Paris Trip Guide

Society Travel & Tourism
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Dear All,

This is a Paris trip guide for people who want to visit the city of lights. Paris gets the highest number of tourists in the world each year and is popular entry point for people from North America who come to visit Europe. This guide will be updated as and when required. You are encouraged to give your input/suggestions to make it better.

Some pictures by me of the city from the top of Eiffel Tower http://www.paklinks.com/gs/travel-and-tourism/640294-paris-city-from-top-of-eiffel-tower.html

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Re: Paris Trip Guide

Entry to Paris

There are two major and one small airport in Paris. Most of the international airlines arrive at Charles De Gaulle (CDG) airport which is situation in the 5th Zone. RER B train connects it to the main city and is easy way to/from city center. RER are regional trains and not the metro. Other options include bus services from city center. I’d advise to take RER B which stops at terminal 2C (follow RER B Paris by Train overhead signs) where you can also find tourist information office, get city maps and buy tickets from machines (using VISA/Master cards) or over the counters by paying in cash. One ticket from CDG to Gare de Lyon will cost you 10 euro/person (ticket prices increase every year). Bus will cost you almost twice this price per person.

**CDG **is a big airport, it has three terminals 1, 2(A, B, C, D, E, F) and 3. RER B stops at terminals 1 and 2C stations. If you are using terminal 3, then get off at terminal 1 station (one stop before CDG 2C) and follow the signs, as it is about 5/6 minutes walk from that station. To get to terminal 1, you will need to take a shuttle train (CDG Val, free of cost) from terminal 1 station.

Second major airport is Orly, which is towards south-west of the city in 4th Zone. It is mostly used by regional (european, north african) airlines. Orly is relatively small but busy airport. The airport is connected to the city center by bus services and a tram (T7). Using tram go to Villejuif-Louis Aragon station where you can take **Metro 7 **to reach anywhere in the city. For one person two t+ tickets will be required (3.6 euro).

Third small airport is Paris Beauvais far away from the city center. It is used by Ryan Air and the only way to reach to/from the airport to the city center is by using bus service. Single person ticket costs (15 euro one way).

Taxis should be avoided in Paris, they overcharge a lot and not fast either. The fastest way to commute to the CDG is by using RER B. Some trains stop at few stations in-between while going to/from the airport, others will stop at all stations and will take time. Inside station platforms you can see overhead the train arrival time and the stations that it will stop from current station until the destination.

Keep your tickets with you all the time, as you might need to use them at the exit. There are also ticket checkers who will fine you 30/50/80 euro or more if you are not able to give them a valid ticket.

For latest information about these airports visit

Homepage

People coming from UK have the option of taking Eurostar train which stops at Gare du Nord. From there it is easy to go to your hotel using the metro.

MegaBus is another option from UK, Amsterdam and Brussels. The bus will pick/drop you behind Hotel Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile (Palais de Congres). The nearest metro station is Porte Maillot (metro 1) to go anywhere in the city.

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Re: Paris Trip Guide

Paris City Layout

The city is divided into zones. All major tourist attractions are in Zone 1 except Versailles Palace and Disney Land which are in 4th and 5th Zone respectively

Below is the Paris metro map covering Zone 1 and 2. The two airports are also marked.

The light color area inside the map is the 1st Zone and this is where most tourists will spend 80% of their time.

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Re: Paris Trip Guide

Travel Options in Paris and the Cost

Inside Zone 1, Metro is the best choice, but it can be crowded. Buses are also an option but I’d prefer Metro. Paris has one of the largest metro systems in the world. Getting around is easy, the stations have maps at the entry/exit points. Some stations have multiple exit/entry points that are marked so if you know which street (Rue) you should be, then look for signs inside metro and take the corresponding exit.

In french Exit is called Sortie, so whenever a pathway has Sortie around it, it means that it’s an Exit.

t+ tickets are used inside Metro and Buses (valid for Zone 1 and 2), Tramways, RER (zone 1 only) and Montmartre funicular .

Single t+ ticket costs 1.8 euro per ticket. You can also buy 10 t+ tickets as carnet (booklet) and will cost you 14.10 Euro (27 % savings). So, it is alway better to buy the 10 tickets and share among yourself. Children under 10 years pay 50% of the ticket price (only valid when you are buying 10 tickets).

The same tickets can be used on buses. Buying ticket on a bus will cost you 2 euro per ticket. Each used ticket remains valid for an hour or so.

