do pero bring na rin not so thick jackets to make sure .

[mama squeak!]

Re: Germany .. Any Inputs?
« Reply #28 on: September 16, 2014, 10:31:32 PM »

Hi Mama Squeak! Thanks uli. Ask ko lang kasi magbobook na sana ako ng train travel from Germany to Paris kaso ang problem ko hindi ko alam saan sa Paris kami dapat bumaba na station. Bali yung hotel namin sa Paris is Hotel Design de la Sorbonne. According sa DB Bahn website, yung pwede namin piliin na station para bumaba sa Paris ay eto: Paris, Paris Est, Paris Nord, Paris Gare de Lyon, Paris Montparnasse, Paris St. Lazare, Paris Amsterliz RER, Paris Biblioutheque F. Mitterrands, Paris Champ de Mars/TourEiffel, Paris Javel, Paris Invalides or Paris Musee D' Orsay. Alin kaya dyan? thanks!

@kulitkidz, here are your options on how to get to your hotel from the train station:

Option 1, the fastest

- If you take the TGV stopping at Gare de l'Est, walk north to Gare du Nord (just google map it). Easier to walk street level than take a metro.
- If you take Thalys, terminating station is already Gare du Nord.

- From Gare du Nord, take RER B direction Robinson or Saint-Remy.
- Get off at Luxembourg stop. Look for the exit Boulevard Saint-Michel/rue Gay Lussac (para you're on the right side of the road na).
- Once at street level, the park should be across the road in front of you, then head towards north.
- At rue Soufflot, turn right. Voila! It's the Pantheon!
- Head towards the Pantheon and turn left on rue Victor Cousin and start looking for your hotel.

Option 2, requires metro transfers and a bit of a walk

- From Gare de l'Est, get on metro no. 5 direction Place d'Italie.
- Get off at Gare d'Austerlitz and transfer to metro no.10 direction Boulogne Pont de St-Cloud.
- Get off at Cluny-La Sorbonne stop.
- Head east on Blvd. Saint-Germain towards rue de Cluny.
- Right on rue de Cluny, right on Place Paul Painleve, left to stay at Place Paul Painleve.
- Cross rue des Ecoles onto rue de la Sorbonne. Rue de la Sorbonne will become rue Victor Cousin. Start looking for your hotel.

sis, just take note that RER trains are different from the metro trains. You can check my blog for my entry about getting around Paris plus some tips on sightseeing.

  

[SimplyCams]

Hi Sissies,

already back read from part 1 of this thread and super para na akong nakarating sa Paris. thanks for all your time helping all GTs.

Anyway, mag ask na din ako kung ok lang itong itinerary namin ahaha i know mabilisan lang siya. we just wanted to see top attractions of Paris. Nakuha ko lang din yung idea sa www.visitacity.com/en/paris/itinerary-by-day/2

sulit naman to visit versailles right? di ba sya kaya say mga 3 hrs stay lang dun or the travel time to versailles takes time din?

Thanks so much in advance sa inyong help. will be in Paris pala Nov 1-3, leaving on the nov 3 for Barcelona na maybe in the morning or afternoon depends pa sa airplane schedule na makuha. or pwede din kami nov4 in the morning umalis since mas magkakalapit lang naman sa barcelona then we will be leaving on the 6th.

Feel free to arrange or let me know kung ano pwedeng tanggalin hehe

We will be coming from Florence and then after Paris mag Barcelona kami.

DAY1   
8:55:00 AM   ETD Florence Amerigo Vespucci Airport, Italy
10:35:00 AM   ETA Paris Orly Apt, France
11:00:00 AM   ETD Paris Orly Apt, France
                   Buy Train Pass
12:00:00 PM   ETA Kyriad Paris 18 - Porte de Clignancourt - Montmartre
                   Early Check in if possible
12:30PM           Late Lunch anywhere near the hotel
1:00:00 PM   Start of Tour
                   Metro to: Louvre, Jardin de Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysee (shopping &          lunch), Arc du Triomphe. (You can do this by foot starting from Louvre)
                   Also check the lovelock bridge near Louvre. Overlooking the bridge "Pont Neuf"
                   Seine River Cruise
                   Eiffel Tower and Trocadero (for a nice view of the whole Eiffel Tower)
                   Dinner
                   Eiffel Tower at night (with lights)
   
Day 2   
6:00 AM   Good Morning Paris!
7:00 AM   Breakfast
8:00 AM   Versailles
           Lunch and back to the city
           Pantheon
           Notre Dame
          - an area called Saint Michel is walking distance to Notre Dame this where you find restaurants     and cafes
           Holy Chapel
           Louvre Museum
           National Opera

[caterpillar-girl]

^Sis your itinerary seems a little jampacked. Note that Louvre is HUGE. I suggest taking a couple of hours there, to enjoy the art and to maximize your ticket.

