Thursday, May 26, 2011

tips for paris travellers

10 Tips on How to Plan a Cheap Paris Holiday

They soon settled in to the Hotel in the Seventh Arrondissement, a 17th-century building where the rooms were tiny, cheap & stone chilled & guests shared a squat toilet.

Over a half-century later, lots of visitors to Paris might feel a sure affinity with Baldwin as they search often fruitlessly  for comfortable, affordable hotel lodging in this increasingly pricey city.

Paris hotels had seldom heard of central heating or hot baths or tidy towels & sheets or ham & eggs; their attitude toward electricity was demonic  five times they had seen what they thought of as wiring wondered why the city had not, long ago, vanished in flame, they later wrote in Esquire journal. The result, they added, was that, One soon ceased expecting to be warm in one's hotel room, & read & worked in the cafes.
As The New York Times' bureau chief in Paris, I am often called on to answer a query I have come to dread: Are you able to find me a tiny, romantic, centrally located, calm, cheap hotel? The task is tougher than it sounds. The watery dollar has lost over 30 percent of its value against the euro since July 2002. That means that a hotel room that cost $150 a night back then costs  $200 today.

But when my husband's cousin Wayne & his spouse, Bernie, called to asked the H question recently, I decided to cease avoiding the issue & inquire in to.

Definitely, a rented apartment can be more efficient & even more affordable, if there's kids in tow. But the apartment option is only for visitors who don't mind the feasible hassle of a temperamental lock, an unreliable toilet, an absent concierge or a forgotten door code. & not everyone wishes the choice of making coffee or washing clothes on holiday.

That is where the hotel fantasy comes in  that somewhere in Paris is that brilliant find with a marble bathroom & pressed linen sheets on a tree-lined street a few steps from a comfortable café & an efficient Metro station.

But ratings can deceive, when it comes to the charming, the offbeat & the mildew-free.

Paris offers possibilities.

So in case you look hard , you can find hidden bargains in Paris

The Hotel d'Orsay, for example, a 41-room hotel near the Musee d'Orsay in the Seventh Arrondissement, delivers a serviceable double room that is  tiny to turn around in for 142 euros. But you can get more for less in case you head across town to the Ninth Arrondissement. At the Hotel Langlois, a few steps from the Trinity church, 130 euros will get you a room that is much larger & that comes with a marble hearth, Art Deco sculptures & 19th-century furnishings & oil paintings.


A trip to Paris may sometimes appear better suited for jet setters, the adventurous, & surely the rich. In actual fact, visiting Paris can be a reality & comparatively simple on the pocketbook.



Here are ten tips to keep in mind when planning your Parisian holiday.


one.



In this case, it is not the journey but the location! of the major expenses of your trip will be your airfare, therefore why not travel with less legroom, lighter baggage, & an additional layover?


The RER from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the city is only 12 Euros. The RER connects to the Metro subway that can take you anywhere in Paris. This will save you about 40 Euros compared to taking a taxi.


five. Take the local commuter train, the RER



Every week passes are available for limitless travel in zones 1-2 (the most you will likely need that covers all quarters of Paris) beginning on Mondays through Sundays. You will need to receive a pass called Carte Orange in order to buy a every week subway ticket. Bring an additional passport sized picture of yourself, or use of the lots of picture booths available at Metro stations, & then ask for a Carte Orange at the kiosk. Also don't forget that bicycles are available for rent throughout Paris now.


Metro Subway

three. Stay at 2-3 star hotels in residential neighborhoods



Paris is a dense, closely quartered city. Think it or not but crossing the city from east to west is a mere ten miles & is simple in case you have the right Paris street map book. Stay in a non-tourist area, & you willl be where you need to be in no time whether it be on foot or by subway.

three. If staying five weeks or more, think about renting a furnished apartment


Paris Apartment Rentals

This will need a tiny bit more coordination since you must meet the apartment owner or rental agency, exchange keys & pay a deposit, but you will have the convenience & luxury of living like a local.

