2 weeks in France: March 2012

Friday, March 30, 2012

In Marais - Hotel Beaubourg vs. Hotel Jeanne d'Arc

My partner and I will be in Paris for several days in July. Would love to stay in the Marais - in the price range of $150-$200 a night. These two hotels seem picturesque and clean in reviews - any thoughts on either or others?

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Trip Report 31.12 - 5.01

Just back from a fantstic break in Nice.

Its a great base to explore the surrounding area.

Our first day was spent explorng Nice itself, we were staying in an apartment in the old town which is an ideal location right in the middle of things with restaurants on your doorstep. We stocked up at Monoprix supermarket just a 2 min walk from the Gare routerie bus station, which is about a 5 minute walk from the old town.

We walked along the prom and up to the hotel Negreso, don´t be intimidated by the doorman we walked in to look around the foyer and the shops inside and the ballroom is stunning.

We then had a stroll though the old town and cours salaya which is much nicer atmosphere when the sun has gone down, great shops and loads of places to eat really spoilt for choice. After a rest at the apartment we wondered out again to find a restaurant it was new years eve so v busy and we ended up in la Fovola on cours salaya which was excellent, the main course portions were the biggest ive ever seen and the deserts superb, best tip in restaurants i can offer is to ask for a %26quot;carafe déau%26quot; and you will get a vase of free water. We found drinks expensive a coke at 4.50 euros for example and coffees around 3 euros, otherwise prices were fine.

We headed to the seafront to see in new year it was packed and people were swimming in the sea...nutters!! it was pretty cold!

Next day we headed to the bus station. Now we normally ALWAYS hire a car because i hate buses but from advice on this forum mainly the difficulty and expense in parking we decided to risk it, best decision it was so easy and a scenic route too and only 1 euro any journey, info point in bus station great for advice.

We visited Villa Kerylos and Villa Esphurrsi (spelling!) you get of bus at beaulieu sur mer (about 10 mins from Nice) and walk to the villa to walk between the two we took the walk on the prom of cap ferrat which was lovely. We then got back on the bus to Eze (you have to change again onto the 82) a beautiful hilltop village with amazing views from the gardens (5 euros) but worth it. Must go on a clear day though. We then headed back to Nice.

Day 3 on the bus again to Monaco (be prepared to stand) we had a wander round the palace area the actual palace is closed in winter though, there was a xmas market, we took a shuttle boat for 1 euro to get from one side of harbour to the other which saves your legs, monte carlo casino is worth a peak its 10 euros to go into the main gaming room but we were content with the bandit room where we won 2.50 euros!! wooooo

Back in Nice we had dinner at Resto´s wine bar which was excellent and we went to waynes bar to watch a rock band everybody was dancing on tables and it was a great atmosphere they seem to have live music every night.

Day 4 we got the tram to the train station...althought it is only a 15 min walk, we were intending to get train to Cannes but the train strike meant limited times so we decided to explore Nice more, we shopped along the mainstreets of the town i went a bit mad in H%26amp;M and we walked up to the castle for the views over the town (worth doing) we couldn´t find the waterfall though? we strolled along the prom again for a bit of people watching and then back though old town and disscovered lovely biscuit shop called la cure gourmande and brought some olive oil from a a lóliviera great selection.

DAY 5 We took the skibus from gare routerie at 07.15am this needs to be booked the day before (30 euros)and you can go to Auron or Isola 2000. We choose Auron because its a tradtional village resort, it took 2 hours to arrive beautiful scenery and perfect weather. We hired skis and boots in resort and was on the slopes for 10.15am. We skied until 16.00 and the bus left at 17.00. It was a great day out and highly recommended.

On our last day we decided to take bus to Antibes, not recommended there is about 35 stops and it took ages. Antibes was nice to walk around the ramparts and look at the yachts in the marina, we had a lovely lunch in the restaurant next to the tourist office where you get off the bus. We couldn´t face the bus back to decided to risk the train times this turned out to be fine at there were still two a hour, and it took 20mins instead of 2 hours!!

Use bus to go Monaco way and train to go other way.

Gosh hope i havn´t bored you!!

We had a great time, hope you do do

S x

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Slewoman, Excellent. Thank you.

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Sounds like you had a fabulous holiday, thanks for the review. Did you mean La Voglia (la fovola) I don%26#39;t recognise the name but the meal sounds like La Voglia. I%26#39;m very envious about your day%26#39;s skiing, I%26#39;ve done this a few times, it%26#39;s a great day out, didn%26#39;t make it this year due to flu. The waterfall on the Chateau hill can be missed easily. It%26#39;s on the west side of the hill, a short walk along one of the paths. If you are on rue de la Prefecture in the Old Town near la Tapenade restaurant area and look up, the waterfall is in front of you, should you want to get the bearings next time.

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allaboutNice

-la favola is pretty much across the road from la voglia though its on cours saleya rather than rue Saint-François de Paule and has same owners and essentially the same menu/format.

Slewomen, sounds like you had a brilliant time - great trip report. Its always great to hear how people got on.

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Thank you Selkienice :-)

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Removed on: 7:20 pm, August 11, 2009

Versaille in Late Feb/ Early March

Hello,

I will be in Paris in late Feb/early March for 5 days and am planning on visiting Versaille.

Im just wondering if the fountains will be flowing that time of year and will everything be open / accessable?

Thanks!

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www.chateauversailles.fr

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Thanks for the website...I still cannot tell if the fountains will be on but I have another question...

It says on the website that Versaille is free admission on the first Sunday of the month November - March but does that include March?

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Fountains will not be on.

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Omaha Beach and Mont St. Michel

Can anyone reccommend a town that I can stay in that has easy access to Omaha Beach and Mont St. Michel (a different town for each site obviously). I will be traveling by train but am not against hiring a bicycle to ride to each place but a car is out of the question. I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

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Classy vegetarian-friendly restaurants?

Hello!

My fiancee is taking me to Paris for my birthday so we%26#39;re looking for a lovely restaurant to celebrate the occassion.

The only thing is that whilst I love fish and meat, he%26#39;s a vegetarian and doesn%26#39;t eat either although eats pretty much everything else (he%26#39;s not a vegan).

I know vegetarians and the French often aren%26#39;t a winning combination so can anyone recommend somewhere good with both a decent vegetarian selection which also serves meat and fish?

I%26#39;d like somewhere a bit classy, so no cafes or pizza/pasta places.

We%26#39;re staying near the Louvre.

Thanks!

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Here is some info I got from Travelling Carrot. Any comments in the listing are hers. I don%26#39;t know how any of the restaurants are, except that L%26#39;As du Falafel is awesome, but defintely not fancy. There is a really nice veggie place right around the corner from it, but I forget the name, and oddly, I don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s in the list :(

aveurs veget%26#39; Halles

1st rt,

41 rue des bourdonnais

la Victoire supreme du coer

1st rt,

rue des bordonnais

metro - chatlet

01.40.41.9395

hours Monday to saturday 11:45 am to 2:45 Pm - 6Pm to 10Pm

Price $-$$

Lemoni cafe

1st rt,

5 rue herold

metro - palais royal

verge tige restaurant vegetarien

3rd rt,

13 rue Sainte anastase

01.42.77.2215

hours: tuesday to saturday 12-2:30 and 7:30pm to 10:30pm

Sunday 12:30 to 4 Pm

closed sundays

Price $-$$

Entre Ciel et terre

5 rue herod

01.45.08.4984

Hours monday to Friday 12 to 3 , 7 to 10PM

Rani Mahal

2nd rt,

9 rue Saint augustin

01.42.97.5324

the Fee mini

3th rt,

25 boulevard du temple

Le potager du marais

3rd rt,

22 rue rambuteau

metro-rambuteau

01.44.54.0031

Price $-$$

hours: monday to saturday 12 to 3 pm - 7 to 11PM

Closed sundays

Accepts credit cards

Les Enfants gates

La truffe

4th rt,

31 rue Vieilledu temple

metro- St. Paul

01.42.71.0839

hours daily 12 to 4 PM - 7 to 11PM

gran Apptit

4th Rt,

9 Rue la cerisaie

01.40.27.0495

Hours 12 to 3pm Wed 7 to 9 pm

price $

4th rt

43 rue des francs bourgeois

tel 01 42 77 07 63

Metro st paul

La marais

4th rt,

54 ste Croix de bretonneire

l%26#39;as du falafel

4th rt,

34 rue ds rosiers

Galarie 88

4th Rt,

88 quai de L%26#39;hotel deville

01.42.72.1758

Price $$

piccolo teatro

4th rt,

6 rue des ecoffes

01.42.72.1779

Piccoloteatro.com

hours 12 to 3 - 7 to 11PM

Price $$

Maoz

5th rt,

8 rue xavier rivas

tel 01 43 26 3600

metro st michel

Falafel cooked in olive oil, with an all you can eat salad bar.

