So does anyone know Paris?
 

So my Mom and I are planning our first trip to Europe!
We are looking at a tour for England, Scotland & Ireland, but want to stay 4-5 nights in Paris afterwards.
Everyone says to stay somewhere between the 5th-7th and we have determined that is the area we want to be in!
So we are looking for any advice on hotels, restaurants, etc..
Plus any tips for first time trip to Europe!

I don't have any travel advice to offer other than to take your camera and feel free to drop your little cuties off at my house while you are gone. ;);)

Sounds like a wonderful trip for you and your mother to share. Do you have dates in mind yet?

Thanks, lol!

My Dad is staying with the cuties, he didn't want to go believe it or not! :eek:
Actually we are looking at the end of Sept/October timeframe! So I need to get this arranged.
I got a new camera for my birthday because of this trip!

Men. :rolleyes: Oh well, this way you don't need to worry about leaving your furbutts in good hands, and you and your mom can enjoy girly stuff.

I know, we are talking almost three weeks, so it's going to be soooo difficult to leave them. I'm glad it's with someone we trust and who loves them!
Though we are directionally challenged and he would have been great with that, lol!

Hope you have fun touring Europe I am sure you will love it.
Scotland is particularly beautiful :)

I was in the UK two years ago and I have one bit of advice. I WISH I had taken an international cell phone. It is nearly impossible to make calls from there to the US. I spent a lot of time looking for somewhere to make a call and it was time consuming. Some people had international cells and I will definitely do that when I go to Spain.

Have fun, Ireland is wonderful. :)

TIP: Take a coat England, Scotland and Ireland will be FREEZING that time of year :)

I've been wondering about the phone situation. I'm not sure if there are any options with the iPhone or not! Thanks for the advice!

Freezing really? Everything I've been reading has averages of 50s during the day & 40s at night, but I know weather can change quickly!
I know it's important to layer!

You need a waterproof coat - not water repellant but waterproof!!!

I just bought a coat from Travelsmith, hopefully that will do the trick!

My son just got back from Spain, we talked every single night using Skype, even the international phone get to be expensive ( if you are like me, I call every day to find out how the furkids are doing)

I was thinking Skype would be the way to go. Plus there are so many apps I plan on using while I'm there. Like the Metro direction app, since we are directionally challenged! :)
My brother was just in India for 10 days & I know he kept in contact with his wife using it.
I've heard mixed reviews on the International phone, that's why I was wondering.

In September/October? where did you read that?
I dont think we have ever had that sort of weather here lol :(

sorry are 50's and 40's not cold? I must be cold-blooded, lol, just thinking about 60's gives me the chills :P

Weather sites & that's when my family was there a few years back.
So what kind of temps can we expect?

Well it's cool weather, but not freezing! I guess freezing to me is 10 to 30s! :)

Lol, I know, I'm a total wimp when it comes to chilly/cold weather. I'm a hot weather person all the way!

I have just checked the weather for Scotland today and it is 59°F and its July now.
The north of the country gets pretty damn cold around Autumn/Winter.
I'm not talking snow in September lol! but I would bring a warm coat.

I couldn't agree more with having some kind of calling plan. You can call AT&T and get an international plan or you should get a SIM card that will allow you to make calls.

I went to London and Paris in April. It was freezing. For me, freezing was 55 degrees but it was windy. We stayed in London for 4 days and Paris for 7. The trip was extended due to the volcanic ash (bad timing). Paris is beautiful but ridiculously expensive. We stayed by the Eiffel Tower (i wouldn't recommend staying in that area). I would say the easiest way to get around is their subway system. However, you have to be very careful because pick-pocketing is VERY common there. My mother caught a girl with her hand in her purse on the subway.

We went to the Louvre Museum and took a 1 hour guided tour. It was reasonably priced and they took us to all the major pieces of art, including The Mona Lisa. It was incredible & I highly recommend it. You can't do the museum yourself.

The Notre Dam and Eiffel Tower at night are incredible. Maybe you can do a nighttime cruise along the Siene? Not expensive.

We had a great time strolling down the major streets watching people sip wine and eat breakfast pastries.

Have a wonderful time, but be careful. Wait till you see the McDonalds there!

