Well my husband and I ventured to France (my first time, his second) Sept. 6 - 14th and I finally feel recouped enough to describe our trip findings here on the board in which I found so much useful info. Warning - this may be long but contains lots of insight from a first-timers point of view. After the weariness of travel and sore feet has wore off and all I have is pictures and memories...
We arrived at CDG at about 11am and I had maps printed on how to get to our hotel via RER but of course the ticket machine doesn%26#39;t accept our Credit card (no micro chip) and the line for tickets is literally 60 people deep and hardly moving. So we decide to not waste an hour in line and opt for the taxi. Ends up to be 65 euros to get to our hotel so already I feel like I%26#39;ve been kicked in thestomach with that cost. We nap for a few hours and shower and decide to head out walking at about 6pm. Via the map our hotel looked quite within walking distance to Notre Dame (we were directly north by Gare d%26#39;l Est)
but of course it ends up to be MUCH further than anticipated. Notre Dame was overwhelmingly beautiful - I was in awe so much more than I thought I%26#39;d be. (I had several classes of History of Art and Architecture in college). Unfortuantly it was too late to go inside or up top so we promised to return.
We ate icecream at a vendor and walked south. Just deciding to wander and look at the amazing buildings and fountains. My surprise I guess was the amount of traffic, people, and noise, NOISE, NOISE! I always heard of Paris being romantic but to me it was too Big City to be romantic in those areas along the Seine. I guess this shouldn%26#39;t have surprised me but it just wasn%26#39;t what I expected. Anyway we enjoyed the area but then walked too far south east and ended up in a more residential spot and had to walk awhile to get back to the main areas. Ate a later dinner at a cute outdoor cafe and then headed to see the Eiffel Tower as dusk settled in.
We took the train and by the time we got there it was dark and the tower was illuminated. (NOTE: ALWAYS keep your train ticket to get out of the stations! I had been warned to this at Versailles but did not realize you need to everytime riding the train. )I expected not to be too impressed but boy was I wrong. I was just in awe of the structure. It was so much more beautiful and exciting than I had imagined. We went up to the first level and it was quiet and romantic up there and there were lots of people laying in the park below. There were hardly any crowds for waiting which was nice. This was definately my favorite thing in Paris. We headed back to the hotel from there via subway.
Next day we did the Louve (coffee and crousants for breakfast of course) and I won%26#39;t go into details but lets just say it was sepctacular. I was really impressed with the building itself which was partially done by the same architect as Versailles. The crowds weren%26#39;t bad. After 5 hours or so we walked the gardens and fountains out towards the oblisk. We tried walking to the arch but our feet hurt so badly we stopped in the park along the way to lay in the grass and rest.
We took the train back to Notre Dame so we could see the inside and of course it%26#39;s just as amazing as everyone has described. I just kept being amazed at every turn on this trip. In the plaza in front of Notre dame there was a place called Crypts to go down in which I thought would be tombs - it wasn%26#39;t. It was smelly ruins of sewers and buildings and IMO very unimpressive. Total bust and not worth the money.
We walked somewhere and stumbled into this neat park (have no idea the name) with some gardens and sculpture. Rested there and since we were both beat we took the train back to the hotel to nap. On the way found crepe vendor and had my first Nutella Banana crepe to which I am now addicted too. We ended up napping to long and decided to just eat dinner near the hotel instead of hopping the train to somewhere. We found an Indian or Pakistanian restaurant that was surprisingly really good (i%26#39;m not big on that type of food). Slept hard.
We were suppose to go to Versailles the next day but apparently jet lag caught up and we slept till noon. So we decided to do Versailles the next day. We had to exchange some francs so we headed to the bank which was easy enough and then after eating at an outdoor cafe across from hotel de louve - we went to Luxemburg gardens via train. The gardens were beautiful and everyone was lounging in the grass. It was very relaxing and worth the trip. We could see the Pantheon from the gardens and decided towalk to it. This was our surprise find of the week. It was much more amazing than I thought it%26#39;d be (how many times have I said that?) and I highly recommend it. Not only is it a beautiful structure inside and out but you can go in the basement to the tombs of famous people in france both military and otherwise. We saw victor hugo%26#39;s tomb in fact.
