December Trip

My husband and I are planning a 6 day 20th anniversary trip at the beginning of December. Other than the Louvre, Seine cruise and a couple other museums, we would really like to walk around, visit cafes, have 1 or 2 nice dinners, drink wine.....

I%26#39;ve been reading the hotel reviews, and am getting really confused about where to stay. I was first thinking around the Louvre area, but now I don%26#39;t know. Seeing we%26#39;ve never gone away this long without our kids, we thought we%26#39;d like to stay somewhere nice (but not quite Ritz nice) Neither of us has been to Europe, and we speak limited French.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, I know Christmas pretty much starts after Halloween here, will there be Christmas type activities going on the first week in Decmeber?

Thanks!!

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If you will email me, I%26#39;ll be glad to send you my notes. They may help you narrow down what do to. The weather will be cold! It%26#39;s actually been compared to Boston, so you%26#39;ll pretty much know what to expect. My email address is vickisfloyd@hotmail.com

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We were in Paris during the first week of December, 2005. The weather, while cold, wasn%26#39;t unbearable. I highly recommend gloves, hat, scarf, warm coat (mine was waterproof with a zip out liner), %26quot;SmartWool%26quot; socks (available at sporting good chains)and 2 comfortable pairs of walking shoes. I always take Merrell%26#39;s(the slip on kind). My newest pair is lined in a fleecy material that made my feet (along with my SmartWool socks) incredibly toasty. Now...on to what you REALLY wanted to know! Sorry about that! Anyway, Paris is beginning to be decorated at that time. The Champs is all lit up and at all the corners between the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde, there were pretty %26quot;Christmas Tree forests%26quot; in place. The main department store windows were fabulous. Don%26#39;t miss them! Our hotel began decorating as we were leaving on December 6th. We were told that there%26#39;s no real set time when the decorating is done, but I think had we been there one week later we would have had much more to see. We had a great deal of difficulty finding any Christmas music concerts. There was a huge event called %26quot;Noelisme Paris%26quot; while we were there and we had planned to go, but instead went to Strasbourg (via train) for the day and visited %26quot;Christmas heaven%26quot;! The city is absolutely drop dead beautifully decorated for the season. There were many outdoor Christmas markets where all sorts of wonderful treasures were for sale...food, drink, souvenirs, decorations, etc. It was a real highlight of our trip. The train takes 4 hours, but it%26#39;s definitely worth it. We would do it again in a heartbeat. You will love being there at that time of year as the excitement is just beginning and then when you come home, you still have Christmas itself to look forward to! Enjoy!

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Forgot to mention our little hotel that we love. The Hotel de Lutece at 65 Rue St Louis en L%26#39;ile. It%26#39;s in the 4th, on the Ile St Louis...which is the island in the middle of the Seine just behind Ile de la Cite where Notre Dame is. This is a wonderful, quieter, neighborhood place that is very well located for walking to both the Left and Right Banks. The hotel is charming...small, attractive rooms, great bathrooms and very friendly staff. There are numerous delicious restaurants on the island as well as boutique shopping, a grocery store and all other pastry, cheese, butcher shops (etc.) that you expect in a Parisian neighborhood. We have stayed here for around 9 or 10 years and continue to love it. Their website is: www.paris-hotel-lutece.com. Bon chance!

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Me too! We will be there around Christmas, except we%26#39;re joining my aunt for Christmas in Berne, Suisse. Weather is not an issue, but daylight is very short. Bad for my photography, but good opportunity to shop! This time I%26#39;m hoping to actually skate at Hotel de Ville, go on the Carousel, and shop for a Luis Vuitton. Judging by the price, maybe I can only afford a wallet! Traveling to Berne and riding the TGV will the the first time for my boyfriend, Mark. Funny, I can%26#39;t wait for Christmas, and spring is not even here yet.