Hello all. I%26#39;ve been browsing these forums for a few days in anticipation of my March 2006 trip to Paris. I will most likely be a gal (turning 34, while visiting) travelling alone and am a bit apprehensive about going so far by myself and without speaking the language. I%26#39;ve dreamt of this trip since I was young and am both excited and overwhelmed with the fact that it is actually happenning. I have no idea, even after skimming numerous sites, where would be the safest, most central area of the city in which to stay. I will be in Paris for only 9 days and would like to not be rushed or try to cram too much into one trip. I%26#39;m hoping all of you can recommend some of the safer areas/hotels as well as a few %26quot;must-see%26quot; sites. If possible, grouping them together so that I can plan my days. I would also be grateful for any information on antique shops/markets that may be open during this time of year. Will dining alone be much of a problem? Also, will travelling alone affect my choice of hotel room? I%26#39;d rather not be given the smallest or less attractive room in the house, just due to the fact that I am a single. I am seeking a room with a nice view and decent bath. I believe 3+ stars would be adequate from what I%26#39;ve read. Thanks in advance for all your help. I%26#39;ve really enjoyed reading all of the reviews on this board. I can%26#39;t wait to finally experience Paris for myself!
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To thatgirldina:
I travel to Paris by myself for 30 to 45 days at a time. It is pretty safe. Make sure you are aware of what is going on around you. Read up on tourist scams.
I do not take the Metro after 9:00 pm. I take the bus (that is just my comfort zone). Read some of the previous threads regarding safety issues.
Most of the young adult people speak English. that is why I like the Latin Quartier (5Er) the student area. Learn some French phrases so you can comunicate what you need or want.
There are a few areas that I do not feel comfortable staying
(Montmarte and Les Halles) in the evening. I feel comfortable in the 5 Er, 6 Er and the 13 Er (near Place de Italie). Other posters can tell you of their experiences and where they feel safe traveling alone.
I usually will walk in the evening near (if I find myself on a lonely street) a tourist couple (They are easy to spot.).
One morning when I went to visit the graves in Pere-Lachaise, a guy came up and kissed me and I ran like %26quot;....%26quot; . I made sure from then on that I was never far from other tourists in isolated areas and streets.
Another time I was returning from the movie about 9:00 pm and a drunk guy approached me at a crowded bus stop. I just told him to leave me alone (in French). He was harmless but smelly!
Only once in all my many trips was I mugged coming on the RER line at 2:00 pm from CDG, since then I take the Bluvan.fr to and from the CDG. They speak English and they only make two other stops. They charge 22 Euros for one person. There are other vans and cheap methods of travel into Paris but I feel comfortable this way.
I try to blend in. I do not pull out street maps or guides on the corners of streets.
I usually get a double at my hotel. They just do not charge me for the second breakfast or the second person tax. There are single rooms but like you said they are pretty small. Maybe 3 star hotels would have a bigger single room.
Each hotel will be different so you could e-mail and ask for the features you want and the cost. You may want to make sure that they have a lift so if you are on the 5 th or 6 th floor you do not have to walk up the stairs and hallways by yourself.
The markets and Antique shops are open all year round.
I dine alone and only once have been told that they would not honor my reservation. I usually eat about 7:00 or 7:30 pm. I like to get back to my hotel room between 9:30 or 10:00 pm.
You will have a wonderful time. A dream come true!
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Look at this 3 star hotel in the 6 Er:
http://www.fleurie-hotel-paris.com/
Even if it is not what you want click on the %26quot;sightseeing%26quot; button. It has much information about sights to see and also tipping info, walks, etc.
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In general, European cities are much safer than American ones. In Paris, common sense should be enough to keep you safe, you can walk at night in pretty much all neighborhoods, and 100 % of the tourist/central ones.
You have plenty of time to plan ahead, so I recommend you buy yourself one or two guide books with attached maps, read them quietly, let the info sink in, draft tentative loose day programmes, and then throw them to the board where we will be delighted to critique them and give you advice. My personal favorite Paris guide book is Time Out Paris, but other people on this board have other suggestions (you can try a search on that issue). A Streetwise map will be very practical when you are actually there and their simple, straightforward approach to mapping soothes the syndrome known as first visitor angst - fear to be overwhelmed by the wealth of attractions on offer here. North American visitors don%26#39;t realise how compact the city is, you shall not be drowned in a huge metropolis a la LA, London or Moscow. It%26#39;s more Manhattan like, to give you a geographical scale (NYers on the board, would you agree?)
There have been several threads specifically aimed at female solo travelers in Paris, so I suggest you do a search on this topic, and a wealth of info will spring up.
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Try the Hotel Britannique, http://www.hotel-britannique.com/ it is a really nice 3 stars located near notre dame de Paris and the chatelelet area. it is a really nice and confortable hotel. It has a great decoration.There is a good restaurant in front of the hotel called Zimmer Cafe.