Price $

les Cinq saveurs d%26#39;anada

5th rt, 72 rue du cardinal lemoine

a fixed full dinner will cost you about 26 £ but you can mix an match dishes with each dish beggning around 6£; small establishement 100 percent bio and vegetarian, the tables and owners are modest. it lies only blocks away from a small quaint french street called rue moffetad, this block is full of shops and restaurants that catered to tourists and students alike. both times i tried to go here the place was closed, which is hw i figured out that its closed o mondays and inbetween lunch and dinner. if you go here please dont forget to rate it!!!!

Le grenier de notredame

5th rt,

18 rue del la bucherie

metro- maubert mutualite

a small restaurant, with only 6 tables but very clean and pleasant atmosphere. they had a wide range of choices from 6£ to 16£. as well as fix prix menu for lunch where for 16£ you can get 2small meals, dessert, and a drink. they had lots of choices that were vegan and some vegetarian. menu was in french and english andthe waiter spoke english. although i cant say the food was out of this world i still recommend this place for the variatity of choices, the services and the atmosphere.

email. Legrenierdenotredame@wanndoo.fr

website. www.legrenierdenotredame.com

Cafe delmas

5th rt,

2 place de la contrescarpe

tel 01.43.26.5126

I just had a coofee since this overpriced restaurant did not have a lot ofchoices and i did not feel like having yet another salad.

My son had a chocolate eclair, and hot chocolate and although he loved the eclair, he could not touch the hot chocolate. so unless yo are going to have an overprice alcoholic drink or coofeee and smoke looking out into the petit circle, i would say SKIP IT!!!!

Malaika

6th rt,

17 rue de savoie

Guenmai

6th RT,

6 rue Cardinale

germain de pres

01.43.26.0324

open monday to Satuday Lunch only

Organic juice bar

2 Different plates for lunch per day.

Price $-$$

chez ming

7th rt,

6 rue de monttessuy

vietnamese

Le paradis du fruit

8th rt,

35 rue marbeuf

01.45.62.4722

Krishna-Bhavan

10th rt

24 rue cail

tel 01 42 05 7843

Po Mana

10th rt,

39 Rue des vinaigriers

01.40.37.1919

hours-12:30 to 2:30 and 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm

price $$

Le calypso

11th Rt,

4 Boulevard jules Ferry

metro Republique

01.43.55.6909

hours- monday to saturday 9 Am to 4 PM

Tien Hiang

13th rt,

20 Rue nationale

tel 01.45.82.9954

Metro-Porte d%26#39;Ivry

Green garden

13th rt,

20 rue nationale

01.45.82.9954

Metro-porte d%26#39;Ivry

hours 11 to 10:30

Dietetic shop

14th rt,

11 Rue Delambre

Tel 01 43 35 39 75

Metro-vavin

Aquariou Cafe

14th rt,

40 rue georgovie

metro-pernety

Hours: 12 to 2:30PM to10PM

Vegan options

price $$

Le Marceau

16th rt

39 Avenue Marceau

75116 paris

tel 01.47.20.0195

I had an italienne salad, my son had the spaggetti special without ham, they were both to die for, and left us wanting more. they had enough vegetarian dishes to please me and were able to make other without meat. although expensive, about 20£ per person for lunch,it is worth it since its only steps away from the arc of triumph and lets face you wont find anything cheap in that area. service was fast anf friendly with englsh speaking staff. if your a smoker this place ha an outside room that is sheltered from the rain and heated with lamps.

recommended!!!

A joy in Food

17th rt,

2 rue truffaut

Tel 01.43.87.96.79

Metro-Place de clichy

hours: Monday to Friday 12 to 2:30pm

price: $-$$

Le paradis du fruit

32 Ave de wagram

01.44.09.0202

Bob%26#39;s juice bar

18th Rt,

15 rue de la vieuville

01.42.58.1557

Augrain de folie

18th rt,

24 rue de la vieuville

tel 01.42.58.1557

Metro abesses

hours: mmonday to Friday 12:30PM To 2:30 PM - 7:30 PM to 10:30PM

price $$

Pizza del mondo

18th rt,

16 rue de trois freres

Rayons de Sante

18th rt,

8 place charles dullin

01.42.59.6481

Hours- mnday to thursday 9-3PM and 6:30PM to 10 PM

friday 9 to 3 PM and 6:30 to 11PM

price $-$$

Tsipora

Israéli food

19th rt,

3-5 Rue du Plateau-75019 Paris

Tel 01 42 00 85 22

www.tsipora.com

the atmosphere is Ok, it seemes friendly and understanding towards vegetarians, the way it works is that the moment you walk in they will give you a whole bunch of small plates, with what they call salades, they will contain some salades made of carrots, potatoes, chick peas, eggs, red and green peppers about 3 or 4 made with fish nd chicken but sine they are all seperate you can request for them to take away the meat filled ones. jus let them know that you are a vegetarian and they will take those away.

Now heres the deal, they will charge you 20 E per person to have these salades, you can repeat any salade you want as many times as you want. if you want to be cheap how ever avoid ordering anything else. it will cost you an arm and a leg if you do. stick to water since again, they over chage you for anything you drink.

there was no live music while I was there but apperantly they have shows every once in a while.

On Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 10:15 PM, Adriana Harts %26lt;adriana.harts@gmail.com%26gt; wrote:

Still doing some more research, but i doubt i will be able to fnd a lot more. but ill try. I ws not able to go to all of them and find out prices, but i hope this helps at least a little bit.

PARIS

la Victoire supreme du coer

1st rt,

rue des bordonnais

metro - chatlet

Lemoni cafe

1st rt,

5 rue herold

metro - palais royal

Le potager du marais

3rd rt,

22 rue rambuteau

metro-rambuteau

Les Enfants gates

4th rt

43 rue des francs bourgeois

tel 01 42 77 07 63

Metro st paul

Maoz

5th rt,

8 rue xavier rivas

tel 01 43 26 3600

metro st michel

les Cinq saveurs d%26#39;anada

5th rt, 72 rue du cardinal lemoine

Le grenier de notredame

5th rt,

18 rue del la bucherie

metro- maubert mutualite

Cafe delmas

5th rt,

2 place de la contrescarpe

tel 01.43.26.5126

I just had a coofee since this overpriced restaurant did not have a lot ofchoices and i did not feel like having yet another salad.

Malaika

6th rt,

17 rue de savoie

Le Marceau

39 Avenue Marceau

75116 paris

tel 01.47.20.0195

recommended!!!

