Apologies in advance for this very long post but I need some expert guidance. :@)
I will be taking my children (16 and 13) to Paris in August (16th-20th). This is my 2nd visit (the first being 18 years ago!) but the first for my children. We arrive in CDG at around 15.00 on Sunday and will be staying at the Novotel Gare de Montparnasse.
So far we have narrowed our list of %26#39;must-sees%26#39; down to -Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, St Chapelle, Sacre Coeur, Pere Lachaise Cemetery (son is a rocker so no suprise there - though I also want to see Oscar Wilde%26#39;s grave), the Catacombs, St Sulpice, Quai Branly (I studied the Benin Bronzes recently and can%26#39;t wait to see them!), Angelina%26#39;s for the hot chocolate, Stravinsky fountains and maybe the Pompidou Centre.
The first night we are in Paris is the last night of the Parc de la Villette film festival and we would like to see that film too.
So, my questions are:
Bearing in mind all the places we want to visit, what is the cheapest way to get from the airport to the hotel and get to all the sights we want to see? I had considered a return ticket on the Air France bus and then the buying Paris Visite cards.
Also, is it safe to travel on the metro from Parc de la Villette to Montparnasse late at night? I would expect the film to be at least 90 minutes long so at the earliest we would be travelling back at 10.30pm.
I realise that I badly need to get myself a map and that is next on my list as well as a very good travel guide. Any other advice would be appreciated too.
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%26lt;%26lt;I realise that I badly need to get myself a map%26gt;%26gt; Use Google maps http://maps.google.com
You can put in a default location (eg your hotel), so it will always open there.
Then use the Get Directions panels to plot any journeys you want to take from point A to point B. There%26#39;s a walking option. To plan your route by public transport, have a look at this map: parisbytrain.com/files/2008/10/metro_geo.pdf
In conjunction with the Google map you should be able to figure out how to get anywhere you want.
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I was amazed at how safe I felt travelling on the metro late at night with my kids. You won%26#39;t believe how many people are on it at 11pm! Since you have so little time, I would suggest taking a tour, maybe a Sandeman%26#39;s walking tour. If you can spring for it, the bike tours are really fun, especially the evening ones. My 14 year old son really liked the Musee de l%26#39;Armee, lots of neat weaponry. And the Rodin museum was very approachable for kids. Since you%26#39;ll be right there, don%26#39;t forget to go to the top of the Monparnasse building,day or night, incredible views!
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Go onto LastMinute.com. Or here on this board, %26quot;things to do%26quot;. I am pretty sure there is a music museum out towards Bercy and I have seen, probably on LastMinute that there are concerts at the same place.
Pat
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I travel into Paris without my husband regularly and use all the public transportation options as well as make my way on foot alone, and without problems at all sorts of hours. 22:30 isn%26#39;t particularly late in Paris, since the French dining in restaurants probably will not yet have ordered coffee at that hour. You will find lots of people on the streets and on public transportation, as well.
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Thank you for the reassurances on travelling on the metro at night. I think the open-air cinema will be a perfect introduction to Paris for my children. So we can tick that as a must-do.
I%26#39;m still not sure on the best way to get around though as the sights we want to see are fairly well spread out - although I think I%26#39;m right in saying they are all in Zones 1-2? What is the best metro pass to buy if we need to use the metro frequently?
Thanks in advance.
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I travelled alone with my 12 year old daughter last month and for the most part always felt safe on the metro at night - out til past 11 several evenings. We got a kick out of the accordian players!
Purchasing packs of 10 tickets at a time may be your best bet - 11.80E for 10 - can be purchased through auto-machines. I let my daughter master the machines...it seems to come easier for them! Don%26#39;t worry too much about the metro until you get there...you will figure it out so fast and then wonder why you worried so!
I think our favorite %26#39;not so planned%26#39; excursion was taking the metro to Anvers(moulin rouge) and found our way to Place de Tetre (although a few kind people pointed us in the right direction, you pretty much just keep walking uphill). Then upward to Sacre Couer. You can take the funiculaire back down the hill (one metro ticket each).
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For a hotel at Gare de Montparnasse the Air France bus is the easiest option as it stops there. Just make sure you don%26#39;t get on the one that goes to Etoile by mistake. It%26#39;s €14 one way but only €22 if you buy a return ticket. That makes it a little dearer than the RER or Roissybus at €8.40 each way but saves on energy. Otherwise get the RER to Denfert Rochereau and change to the 4th line to Montparnasse.
We were at Pere Lachaise a few months ago. Being Irish we were looking for Oscar Wilde also but we didn%26#39;t manage to find him. We found a few other interesting graves, by serendipity,Yves Montand %26amp; Simone Signoret in a small simple grave together for example. We hadn%26#39;t taken the map which you really need because it%26#39;s vast and the graves are several deep in parts. We got good advice from the bus driver to get off at the top of the cemetery at Pl Gambetta because it%26#39;s on a steep hill and worked our way down. It%26#39;s amazing to think that a graveyard still in use today has the graves of Abelard and Heloise from the 12th century and Jim Morrison. Look at the web site also.
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Provided you have grouped your attractions for the day into some sort of geographical location then buying a carnet of tickets should do you well. The Paris Visite is a reasonable price if you are going to get on and off the metro many times a day. I thought it was good value for us but when I checked it. we would have done margianally better with a carnet (of 10 cut price tickets)
However, the nice thing about having a Paris Visite is that you do not hesitate to get the metro for even a minor trip, just like having a musee pass lets you pop into a museum to see just one thing without feeling guilty or extravagant (like the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries in the Cluny or even just the Mona Lisa in the Louvre))
Both the Paris Visite and the carnets are good for everywhere inside the peripherique (ring road) and as far as the metro goes which is sometimes just outside, such as La Grande Arch de la Defense or St Denis where the kings of France are buried. Only on the Metro though, not the RER.
By the way, maybe add St Eustache to your list of churches. It is near Pompidou. It is a grand gothic cathedral with a sensational organ and a history connected with the markets of Les Halles and it is possible to attend organ recitals there, and at Notre Dame (see their websites).
While you are around Notre Dame and St Chapelle, which are close, pop to the point of the island behind ND and see the monument to the Deportation, very moving. Then go over to Isle St Louis and have a fun lunch and shopping expedition in Rue St Louis en L%26#39;Isle. Everything from cheese, foie gras, Pylones (witty and colourful gifts) galleries, chocolate, perfume, and of course Bertillion Ice Cream, best eaten right IN the shop, not as takeaway (though I would settle for some takeaway cassis and lemon and chocolate right now).
If you come back in the evening, The Sergeant Recruiter appeals to teens. We loved it too. It was just great fun, rustic rather than haute cuisine.
www.lesergentrecruteur.com
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