If you do not eat a GINORMOUS and ridiculous amount of Macarons (Macarons, not macaroons) while in Paris, I don't know if I'll ever be able to post to you again :p. Please try a caramel or espresso flavor, or even just vanilla. Oh-my-goodness....I feel lightheaded.

Stuff Parisians Like: Macarons Ladurée | Parisien Salon

I actually love cold weather, so it's not a big deal for me! Do you think it's really rainy at that time?

Oh no, you got stuck with the ash problem! Wow what timing!
So which district did you stay in? We are leaning towards the 6th (St. Germain)
Did you take the city buses at all? That's been recommended by some over the metro because of steps, my Mom can get around but she doesn't have the best knees & she's had surgery on her feet.
I've been reading about pick pocketing. We plan on wearing the little things under our shirts, not carrying purses really.
I want to see the Louvre, but I'm more interested in the Orsay, did you go there?
We definitely want to do a cruise on the Seine. I think we will be typical tourist & do a hop on/hop off bus tour too. Did you do that?
We are so interested in exploring cafes, little shops. We want to go to Versailles. I know it's expensive in Paris!

My main worry is picking the right hotel right now that is convenient to public transportation & shops. Then I will worry about getting around in general, lol.
We do not speak French, but we are trying to learn a little online. Should be interesting!
Any restaurants or other places that stick out in your mind?
McDonalds, huh? I never thought about that being there!

Those look good! I'm glad you said Macaron vs the other because I didn't know the difference! I see the French use cream in them, that sounds so much better!
You will not have to worry about me eating too little of anything sweet!
Pastries, cheese, bread & wine are tops on my list!! :)
I will eat one for you while I'm there or probably more!

I'll be honest with you. I cried through my entire Paris trip due to the volcano eruption. When the news hit, we realized we were stranded in a foreign country for days. My family had to spend $12k to get home a week after our flight (long story).

Because of this, I didn't really enjoy my stay too much. I am originally from NYC so I can get around quite well. However, with Paris and the entire French language, it was extremely difficult. I still don't understand how the districts work. Thank goodness I went with my parents who have been there several times.

We didn't do the hop on/off bus tour which I totally regret. I remember it being expensive and we had to save everything we could for food/lodging. We didn't do the Orsay because we did the Louvre.

I would suggest seeing the Eiffel tower and then cruise the Siene from there. The boats are right across from the Eiffel tower (literally across the street). I would also suggest maybe a dinner or lunch cruise as I don't think those are much more money than just the regular cruise.

I'm useless when it comes to where to stay. Like I said, I just was lost my entire time there. Buses should be no problem at all.

Do as the Parisians do. Sit at a cafe and eat and drink and just people watch. You'll be shocked how they eat together. Everyone crammed shoulder to shoulder facing towards the street. It was bizarre to me, yet very cool.

When people are not dining at a cafe, they are walking down the street eating sandwiches on baguettes. EVERYONE is.
McDonalds serves gourmet home made pastries.

Oh my gosh, I really feel for you. I don't know what I would do if that happened. Especially in a country when you don't speak the language & is so expensive!
I did the hop on tours when I went to NYC a few years ago & I thought it was such a great way to see stuff for a first timer, plus it saved on the walking which I'm concerned about with my Mom!
We are planning on buying the museum pass too which should save us as well!
We are going to take the breakfast at whatever hotel we stay at & eat casual for our other meals. Just want to soak up the history, people, etc..
We are spending two weeks in England/Scotland & Ireland, but since that is a tour, we don't have to worry about the details!

I think this is the trip of a lifetime for you! Where in England?

You can so easily eat casual. You and mom can split a baguette sandwich for lunch every day. You can just eat pastries all day long too. Believe me, it's filling! What tour group are you going with?

In England, we start in London & it goes to Stratford, York on into Scotland & then over to Ireland & back across into Wales & ends in London again. It mentions the lake district, Manchester, Cardiff.
We are going with Insight vacations. They have smaller groups then some of the others and we have heard wonderful things about them.
Eating pastries all day would be fine with me! I could live on that with some bread & cheese thrown in!

If you like pastries, bread, cheese and wine the Paris was for you. I absolutely LOVED London! You will have such a great time. I rode the London Eye. It was spectacular. What hotel in London are you staying at?