Krishna-Bhavan

10th rt

24 rue cail

tel 01 42 05 7843

Tien Hiang

13th rt,

20 Rue nationale

tel 01.45.82.9954

Metro-Porte d%26#39;Ivry

Dietetic shop

14th rt,

11 Rue Delambre

Tel 01 43 35 39 75

Metro-vavin

Aquariou Cafe

14th rt,

40 rue georgovie

metro-pernety

A joy in Food

17th rt,

2 rue truffaut

Tel 01.43.87.96.79

Metro-Place de clichy

Augrain de folie

18th rt,

24 rue de la vieuville

tel 01.42.58.1557

Metro abesses

Tsipora

Israéli food

19th rt,

3-5 Rue du Plateau-75019 Paris

Tel 01 42 00 85 22

www.tsipora.com

there was no live music while I was there but apperantly they have shows every once in a while.

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Gee, that was a long post ahead of me that I did not read. Best classy place is MACEO on rue des Petits Champs. They have and elegant vegetarian menu that is delicious and other diners can have regular meny which is delicious too. It is near Palais Royal.

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Thanks! Had heard Maceo was good - what are the drink prices like?

Will I need to book well in advance for a Saturday night?

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Removed on: 8:17 pm, August 11, 2009

A Cautionary Tale

Just got back from a delightful week in Paris. I%26#39;ve *never* had a bad time in one of my favourite cities in the world.This trip was no different.

That being said I thought that I%26#39;d mention this little hiccup...and maybe save fellow TA%26#39;s a little trouble and a few Euro.

Herself and I were all primed to hit a few museums, using the Museum Pass. Well, late nights, food, red wine, and the inevitable sleep-in mornings got in the way, and we found ourselves bumping up against New Years and New Years day to the point that the Pass didint make any sense.

No prob...we%26#39;ll hit a couple of our top ten and just pay the entrance fee. First off, the Louvre

We get there and its PACKED. I dont mean a wee bit crowded....its a teeming mass of humanity. Dozens of those really annoying tour groups blocking stairwells, corridors and any possibility of examining anything worthwhile. *Thousands * of others rushing from the Mona to the Winged Victory to the next must see

No prob...we%26#39;ll hread over to the L%26#39;Orangerie--same thing. D%26#39;Orsay same same. Gee--how about that cafe?? Perfect!

So evidently Xmas week is not the week to visit museums. My point is--had we coughed for a couple of museum passes, we would have been*very* dissapointed--not only that the museums were, for all intents and purposes uninhabitable--but we would have spent money on passes that we couldnt really use.

Just a thought.

Oh..one last thing. New Years Eve we ended up in a bar on Rue Mouffetard. The place was jumping--everybody was well into the evening--including the staff.

So much so, they completely missed midnight...at about 20 after the owner looked at the clock and shouted Mon Dieu!!! But by that time everybody was hammered and didnt care.

I love this city!!!!!!

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I%26#39;ll chime in here too and agree you did the right thing with the pass - in my opinion.

Lines are short if you arrive first thing when the museums open, but who wants to be a slave to that? I personally pay up for the convenience of the pass when I go to Paris. I was there Christmas week as well and it%26#39;s always busy then with locals and tourists on holiday.

Slight side note regarding the Louvre - if you%26#39;re not overly interested in attempting a peek at the %26quot;biggies%26quot;: Mona Lisa, Winged Vic and Venus...avoid the marked pathways to them and visit the wings where they%26#39;re not. Much more palatable of a trip. Although I%26#39;m pleased more folks hit museums, I miss the relative quiet of 20-30 years ago. You might have had to deal with one or two others in your line of sight. I recall having the Winged Victory all to myself one afternoon. Sigh.

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We just arrived back today as well, we were there from Dec 29-Jan 6. I will try to do a trip report shortly but will comment of museums now.

We decided to buy passes for Jan 2 and 3 and then see some of the free ones on Jan 4.

December 30, it was horrible, rain and hail. So we went to the Cite des Sciences and that place was mayhem. They do limit the amount of people in some exhibits, but buying tickets was hard. We decided to take the kids to see the light and shadows exhibit in the end.

Dec 31 - Carnavalet which is free for the permanent exhibits. No crowd issue, just manpower. They didn%26#39;t have all galleries open and closed some at different times.

We bought our passes on Jan 1 at the Pompidou and were not pleased that they went up by 2E to E32 without any notice. The Museum was open but we didn%26#39;t do that part.

Jan 2 - we went to Notre Dame, the line was long and the tower was closed for bad weather. We did the Cathedral and a lot of walking around, had lunch etc. At Saint Chapelle, the church was closed for security, but we could go in and walk around the outside so we did. The Concergerie had a bad line so we skipped it. We went to the Arc de Triomphe and shipped the line with our passes. She did want us to line up to get free tickets for the kids but waived that part. We then went to the Louvre. The lineup wasn%26#39;t bad. It was after 2pm and we were able to move around fine, but of course there were crowds in from the the biggies. I found the spaciousness of the galleries nice. We were there for about 3 hours and there was a line to get coats at the end. It was staying open late that night. We tried to make a quick visit to the L%26#39;Orangerie as the info from the pass said it is normally open until 7 and is open late on Fridays. It turned out to be incorrect, it closed at 6pm, so we never got in.

January 3 - back to Tour de Notre Dame. It was open and we lined up for about an hour - well DH did, I amused the kids, took them for crepes it. We didn%26#39;t get to the very top though, I guess the upper part was still closed. So we got along the rails with the gargoyles and up into the bell tower etc. Sainte Chapelle was also open but had a huge line, none at the Concergerie so we went there. We also went to the Cluny, Pantheon and Napoleons tomb without issue. It was 4:45pm by this time so we didn%26#39;t see more of the museum.

January 4 - free museum day. Arrived at the d%26#39;Orsay close to 10am. There was alot of people waiting. After waiting a few minutes, the man checking the line sent us to the advance tickets door as we had kids. He did this to a few other people before dividing the line up and sending 1/2 to the other door. It was busy but ok. The upstairs galleries didn%26#39;t seem as spacious as the Louvre. We saw most things except the Picasso exhibit. We then walked to l%26#39;Orangerie where there was a small line, less than 10 minutes. I didn%26#39;t find it crowded though. We then went to the Rodin. The inside part was a little crowded where the rooms are quite small. It was only 3:15pm when we finished but we went back are rested as we were going out to dinner. As an aside, no line at Chartier that night at 7pm but there was as we were leaving.

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Hi --

I have noticed over the years that many Europeans are a little slow to get started in the morning so anyplace that is opened by or before 9:30, is a good place to start the day. Be in line as soon after 9:00 as possible and then stop for coffee and a pastry at about 10:30 when the crowds are gathering like storm clouds.

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Actually, you did the wrong thing. We were there from 12/26-12/31, and bought the pass. The pass gets you in without having to wait in line for the most part. We walked right into the Louvre, right past the hoards (yes, it was a sea of humanity). Same thing at L%26#39;Orangerie. A bit of a line at D%26#39;Orsay, but not too bad. Waltzed right past the 2 block long line at the Pompideau Centre. Arc D%26#39;Triomphe- same. The pass is worth it if only to not have to waste time in line. It also allowed us to come back to the Louvre later that day and get an almost private audience with Mona Lisa at closing time.

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I agree......just pay the money for the museum pass and be done with it!

We were at the Louvre on Wednesday the 31st (along with the rest of Paris). We already had tickets, but the security line was almost 2 hours long. When we got up there, the guards were getting frustrated and announced that the only people who had to go through security were the people with bags. (I hope the bad guys don%26#39;t figure this out). People were very frustrated because they closed down the automatic ticket machine, but they were selling tickets at a little candy shop downstairs.

With no kids in winter sports this year I was so excited to finally go on a family vacation over the Christmas break that I just wasn%26#39;t thinking about potential crowds. But......we had a great time and made a ton of family memories.

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owlyn...

Been there done that, many times.