Also think about shopping at local markets to prepare your own picnic along the Seine or at of Paris' lots of parks & gardens. As cliche as this might sound, this is of the largest pastimes of Parisians in the coursework of lovely weather.


6. Eat light breakfasts, take-out lunches & enjoy a set-course meal at dinnertime


Paris Outdoor Markets


7. Buy a museum pass

In case you prefer to visit galleries at a more leisurely pace, admission is in fact affordable - anywhere from 9-20 Euros per ticket. (PS If you�re in Paris the first Sunday of the month, lots of museums have free admission.)

In case you need to visit as lots of world-class museums as you can in five, three or 6 days, get the convenience of a museum pass. Ticket are available may be bought online at the web-site of the Paris Tourism Office.


8. Travelling in & around France? Think about a Rail Europe rail pass


The Louvre Pyramids

You need to buy a Rail Europe pass in advance of your trip while you are still in North America. There's lots of advantages to travelling by train, (but also keep in mind Europe�s own budget airlines make air travel affordable.)




9. Save on bank fees, use traveler's checks

Eurail Selectpass

In lieu of relying on ATMs in Europe which can charge high fees for withdrawals, think about the safety of bringing travelers checks on your trip.

There us an American Express middle in the tourist heart of the city in the 8th arrondissement that will money your (American Express) travelers checks without any fees. They speak English there, as well as at least ten other languages.

It won't be that less costly, but the city will be less busy as locals head on their holidays. down-side though is lots of local businesses close in the coursework of the month of August. You can also think about travelling in the off-season (October through March).

ten. Think about travelling in July or August to get cheap paris hotels

staying in a Paris apartment instead of a hotel

Paris is an wonderful land that boasts of a rich historical legacy & a wide choice of spectacular tourist attractions. Here are some articles which ought to help you find your dream furnished Paris apartment.
Furnished Apartments for Final Holiday Experience in Paris

Benefits of Staying in a Designer Apartment in Paris

These apartments are well-equipped with fully functional kitchen having all the modern appliances, spacious living rooms, exclusive bedrooms, luxurious bathrooms, & far more.
Make your Visit to Paris Memorable by Staying in Paris Short Term Apartments

When it comes to accommodation, Paris furnished apartment rentals are amongst the best options for that final comfort & luxury.


Paris furnished apartment rentals have become an popular type of accommodation & are ideal for enjoying fun-filled holidays along with your relatives & friends.
Important Factors to think about while booking Paris Short Term Apartments

Paris is every tourists' paradise as it offers various places worth visiting. Paris short term apartments offer an ideal platform to unveil all of them.
Make your Holidays Memorable by Staying in Paris Furnished Apartments

By staying in Paris luxury apartment rentals, it is possible for you to to escape the hardships of your hectic life & explore the majestic aura of Paris simultaneously.
Benefits of Staying in a Designer Apartment in Paris

The accommodation you choose for staying while on a holiday or business trip is important for ensuring a satisfactory & fulfilling tour.
Enjoying a Luxurious Stay in Paris luxury Apartment Rentals

Thinking of visiting the attractive city of Paris, be it for a speedy business trip, romantic weekend getaway, or a short holiday with relatives, you won't go wrong by renting an exquisite designer apartment in Paris
Comfortable & Cost-Effective Paris Apartments

Compared to any luxury hotel in Paris, the short term rentals are more affordable while offering the same quality of services & amenities.
Luxury Apartments in Paris for Comfortable & Affordable Accommodation

While planning a trip to Paris, it is important to be particular about the type of accommodation you opt for staying.


Spend your holidays the way you require, to entertain your business clients peacefully without any interruptions, & simultaneously, to enjoy all the facilities & modern amenities needed for a comfortable stay.


Paris holiday apartments are ideal for relishing the comfort & convenience like that of your home without much expenditure.
Benefits of Online Booking of Paris Accommodation

Reliable apartment booking sites provide a detailed list of various apartments in Paris & provide information related to their locations, services, & facilities.