Paris is a magical city. The best thing to do there is walk, take in all the sights at a leisurely place, stop at a garden (Champ de Mars, in front of Eiffel, or Place des Vosges, to name just a few) or an outdoor cafe, and have a crepe and coffee and just enjoy the view.

If you only have 2 days, I suggest dropping Versailles. It's a nice place to visit, but if you're pressed for time, I would just not go there anymore.

If you can, leave for Barcelona on the 4th so you have one more day for Paris. Then it's going to be a more relaxed itinerary and you don't have to rush to one place, picture picture, then rush again to the other place.

[mama squeak!]

@SimplyCams, super short and bitin your Paris stay but if it's the only time you have then I suggest the ff IT:

Day 1 

Arrive at hotel around noon, drop off bags. Since you're in the Montmartre area already might as well go to Sacré-Coeur Basilica where you're hotel is located. From the basilica steps/terrace you'll get a great view of Paris since the church is located on top of a hill.

You can have your late lunch at Place du Tertre adjacent to the church. There are a lot of cafes and restaurants here. Plus the souvenir items here are cheaper compared to the other tourist attraction sights. Haggle ka lang.

After lunch, hop on the metro at Anvers (that would be just at the bottom of the hill from the church). Take metro no. 2 direction Porte Dauphine and get off at Charles De Gaulle Etoile. Voila! You're at the Arc de Triomphe.

Now you have two options after visiting the Arc:

Option 1

- Either walk along the Champs Elysees all the way to the Louvre or take the metro which will take you faster. But of course you miss out on the sights along the way (LV's headquarters to name one!). At the Louvre, better know na what you want to see as this place is huge! I would suggest to get the Paris Visite pass which will save you time queuing.

Option 2

- Go on the Seine river cruise. The nearest from Champs Elysees would be Bateaux Mouches at the Pont de l'Alma. After the cruise head on to the Eiffel tower and Trocadero. Wait until night fall and you'll see the tower twinkling. The lights come on on top of the hour for a 15 minute light show. The best vantage point to watch this is either at the Trocadero or at the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

Day 2 

Forget Versailles, too much to see so little time.

- Head on to the Notre Dame. Try to go first thing if you plan to climb the towers at grabe pila dito. Unahin nyo yung towers then after check out the church.
- At the back of the church is where you'll find one of the love lock bridges, the Pont de l'Archevêché. Though not sure if the locks are still there since the city has started removing them due to safety issues (too heavy for the bridge!)
- Head on to Sainte-Chapelle and check out their famous stained windows at the upper chapel.
- Pantheon and picnic lunch at the Jardin du Luxembourg
- From the park either walk to rue du Bac chapel or take the metro (nearest metro is Sevres Babylone)
- walk to Musee D'Orsay
- cross the pedestrian bridge to Tuileries
- Jardins des Tuileries/Place de la Concorde

Super hectic yang IT na yan but the must-sees are covered. If you can stay another day, much the better para you can free up some of the days and fit in some shopping. You can check my blog for my Paris posts. Backread ka rin since madami na na post dito on tips/advices specially mga scams.

Happy planning!

 

[kulitkidz]

Hi Mama Squeak! Thanks for your replay sa Germany Thread Eto naman question ko, how far kaya from Paris Est train station papunta sa hotel namin, hotel design sorbonne? What mode transpo para makarating kami doon? Tapos may dala pa kaming maleta large & medium sizes. Lubos-lubosin ko na sis, andoon kami thurs afternoon ng dec. 4 & balik germany ng dec. 6 siguro 1pm train ride. Gusto ko lang makita ang syempre, eiffel tower all sides, sacre coure (tama spelling?), notre dame, louvere, yung bridge na may padlock if meron pa, lc & lv stores, pigalle hehe) and yung experience magkape typical sa europeans yung sa labas habang nakatingin sa tao dumadaan. Kaya kaya yan in 2 days? Pa add na rin if may pwede pa kami mapuntahan thanks again.