The point I was making is, that even with the pass, it only would have gotten you into a short, express line into a museum teeming with visitors.

We got to the Louvre right at opening, only took us 5 mins or so to get our tixs..but within 20 minutes or so the L looked liked the Normandy Beaches.

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I had visitors that week and we were crowded, hot and grumpy after being herded thru the Louvre. Never did get in Orsay, the MP line was easily 50 strong. But we did see St. Denis and Chateau Vincennes almost to ourselves.

Note to those wanting to see Paris at Christmas: book early, it was crowded this year.

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Babba,

%26quot;Teeming%26quot; and %26quot;Normandy Beaches%26quot; are great descriptions. I think maybe only the Metro may have been more sardine-like.

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This was back in March 2008 and our group went to the Louvre, my word the place was a zoo! The lines were awful (sorry I was with the group who hold up everything) it took us forever to get in. The food court was nuts. They ran out of chicken at one of the restaurants and French or no French the people were PO%26#39;D.

Don%26#39;t even get me started on the day before at Versailles. That place is a joke (I know say what you will) I will never go back there again. Talk about unorganized and line jumping and plain out of control. HORRIBLE. And that was my second time there. I hated it.

I%26#39;m hoping to go alone to Paris this Oct. I can%26#39;t wait to walk around and do my own thing.

I love this city too!

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Agree with the teeming masses statement. We were in Paris from Dec 29 - Jan 5. (Trip report to follow.) We tried to visit the Orsay on Tuesday, 12/30 at 10:30. Ha! There were hundreds (and I do not exaggerate) people in the Museum Pass line. We got smart and arrived 45 minutes before it opened the next day. We were 14th, 15th, and 16th in the MP line, respectively. We did the same thing for the Louvre. The smaller museums weren%26#39;t as bad. There was a huge line for L%26#39;Orangerie, but only 2 other people in the MP line, so we got in after about 10 minutes. We walked right into the Rodin around 3:45 (that is one of my new favorites).

I adore both the Louvre and Orsay, but now that my husband has seen them both, I look forward to sticking to the smaller, less croweded museums on our next trip. Going to the Louvre is kind of like going into battle - with the crowds, the stairs, the length from one wing to the other. I%26#39;m getting tired just thinking about it...Winged Victory and Raft of the Medusa are totally worth it, though.

TGV or plane to go from Montpellier to Paris? Car Rental?

We are going to be in Montpellier for the soccer tournament on April.

After the tournament we would like to go to Paris for a week. What should we take? The bus, the train, the plane?

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For all practical purposes, there are no long-distance buses in France: the trains have killed them off.

The train costs €77 to €132 and takes around 3h30. Why would you go any other way?

Get timetable and costs at www.voyages-sncf.com

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As stated above, rail travel is really the best choice. I shall add however that you will obtain the best pricing and seat availability if you reserve 90 days before your desired travel date on the website mentioned.

I have seen fares as low as 24€ from Montpellier to Paris.

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Be sure to choose France as your country to pick up the tickets on the sncf.com site... if you pick Canada you%26#39;ll be rerouted to the more expensive Rail Europe site. The difference in price can sometimes be substantial.

You can either print out your own tickets or pick them up at the Montpellier station using the same credit card as you bought them with online.

Rob

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thank you for your advise!

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thank you for your advise!

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Removed on: 12:27 am, October 18, 2009

hotel / B & B for about 225 U.S. Dollars - centrally located

This is my first trip to Paris, planned for mid May. Can anyone, or a Paris Expert, recommend a good hotel or bed and breakfast for about 225 U.S. dollars that is close to the major attractions. I prefer to walk insted of take taxis/subways if at all possible, to get a flavor for the city. Thanks so much for any help :)

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That%26#39;s about 165 euros based on current exchange rates...I just looked up rates at the Hotel Castex in the Marais area for a poster on Fodors and it should be under that for a single room. It%26#39;s a decent 3 star in a good central location. The Marais (4th arr) is my favorite area but the 5th (Latin Quarter) and 6th (St Germain) are also popular.

You can walk to a lot of things from the Marais area but you%26#39;ll probably want to take the Metro or buses occasionally to cover longer distances (Paris is a pretty big city).

I%26#39;d suggest reading a good general guidebook to get a feel for the various neighborhoods and which ones appeal to you as a starting point.

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Thanks so much. Now I know what areas to concentrate on. Instead of going to Paris for a week, I may do London for 3 days and then Paris for 4, so I want to stay right in the center of everything.

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Also have a look at the Henri IV Rive Gauche on r. St. Jacques. Can%26#39;t be much more centrally located than that and it gets consistently good reviews here. It%26#39;s also a 5-min walk from the St. Michel RER so you can get there easily from the airport.

http://www.henri-paris-hotel.com/

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thanks HappyGoin.

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try abbatial saint germaine hotel, on the 5th arrondisement, a block or two from notredame, ile de cite. go to their website and view the photos sent by travelers. It has good ratings here, we are staying their on April for a week.

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Removed on: 6:17 am, August 11, 2009

House Exchange in Strasbourg

Hello

I am looking for someone to do a house exchange with me . I would like to swap my home in Victoria BC Canada with someone in Strasbourg during the late spring of 2009, or in September 2009. If you are interested, please respond to this message.

Thank you

Lesley

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Removed on: 8:19 pm, August 11, 2009

Upscale children's consignment stores

Off to Paris in two days. Are there any consignment stores where one can get cute French clothing, etc., for grandchildren?

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There may be children%26#39;s clothing in several depôt-ventes around Paris...but try checking out these two:

TROC’ CINELLE—9 rue de Wattignies, 75012, Metro : --Children’s Stuff

http://www.troccinelle.com/

OUISTITIPOP-- 19 rue Ramey, 75018, Metro: --Children’s Stuff

http://www.ouistitipop.fr/

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Le FÉE MYRTILLE—20 rue des Plantes, 75014, Metro : Alésia

http://www.lafeemyrtille.com/

POMME de REINETTE--6 rue Meissonier, 75017, Métro Wagram

http://www.pommedereinette.com/

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Removed on: 8:19 pm, August 11, 2009

CDG transfer 2E>2F

Hello,

I have a flight from Seattle to Rome with a transfer at CDG Terminal 2E (gates E51-76 I think) going to Terminal 2F. Arrival is supposed to be 8:50 am and the next flight departs at 9:45 with latest check in time limit 9:15. (Flights AF049 and AF1504)

1. Since I will be checking in online or at the least in Seattle won%26#39;t I already be checked in for this flight?

2. Do I have enough time for this transfer? (Air France scheduled it :-) and it%26#39;s an Air France 2nd flight verses Alitalia which was my other choice that I didn%26#39;t go with.)

3. I read to take the shuttle bus N1 to get from 2E to 2F is that going to actually be faster than walking? or is walking even an option?

4. Will only have carry on luggage so won%26#39;t have to get baggage.

Thanks for all of your help!

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I doubt you%26#39;ll make it. According to http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightRating/flightRatingByFlight.do?airline=%28AF%29+Air+France%26amp;flightNumber=49%26amp;x=20%26amp;y=11, the flight is not too bad, but could be late 1 time over 4. Even if you are there on time, it does take time to get off the plane, get to the immigration area, pass control, get out of 2E... If you travel on economy, which row have you been able to book? Make sure you%26#39;re not at the backend of the plane otherwise you%26#39;ll take another 10 minutes.

In terminal 2E there is now a shuttle that brings you to immigration a lot faster.

Between 2E and 2F, best is to walk. You also have speedwalk on the arrival level area. When in 2F take the escalator to departure area. There you will also have to go through hand luggage control.

To summarize I would say:

- plane seat to immigration: 10 mins

- immigration process: 10 mins

- immigration to 2F control: 10 mins

- 2F controls: 10 mins

- 2F control to plane: 5 to 10 minutes

If you%26#39;re lucky, you could probably avoid too much queue but you won%26#39;t be able to make it in less than 30 minutes anyway.