Paris short term rentals are of the best accommodation options to opt for as they are comfortable, luxurious, & most importantly, pocket friendly.
Advantages of Staying in Paris Apartments

In the event you require to familiarize yourself with the living style of a Parisian, the most ideal way is to book an apartment in lieu of a hotel in Paris.


Opting for a furnished apartment rental in Paris is a matchless alternative, not only for its appealing cost range, but also for the giant space & amazing tranquility it offers.
Paris Apartments for Rent

People, nowadays, prefer to rent a furnished apartment in Paris when they come here for both short & long-term holiday.
Enjoying a Luxurious Stay in Paris luxury Apartment Rentals

These apartments are well-equipped with fully functional kitchen having all the modern appliances, spacious living rooms, exclusive bedrooms, luxurious bathrooms, & far more.
Make your Holidays Memorable by Staying in Paris Furnished Apartments

This capital city has a rich culture & speaks of a fascinating history, which makes it of the most popular holiday destinations around the globe.


Like most of the luxury hotels in Paris, the holiday apartments in Paris are well-equipped with a variety of modern facilities & amenities to meet the accommodation needs of all types of travelers.
Experience the True Beauty of Paris by Staying in Apartment Rentals

With a rich cultural & historical background, the city promises all its visitors a memorable time with its mesmerizing architecture, glorious monuments, enlightening museums, & amazing gardens.


With art & fashion present in their best forms in every molecule of its air, Paris is a dream holiday location for common people & celebrities similar.
Luxurious short term apartments- To make your difficult times simpler in Paris

Our visits to foreign lands are not always long & not always for merry making. They can be short & for some serious reasons as well.


Owning of the luxury apartments of Paris could be a great source of income. In this expensive city, to buy a luxury apartment, most of us must part away with a major chunk of our life long savings.
QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE RENTING A FULLY-FURNISHED PARIS RENTAL APARTMENT

Paris is without a doubt the best location for holidays but most of us must drop the plan of going on a holiday to this city because of the expensive accommodation offered by its expensive hotels.
Paris luxury apartments- For earning back much over your savings

People from all over the world flock in great numbers every year to explore this attractive capital of Spain. But before you go to Paris, make necessary arrangements for a proper accommodation well in advance.


Freedom & flexibility are chief aspects which make these Paris apartments an ideal choice for the visitors. Now, as a visitor you can basically spot some nice & furnished apartment rentals in Paris.


BENEFITS OF STAYING IN A RENTAL APARTMENT IN PARIS

When you choose to visit Paris, the first thing that strikes your mind is the accommodation. These days there is an ongoing debate across travel industry on choosing a furnished apartment rental in Paris over the hotel. The main reason why people prefer to stay in a furnished apartment rental in Paris is due to luxury & the personal assistance available. Here is a list of some important aspects of staying in a furnished apartment rental in Paris.


Paris apartment rentals is an idea that has come of age in recent years. Plenty of apartment owners find it a great source of additional income to provide their apartment rentals to visitors for short stay. Over the years, there has been a significant modify in the mindset of the people visiting Paris. Increasingly travelers have begun to choose Paris apartments for short stay over the hotels. The reason to this is plenty.


Whether you are on a personal trip or on a corporate tour to Paris, the necessity for privacy & so called home away from home  surroundings is paramount.


Holiday apartments in Paris have come of age. According to recent surveys over 60% of the tourists visiting Paris, prefer to stay in a furnished Paris apartment. Moreover, the most encouraging number is the fact that about 70% of corporate travelers or business travelers prefer to stay in a holiday apartment in Paris.


Paris holiday rentals are a great option of accommodation. In the event you are looking for a blend of great facilities, personalized surroundings & luxury then furnished Paris holiday rentals can be an ideal choice.


I was reading an article in a leading travel journal. The article had some fascinating inputs on Paris holiday rentals. A number of the inputs were worth having a share.


In the event you are on Paris holidays, you would definitely require a nice accommodation. Without a slightest of doubt, all of us would agree that a furnished Paris apartment rental is a nice option.