It is not possible to make metro → bus, metro → tram, RER → bus and RER → tram connections using the same t+ ticket.

If by any chance, you are coming to Paris for few months, then buying a monthly pass will save you money. Also the same monthly pass can be used to travel in all 5 zones during weekends, public holidays and about 1 month during July and August (7 days during this 1 month).

The prices mentioned here are only valid for 2015. Every year on 1st January new traffics are introduced.

For more information visit ratp.fr - Ticket t+

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Where to Stay

We all have different preferences when it comes to staying in a city. I personally like to have a private room in a hotel than hostel. For others hostels are great way to save money and some prefer staying in furnished apartments with dedicated kitchen especially people with families.

Use booking.com or any other site that you prefer to find the perfect, hotel, hostel or apartment according to your choice and circumstances. I will only list here best areas of Paris where staying (in any type of property) will be enjoyable, relatively safe and fun.

Naturally Zone 1 is the area where you should aim to stay. Zone 1 is divided into 20 arrondissements (neighborhoods). If you see the first map that I posted, the station Chatelet is in the 1st arrondissement. From here the arrondissement change in outward spiral direction. Louvre museum and Pont Neuf are also in the 1st arrondissement. This is the old/original Paris where first settlements were made around year 2 B.C.

Anyhow below are the suggested areas to stay

1 - 3rd and 4th arrondissement (known as Marais)

The best area to stay, lots of places to explore on foot. Shopping heaven and close to other attractions like Notre Dame and Champs Elysee. Lots of places to eat, you’ll be staying in the heart of the city.

2 - 5th and 6th arrondissements (known as Latin Quarter)

Nice areas to stay. 5th may be bit crowded but it has Notre Dame, again not far from the other main attractions. Plenty of eating options, including Halal and in fact a good place to save some money on dining. 6th arrondissement has Jardin de Luxembourg and can be explored on foot but can be bit pricy. There are many art galleries in this area as well.

3 - 4th arrondissement (Ile Saint-Louis)

Its the smaller of the two islands in the Seine river next to Notre Dame. You might want to visit Arab World Institute near it.

4 - 14th arrondissement (known as Alesia)

Bit laid back and near to 6th arrondissement but I like the area. Again it has many good places to explore on foot and is well connected. It is also near to Montparnasse Tower, the lone skyscraper in Paris.

Remember that these are all neighborhoods and there are 100s of staying options in each. Next time when you are looking for a place to stay, check these ones as your prefered areas and decide the best option for you.

People also recommend 18th arrondissement (known as Montmartre) but I personally don’t like that area especially for someone who will stay in the city for few days. It’s bit seedy and also has red light area full of those shops, you can stay near Sacre Coeur but I won’t stay there personally. Although during daytime the area is absolutely fine, full of tourists and should be visited.
**
Other options:**

13th arrondissement (Tolbiac) is nice area, I lived here during my initial year in Paris. The area is literally China-Town and also has very large Vietnamese community. If you can’t find any suitable option in above places then try this one.

Areas to Avoid:

***Near Champs Elysee ***- Although its a must place to visit but staying here is nothing special, full of tourists and very expensive.

Near Eiffel Tower - if you get a room or apartment with the view (it will be very expensive) then it might be okay otherwise it’s better to avoid this area also.

Near Gare du Nord and Chateau d’eau - These areas are full of immigrants, and have sizable Pakistani community (shops, restaurants) as well as other South Asian/African communities. They are good places to buy desi products and eat out but for a tourist they offer very different view of Paris. These areas are crowded, messy, and dirty. The staying options near these areas will be cheap as compared to others, so if you are light on pocket then consider these areas but expect typically immigrant atmosphere.

Overall Paris is well connected by Metro, so no matter where you stay, you are never far away from a metro station.

Booking.com is one option to find a suitable place. I’ve found these two websites that may offer alternative options.

https://www.airbnb.com/s/Paris--France?ref=top-destinations

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Re: Paris Trip Guide

Where to Eat

Since Paris has a large population of people from North Africa (Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria) there are places all over the city that offer Halal food options.

Some restaurants offering Halal food have certificate issued by the local Islamic Council. Similarly shops selling meat also have such certificates. Large grocery stores like Dia, Simply, Carrefour sell Halal products, in a dedicated section, including cooked/uncooked products. Each product has certification on its packaging.

Typical Pakistani and Desi dishes can be found in Gare du Nord and Chateau d’eau area and also in other areas of the city.