I have experienced the same situation once, coming back from Atlanta (arr. around 6am) and going to Berlin. I had one hour between flights, I am French but did not make it. Air France booked me on an evening flight. One attendant said to me %26quot;if you want to leave earlier, get your suitcase first and once you%26#39;ll have it, you%26#39;ll be able to get on next available flight%26quot;. I did that and instead of leaving at 6pm, I left at 10.30am. If you know you might have to collect your luggage when on transit, make sure your luggage is not black as everyone else%26#39;s. If you have an old tie or old scarf, put it on the hanger of your suitcase in order that it can be found easily.

Good luck

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the link is http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightRating/flightRatingByFlight.do?airline=%28AF%29+Air+France%26amp;flightNumber=49%26amp;x=20%26amp;y=11

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Turfy, I have a similiar situation. Arriving at 2E with 65 minutes to get to 2F. You will be checked in all the way from Seattle. So, the 9:15 does not apply to you, according to Air France when I asked a similiar question. Not sure about walking being quicker. I have heard that the shuttle is from some, because you do not have to go through immigration, just security. I have not decided which way to go yet. Remember though, the majority of the people do make these flights, or they wouldn%26#39;t continue to offer them.

Thank positive!

Barb

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Immigration is done at 1st airport you arrive within Schengen space (most of countries part of EU, except UK). You have no choice of whether you can do it at 2nd airport or not. Same for us when we go to US: immigration process is completed at airport of entrance

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Thanks for all of your replies! I don%26#39;t remember going through immigration when we had a layover in Amsterdam on our way to Italy last time. Also, why would we go through security again or do we? if we don%26#39;t leave the secured area shouldn%26#39;t we be o.k.?

Thanks for your help!

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I don%26#39;t think you stay all the time in restricted area, that%26#39;s why.

Immigration here does not take much time.

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Thank you!

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Your transfer time concerns me, but people have made their flights in less time. Airlines do not acknowledge connection problems when they book short layovers and often change itineraries for passengers who have sought to protect themselves from these pitfalls. Basically, a shorter flight time does not mean that the planes fly faster...it%26#39;s the layover that changes. On your side: Planes flying west to east often land early because %26quot;the winds are with them.%26quot;

When changing terminals at CDG, it has been my experience that you leave secured areas and have to go through immigration (if flying to another country) and security again. How fast you can do this is dependant upon circumstance...when you are there, how long the lines are, and how many agents are checking passports and manning security checkpoints. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn%26#39;t.

Be aware of the pitfalls and contact security for assistance if you don%26#39;t think you%26#39;re going to make your flight. If they think 1) you need their assistance and 2) you can make your flight with their help, they can get you through the lines...they just have to agree with you!

Bon Voyage, and we%26#39;re all pulling for you! Make the best of it, and post your experience when you get home.

A suggestion if you do miss your flight: If you can get a layover that is 7-8 hours, visit Paris! The RER (%26quot;Paris Par Train%26quot;)is very efficient, and lunch around Notre Dame isn%26#39;t bad! You%26#39;ll probably have to make a metro connection, but do your research before you leave home. Your bags will be checked, note the length of your travel to a Paris destination, and give yourself an extra time to enter the secured area again. We did this flying through Brussels, and it worked very well. Any feedback on doing this through CDG, (besides allowing extra time to get to your gate...it%26#39;s CDG, after all!)?

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Thanks so much, yes, it wouldn%26#39;t break my heart to %26quot;have%26quot; to visit Paris... :-).... I actually still have a few metro tickets left over from last visit. Not RER, but regular .

I will remember to ask security if it looks like we might not make it.

Thanks for taking the time to help.

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Have a wonderful trip and adapt it%26#39;s what you have to do!

Anyone stayed at this apartment VRBO#18667?

Traveling to Paris in early March with my father for 5 days and am interested in renting this apartment for 5 nights. However, I don%26#39;t know anything about the area or how close it is to central Paris. Previously, I%26#39;ve stayed in the 1st arr. in the Citadines.

I do have a reservation on hold for the Citadines at St. Germaine, but this flat seems to be a bit more reasonable in price.

Any thoughts on the neighborhood?

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Removed on: 8:20 pm, August 11, 2009

Resturants for half board

Has anyone been to The Steakhouse Disney Village using half board vouchers recently? We are booked there for a meal on 30th Dec but a few of the reviews I have read dont seem very good and wonder if we should try else where. I also fancy trying Walts in Disneyland Park. Any comments would be great.

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Oh the Steakhouse is fab! The waiters are excellent, and very attentive to children - one named my little girl Princess and she loved it

Reviews here http://www.dlpfoodguide.com/village.html

IT is expensive, but then isn%26#39;t everything Disney? If I had to choose one place where I had to eat everyday, this would be the one coming a close 2nd to Cowboy Cookout in Frontierland

HTH

KR xx

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I am going to go and use the premium half board vouchers there in January and am looking forward to it!

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We used our halfboard premium vouchers there for the brunch at the Steakhouse, but have read recently that some have not been allowed to use them there.

However I have just read that you were going on 30th Dec, so this is a little late, LOL, but maybe somebody else will find this info useful.

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Removed on: 8:20 am, October 18, 2009

disney parades

Hey,

Im going to disney between the 19th and the 23rd of Jan, and i cannot understand the disney website for which parades are on when we are there. I really want to know if the Fantillusion parade is on as im worried it wont be as the park closes earlier at 7pm think. If anyone has any idea, could you let me know, thank you.

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The shows and parade details haven%26#39;t been updated yet for that period yet, it is only running up to the 16th Jan so you need to keep checking the Disney site -sometimes recently it has only been a week before the actual dates that they have been updating them. Or check DLRPmagic.com (although they usually update from the main Disney schedules).

According to their calendar the main park is open till 7pm on the dates you are there with Studios closing at 6pm.

There is no reason to think that Fantillusion won%26#39;t be on. In December some days it was closing at that time and Fantillusion was also on at that time. If the park hours close at 7pm they can still have it on at that time with the park emptying after the parade. With 5 days there you should be able to catch it on at least one of the days.

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thanx ruthiebabie,

i thought they had not updated it, but was not sure if i was just looking at the wrong page.

thanx again!

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Sorry, I can%26#39;t help with the schedule when you are there, but when we were there last month, the park closed at 7pm every night and Fantillusion was on every night at 7pm (on park closing). I hope it is on for you, it was a wonderful parade!

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Removed on: 5:25 am, September 11, 2009

Is Hotel Muguet a romantic hotel for a honeymoon?

My fiance and I will be visiting Paris for the first time for our honeymoon this October. I have used the search function to find lovely hotels in Paris that are reasonably priced, but could not find much information regarding whether Hotel Muguet is a good choice for a honeymoon hotel. Can anyone shed any light on this?

Also, is it close to the metro? We understand that it is located in a residential area, which we don%26#39;t mind so much as long as we can quickly hop on a metro to see other sites.

Thank you in advance. :)

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It%26#39;s romantic enough - as you can see by the photos on their website.

We%26#39;ve stayed there three times. It%26#39;s a very nice hotel, and a good value for Paris, run quite efficiently by the owner Mme Pelletier. It%26#39;s also totally non-smoking.

Hotel Muguet is a short walk from Ecole Militaire metro station in one direction or LaTour/Maubourg in the other. There are wonderful cafes in the area of both those stations for starting/ending your day.

The 7th happens to be our favorite neighborhood for sleeping. It%26#39;s chock full of all sorts of wonderful restaurants and those quintessential streets lined with shops, etc.