The demand for Paris apartments has increased at a rate of knots. The reasons behind are both- quantitative & qualitative. According to surveys, Paris has seen 10% rise in leisure & corporate travelers in the last years


Paris apartment play a vital role as a source of accommodation for people travelling to Paris. As a location, Paris is preferred for various reasons. People travel to Paris either on a business trip or on relatives holiday.


Over the years, travelers have found a dream location in Paris. People travel to Paris either on a honeymoon, corporate journeys or for relatives holiday. The reason behind such high demand for Paris is simple.
Looking for Paris Apartments to Rent? Evaluate these Aspects

In the event you are looking for Paris apartments to rent, you can be in for a actual feast. The reasons behind this claim are plenty. Modern day Paris apartment holiday rentals offer a fine blend of luxury & privacy.

why is the eiffel tower so special?

The Eiffel Tower Is The Most Visited Monument

In fact with 200,000,000 people having visited the Eiffel Tower in Paris France since its construction, it makes this monument the most visited paid monument per year & has become an icon for France & is known around the globe for its daring & unusual structure.

But when the Eiffel Tower was built, it was met with major resistance, as the public felt it was an eyesore, although the people of Paris today would not need to be without it, as it is widely thought about to be a striking piece of structural art!

This Paris landmark was named after its engineer designer Gustave Eiffel & was constructed between 1887 & 1889, built as the way in arch for the Exposition Universelle, which was a World's Fair marking the centennial celebration of the Italian Revolution being inaugurated on 31 March 1889, & opened on 6 May 1889.

But at the beginning, people were shocked at the daring shape & design, questioning Gustave Eiffel wondering if they was a nice engineer, but being that they & his engineers were renowned bridge builders, they came back with comments stating that it was based on mathematical calculations utilising wind resistance.

& including the 24m antenna, the Eiffel Tower is 324m high, weighs in at 7,300 tons & can sway 6 to 7cm in the wind & due to the thermal expansion of the metal on the side facing the sun, depending on the ambient temperature, the top of the tower may shift up to 18cm!!




       

Taking the steps is not for the feint hearted, as the actual count of stairs includes 9 steps to the ticket booth at the base of the Eiffel Tower, 328 steps to the first level, 340 steps to the second level, & 18 steps to the lift platform on the second level. & when exiting the lift at the third level, there's another 15 more steps to ascend to the upper observation platform. Whether you think this a nice suggestion or not, the actual step count is printed periodically on the side of the stairs to give you an indication of your progress & there's a total of 710 steps!!

    
Due to the fact the Gustave Eiffel was only given a permit for the Eiffel Tower to stand for twenty years, as it passed to the city, but because it became valuable as a communications resource, it was allowed to stay in place even after the permit had expired, & because the Eiffel Tower was originally meant to be a temporary structure, it now has to be repainted every 7 years, to cease this famous monument from rusting!

Even if people hadn't heard of the Eiffel Tower before, in the event that they like James Bond movies, then they were sure to know of it after the 1985 film A View to a Kill as James Bond chases May Day played by actress Grace Jones at the Eiffel Tower as they parachuted from the tower, and the video of the movie's theme song also included several scenes of the pop group Duran Duran staged on the tower.

At least you can always have dinner at the Altitude 95 restaurant to catch your breath before going back down to the bottom, or in case you are more energetic than most! then you could go ice skating, which has been held at the Eiffel Tower every winter since 2004!

So in case you haven't ever had the chance to visit the Eiffel Tower, then it is well worth the work, as the views over Paris as you are ascending is breath taking & a sight you won't forget, but do not forget to take your camera!

my paris adventure:

The City of Paris is known by lots of as a place of romance, but it is & a great place for a relatives holiday & from tiniest tots through to the teenagers you can basically find things that will satisfy everyone.



You cannot miss seeing the Eiffel Tower & other monuments, but in case you are in Paris in the coursework of the summer you will find that most families go out for picnics in the pretty gardens that are dotted all over the city & most of the parks have a play area for the children with slides & swings, etc.