Some Indian/Nepalese/Sri Lankan restaurants claim to use halal meat/chicken upon inquiry. The choice is yours to make. Otherwise opt for vegetarian or fish!

**Some of the famous Pakistani restaurants are **

1 - Le New Balal (near Galerie Lafayette), 25 Rue Taitbout 75009 Paris

2 - Le Partage (near to Notre Dame), 17 Rue Frédéric Sauton, 75005 Paris

3 - Old Jawad (near Opera), 1 rue Monsigny 75002 Paris

4 - Au Palais Du Grand Moghol, 9 rue Gérando 75009 Paris

**A list of halal food places all over the Paris **can be found at Halal places in Paris, Île-de-France - zabihah.com: your guide to halal eating

One thing to note that the taste of desi dishes differs dramatically and not like our homeland. Very less spices and masalas hence very toned down taste.

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Re: Paris Trip Guide

What to See

Most obvious reason to visit Paris is to visit all the tourist attractions. Here is a list of places that you should, ideally, see in Paris.

1 - Eiffel Tower
2 - Louvre
3 - Versailles Palace
4 - Notre-Dame
5 - Arc de Triomphe
6 - Montmartre (Sacre Coeur)
7 - Champs Elysees
8 - Opera Garnier
9 - Napoleon Tomb
10 - Sainte Chapelle
11- Catacombs of Paris
12 - Point Neuf
13 - Place de la Concorde
14 - Centre Georges Pompidou
15 - Orsay Museum
16 - Luxembourg Garden and Patheon
17 - Gallery Lafayette
18 - DisneyLand
19 - Maison Victor Hugo

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1 - Eiffel Tower

There are two metro stations near to it, but I'll advise you to go to Trocadero station, it is more scenic (good view of Tower) and enjoyable. Metro 6 and 9 stop at this station. The other is Bir-Hakeim and only Metro 6 stops here.

2 - Louvre Museum

Station Palais Royal Musee du Louvre. Metro 1 and 7 stop here. On Metro 1 there is a station before this one called Louvre Rivoli, but it does NOT lead to Museum so do NOT get off on Louvre Rivoli station. If you are exploring the entire museum then expect to finish around 4pm or 5pm. It's huge but worth it if you are into history.

*BONUS Advise: First Sunday of every month is free entry day to all Parisian museums. *

3 - Versailles Palace

Versailles station name is Versailles-Rive Gauche (pronounced as verh sa-ee ghiv goosh) it is the last station near the palace. Only RER C goes there. There will be many RER C trains and not all go to the Palace. So Watch in the electric board or tv screens on the platform for the final destination of the approaching RER C. It its final destination is Versailles-Rive Gauche then take it.

**You can get RER C from following stations, St-Michel Notre-Dame, Musee d'Orsay and Invalides. **I suggest that you start from your hotel early, take RER C and try to be at the entry gate of Palace before 9am. Otherwise expect long queues.

Versailles-Rive Gauche. is the final station, there will be other tourists as well so follow them to the palace, its around 500meter walk to the palace from this station.

Expect almost a full day there so if you're planning to see it add a day to your itinerary.

4 - Notre Dame

Notre Dame is on the small Island. The nearest stations are Cite and St-Michel on Metro 4 and and St-Michel Notre-Dame on RER B. Its better to use Metro and get off at Cite or St-Michel. You can also walk from Chatelet by walking near the river bank. In fact both sides of river are good places to walk and eat. Its the old Paris area so its good to explore.

5 - Arc de Triomphe

Station Charles de Gaulle Etoile. It's final station of Metro 6, and also Metro 1, Metro 2 and RER A stop at this station. In fact the station is under the Arc itself so there is less walking. If you want to go to the top of the Arc, then it will take time as there are lots of people in the queue. Just for seeing it from ground level I think its not more than 30mins.

Pakistani embassy is also at a walking distance from here, address is 18 Rue Lord Byron, 75008, Paris

*6 - Montmartre (Sacre Coeur) *

Station Anvers on Metro 2. Once you come out of metro look for crowded street going slightly uphill. You will see old stuff being sold and shops with clothes, souvenirs and crowded street, go straight through it and you will see the white Montmartre building. There is garden in between. Its best to visit this place during daytime, afternoon and evening. I would not go there late night. The famous moulin rouge and pigalle are nearby, if you are ready to walk then explore the area during day time.