Many profess the 7th to be %26quot;too quiet%26quot;, but that%26#39;s what we like about it. And, it%26#39;s far from %26quot;dead%26quot; - there%26#39;s plenty of nightlife.

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We stayed at the Muguet in the summer of 2007 and loved it. We were on the 6th floor with an incredible view of the Eiffel Tower. My mother had a room across from us with a great view of Invalides. I could not believe our view...truly amazing!

There are 2 metro stops very close by. The street is quiet, but there is so much all around, and you are about a 5 minute walk to the Rue Cler, Invalides, and the Eiffel Tower. So sort of the best of both worlds.

During that same trip, we later stayed over in the 1st at the Hotel Britannique which was beautiful, in case you are interested in that at all. More luxurious than the Muguet, but no view. Loved it though!

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I have stayed there twice and agree with the other posters. Room pictures on its website and those posted by %26quot;TripAdvisors%26quot; are pretty realistic.

What do you consider romantic? Indulgent service? Chocolates on the pillow at night with turn down service? Then no--Hotel Muguet isn%26#39;t it. But I don%26#39;t think you will find any romantic hotel in its price range that would meet those requirements.

It has a great location. Close to the two metro stops. Good bus service. Walking distance to the Eiffel Tower, Invalides, and Rodin Museum. Short hop on the subway to most anywhere else. Reasonably priced cafes and upscale restaurants near by. While it is in a %26quot;residential area,%26quot; it is New York City residential, not US suburbia residential.

Have a wonderful stay in Paris--a favorite.

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I stayed there in November of 2007. Loved the hotel and the staff were very helpful and I don%26#39;t speak any French. Lovely neighborhood and nice access to restaurants. We did not eat breakfast at the hotel, we walked to the Rue Cler every morning. Not sure about the romantic part. It is very functional and nicely remodeled, however the rooms are small by American standards, but very clean. I hope this helps.

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I have stayd there twice. If I was going on a honeymoon, I would enjoy the Muguet very much.

We did request a room with a view- - - - paid a bit more for it, but having once had the view and once not having the view, I would say, %26quot;ask for the room with the view%26quot;. I know that rooms 41, 51, and 61

view the Eifel Tower. (there is no room service, but there is an elevator, and I have eaten the breakfast there- - - - omlets made to order + croisant, juice, yogurt, coffee. Lovely bathrooms in room 41 or 51.

Room without a view had a small/clean/adequate shower/WC. But, the rooms with a view were nicer.

It is also not far to walk to a cafe for breakfast. We loved the Pasco Restaurant, just a block away. There are several other very delicious

restaurants nearby. Very easy walk to the Seine River. My husband and I walked across one bridge, then walked thru a park on the right bank and returned using a different bridge, and we were then

right in front of the Invalides, then the Rodin sculpture garden was in back of the Invalides, and

very beautiful.

The Metro subway takes you to Place Concord for a walk on Chanps Elysee (only about 2 or 3 stops away)

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Thank you everyone for your helpful replies!

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Removed on: 4:15 pm, August 20, 2009

Nice Cannes and Monaco

Hi there! We%26#39;d like to see all 3 places. The hotel we want to stay at is in Monaco. Should we rent a car to get to the other 2? Also, we%26#39;ll be going to Cannes during the film festival. I%26#39;m guessing it will be impossible to park -- is that true? And how long would it take for us to get to Cannes from Monaco? And if we did go the public transportation route, would we any transportation be available to get back to Monaco?

Thanks in advance for your help!

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Don%26#39;t even think about driving into Cannes during the film festival! If you%26#39;re staying in Monaco you can easily take the train both ways and save yourselves considerable traffic stress--not to mention parking fees when you can find a spice. The ride along the coast is beautiful, and no one will miss the views because of driving.

Nice is right on the train line as well well, and you can get around fine there on public transportation--especially the new tram lines, which are very inexpensive (1€ per ride).

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Traffic going into/out of cannes is a nightmare during the festival so definitely take the train.

you have the option of taking the train or a bus to Nice- the various buses take a scenic route and only cost one euro although they can be busy

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Removed on: 9:17 pm, August 11, 2009

Avoid Sentiers de France for walking tours

Last March, after much research and thought, I booked a walking tour of Alsace through Sentiers de France. They were very quick to answer my questions and I gave them a 25% deposit. I was supposed to pay the remainder one month before the trip and then they would send me the information one week before departure.

As the trip approached, I realized that my vacation planning would already put me in Europe one week before the Alsace trip. I attempted to contact by email (the method we had used previously) two members of the sales team who I had dealt with previously. I explained my situation in the email and requested help in obtaining the travel information and help in the process of paying the remainder of the money due. I received no responses. Finally, about a week from my departure I sent a fax to the number on my sales contract expressing my concern and my need to speak with someone from their office. My fax machine indicated that the fax had gone through. I received no response before I left on my vacation.

A week before the departure date for the walking tour I received an email with a very scrambled subject line and written in very poor English. Of course, I was already in Europe without email access and did not open this mail until the tour date was past. To their credit, there was also a phone call on my answering machine when I returned. They are of course claiming my entire deposit and not answering my current emails to them even though I have sent them copies of every communication I have had with them.

Despite having a very nice English website, clearly their command of English is problematic. They appear to have a process but if anything out of the ordinary happens they can not and will not respond or make changes. My recommendation is to avoid them.

I almost booked a replacement trip on the fly before I departed with Discover France and the sales person I communicated with was very helpful and nice, with a great command of English. They were quite prepared to help me at the last minute to arrange a similar walking tour. I ended up booking an apartment at the winery Domaine Sipp - Mack in the delightfully ancient, picturesque, and tiny village of Hunawihr - smack between and equidistant to the villages of Riquewhir and Ribeauville.

I used this as my touring headquarters. The winery has a half dozen or so apartments that are generally rented by Danes. The Sipp-Macks (and the Danes) speak English quite well. There are two very good restaurants in the village and one so-so Italian one on the outskirts of town. The stork reserve is also on the outskirts and storks can now be seen often in town. With the train and bus schedules, and topographic maps in hand, I was able to do all the walking I wanted from this location. It wasn%26#39;t quite as nice as having my breakfast made for me everyday and a day%26#39;s itinerary put in my hand as I went out the door - but it worked.

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This is very disappointing to read b/c in the spring of 2007, after much research, I booked a customized (a la carte)walking tour with Sentiers de France. My experience was just the opposite of yours! Everything worked as it should ... hoteliers knew we were coming, taxis arrived at specified times, etc. My husband and I were so pleased that we immediately began planning our next tour and intend to use Sentiers de France.

An important story, on our arrival in LePuy, the hotel was expecting us but there was no dossier awaiting our arrival. Immediately my husband called the %26quot;emergency%26quot; number, an easily understood English speaker answered the phone, understood our concern and said he would call us back within 30 minutes. Five minutes after the phone call the front desk clerk was at our door. There had been some confusion in their office and here was our dossier. The clerk no more finished his apologies and the phone rang, it was Sentiers%26#39; representative calling to assure us that a) the dossier was in the hotel and b)it should immedately arrive at our door.

I know the company was moving their office from Paris to Foutainbleu in 2008. I wonder if your disasterous experience was (unexcusably) a result of mmoving records, setting up a new office and computers ?

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Removed on: 9:18 pm, August 11, 2009

Where to stay in Bordeaux / travel to Southern Franc - B&B??

Hi,

My husband and I are travelling over to France in Feb and will be starting off in Paris wanting to travel to Bordeaux and are looking at staying a couple of days in the region to visit a few of the towns, wineries and sample the food of the region.

We are looking at Perigueux, would this be a good base it is about an hour drive from Bordeaux and we would be looking at hiring a car to travel through the region.

Any suggestions on places or is Bordeaux a better place to stay and just do a day trip to Perigueux, Sarlat etc...

