Should I go to Paris?

[gossipmonger]

having lived there for a few years, i personally feel paris is a place you visit in the company of others. its such a bustling and fun city, that at times you need to experience shared emotions of visiting diff places with someone. if you've never been there before, it's a place with so many sights that'll leave you with jaw ache. if you do travel alone, i cant imagine how it will be like for you to queue ALONE at Musee D'Orsay or Musee Du Louvre?! then again, once you do get in, being all alone at these wonderful museums is such bliss!

if you are not adventurous or dont act like a local asian living in paris, a visit to the Marche aux Puces at Porte de Clignancourt on a weekend can be damn intimidating..... the train ride on the Metro line 4 gives you a feel of what to expect...

not trying to discourage you, but i have seen many many tourists in my time there....but i do get the feeling that you enjoy paris more when you're with company....

if you do travel alone, there are some places where the 'alone factor' wont be felt too much....
1. the Marais area (4th ARR. metro station St Paul) Jewish and gay enclave of old Paris. Good and cheap food, hip shops and great atmosphere.
2. Latin quarter plus Bld. St Michel and St Germain. After this walk on the banks of the Seine and you can visit the two islets on the river for really quaint old architecture.
3. Latin quarter (part 2) - the Rue Mouffetard and Jussieu areas....check out the Institut du Monde Arab.
4. For some peace and greenery, I'd head to the Cite Universitaire area in the 14th district (take RER B, stop at Cite Universitaire). Sprawling grounds with beautiful old and new buildings that house uni students all of nationalities. Great place for bird watching....

I could go on and on, so the decision is yours to make... if you need any help, just Pm me. cheers.

 

[CY_OH]

Congrats on winning the air ticket.

Went to Paris in March 2000. I had won a pair of tickets to Vienna and my family of 4 went to several countries in Europe. In total, we spent $13k for 14 days, including $2k+ on train tickets and $1k+ on warm clothing. Spent 4 days in Paris but would prefer an extra day. I would prefer to go in September-October, as July and August are the hottest and busiest months while from November to March, Europe can be quite cold and trees barren. Some attractions also close during these months.

If travelling alone, there is some train service from Charles de Gaulle airport to city. Taxi is quite expensive and could only allow 3 passengers, costing S$76 then for a distance of 25km and probably much more now, including charges for each bag.

If you stay long enough, Metro tickets can be bought in 10 called Carnet. Heard of horror stories of pickpockets and robbery in Metro at night. Books advise to avoid interchanges at night, as transfering trains require walking along long narrow passages. There is also a Museum Visite Pass or similar for 1, 2 or 3 days which allows free admission to places like Louvre and Chateau de Versailles, also might be able to bypass long queues. My family entered the Lourvre from an obscure side entrance instead of from the glass pyramid

You may consider visiting Disneyland Paris. Was surprised to find that the High Season ticket price for 1 day has risen by more than 60% from 2000 to 2006, from S$52 to S$86. You can also visit London is several hours away by rail. One of my regrets of my trip was not going to London.

There are 2 places in Paris related to Princess Diana. One is the tunnel which the accident took place, which should be near Pont de l'Alma. Another is the Ritz Hotel, which my family just looked from the outside.

It would be better to learn basic French as not many people speak English well. Knowing the names of items you're going to buy, asking prices and directions would be good.

 

[blive]

Well, take the adventure. I was there 6 years ago on my honeymoon backpacking trip with my wife. I felt it was very safe, and it's quite easy to get around. Lots of things to see too.

Like any other place you travel to, alone or in a group, just don't be flashy and attract unneccessary attention.

 

[tang90246]

You will like Paris, spend a week here, it should be enough time for u.
I am now stay in La Defense, a service apartment, charging 70euro/day, at least 3 days stay. It is very close to the city, to Champs Elysees ( Orchard in Paris) only 10 minutes by train.

If u need any information, can PM me, i can even get a map for u. But I only will going back after 11 August...

From CDG Airport to Paris city a bit far.. by train (RER) about 30minutes and cost u less than 10 euro, not advise to take cab.. damn expensive, and if u don't know the ways, they will take longer route to get u there...

take a look of my blog, there are lot of photos i took recently ...

 

[longkangman]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences about Paris. Keep it coming.

What about language? Is that really a big problem?

Never first speak English, start with something else until they notice cannot communicate than speak english. I still have some book plus map for Paris if you need I can pass it to you.