We walked north and ended up in a really fun area (i think the latin quarter) and both enjoyed the shops and restaurants. We found ourselves up by notre dame again and decided to climb to the top. After three days of walking this climb is not for the faint of heart but well worth it. I wanted to see the gargoyles and the view is spectacular. We had some wine and dinner in this area and just enjoyed the sights. We didn%26#39;t do night life really just because we were so beat from all the walking.
We got up on time the next morning to eat breakfast at the hotel (which was delicious) and headed to Versailles. Unfortunatly it started sprinkling when we got there. My first note is that it%26#39;s very chaotic when you get there because no one knows which line to get in. It just says letters like %26quot;B%26quot; and %26quot;A%26quot; and there is no indication which is for tickets and which is for those with tickets already. I don%26#39;t read french but I do know what billettes mean and many people were confused. We had tried to by the passport at gare d%26#39;nord but because it was a saturday (and I swore I wouldn%26#39;t visit Versailles on a weekend) most of the ticket lines were closed and the one open had ridiculously long line.
After entering and getting our headset we were hearded from room to room with the masses of crowds. The tour guides were the worst because they were loud, stopped right in doorways and you couldn%26#39;t see a thing. I was very disapointed. It was litetally smashed with people and then herded room to room. I thought i was going to be sick or run over. I didn%26#39;t get to see it as well as I would have liked. We headed out to the gardens but by this time it was raining in force and we had only our small umbrella for the both of us. We tried to make the best of it and walk the gardens but we were so drenched and cold that within a half an hour of the garden walk we just decided to leave. This was a very disapointing experience with Versailles because I had wanted to see it since I had studied it in college. We had back to hotel to shower and change and have our usual afternoon nap. Got up and since we%26#39;d seen everything on our list we headed back to the Notre dame area since that was our favorite. We walked towards the busy shops and restaurants in the latin quarter (i think) and ate at the first restaurant we saw which was a mistake because it was a bad experience. The food was subpar and the atmosphere not that great. The place was packed and everyone else seem to be ordering cheese fondu which although Im sure was delicious, smelled like stinky feet. We just laughed it off and continued to walk around the area and had nutella crepe from a vendor. We enjoyed our last night in paris despite the bad last meal.
Next day took the TGV to Nice and won%26#39;t bore you with details but arrived at our hotel near sunset and after freshing up headed to the beach. Perfect view and ate dinner right on the beach at sunset which was my favorite memory of the whole trip. Explored Nice the next day including walking up the chateau and had a lovely day. Weather was perfect.
Next day took the train to Monoco. Monoco was a unique city in that it%26#39;s built into a cliff face! I%26#39;ve never seen anything like it. We explored the casino area (very cool) went down to the beach and that kind of thing. Took a very bumpy ride back to Nice and enjoyed a nice dinner at about 5pm and then packed at the hotel. Took the overnight train back to Paris, the RER to CDG, and plane ride home.
NOTES and STATEMENTS:
Although I enjoyed Paris because I had longed to see the sights, I prolly won%26#39;t return because I think I prefer the Riveria to the busy streets of Paris.
The fold out Paris pocket book and map we had was invaluable. It also had a compass which helped tremoundously when exiting a subway. Highly recommend.
Everyone was nice and helpful. I don%26#39;t speak french but I said %26quot;merci%26quot; and %26quot;siv-u-play%26quot;(don%26#39;t know how to spell it) and parlay vou englous? (again dont know how to spell) and so everything went smoothly.
Found it difficult but fun to try to order off menus. Never knew what i was really going to get but enjoyed most of it.
Spent WAY too much time in the subway system and just traveling from place to place. Absolutley exhausting! Didn%26#39;t feel like I%26#39;m on vacation when I%26#39;m in the subway but I guess that%26#39;s the way it is.
We had problems with certain ATM%26#39;s not taking our visa debit/atm card. Be sure to have lots of euros on you.
Take time to enjoy the details at each site you go to. And try not to think about your exhausted achy blistered feet. That pain will fade, the memories won%26#39;t.