7 - Champs Elysees

Champs Elysees is a huge boulevard between two Metro stations. Charles de Gaulle Etoile and Concorde. I would advise to spend one morning exploring Notre-Dame or Montmartre and then in late afternoon come at Arc de Triomphe and then walk on the Champs Elysees until Concorde and its adjoining garden. That garden goes straight to the Louvre Museum.

Alternatively spend your day at Louvre Museum until late afternoon and then walk (if you can) through the garden to Concorde and then on Champs Elysees, eat something on the way and then arrive at Arc de Triomphe and spend some time there.

*Bonus Advise: Ladies, the SEPHORA shop on Champs Elysees remains open 24 hours a day. There are also shops of famous brands. *

*8 - Opera Garnier *

Station Opera on Metro 3, 7 and 8. The station is just in front of the Opera building.

9 - Napoleon's tomb

There are many stations near by but the best way is to take turn from Champs Elysees towards Invalides and then continue towards the Saint Louis de Invalides building. Its a large building in the end and area is very nice to walk and take pictures. The best Metro station to get the experience is Champs Elysees Clemenceau, Metro 1 and 13 stop at this station. Come out and find the river, there will be two Museum buildings on either side of Winston Churchill Avenue called Grand Palais and Petite Palais, after these buildings there will be a bridge cross it and go straight.

**10 - Sainte Chapelle

**Its on the same island as Notre-Dame.

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**11 - Catacombs of Paris
**
Its a museum of all dead people and their bones. One day French realized that they are short of land for the graveyard. So they stacked all the bones here to create space for more. At a time only 200 people can go inside, the rest have to wait, you will need to buy ticket there. If you want to go inside then try to reach there early and not after 2pm. They do not allow people after 4pm.
Station is Denfert Rochereau, RER B and Metro 1 and 4 stop at this station.

**12 - Point Neuf **
It’s a centuries old bridge and it is near the Island of Notre-Dame and Sainte Chapelle. In fact there are many bridges and some of them at overloaded with locks

**13 - **Place de la Concorde

Its at the end of Champs Elysees near Louvre. So you can cover this on your trip of Champs Elysees. There is a big Egyption tower (landmark) at this place. Nearest station is Concorde and is served by Metro 1, 8 and 12.

14 - Centre Georges Pompidou

It is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais. A fun area to explore overall with lots of activities. **Nearest stations Chatelet, Les Halles, and Rambuteau

15 - Orsay museum**

It is located in opposite side of Louvre Museum across the river. Cross the bridge and walk for 3/4 mins and you will see its huge building. Nearest station is RER C Musée d’Orsay (no metro stops here). People interested in going to Versailles Palace should take RER C from this station.

16 - Luxembourg Garden and the Pantheon

As mentioned before Luxembourg Garden is located in 6th arrondissement, it’s a nice family oriented garden to spend sometime.
The Pantheon is a building in the Latin Quarter. It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve, but after many changes now combines liturgical functions with its role as a famous burial place. Nearest stations are** Luxembourg (only RER B), Odeon **(metro 4 &10) and Cardinal Lemoine metro 10.

17 - Gallery Lafayette

Gallery Lafayette is a super expensive store for shopping and all brands of fashion, clothes, watches, perfumes. The building is old one and nice to see, infact its spread out over many buildings. Must go to the top (there are 7 floors, if I remember correctly), they have a nice chandelier in the middle. Sometimes they even hold fashion shows there for top brands.
Mens section is separate and has good collection also. Overall it’s in the same league as Harrods UK and KaDeWe in Berlin. Nearest stations are Auber (RER A only) and Chaussée d’Antin - La Fayette (metro 7 and 9).

BONUS Advise: In France we have two official sales for 6 weeks every year, one in winter (7 January to 17 February in 2015) and one in summer (24 June to 4 August in 2015). These dates may change slightly every year. The sale begins with 20% to 30% discounts on most items (including big brands) and increases to 40% to 70% or even 80% towards the last couple of weeks. But generally towards the end, not many items are left and you’ll only find ugly colors or misfits. The sales are on all shops irrespective of size or type. The “touristy sales” on other times are not good value.

18 - DisneyLand

Some of you may want to go, especially with kids. Expect a full day there as there are so many things to do. The tickets are expensive but it may be your only chance to see it. Nearest station is Marne-la-Vallée - Chessy, only RER A goes there (it’s last stop). Other information at Site officiel de Disneyland Paris | Disneyland Paris

19 - Maison de Victor Hugo
It is the house where Victor Hugo lived for 16 years from 1832–1848 and now open as museum. It’s located near Bastille and can be easily reached on foot. Also from there, you can explore surroundings and come towards Chatelet. Nearest station Bastille (metro 1, 5, 8)

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**Miscellaneous Information
**
1 - Most metro station have more than one entry/exit points so it is better to choose the correct exit point for your direction. Otherwise you may end up 2 or 3 blocks away from your destination. Inside the metro walkways there will be boards and route maps of the metro/RER and also the direction of exit points.