 

[scud]

when u intend to go? :think:

 

[Klose]

Well, here's my ideal travel plan. Fly to paris. Transfer to Orly. Take a budget flight to london. :thumbsup:

 

[dahaoren]

yo bro.

been to paris once and so happened that i'm working in Paris now. hahaha... for security, i believe the standard practices apply throughout the whole europe. maybe some places need to be exta careful lah. Advice is to travel as light as possible. carry the necessary documents and don't show off how much cash u have openly lah.

ex? LV is not ex here ah!!! hahaha.... u will notice that the boutique always flooded with ppl. better don't tell ur gf that there is LV shops in paris. hahaha... food wise, u still have Mac ard the corner. hotel wise, u still have backpackers motel. i think there is one very near Eiffel Tower. If not, can consider finding one hotel slightly outside Paris city. Metro and RER are very convenient but take note of the zones that u are travelling. per trip within Paris city (IIRC, Zone 1 & 2) costs u abt EURO 1.40 per trip and yes u can buy the carnet (set of 10 tics). http://www.ratp.fr/. will be slightly cheaper.

if possible, try to plan a trip when it coinicides with the first sunday of the month cos most sightseeing places will be FOC e.g. the Musee du Lourve and the Musse d Orsay. Eiffel still have to pay. :cry: just do ur homework lah!!

Remember to take some night shots of the Eiffel Tower. very the beautiful!

Just do ur homework abit and take the necessary precautions, Paris is still a nice place to travel alone. for my last trip, i do it alone!!!

Regards

 

[dahaoren]

Well, here's my ideal travel plan. Fly to paris. Transfer to Orly. Take a budget flight to london. :thumbsup:

and travelling in London will be cheaper??? :bigeyes:

 

[gnail]

clicknick,

watcha waiting for??!! GO!!

I was alone in Paris in early June this year because I extended a working trip. Was there for a full 3 days.

All I can say is that the experience was fantastique!

The city is very easy to get around, and if u follow the Champs Elysees stretch, u will hit all the major tourist sites. Paris is divided into Left Bank and Right Bank, and you can easily cross over to each side via the ponts (bridges).

U can also take the Metro. If I remember correctly, its EURO 1.40 for a single trip ticket to ANY STOP in Paris City as long as you make the trip in one hour. So you can use the ticket for as many stops as u want in an hour i believe. Correct me if i'm wrong.

Its true there were times where I wished my gf was with me, like when i was at the Eiffel Tower. But being alone just gives u so much more freedom to wander around and stop as and when u like. U can wait at a spot for as long as u want to take a picture without having someone hovering around you.

Remember to head down to the Notre Dame at dusk. When the sun sets, it illuminates a huge tinted glass window and lights up the interior in an eerie orangy red as if the walls are bleeding.

Language shouldn't be a prob. Just master a few basic French phrases. The locals are more receptive towards you when u try to speak their lang. Many of them understand English.

GO GO GO!

 

[jdredd]

u dont need much french to get by.

just learn how to say please, and thank you to waiters. good morning, good night.
ask for the menu, and the bill also in french. thats about it...


they seem quite happy if you at least make the effort to do that, they hate all the english people who refuse to even try and try and speak english.

 

[dahaoren]

u dont need much french to get by.

just learn how to say please, and thank you to waiters. good morning, good night.
ask for the menu, and the bill also in french. thats about it...


they seem quite happy if you at least make the effort to do that, they hate all the english people who refuse to even try and try and speak english.

Though the french is famous for being proud of their culture and language, overall they are still ok ppl. Like what jdredd say, try to squeeze some french words e.g. "merci" aka thank you. they do appreciate ur effort. paris is still quite tourist friendly lah. If u get the chance to go out of Paris to other french towns, communication may then have some problem. if not, use sign language lah. don't know how to read menu, sometimes the waiter will make the sound of the animals to make u understand what u are ordering. hahaha.... this is my personal experience and the whole restaurant laughs till drop. :bsmilie:

 

[SniperD]

this thread is a very interesting read. DO keep those travel tips coming. M going in Sept for 10days

 

[clicknick]

Wow, a number of CSers in Paris now, or going to Paris soon, I think can organise CS Paris outing liao.:bsmilie:

Thanks everyone for all the tips and your kind offers for providing maps and information :thumbsup: Will contact you.

Lets do a simple poll

a) I am in Paris now
1. dahaoren

b) I will be going to Paris in the next 3 months (Aug- Oct 06)
1. Fiip
2. SniperD
3. tang90246
4. d******t