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

[m_lim]

hello mga sis!

we'll be in paris FEB11-15.

anong recommended puntahan given na short trip lang for second timers? kahit di na mag Louvre, Notre Dame etc...

malayo ba ang Versailles from the City? yun lang naiisip ko and love locks..

anong recommended apartment/airbnb or hotel if meron na nasa 5thou price range?

[sey_b2b]

hello mama squeak! how far po ang 6 Rue Constance, 18th arr sa Eiffel Tower, Louvre and other attractions sa Paris  I found one hotel kasi located sa area na yan chic and cheap  Few meters away from metro din sya but i am not sure if that's a good location for a first timer sa Paris like me and hubby.  Thank you.

[mama squeak!]

^you'll be in the Montmartre area! That's one of my favorite areas to stay. We've rented apartments twice on that area and it's easily accessible to all the tourist sights. Sacre-Coeur & Moulin Rouge would be walking distance while the rest i.e. Louvre, Eiffel, Notre Dame etc will only be a 15-20 minute metro ride. Have you considered renting an apartment? That area marami nice, bigger and cheaper apartments compared to the inner arrondissements.

[sey_b2b]

Yay! Thank you so much mama squeak!! I really love the hotel kasi the rooms are decorated with floral fabrics hahaha I want a room with Parisian style para mas feel na feel ko ang Paris hahaha. We are staying in Paris for 4 nights only, you think it will be better and cheaper for us na mag rent nalang ng apartment? How about airport pick-up? Ayaw kasi ni hubby mag-Metro from the airport. For breakfast, i'll follow GTs advice na bili nalang sa labas

[mama squeak!]

^definitely cheaper! You'll get pa the authentic feel of a Parisian home since you will be staying in one. I've always advertised airbnb here because I've always had good experiences when using the service. Probably you can check it out yourself. Just input your requirements like amenities, budget, area/location.

As for airport transfers, you have other options aside from taking the train and metro. Since you're at the 18th arr. malapit lang sya sa airport. You'll probaly be paying around Eur40 for the cab fare. Just make sure you have the complete address of the place you're staying. It would also help if you have the contact person of the hotel or apartment (if you decide to rent) on speed dial just in case the cab driver gets lost trying to find the place.

I have entries of my Paris visits in my blog just in case you want to get some tips.

[sey_b2b]

^currently reading your blog about Paris! hehe Thanks for sharing!

[m_lim]

^sis, can you share anong hotel yung may florals?

still deciding between airbnb and hotel.

anong itinerary niyo for 4 days? same tayo ng number of days.

[sey_b2b]

^ hello sis m_lim, nakabook ka na ba ng hotel nyo? check out Hotel Le Relais Montmartre 
pero we booked a different hotel located somewhere malapit sa Notre Dame. Got our visa na rin! Yahoo! ilang kembot nalang masisilayan ko na rin ang Eiffel Tower! hehe...

By the way sis, I found this site very helpful when it comes sa pagplan ng Itinerary and it's for free! http://www.visitacity.com/

[m_lim]

^thanks sis! check ko yang hotel.

[trendy]

I'm having a hard time understanding the metro map. Does Place de Clichy metro stop go directly to Eiffel/major attraction stations or may transfer pa?

[stormy]

^may transfer pa sis

[trendy]

^thanks sis.

Another question, yung train station going to brussels, parang airport ba yan na kelangan 2 hours before andun ka na? or pwedeng on the dot?

[mama squeak!]

^if you already have your seats reserved pwede at least 15 minutes to give you enough time to check the platform number of your train.

[m_lim]

hi mama squeak!

ano pa ba must buy/ must eat in France?

[melvel]

Going to Paris again this coming May, and this time, it will be a more leisurely trip (not the hectic tourist pace).  Can anyone suggest a good hotel in the Place Vendome/Opera/Madeleine vicinity?  We want to stay in the middle of the shopping district and would really like to stay in a hotel.  We decided to splurge a little. Budget is maximum US$400 a night, but of course the cheaper the better.  Our priority in booking a hotel would be proximity to shopping area, then size of room.

We are currently looking at Sofitel Faubourg or Best Western Folkestone Opera.  Has anyone stayed in these two hotels and can give any feedback? 

^sis, can you share anong hotel yung may florals?

still deciding between airbnb and hotel.

anong itinerary niyo for 4 days? same tayo ng number of days.

Champs Elysees Plaza Hotel was the hotel we were considering.   Floral floral ang decorations ng room. 

[bzbee]

we'll be celebrating valentines day in Paris during our honeymoon. checked out the eiffel tower restaurants, their valentines dinner is waaaayyyy too expensive!! nasa 140 euros per person, is that reasonable? hope you can recommend any other romantic restaurant or activity for the day

[m_lim]

^reasonable? for me hindi. pero since its your honeymoon, then go for it! hehe

hubby wants to have Valentines dinner cruise rin sa Siene River pero sabi ko sayang @ 150euros/person. eh ang cruise na walang dinner is only 14euros!

[[-c-h-a-]]

Honeymoon, Valentine's day, Paris, I say go for the Valentine's dinner... worth it and will be one for the books.

We had a 3 course dinner in one of the 2 restaurants 6 years ago, it was about 95euros then. Worth every single penny. Very memorable and hubby and I will do it again with no hesitation.

[mathet]

I have backread this thread last month and cannot remember if i came across plane tickets...

questions po mga sis,

we'll be travelling in july and since required ang ticket.... we were asked to get one already, Ive read through the internet and some do make reservations through travel agency and my question is, if we get approved, and we have not paid the ticket, do we get a price lock on it? Were flying from manila to geneva and going back we'll be flying from cdg paris to manila...

next question is, were probably going for 2-3 weeks, probably the last week will be spent in Paris and they will accompany us here, so mga 1-2 weeks probably will be staying sa relatives in hubby in annecy, do you think we have lots to go to on that area so that we will not need to stay in a hotel probaby go to lyon also and switzerland since its only nearby not sure though how long is the ride going there.... Is there also a metro there like paris where all attractions are connected in the metro?

[mama squeak!]

^tickets are not required. Actually the embassy would discourage you from buying one agad since you are not even sure if your visa will be granted. Sure, you can buy a ticket if you are super confident you'll be given a visa. Otherwise a booking will do. Now there are some airlines that can hold your booking for a certain period for a fee. Or you can also approach your trusted travel agent to make the booking for you, again you pay for their services.

Though Annecy is not a popular tourist destination I am sure there are a lot of things to see and do there i.e. Old Town, Lake Annecy, etc. Or you can also hop on the train and visit Lyon but yeah better to stay overnight or two since bitin if you do this as a day trip. One way travel is already 2.5 hours (shortest route). Same thing with Switzerland bitin if you do this as a day trip.