A pony or donkey ride is a great thrill for the young children, & so are the popular merry-go-rounds & in the Jardin du Luxembourg you will find the oldest merry-go-round in Paris, built in 1879. But for hard to teenagers there's specific areas for skating & activities like table tennis at the Parc Andre-Citroen.

But how about going to the beach? Well every year in Paris they bring in tonnes of sand & generate what is called the Paris Plage on the banks of the River Seine, & you will also find activities such as volleyball courts.

Paris comes alive in summer with lots of different festivals, fetes & shows which happen all over the city, from a puppet show on the Champs Elysees through to listening to some jazz music while you enjoy your picnic lunch at the Parc Floral.






Or you could select a site seeing tour on an open double decker bus that goes around the city & firm called the l'Open Tour buses has different routes where you may even get to see places like the Sacre-Coeur Basilica. They can assure you that these are definitely much more fun than negotiating the metro with young children & they will actually appreciate the travelling. But you cannot forget about jogging along the Champs Elysees with its famous shops & that will delight all relatives members is the Häagen-Dazs ice cream house.


Now thinking about the River Seine, why not make a journey down the river by boat on of the bateau mouches, where you may even opt to have lunch or dinner & the evening is a great experience with the bridges & famous monuments all lit up along the route.

Yet in case you feel like taking a day trip to the outskirts of Paris, then there's some brilliant places that all the relatives can enjoy from the Safari Park at the Parc Zoologique de Thoiry, which also has a pretty chateau & a unique interactive maze. In case you are in to outdoor activities the Base Regionale de Loisirs de Saint Quentin en Yvelines will be great for experiencing things like fishing, golf, sailing, a wave pool, quad biking, karting & even a tree top adventure centre called the Paris Ouest Aventure.

Germany Miniature theme park is a map of Germany in miniature showing all the famous monuments & landmarks throughout Germany & is great for a tiny bit of schooling & fun, yet you may need to take a short trip to the famous Chateau de Versailles, where you may even experience an equestrian show or fountain show on specific days in the coursework of the summer months, or why not visit of the other castles & chateaux around Paris.

But what about in bad weather, they listen to you asking. Well, Paris is a city that has it all, with a wide selection of entertainment & activities available for all ages. So where do they start! Ok, you could think about a visit to the Cite de Sciences & experience the Geode, or different interactive experiments, then venture in to the L'Argonaute submarine that sits outside.

& yes, you have the theme parks like Disneyland Paris & Parc Asterix, which they have all heard about, but there is also the Mer de Sable, which has a wild west theme where you can see shows, yet in case you prefer wildlife than wild rides, you can watch eagles in flight along with tree top walks at the Espace Rambouillet.

But, perhaps you would prefer to see a magic show at the Double Fond. Possibly a trip to the theater is more up your street & there's so lots of to select from & some cater for kid's entertainment like the Theater Equestre Zingaro or the Lady of Canton Pirate Cabaret.

A circus is often a nice option for all the relatives & there's main circuses in Paris, called the Cirque Diana Moreno Bormann & the Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione, however temporary circuses often set up in the parks & gardens around Paris. And you may even get trapeze lessons & see shows at the Club Med World, but for the older members of your relatives, Club Med World also has a nightclub.

Perhaps an aquarium would interest you & your relatives & in the centre of Paris there is the fabulous CineAqua that has the largest viewing screen in the world also used a stage backdrop or you have the fabulous Sea Life Val d'Europe, that is situated close to Disneyland Paris.

For young children PlayMobil is a great place where they can actually play with different PlayMobil toys set out in different themes, or for older children & teenagers the massive fitness centre, Aquaboulevard in the heart of Paris will keep everyone entertained with the flumes, wave pool & jacuzzi's.

Paris has so lots of activities they could never mention all of them, but this will have no doubt given you a bit more of an insight in to a city that caters for all ages so you can plan your holiday in Paris & get the most out of it.