I hope it will be helpfull.
Enjoy Paris
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My next trip will be alone and I will probably stay in the 7th again. I felt perfectly safe all hours of the day and night -- it was so convenient to the RER train station (for trips to Versailles and Giverny among other places), to two metro stations (Bir Haikem and Ecole Militaire), and to a huge bus stop. I could walk to the Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, and Rue Cler Market, I walked to Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees.
I stayed in a delightful little apartment that would be just right for one (thru ParisPerfect). Enjoy!
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Hello -
Everyone has given great advice. I may not be qualified to add anything but I can certainly agree.
Even though I haven%26#39;t been to Paris alone (went with my hubby for 8 days last month), I%26#39;d hop on a plane and go in a minute all by myself. There are definite advantages to being %26quot;solo%26quot;...you don%26#39;t have to please anyone but yourself. Don%26#39;t have to worry about your traveling companion becoming bored or restless. If you want to spend all day in the Louvre, or wherever, you can. If you want to do nothing but department stores one day, you can. The sky%26#39;s the limit!
We were in the Latin Quarter and I wouldn%26#39;t hesitate to stay there alone. There are always so many people around that neither of us ever felt unsafe (however, I wouldn%26#39;t go wandering around backstreets late at night or ride the metro then either.....no use courting trouble). As someone else said, learn how to say %26quot;Leave me alone%26quot; in French and say it with meaning!
Besides continuing to haunt Trip Advisor, of course, I think the first order of business is to get yourself a good guidebook or two (or three!) and become familiar with the city%26#39;s layout and decide on the things you want to see and do. There are SO many good ones. Those I found especially helpful were:
DK Eyewitness Paris
Paris 2005 (Rick Steves)
Paris for Dummies
Memorable Walks in Paris
(Frommer)
See It-Paris (Fodor)
Learn some basic French words and phrases. Even though people around the tourist areas usually know some English, it%26#39;s nice to address them in French first. Sometimes you really NEED to use French, especially in the case of cabdrivers.
Most of the guidebooks have a words and phrases section in the back. There are also quite a few excellent on-line sites where you can pronounce words after the speaker. I had French for two years in college but had forgotten virtually everything. These were a godsend for me! I don%26#39;t have the list right in front of me, but one I recall is Fodor%26#39;s Living Language. I also bought a couple of books to take with me: DK Eyewitness French Phrase Book (very small and portable) and Rick Steves%26#39; French Phrase Book %26amp; Dictionary.
They both include restaurants and have a menu decoder.
When I first started learning about Paris in preparation for our trip, I thought we%26#39;d probably stay in the 1st. It wasn%26#39;t long before I knew I just HAD to be near the Seine and especially Notre Dame. I%26#39;m attracted to the historic and medieval...you can%26#39;t get much more historic than that! Absolutely loved the area around our hotel and knew I%26#39;d made the right decision. Hubby liked it too. We were just a block south of the Seine, AND Notre Dame. Everything we needed was nearby, including metro and RER stations, plus lots of activity and places to eat.
Hotel we selected was the HENRI IV RIVE GAUCHE on Rue St. Jacques. It%26#39;s a 3-star and just perfect for us. Our room facing the street had a %26quot;close-up and personal%26quot; view of St. Severin church directly across the street. We were on the second floor, but the top floors also include a view of the Eiffel. They also have inside rooms facing a %26quot;courtyard%26quot;, but we weren%26#39;t interested in those. Also nice and safe, with someone stationed at the desk 24 hours a day. (www.hotel-henri4.com) Also check out the Trip Advisor hotel reviews.
You%26#39;re in for a memorable time, one you%26#39;ll look back on for years to come. With 9 days, you should be able to cover most of what you want to see. Just leave a few things for your NEXT trip!
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I love this thread. I too am a 34 year old woman traveling to Paris for the first time this spring. I am staying in Rue Cler and very much looking forward to this trip. I plan on taking several of the walking tours. I am interested in taking the nightime cruise on the Seine. Will this be awkward as a solo traveler?
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Anna, Paris is a bustling metropolis and, as in London or New York, being solo is never %26quot;awkward%26quot; : yes, female travelers can sit at a café, have dinner in a restaurant, go to the movies, the opera, the museum, all by themselves, nothing %26quot;awkward%26quot; about that. Just two pieces of statistical information: every other apartment in Paris is occupied by only one person - be he/she divorced, widowed, a student, or just a plain single person. Two out of three marriages among university graduates end up in divorce (1 out of 2 in the general Paris population).
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%26quot;Discover%26quot;, thanks for that link to the Hotel Fleurie website; you%26#39;re right, it has some great advice for first-timers!
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%26quot;Discover%26quot;, thanks for that link to the Hotel Fleurie website; you%26#39;re right, it has some great advice for first-timers!
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