[mama squeak!]

^sis, backread ka ng konti (post no. 209)  I already gave you directions how to get to your hotel from the train station.

Bitin-bitin din pala stay nyo sa Paris. You can follow the IT I earlier wrote for SimplyCams. Talagang jampacked yung IT na yun. Maybe you can extend your stay for another day, leave Sunday morning instead of Saturday para makapasyal pa kayo ng konti. The direct TGV trains naman from Paris to Frankfurt is only 4hrs. I just checked the SNCF website there is a train leaving Paris at 9AM arriving Frankfurt at 1PM.

[mameejhy]

Ilan cities sa France ang pwedeng mapuntahan sa loob ng 25 days?

[mama squeak!]

^It would really depend on you as a traveler, your interests and what you want to see or do. If I had 25 days to spend in France I would spend at least 4-5 whole days in the major cities like Paris, Lyon or Toulouse. The smaller cities or towns 2-3 days while the really small towns or villages 1day or as a day trip.

Every time we visit France we try to do a road trip. So far we did two road trips there, the Alsace Wine Route and The Chateaus of the Loire Valley. Tig one week yun hopping from one city/town to the other. Next on our list are Bordeaux and the Dordognes naman.

[Happypreggo]

Hello mga sis.

Anyone here visited Paris on a November. 1st week to be exact maulan ba talaga?checked accuweather kasi. Thanks

[mama squeak!]

^sis, weather is weird nowadays. Though November is already cold, it can be dry or wet naman at the same time. We always bring travel umbrellas to be safe lang. Nice nga towards winter kasi makaka-porma ka talaga ng husto. I love wearing boots and coats!

[letters_to_cleo]

Was in Paris last week for 5 days. sinamahan kong mamasyal yung kapatid ko.  Since 1st time nya mag Europe, pinacompare ko sa kanya which is the best sa napuntahan nya during his vacation - Madrid, Toledo, Segovia (all in SPain) or Paris. Sabi nya sa food mas nagustuhan nya sa Spain, pero sa lugar Paris hands down! kaso ang comment nya, bakit daw  parang hindi naliligo ang mga French haha, amoy p*tok daw sa Metro. Tawa ako ng tawa! Hindi ko napansin ito before on a previous trip, pero dahil sa reaction nya first day pa lang namin sa Paris, pati ako nagobserve na rin haha. may katotohanan huh!  First time ko to try airbnb for this paris trip kasi ang mamahal ng hotels! good decision! Sa outer arrondisment kami (Botzaris Metro) so feeling parisian haha and just next to Beau Chamont park and close to a Simply grocery kaya very convenient. One day, guilty from eating too much sweets ( sarap kasi ng pastries and chocs sa Paris!) we walked to Notre Dame from the flat and it took only a leisurely 50 minute stroll, kaya happy na rin! Malamig na rin sa Paris in the morning, as low as 11 deg, pero umaaraw sa tanghali, kaya dapat layering. Hindi pa naman umulan while we were there.    Personally, i love Paris for the authentic tasting japanese restaurants along Rue St. Anne. Sabik na sabik kasi ako sa ranen, tonkatsu at takoyaki and sobrang walang maayos na restau na ganito where I am.

[mameejhy]

^It would really depend on you as a traveler, your interests and what you want to see or do. If I had 25 days to spend in France I would spend at least 4-5 whole days in the major cities like Paris, Lyon or Toulouse. The smaller cities or towns 2-3 days while the really small towns or villages 1day or as a day trip.

Every time we visit France we try to do a road trip. So far we did two road trips there, the Alsace Wine Route and The Chateaus of the Loire Valley. Tig one week yun hopping from one city/town to the other. Next on our list are Bordeaux and the Dordognes naman.

We usually visit the museums and see other sights, we have kids with us but we do not go to Disneylands (except, Hongkong's). We usually do daytrips, if time permits. Kung pupunta sa France, gusto ni hubby mag roadtrip sa labas ng Paris.