2 - The first thing you should do is to get metro map from the ticket booth of any Metro station. They are free. Also ask for Paris Tourism Map which is also free.

3 - Do not expect ticket booth officers, and other officials to speak English. If you need help/information, its better to approach younger generation, even if they can’t speak English properly they are more likely to help you.

4 - Keep all travel tickets, entry tickets of museum, palace etc. with you all the time. In Versailles palace you will need to show your ticket in each building you go in so keep it safe.

5 - Metro/RER tickets can be checked anytime, so keep your pass or ticket with you all the time and do not throw it, otherwise prepare for fine of up to 150 euro.

6 - There are places to eat everywhere, esp in old part of the city, Notre-Dame and Champs Elysees. KFC are rare (there is one in heart of Chatelet), Subway is more common also NO burger king. In Versailles and Disneyland there are places to eat.

7 - The cost of lunch depends on your preference, a single course main dish costs 10 to 15 euro (a typical shawarma with fries will cost you about 6 euro). with starter and coffee it can be up to 18 euro. Soft drinks are expensive at these places so if you want, get few cans of coke or other drink from any departmental store like Carrefour, DIA, Monoprix and Simply.

A full course dinner will cost between 20 to 40 euro (per person) depending on the location. It will include starter, main course, sweet/ice cream OR coffee.

8 - During lunch time (12pm onwards) restaurants have sitting arrangements outside their doors and there will be some menu of the day that you can choose. Many restaurants have english menu cards so ask for it.

9 - When you meet someone say ‘Bonjour’ during daytime. like going into a shop, restaurant etc. In the evening bonjour is replaced by 'Bon Soir’ (bon so-aa). The equivalent of ‘Good Bye’ here is ‘Au revoir’ (ogh-voi), Thank you is ‘Merci’ and Thank you very much is ‘*Merci *Beaucoup’.

10 - Tap water is just fine for drinking, so in restaurant as for normal/tap water. Bottled water is unnecessary and expensive.

11 - Overall French people are not rude or arrogant, they just keep to themselves.

12 - If you miss your items/bags in the metro/train or on the platform, forget that they can be recovered. Unless they are found by some kind soul chances are you’ll never get them back. So take care of the valuables.

These days do not leave your bags unattended anywhere (especially in metro stations, airport, Eiffel Tower and other tourist places).

13 - If by any chance you want to spend some time in France, then from Paris you can visit other French cities very cheaply. Visit www.ouigo.com that offers 10 euro one way tickets for weekday travel to other cities to/from Paris. Obviously you will need to book tickets well before your travel.

14 - Try to get online tickets of Versailles Palace, Louvre and Eiffel Tower before your travel, it may save you some entry time. Without ticket expect up to an hour stay in queue in Versailles and Louvre (obviously depending on crowd) and around 40 minutes in queue for Eiffel Tower.

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Awesome info!

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Due to high pollution in Paris, Metro/bus/RER travel is made free for 23rd March (I see it conspiracy to celebrate Pakistan Day :stuck_out_tongue:) except for the airports.

So if you are coming to Paris in near future, do check whether free travel option is available especially during weekends.

Check on ratp.fr - Accueil

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This week was good in terms of weather. Temperature reaching 20 but today its again cold :frowning:

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Love this thread!!!! We're thinking about London-Paris-Brussels for our 2016 vacation so this thread helps a lot! If we're wanting to do the Eurostar between all 3 cities, how many days would you recommend for Paris? (Not interested in Disney, but definitely Versailles)

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1 day for versailles + evening for Eiffel tower

1 day for Louvre + Orsay museums

2 days for other places

that makes it 4 days stay.

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yes I really love Paris:)

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beautiful pic ekumunng!

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We went to Disneyland Paris… Must go there, was fantastic… Magical and a must see if you go Paris… :blush:

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So what about the Visa process of France.

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Wow, so much info in here. I’m looking forward to a moment when I’ll finally be able to get to Paris to see the first Disneyland and to get to the very top of the Eiffel tower! All these pics and commentary are just great.