traveling with my wife and i for the first time to paris. we are from new york. Have never seen paris. We are just going for a few days without the kids.
here is what is important:
shops, cafe%26#39;s, food, bars, some main touristy stuff. cool neighborhood maybe. we don%26#39;t have to be in the %26quot;times square%26quot; of Paris or the %26quot;union square%26quot; of SF. But that would be fine too.
thanks for any tips. pardon my ignorance of this city. but i really know nothing of it.
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I suggest you stay in St. Germain des Pres (6th district). It has all that you describe.
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Stay in any of the arrondissements immediately adjacent to the Seine river between the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame...That way you will be most centrally situated to see the main sites...The 6th is good..also the 1st, 7th, 8th,4th, and 5th...
Get a guidebook somewhere and check out the descriptions of the various neighborhoods so you get a feel for which one would appeal to you the most...
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paris1204 is right on for my money and taste.
Stayed there in September after staying
elsewhere the previous 4 Septembers.
Good restaurants, shopping, sights.
Can walk to the Seine and across to the
Right Bank. Evening entertainment too.
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The 1st arrondisement will put you right by the Seine and near the Louvre. This is pretty central. You can cross the Pont Neuf and other bridges leading to the left bank, Notre Dame, and other sights very easily from here. Try using the metro--it%26#39;s easy. The Chatelet station is in the 1st and connects easily to other stations. You should definitely visit both left and right bank neighborhoods from here, e.g.Monmartre, the Latin Quarter, the Marais. Get a basic guide book like Frommer%26#39;s--they publish a small one just on Paris. Tour the city with companies like Cityramam and Paris Visions located on the Rue de Rivoli in the 1st.Arron. A romantic yet central location is the Ile St. Louis. This island is attached to the Ile de la Cite by a bridge. (Notre Dame Cathedral is on Ile de la Cite.) Ile St. Louis has several small lovely hotels and this island has narrow winding streets which are like the streets of old Paris. It%26#39;s beautiful and you can cross to the left or right bank from here. Frommer%26#39;s book lists these hotels. Since you%26#39;ll be in Paris only a few days, you won%26#39;t have time to see much of the Louvre. If you love art be sure to go to the Musee d%26#39;Orsay on the left bank opposite the Louvre. Bon Voyage!
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I have to ask, are you uptown or downtown? The left bank is more downtown vibe, the Marais, Bastille, Republique) Also the 5th is preety funky. Gay neiborhoods, small boutiques, small restaurants. The Champs elysees area and the 6th and 16th is to me like the upper east side. Expensive shops and restaurants and assorted high and lo end e tourist traps (much like Times Square) . the 4th is very central, you can go anywhere from there.
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{The left bank is more downtown vibe, the Marais, Bastille, Republique) Also the 5th is preety funky. Gay neiborhoods, small boutiques, small restaurants.}
I%26#39;m not from Paris, and maybe a native French person could chime in here, but that last post seems all wrong. Marais and Bastille are on the Right Bank, not the Left. And while Marais is known for having gay neighborhoods (and quite charming by the way), I don%26#39;t think the 5th is. Not that it matters anyway... The 5th is very touristy but also charming, home to the Sorbonne, with lots of cafes, shops, restaurants and bars within walking distance. And if you like jazz, everyone raves about le Caveau de la Huchette, which is nearby. The 5th and the 6th are both centrally located, great places to stay and to enjoy Paris by day and night.
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O.K Sorry, I am a bit dislexic and got my banks confused. And I know the Marais is the gay area (I lived there for 2 years), I just meant to differentiate the 3rd 4th 11th, and 5th from the 6th, 8th, and 16th. I lived in Paris for 4 years (10 years ago) and I literally lived in almost every arrondisement except for the 18th. Every arrondissement has a different feel and I guess it does not do the neighboorhoods justice to lump them all together, but knowing that valtandc are from NY where I go very often and have lived downtown I just wanted to give them a frame of reference to compare.
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Petiza,
Thanks for your help. to answer your question. i am more downtown in nyc and into the smaller neighborhoods like chelsea, irving place, the village, and less of 5th avenue.
but the upper east side in nyc suits me just fine.
i love the smaller inn or hotels over the bigger giant chain hotels.
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Then you should definetely look into staying in the Marais. Very central, you can walk to so many places and it is in the middle so it has all the major metro and RER lines running through it (Chatelet, Hotel de Ville, St Paul) Also many buses. I think I will be staying there as well, Was feeling conflicted because there are many very nice small hotels in the 6th which is also very central and charming but the 3rd and 4th are so unique.
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try lyon it far enough away from the parisians!
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