I'm taking Mama Coastie off for a trip to Paris at the end of July for a few days with my mate and her Nephew (poor lad).

Very excited as haven't been there before...although I don't really like the French they do have some cool things to see in the capital and we figured we could do all those we wish to see in a few days.

We're travelling by Eurostar and staying in an informal hotel (hmmm) for three nights...bargin at £120 pp me thinks! :applause:

If anyone has any particular ideas of what we should do let me know!

Upgrade on Eurostar for 15 quid if you can... food and drink included

Do go up into/onto the Arc de Triumphe as it's a great view
Do do a boat trip
Do do (If you can afford it) the Lido one evening. (It'll give the lad an eye-opener if nothing else)

Get a 2 day Metro ticket because then you'll know that your travel is sorted and you won't mind hopping on and off. Much more pleasant experience than our Underground. It will also mean you have more chance of seeing as much as possible.

Don't get in the Ouest queue for the Eiffel Tower, unless you want to walk up. :sad:

Go round the cemetary at Montmartre. Fabulous. This is also near Sacre Coeur and Moulin Rouge.

Leave time for the Louvre - we didn't because we had the kids and only really saw the Mona Lisa (which is not particularly impressive, but you gotta do it).

Yes, as Slip says try and do a Bateau Mouche trip down the Seine. Should be nice at this time of year.

Champs Elysees is very underwhelming, but the Arc de Triomphe is at the top end, so it's a means to an end.

Wear flat shoes (leave your fluffy mules at home, Coaster).

Excellent! Thanks guys...

Pats...I only own flat shoes...even my serious party shoes are flat so no worries there!

Slip...I didn't even know you could go up the Arc...:blush:

Oh and Pats please stop with all this French stuff...Ouest...West?

I am practicing the few French phrases I remember fro school but it's not going well...I can only remember the swear words! :bag:

Here's a few:-

l'Addition (laddissyon) s'il vous plait. - Can I have the bill please.

Deux bierres pression s'il vous plait- 2 draft lagers please

Nous sommes tres facile - we are happy to be here

Here's a few:-

l'Addition (laddissyon) s'il vous plait. - Can I have the bill please.

Deux bierres pression s'il vous plait- 2 draft lagers please

Nous sommes tres facile - we are happy to be here

Hmmm but do I trust you enough to use these phrases Pats?

I fear I may end up married to a Guinea Pig and living in a Fiat Punto! :huh:

I'm hurt. Would I lie to you?

:naughty:

Trust her Coastie they are all what Patsy says they are.

I would suggest The Eiffel Tower at night, much smaller queue and the lights over Paris are great.

The sculptures in the Louvre are spectacular according to Mr M, I didn't see them as I wasted loads of time waiting to see Mona Lisa which is truly disappointing. I seem to remember entrance to Louvre is cheaper on a Sunday.

I loved Paris (been there twice). My recommends are the Lourve and the Eiffel tower - especially the surrounding area of the Eiffel tower which I thought was quite lovely. I walked to the second level in high heeled mules(god I was such a tart when I was younger!!) - which wasn't too bad going up but coming down I "clonked" and "clanked" my way down them steps for England!!

My boyfriend at the time got propositioned by a prostitute in the underground ... so tell your friend's nephew to take a lot of spare change!!

Pats are you mad... the metro is a nightmare, hot and smelly.

You do need to use it for some places but Oph and I always just walk everywhere.

You must do Sacre Coeur but do go round to the left and there is a little door, pay a couple of euros and go up to the top and walk around the turrets & domes. the view is superb


Please do go to the top of the Arc. It's a really good view point in the centre of town and the image of the 12 roads creating a star can be seen really well hence the 'circus' is called Place de l'Etoile . When I was there last there was also a museum/photo galley showing scenes from the wars commemorating the unknown soldier. While up there there is an interesting juxtoposition with the Arc d'T at the end of one road and Le Arch at Le Defence at the other end.

You can get a Paris museum pass which saves on constant dipping into the pockets.

This is all excellent stuff peeps...thank-you! :)

Dol...he's only just 16! My mate would be devastated if he started running off with the women of the night while he was supposed to be on a cultrural holiday with her! :surrender:

Have to say that Mona Lisa doesn't ring my bell...soz but over exposure via TV/Film/Mags etc has kinda made it a none event so I shall spend the time more wisely in the ways you people have suggested.

Pats are you mad... the metro is a nightmare, hot and smelly.

I have to disagree. When we were there at Easter we were pleasantly surprised.

Maybe things were different in your day. :wink2:

If you fancy something different you can tour the sewers, there's something about it on this page

http://www.footprintguides.com/Paris/Les-Invalides-and-the-Tour-Eiffel.php

OK the RER is good and if only we could accomodate these on our tunnel system, but the Metro is noisey, hot and full of smelly poor Parisiens. No thanks I'd rather walk. My day was last autumn so :P

Coastie, In Paris if he's 16 he's been with ALL the women of the night, day, hour, half hour.... C'mon, as a bloke who was 16 once (pi55 of Patsy) I KNOW what he's after in Paris and the Louvre ain't it. Pigalle will be what he wants but don't go there after dusk which is when it becomes interesting. (it's on the route to the Moulin Rouge btw)

Found this on Virtualtourist.com


As a young naive eighteen year old I was wandering down from Montmarte through the Pigalle area around sunset. It came as something of a shock to the confronted in a narrow alley (notice I didn't say small back passage) by a six-foot-four bearded tranvestite in a sequined pink dress. Although utterly harmless you might not be quite so lucky in this area of town after nightfall and off the main strip (odd how this area is called the main strip eh ?)