We would then look at heading to Southern France what mode of transport, ie car or train would people recommend?

Cheers

Sara %26amp; Paul

Adelaide - Australia

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I would recommend splitting your time by staying in or near Bordeaux to go to wineries, etc... then staying further east to visit the villages around Sarlat. Sarlat is a 2-3 hour drive from Bordeaux and is worth more than a day tip. Keep in mind that many attractions will be closed in February, so check websites for opening times/days. Bergerac or St.Emilion would be better places to base yourselves, in my opinion, than Perigieux.

You need appointments at most wineries for a tasting/tour as well.

If you stay in Bordeaux, the Tourist office has bus trips to select wineries in the area.

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I notice that Australians travel in the winter and I understand why but, frankly, this is the worse time of the year to see France! The weather from January to the end of April is more often than not grey and with lots of rain! even if the sun shine it will be cold. Not to mention of course that most touristy places will be closed or only open for a few hours. That said I agree with previous posters that you should divide your visit in the Southwest in at least 2 sections. Bordeaux itself has a lot to offer, with lots of beautiful 18th century buildings, medieval churches, good museums and great shopping along pedestrian streets. . The area nearby, both just East and South, is famous for the vineyards but also for the Bastides, small medieval towns with streets on a rectangular grid and a central square with sidewalks sheltered under the buildings%26#39; second floor. Then of course there are famous castles. Perigueux is the capital and heart of the Perigord region, also known as Dordogne. This area is famous for prehistoric caves, many with wall paintings. there are lots of medieval towns, including the justly famous Sarlat, more bastides, and LOTS of medieval castles, often high up on a hill. By coming in February you will miss the numerous resorts along the Atlantic Ocean and nearby lakes. Driving from Paris will take at least one day as you must stop in a few great places along the way. If you take the TGV (fast train) it takes about 3 hrs from Paris to Bordeaux. While Perigueux is not too far from Bordeaux the scenic roads have interesting towns, castles etc. every few kilometres.

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Although the weather is not the greatest in February, depending on your personal preferences there can be worse times to visit the Southwest. For example, if you really want to avoid crowds, August can be a month to avoid.

(And don%26#39;t worry that you%26#39;ve just made a bad choice in month and regret not coming several weeks later in March; even April shows little difference. Having spent three years living in Paris I can tell you that the song %26quot;April in Paris%26quot; might as well be called %26quot;February in Paris%26quot;--it%26#39;s the same weather.)

Dividing your time between Bordeaux and the Dordogne is a good strategy, especially at this time of year. However, if I%26#39;d suggest making Bordeaux your base in the summer months, the idea of using Dordogne as your jumping off point in February is a much better idea. Bordeaux%26#39;s vineyards are particularly bleak in the winter, whereas the villages in the Dordogne take on a different type of atmospheric charm.

Since good, rich, tasty, wonderful food is one of the Dordogne%26#39;s major attractions, you%26#39;ll be visiting at the best time of year to take full advantage of this style of cuisine: coming into a good restaurant from the cold and tucking into a hearty helping of chestnut soup, duck or goose confit, furred or feathered game, and all of it flavored or incorporating wild mushrooms, foie gras and truffles.

Obviously, trying to enjoy such fare in the hot summer months is not ideal, but in the winter you%26#39;ll be able to take best advantage of all this.

As for attractions, in Bordeaux all the châteaux you%26#39;d probably want to see are open for visits and you%26#39;ll have an easier time in getting the necessary appointments. I%26#39;d certainly recommend spending a day there, probably in Saint-Emilion, since it is the closest of the great Bordeaux vineyard areas to the Dordogne. (And don%26#39;t overlook the great Dordogne wines from around Bergerac.)

Similarly, in the Dordogne, attractions such as the caves of Lascaux II should be open again after their annual January closing, and they%26#39;ll be much more accessible. You%26#39;ll appreciate this when you see the long line of barriers behind which visitors wait for access to the cave%26#39;s guided visit; you%26#39;ll be able to just walk right in. There%26#39;ll probably be the added plus of having fewer people sharing the underground space with you, which will enhance the visit immensely.

I%26#39;d certainly recommend a car to get around, since although the regional rail system is particularly good around here, there will still be little villages like Rocamadour, Domme, and Beynac-et-Cazenac that are not directly served by the train.

Enjoy your time in the area, and don%26#39;t eat too much.

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Removed on: 7:18 pm, September 18, 2009

Upset against CDG Airport

Monday I had a business meeting in Paris and booked a flight from Nice to Paris and return the same day in the evening. As usual when boing late my flights, I booked Easyjet. My morning was 1 hour later because for its previous flight, the plane we used left CDG one hour late due to %26quot;defrost%26quot; queue. We could imagine they were organized for that but there were not. Everyone in France knew that snow and cold weather were forcasted.

For the evening flight, I knew that Air France and British Airways were cancelling nearly all of their flights, I called Easyjet and got the answer that our flight would be at 10pm instead of 8.55pm. I went to CDG early, used my computer in a café there and at 9pm I went through controls (hand lugagge only). Every 30 minutes we got informed that the plane would be delayed another 15, another 30 minutes...

Around 11pm, we have been informed that our plane had landed and had no parking slot available. This means that te plane, full of passengers, had to taxi on the tarmac for about an hour before CDG could prepare a parking slot. 60 minutes later they found somewhere to park. From there they had no bus available and had to wait another 30 minutes for a bus. We would have thought that the bus who took people from the plane to the terminal could have taken us from the terminal to the plane. NO. We add to wait another 60 minutes simply for a bus.

We landed in Nice at 2.30am, instead of 10.15pm.

Easyjet staff have given us realtime information all the time. Even thought several customers were angry about Easyjet, I must say the girls remained very polite all the time and had a lot of self control. Thanks to Easyjet who maintained the flights. Thanks to staff who did extra hours in bad conditions.

How could we imagine that in 20O9, the 2nd biggest airport in Europe is blocked with 2 inches of snow, cannot find a parking slot at night, cannot find a bus at night, especially on an evening where 50% of outgoing flights have been cancelled.

The Minister of Transportation has declared today that there would have an enquiry about all the problems that happened Monday %26amp; Tuesday at CDG Airport.

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Weather delays are like dominos, the whole system falls not just one airport. You were only 4 hours late - I consider that %26#39;not bad%26#39;. CDG isn%26#39;t fun even when things are working %26#39;normally%26#39;.

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I have no problem with regard to weather problems. I am upset about the terrible organization. Does JFK get blocked for 2 inches of snow ? Moscow ? Toronto ?

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JFK, Moscow, Toronto expect two inches or more of snow: it happens regularly. It is unusual in France.

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You seem very ready to praise Easyjet and to lay all the blame on the airport. In my experience, airlines will always seek to blame the airport, and to appear as the good guys. Sometimes they have good reason, but some of the delays that I%26#39;ve experienced were because the airline had limited their financial commitment to the airport in terms of the number of parking slots they had paid for, or the number of buses that they had reserved.

I don%26#39;t know whether those sorts of things applied to your situation. All I%26#39;m saying is that you shouldn%26#39;t necessarily believe the whole story that the airline gave you.

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I have read this narrative several times yet find no conclusive evidence of failure upon the part of CDG. Aircraft parking and ramp transportation are services provided by the airport but are negotiated by the airline. The delays could just as easily been caused by Easyjet%26#39;s inadequate airport handling agreements or an unwillingness to pay for services outside of those provided during normal operating conditions.

Of course it is possible someone at airport operations is to blame but given the unusual weather conditions, to firmly place responsibility I should need to know a great deal more of what was going on behind the scenes than what is outlined here.

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Paris sees one or two inches of snow every other year or so. They do not have the equipment we have in the States. Traveling during winter months can be stressful, Traveling during school vacation too.

