On my way to Paris for 4 days, traveling with my dad and might meet up with some friends. Any suggestions on what to see and what to avoid? Interested primarily in sightseeing, places to eat and drink (mostly cheap eats) and shopping (if I can get better deals than in the US). What are some non-touristy spots to check out? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks guys!
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Fun: Pigalle Country Club, Le Bus Palladium, Anything near Rue du Faubourg Saint-Dennis; go to a cafe on a busy street at any time and meet some Parisians
Sightseeing: personal favorite is Sacre-Coeur (at night, no one will be there), but there's a landmark every few blocks
Shopping: May not be cheaper, but there are hard-to-find brands in menswear boutiques with great curated selections. Try Le Marais, many excellent stores there. Personal favorite is boutique (homme)
Montmartre is a must. Beautiful views and a nice place to hang out. Grab a drink at an outside table at one of the bars outside. Also, be aware that you can bring your own wine/picnic stuff for the Champs de Mars. Don't be a sucker and pay $30 to a guy selling a bottle of wine he paid 2 euros for at the liquor store.
EDIT: just read the part about "non-touristy". Nvm, disregard all the above haha.
Sight: Saint-Chapelle. Que length is shocking but the place is spectacular
Drink: Harry's New York Bar. I adore the irony and winking self-consciousness of the whole thing. Drinks are superb and downstairs is very cool with good music. Expensive though (where isn't in Paris?)
Food: Chez George is the classic Parisian brasserie (the one with the orange exterior, there is another one close by). Absolutely have to eat there. My personal fav though is Bistrot Paul Bert. Slightly better food than Chez George in my opinion.
Art: Louvre can get a bit crammed. Musee D'orsay is incredible. For a change of pace the Monet museum is worth a visit. It is a bit further out, a bit less packed and has some beautiful pieces by the man himself. Picasso museum also good.
To be honest though with Paris you could go with absolutely no plans and just walk around stopping at random bars and cafes. That's the beauty of the place...it is the ambience of the whole city rather than a particular restaurant or sight.
Go to the WSO Happy Hour tonight. Starts at 8pm at Corcoran's Grands Boulevards (3 Boulevard Poissonniere, 75002 Paris)
Shoot me a PM if you want to attend and also if you want to have any advice on specific places
In terms of more touristy spots, the Palais Garnier (Opera national de Paris) was completely worth it. If you're looking at the facade there's some cafes to the left where you can sit with a view of the building. And definitely wander through Le Marais for smaller bakeries, cafes, restaurants, boutique clothing; it's close to Notre Dame so you can do both.
Went to Paris in July- these are my suggestions.
I got this bus/subway card from the train station that was valid for a week. I had to get passport sized photos taken ahead of time, but for something like 20-30 euros I had unlimited transport for a week. Forget the name of it right now but maybe PM me if you're into it and I'll do some digging. What this meant was that I took the bus everywhere and it was a great way to see the city. I had no real desire to see the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre but I DID take a public bus that went by those places so I could see them without being hassled. **********EDIT!!! It's called a Navigo Decouverte and it's 22.8 euros! https://parisbytrain.com/paris-train-metro-week-pass-navigo-decouverte/ ******************
I stayed near the Odeon stop which is a really cool hip place to stay (it's the Latin Quarter).
The shopping at Galeries Lafayette is really, really good, but touristy. But really, really good. It makes up for the tourist factor.
Bought tickets to the Opera Bastille and saw an amazing (although very sexual) version of Carmen. The tickets were about 120 euros each for orchestra seating, so what I expected to pay.
Went to Pere Lachais cemetery (at one of the entrances there are ladies who sell maps, otherwise print out the map ahead of time because the maps that the cemetery provides aren't super great)
Watch out at Gare du Nord, lots of pickpockets there. If anyone comes up to you and speaks English, just say you don't speak English or whatever for them to leave you alone. Seriously, all I did was keep saying "Nyet nyet (I speak Russian as well)" and they would leave me alone. Don't make eye contact with anyone at the train station.
