Paris sights/ spring trip
guavabean
Spring girls trip to Paris
3 May 2009
based on 4 votes
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Explore locations featured in this Traveler List:
Paris, Versailles
- Category: Recent trip
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Traveler type: Culture, Sightseeing, Active/Outdoors, Never been before, Repeat visitors
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Appeals to: Couples/romantics, Honeymooners, Singles, Seniors, Students, Budget travellers , Tourists
- Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
- Tags: Paris, Versailles, France
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Ave price:
$204
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Great location, great service, clean rooms, safe. Few blocks from metro station. They even made transportation arrangements for us. |
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| Great pricing/service for shuttle from CDG to Paris |
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| We took the metro everywhere. It was convenient to our hotel. We got the Passe Navigo Découverte with Carte Orange which is good from Monday-Sunday. So if this timeframe works for you it's the best option. It's about 21 euro incl cost of card for 1 week in zones 1&2. Much less expensive than Paris Visite pass & not too much info is available on the Carte Orange in english on the ratp website. Take a passport size photo (photocopy of passport photo will work too) or use machines in train station to take a picture. I found it costs 50% less than Paris Visite for us. |
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| Covers most sites, including Versailles. Worth it depending which sites you'd like to see. |
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| It's a must! I missed out on my first trip to Paris & made sure it was top of the list this time. You can easily take the RER from Paris to Versailles which is in zone 4. Chateau is beautiful, but our favorite parts were the Petit Trianon & Hamlet (Marie-Antoinette's estate). It's lots of walking though so be prepared with good shoes & almost a whole day to spend. The Museum pass covered access to all sites. |
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6. Pauine Frommer's Paris
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| Great resource! |
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7. Rick Steves' Paris
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| Great suggestions/info and help with restaurants. |
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| Beautiful views from the top. Stairs are involved, but worth it. I preferred this view over one from Eiffel Tower. We went at dusk, so got to see Paris views by night as well. |
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9. Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel)
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| An experience, not the best views and crowded, but all & all OK. You can bring a picnic for the grass in front of the tower like the locals seem to. |
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10. Sacred Heart Basilica of Montmartre (Sacre-Coeur)
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| Climb the tower for cool views & less crowds. |
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11. Montmarte, Paris
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| Cool neighborhood, be careful near touristy parts (cheap souvenirs here), but once you wonder away, it's awesome. Try out some restaurants off from the norm. We found a great Peruvian restaurant near Lamark. We wandered around Caulaincourt back down towards Pigalle & saw Moulin Rouge & an old cemetery too. You can find or tag along on a walking tour here or follow guidebooks version. |
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12. Arnaud Larher Choclatier/Macaroons
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| We happened upon this gem while walking along Caulaincourt in Montmarte. They have excellent chocolates & the best macaroons. Hidden treat was the homemade marshmallows. Try them all & take plenty home, we ate most of ours before our plane departed! |
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13. Palais Garnier - Opera National de Paris
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| Not on museum pass, but so worth the 8 euros. The building is amazing & the theater has the most beautiful chagall painting on the ceiling. |
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| Amazing! It's a smaller museum that has Monet's water lillies displayed uniquely! A must see & it won't take too long either. |
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| Where comfy shoes for this must see. A guidebook helps also to find what else is important besides the top 3 (Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa & Winged Victory). My favorite is Cupid & Psyche. Ooh also Napoleon's Apartments was an interesting part. |
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16. Notre Dame Cathedral (Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris)
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| Very interesting sight. Souvenirs & gypsies all around so beware! We missed the tower, but would try that next time. |
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| Ceiling is pretty cool to check out. |
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| Very pretty church. A must see. |
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| Foucault's Pendulum best part! |
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20. Latin Quarter (Quartier Latin)
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| Interesting shops & lots going on. |
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| Market on Sunday makes it one of the few places to shop. |
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22. The Catacombs (Les Catacombes)
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| So it wasn't what I expected and to be honest it really creeped us out. The bones are not arranged as an entire body, there are many leg & other bones arranged in huge organized piles with skulls mixed in almost a decorative fashion. We were the last 2 let in that day after a 1/2 hour wait. Make sure to show up at least 1.5 hours before they close to insure access. Not on museum pass. |
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23. Shopping
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| Don't leave your shopping til the end of your trip. We had planned to shop on Sunday, which is the day most stores are closed. Just a heads up! Some are also closed on Mondays as well as some museums too. |
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24. Safety
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| Although we (2 girls) never felt unsafe, even at night. We did see pickpockets on our first metro ride & also around tourist areas after that. I noticed the men to have "man bags" that they seemed to slip things into awfully fast. Be conscientious & secure your valuables. Don't carry all your money, use your hotel safe. |
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25. Itinerary
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| I kept an itinerary we used if you'd like me to email it I can. |
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26. Walking & lots of it!
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| On our trip to Paris, I have never walked more in my life & I have traveled to many other countries/places. Be prepared & where comfortable shoes. |
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Compliment guavabean