Keep your train ticket everytime for when you exit a subway!
I%26#39;m addicted to Nutella banana crepes and no coffee here taste good to me right now. I ordered some espresso pods from italy in hopes to get something decent.
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Amastacias;
nicely written.... it is a pitty you made such a long train journey to Nice to stay only two nights.... hope you could spend more time there on a following visit.
I agree with you on the metro (subway)... on my most recent visits to Paris, I tend to use it less and less preferring to be at street level.
Did you really find Paris that Noisy ? ... I believe the nearest large city to where you live would be Chicago... probably same crowds and noise level.
%26lt;%26lt;We had to exchange some francs%26gt;%26gt; .... :)
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Wow! Great story! I will be a first timer in Paris next summer...I appreciate all your helpful advice. We will be staying in the St. Germaine area....did you find this area noisy? It is next to the Latin Quarter (to the west I think). Thanks!
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Thanks so much, I so enjoyed reading about your trip! I will be travelling to Paris for the first time next fall (have a year to plan). I am learning so much from this forum and everyone%26#39;s observations! Again, thanks for taking the time to write!
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You%26#39;re welcome for the info! I found so much good advice on this site before I left that I want to help others.
I liked the St. Germain / Latin Quarter area. Not sure how to tell them apart but I would def. stay here because I found it to be more laid back.
As far as noise - I actually lived in downtown chicago for three years (attended art college on Michigan avenue) so yes the noise and traffic was about the same. And riding the subways felt the same... I guess I just didn%26#39;t expect it. And you are more on street level with narrower sidewalks in Paris if that makes sense.
One other thing - I was prepared for the smallness of the hotel from reading stuff on here but I was not prepared for the lack of insulation! The wet walls were back to back and people taking a shower sounded like they were in our room. The maids in the hall felt like they were next to my bed. The phone rang and we thought it was ours and it wasn%26#39;t. It was quite funny and something else we weren%26#39;t prepared for.
I do wish we would have stayed in Nice longer - I think our next trip will be a mediterranean cruise - at least I hope :)
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Nice report!
Next time take the Bluvan.fr shuttle to/and from the airport.
One can also get a smart credit card from American Express. It is a no fee card called the Blue Card.
One must keep the Metro ticket until one leaves the ride area or you can get a huge fine by the Metro police.
There is a great book called %26quot;The Pocket Guide to French Food and Wine%26quot;.
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Amastacias, Would you mind telling us what hotel you stayed at?
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Yeah - sorry about that - forgot to mention it was Villa Saint Martin. Trip reviews here are wonderful on the hotel. It was great. Lovely lobby, great free breakfast, and clean nice rooms. Just wish the location was closer to the main areas.
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Did you know you can buy Nutella at lots of US grocery stores? It%26#39;s with the peanut butter. Walmart Superstores, Publix and Kroger have it. Also, sometimes you can find pre-cooked crepes (Walmart). They are in the produce section and are refrigerated. Just put it all together and nuke it!%26#39;
If you decide to go back to Paris, try staying in the Rue Cler area, or at a hotel near the Ecole Militaire metro stop. It%26#39;s a cute residential-like neighborhood, with not too much traffic and lots of trees and flowers and sidewalk cafes, etc. A lot different than the areas near the Seine, plus it%26#39;s within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower.
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Amastacias....Enjoyed your
trip immensely and thank you
for sharing. Cruise vs.
land trip...go for the latter! A cruise allows only a day at most in large cities, whereas if you rent
a car, get a home base and
do side trips you can be
captain of your own ship (Geeze, that%26#39;s corny..sorry!) Driving in
France is easy and you get
the true feel of the country. If you found Paris
noisy, I don%26#39;t recommend
you hurry to Rome!
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I have just come from Paris and have already booked tickets for my next trip!!!
I went to Paris with scepsis, I thought it is big, noisy, smelly etc city. But I was absolutely wrong! I felt in love with Paris. I found it like most romantic city in the world. Really! The most beatiful!
Just delight it, and don%26#39;t worry in case you feel that you are not able to visit all the places. When you find something what you like, just enjoy being there!
Because you will come back again and again.
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