Also the cab drivers will rip you off. Better to call your hotel and have them arrange a cab for you to/from the train station rather than waiting in line for the cabs outside the station.
The sparkling lemonade is fantastic there.
I ate at "Il Gelato Del Marchese" like ten times. It is seriously the best gelato ever.
As much of a PITA it was, seeing Notre Dame was amazing. My mom basically cut the line though by charming one of the security guards, but even inside it's crazy.
IF you go to Versailles, the best advice I can give is to buy tickets for a tour. Seriously, just do it. By buying tickets for the tour (which is like an additional 15 euros), you skip the entire line to get in (and it is a REALLY, REALLY long line that is VERY slow moving). With the tour you skip the line, and you get to cut in front of everyone for the exhibits and you get to see stuff that others don't. They have tours in English and in French. The grounds itself is like a whole other day, so I barely saw any of them. There's also a really good lunch spot there that isn't too much.
Every conversation you have with a French person, just say "Bonjour" first. Just do it. They will appreciate it and simultaneously understand that you don't speak French and will speak in some English to you. Best to learn some basic phrases ahead of time as well so that you aren't totally lost.
Just got back from Paris a week ago (was in Europe for Oktoberfest). As far as touristy stuff to do, all the big things are a must: See the Louvre (go right when it opens in the morning to avoid long lines). Eiffel Tower - try and see it at night, it sparkles every hour on the hour and is pretty awesome (I went up to the top during the day, but it was packed and a bit pricey, don't recommend). Go to the Catacombs - cheap and incredible experience. Notre Dame - free to visit and the history and beauty are incredible.
Food - You can get decent food at most of the cafes on any of the streets downtown, but don't expect good service if you only speak English. Try and go to Le Train Bleu if you can afford it, 5 star restaurant in a train station with incredible art/paintings everywhere. Order the Lamb.
Shopping - you will want to go to Champs Elysées, this will most likely be strictly window shopping as everything here is overpriced, but its a very cool area with a ton of shops (very busy/touristy)
Other than that, just try and enjoy the moment, go to a cafe over by the opera house and sit outside and people watch and drink a bottle of wine and eat some escargot etc!
Have fun.
Everyone who commented was a tourist aside from KingHongKong.
I used to work for the CEO of one of France's largest companies, and was in Paris every week for 2 years. Don't go to any of the shitholes mentioned by the tourists. Send KingHongKong a message, go to the happy hour, bring your dad, and go see Paris like a local.
I lived in Paris for a couple of years and only ever went to the Louvre for a cocktail reception ONCE. If you like museums, knock yourself out, but don't go out of your way to do a bunch of stuff you don't like just because you're on holiday. Do the stuff you like--just do it in a different city.
You're welcome in advance.
what is the point of travelling half way across the world to "do the same stuff you like"...
yeah don't do the Louvre or Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame, I mean you are already there, but maybe go to pizza hut instead and drink some budlights at the bar.
I guess we like different things. I wouldn't go to Pizza Hut or drink Bud Light (two words, by the way) anywhere.
Going to Paris in Early June - Budgeting for booz/food (Originally Posted: 04/23/2011)
After graduation I'm going to Paris and hopefully the south of France for as well -- for around 10 days. I found decent airfare ($704 JFK to Paris) and I'm planning on staying in hostels for around $30-40 per night. The bulk of my expenses will probably be going out and food.
I'm going with one of my friends from home who spent a semester abroad there, so he knows the city pretty well. We're meeting up with one of our girl friends who has been living there for a year (also happens to be a complete smoke show), so I'm thinking they'll know the ins and outs of doing Paris on the cheap. In addition, my buddy from home made friends with some Parisians who studied on his campus and when he was abroad. Apparently they're pretty well connected around Paris and can get us into all the right spots. We'll probably be going out on most nights....