I didn't realise you were so tall, Slip.

Seriously, Coaster, you must visit Pigalle, but as the tall bearded one says, maybe do it during the day. The most risquee thing we showed the boys was the pictures of the dancers in the foyer of the Moulin Rouge, which declothe as you walk past them. Tame to us, I know, but they thought it was a hoot.

There's a supermarket there too, a Contintental I think, where you can get yourself some lunch far cheaper than eating in the cafes, etc.

Oh, and there are a plethora of pharmacists, so you'll be fine when your farmers start playing up.

If you fancy something different you can tour the sewers, there's something about it on this page

http://www.footprintguides.com/Paris/Les-Invalides-and-the-Tour-Eiffel.php


quote from your quoted article, SF: the narrower parts of the circuit can get surprisingly clogged up at weekends, ... especially after the chicken vindaloo!!!! :laugh: :pooh: :pooh:

Well...we're not getting to far with our itinerary thus far but this is it as it stands:

Arrive at hotel, have a glass of wine, go out looking for naked hunks, more wine, get Mama Coastie out of the fountain, save the boy from the prostitutes at the Moulin Rouge.

Day 2 visit the Pont Alexandre III (THE bridge), re-enact James Bond by jumping off onto boat, wine, search for naked hunks, afternoon, scale the Eiffel tower, get dizzy, need wine.

Day 3, search for the boy who we lost after too much wine, find him, have wine to celebrate, lunch in Le Grand Colbert (THE restarant),spend afternoon looking for naked hunks, don't find any, drink wine to drown our sorrows.

Day 4, realise we havn't seen anything and run around The Louvre, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Momatre, Arc de Triomphe and just as we are boarding train we see group of naked hunks arriving!!DOH:ohmy:

beautiful stunning city, went there for my honeymoon 6 years ago and fell in love with it, Chose the week-end of the Prix De L'arc de Triumphe horse race and it was a very special day. Evening meal on the Bateuax Mouche along the River Senne ensured a lifetime (I thought) of devotion from my good lady.
Went back 3 years ago, hated it , ripped off left right and up the ass - dont know if was the euro or what but completely fell out with Paris all over again.
Still go to France every year, but to Normandy / Brittany and enjoy the wine cheese and countryside more.

ye guys are lucky with the Eurostar - me 'n Urk try to go to paris once a year but have to fly/boat it.

Never been there in the height of summer - usually spring or autumn - but do try and go to lunch in Luxemburg gardens [we stay in a ickle hotel beside the sorbonne there - Hótel Trois Colleges - cheeeep and cheerful] There's a little glass cafe in the middle of the gardens run by a very tempermental husband and wife, so some theatre is usually guaranteed with your omelette and wine!!

Very interesting and cheap restaurants around the student / latin quarters - we had a very strange Mongolian meal where it was best if you didn't know what you were eating - and some great Jazz clubs for later on.

Ye will have a blast!:bye:

ps Like a lot of the other attractions visiting Notre Dame at night is a good idea. We caught a beautiful night service with full choir a couple of years back - much better than sheeping around with coachloads of rubberneckers during the day.

I picked up a phrase book and top ten Paris guide from the charity shop the other day - 99p each...so I have been flicking through them.:blink:

The only problem I have with going is the fact that the French accent makes my skin crawl...and not in a good way...always has...hence I have never been to Paris (although sailed around the North Coast of France) before and never wanted to learn the lingo. I figure I should be able to survive a couple of days though!:bored:

Got back from Paris on Friday and guess what...
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.
.
.
.
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My feet still hurt!

My goodness...how many steps did we climb:surrender:

What a wee adventure though...Mama Coastie and I are grateful for all the top tips provided by yopu lovely people. We did go up the Eiffel Tower at night via the lift...we did go up the Arc de Triumph by day and the Sacre Coer. We did a boat trip and explored the Louvre...we did lots of walking and general exploring and had a wonderful time. I even managed to drag up some of my French lessons from the past and got by rather well if I do say so myself...Mama Coastie, bless her, kept asking for things in French and received replies in English every time...they kinda twigged from her dodgey accent she was English...t-he! :laugh:

We did all we would ever want to do in Paris - including getting our portrait done up near the Sacre Coure (how do you spell that again) so are now deciding where to go on our next mini adventure...could be Berlin!:mellow:

I`m glad it all went well and you did everything you wanted to do. Just reading that makes me want to go back now.

I`m glad it all went well and you did everything you wanted to do. Just reading that makes me want to go back now.

Remember to take a pair of sensible shoes or better yet hire a hunk to carry you around!

Berlin is fab, Coastie!

I shall be back here asking for your top Berlin tips once the final decision has been made! ;)

bonjour! re-visitign this thread cos ... well I';m [****ed .. and my son wants to visit next year ... I'm determined to give him this experience!