I am convinced airlines do their best to keep clients content, within their budget. Call me naive but I believe that. Air France has always compensated me for inconveniences, strikes (free ticket), missing luggage (payment for what I needed that was stuck in missing suitcase etc), additional miles for delays etc. You have to be nice and ask them (by certified letter with documentation of the problem) and they will try their best to keep you as a customer,

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CDG Airport has bought some winter equipment. It is very possible that they haven%26#39;t got enough equipment for 100% of the flights but for sure they are supposed to provide a minimum level of service, especially for incoming flights. On Monday night, they were several planes arriving from different companies, including Air France, stucked until free parking slot and waiting for buses. The bus company seems to be the same for many companies and I don%26#39;t think Easyjet could be blamed, nor any other Airline.

It is not the first time we experience the same problem at CDG. You would think they would have learned from their previous mistakes but they haven%26#39;t.

No, I%26#39;m sorry to disagree with you but this situation is not acceptable anymore.

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Globetraveller is not the only passenger that has complained about the lack of organisation at CDG on these days. Various forums and the press are full of similar experiences and different airlines, so I don%26#39;t think the airline can be blamed.

It would seem this weather is unusual in Paris, so like the UK two inches of snow brings the country to a halt, not just the airports.

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%26quot; like the UK two inches of snow brings the country to a halt%26quot;

A gross exaggeration for both countries. But then tabloid newspapers and TV news only focus on the %26quot;horror%26quot; stories.

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For those who understand French, here is the report of what happened on Monday : between 2000 and 2500 people were stucked at Roissy because of the snow.

videos.leparisien.fr/video/iLyROoafJsjw.html

I agree that Easyjet was not too bad about coping with the situation. My parents flying Air France to Guadeloupe on Monday morning waited 5 hours...in the plane!

Apartment Feedback Please

Hi, we are considering a change in apartment for our April trip (this is strictly due to elevator problems combined with health matters). The selection has dwindled since I first booked so I need your help. Can anyone offer input about condition/location for 4 adults of VIP 55 %26amp; VIP 191.

Need to decide asap. Thanks!

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#191 on Ile St. Louis looks lovely. The location alone beats #55.

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Tough call, although the 191 has a nicer interior. But it costs $100 more per night, which would make me choose #55, which is in a fine location, though not as quiet as the Ile St. Louis.

You also mention health issues, and neither apartment is very close to a Metro station - both appear to be about 1/3 of a mile from the closest Metro. Note also that 191 is on the second French floor, which means the third floor, with no elevator.

Have you tried calling VIP? We just got back from a trip using them, and found them extremely helpful.

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I agree. They even offer unsolicited (though appreciated) advice on the downside, if there is one, to an apartment. You should definitely ask them if either apartment is better suited to your requirements than the other.

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Which company are you using? have you been satisfied with their units and service?

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Thank you all for your opinions/suggestions. VIP has been very helpful going over the available apts that meet our needs with me; thus we narrowed the choices down to these two. In spite of the economy, there aren%26#39;t too many apts left to choose from. We%26#39;ve gone ahead and taken the 191, which we%26#39;re told is in a very central location. At least we now know that our maximum stair climbing is two floors. VIP did tell us that our original choice SHOULD have the elevator up and running by mid Feb. However, it became a question of chancing another breakdown when there are even less apts available, so we bit the bullet now. BTW, they charged $50.00 for the change since we%26#39;re less than 6 months from travel date.

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Removed on: 9:19 pm, August 11, 2009

Personal Shopper in Paris

Hi,

To celebrate our 10 year anniversary my husband has surprised me with a half day personal shopper/stylist when we visit Paris for the first time in April. How lucky am I??

What I am keen to know is has anybody used a personal shopper/stylist in Paris before, how was the experience, who did you use, would you recommend them and is there anything I should know?

Thanks in advance for your advice..

Radrox (on the count down to Paris)

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Your husband is a prince,, how thoughtful.

Wear good underwear,, no granny undies that day,, all that trying on of lovely outfits!

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Good idea, I am already concerned about what I will wear that day, not that it matters i am sure. My husband suggested something easy to get in and out of given all the clothes to try on, so I suggested overalls ha ha.

Thanks for your help.

Radrox

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Removed on: 9:19 pm, August 11, 2009

Gite - Champagne region

Could anyone recommend a gite, ideally walking distance to a village in the Champagne region for 1 week. We will be arriving by train from Paris and wish to hire a car, what is the best town to arrive in to pick one up?. Many thanks

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You%26#39;ll find a selection of Gites in Champagne on tripadvisor. From Paris you can take the TGV (high speed train) to either TGV Champagne Ardenne, TGV at Reims station or TGV Meuse. If you can get to Reims TGV there are car hire offices just outside the station.It%26#39;s a huge region with a lot to do and see so a car is essential.Have a great stay!

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Thanks for the tip of hire cars out of Reims thats where we will head.

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Hi saffy,

Have a look at the Gites de France website - gites-de-france.com/gites/fr/gites_ruraux. You can search by map or department/town etc and there are plenty to choose from. Having a car will make the world of difference, it%26#39;s a huge region!

halwimsey

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Sorry, wonky link - try www.gites-de-france.com/gites/fr/gites_ruraux and see how you go!

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sorry Saffy wasn%26#39;t concentrating, I meant TGV Champagne Ardenne which is a new station just outside Reims has two car hire offices Europcar and one other (Avis I think). They don%26#39;t speak English but you can pre-order on-line in English on their website. Also you can google champagne gites for more gites in the area.

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Hi Manorinchampagne. Our group (4 adults) will be in the champagne region for 3 days late May. I%26#39;m planning to hire a car from europcar. grateful if you could let me know whether they also have office at the reims tgv station or only at the champagne ardenne station. also grateful if you could let me know the street names that the two stations are on. this will assist me to make the reservation and be certain that we get the details correct when booking. I had hoped that we could collect the car at an office near the reims tgv and leave it at their carpark while visiting the sights before heading off to our accommodation at epernay later in the day. do you think that this is feasible? Thank you for your help. SAMCanberra

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Bonjour, yes, there%26#39;s a Europcar office in Reims too, not far from the the main station. There%26#39;s quite a useful map on the Euopcar.fr website. If you%26#39;re travelling to Reims from Paris you%26#39;ll find that trains arrive in Reims either at the central town station or at the new TGV station Champagne Ardenne about 15 minutes from Reims. There isn%26#39;t a road as such, they built this fabulous brand new station in a field! Whichever Europcar office you need to use you%26#39;ll find it easier to book on-line on their website as the staff generally don%26#39;t speak English if you contact the offices directly.

You%26#39;ll need the car from the moment you arrive really. Reims is H U G E and although there are one or two champagne houses fairly near the station in Reims center, most of them are further away and too far to walk to.

Champagne Ardenne is a really large area with lots to see and do so your car will be invaluable. In Reims you should maybe try to book a tour a %26quot;Veuve%26quot; which is very good and also Pommery just opposite. In Epernay Mercier is a good tour ... a little corporate but a good place to park so that you can walk along the Rue de Champagne and see the fabulous imposing buildings leading down into the centre of town.

I always suggest heading out towards Avize (easy to reach by car) ..... not a big place but there are lots of small producers all Grand Cru who will welcome you to sample a glass or two. Our top tip: some houses charge for a %26quot;tasting%26quot; in which case you%26#39;re not obligated to buy anything (hard not too, they%26#39;re usually really good!) but if they don%26#39;t make a charge it%26#39;s polite to buy a bottle or two. Have a great trip!

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Hi Manor, BIG thankyou for this very helpful information about the practicalities of carhire and suggestions re: tours etc. We are 2 couples celebrating our 20th wedding anniversaries and can%26#39;t wait to get there. Cheers. SAM

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Removed on: 9:18 pm, October 13, 2009