I'm thinking $1500 towards booze/food for the whole trip, so around $150 per day. Maybe we could go cheap on some days and splurge on others.
Also, any recommendations on the where to go in the South of France would be appreciated. Nice and St. Tropez come to mind, or maybe even leaving France and going to Monaco. My understanding is all these places make Beverly Hills look like Gary, Indiana, so they may be out my spending range...
Thanks.
Best of luck finding a cheap hostel near St. Tropez!
haha yeah no shit. I remember listening to an NPR story about how the locals are pissed because everyone has helicopters, causing too much noise pollution.
OP do you mind sharing what airline / site you used to find your tix?
American Airlines
Jumbo, thanks for the tips on SoF. All sound and look (I've been googling them) like legit places. I may need to extend my trip 4 or 5 days.
Eddie, thanks for the recommending those spots in Paris. I'll definitely start a few nights at Val Cafe. Hopefully Uncle Eddie's Guide to Paris is out before early June.
What's the best area to stay in Paris? If I was going to NYC I'd want to stay below 14th street (ideally East Village, Soho, Lower East Side or West Village).
Just was in the south of France for a couple weeks, so here's my two cents...
Don't bother with St Tropez. The people I stayed with said the best thing about St Tropez is saying you've been to St Tropez, and that seems about right. If you want a cool seaside town near there, your better off going to Villefranche (between Nice and Monaco) or Antibes (between Cannes and Nice).
The cheapest place to stay in that area is probably Cannes, which is only a 30-40 minute train ride to Nice and about 50-60 minutes to Monaco.
Monaco is definitely worth spending a day, especially for the kind of people who frequent this forum. It really is just status in its purest form. They must white-wash the buildings every single night.
Nice is cool to walk around, and if you are into art, the modern art museum there is excellent. For nightlife though, Cannes seems like the place to be. Still not "cheap", but there are more dive-like places instead of just crazy overpriced nightclubs like you'd find in Monaco.
Further west, Marseille is nothing to see, but Cassis is really cool and there is an island (Porquerolles) off the coast of Toulon that is incredible.
Check out thepointsguy.com . Excellent travel blog for the "frugal" traveler. You can actually sign up for a British Airways VIsa card right now that will give you 50,000 FF miles after first purchase and another 50,000 if you spend 2,500 in first 90 days. That's more than enough to do business class round trip to Europe for free + whatever applicable taxes.
Definitely go to Monaco
I'm actually in the process of putting together Uncle Eddie's Guide to Paris, but here are a couple of joints you need to know about in case I don't get it out before you come here.
Val Café - Best happy hour in Paris. Happy hour lasts until 10 o'clock, and drinks are €1.50 (including pints). You absolutely will not find anywhere cheaper in the city (I know, I made it my mission in life to find the cheapest drinks in Paris).
The Hideout - Happy hour until 9 o'clock with pints for €3.50 most nights, €2.50 on Thursdays. There are a number of Hideouts around town, my favorite is the one at Chatelet. This is a party bar, where the Val Café is more a place to sit around and chat and drink cheap beer. The Hideout will have dancing and a DJ and will most likely be packed with Paris hawt.
Be careful, because most other places around town will suck and you'll be paying €8 for a beer (almost $12 at the current exchange rate). If you're gonna go big one night, I'd recommend the Queen I guess. It's a gay bar (supposedly), but pretty much all the beautiful people in Paris are there on a Saturday night. Not my scene, but to each his own. I see some really hot women staggering out of there on Sunday mornings when I'm up early, so there's that.
If you wanna save money, drink a bottle of wine before you go out.
Second Cassis, it's awesome. Disagree on Marseille, it's dirty and everything you hear, but I enjoy it. You prob wanna drive through places like Antibes, Cannes, St. Tropez, Èze, unless somebody finds you a cheap place to stay.
I'm also hitting up France in June so Eddie I hope you get that guide out soon! Sweet rhyme right
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