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Where To Stay in Paris?

posted 1 year ago in Honeymoons
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    1.
    5,478 posts
    Bee Keeper
    lilyfaith    June 23, 2012   Lakeview, Chicago

    We recently found out that we're being gifted part of our honeymoon. We're really excited because we were sure that we'd have to stay in the US, but now we just have to pay for our plane tickets, food, shopping, etc, and the gift is that we have one week of Disney resort points that we plan to use (not sure where, but probably England/France.)

    Since we have that extra room to play, we'd like to make it a two week honeymoon and pay for a place to stay in Paris (neither of us has left North America, so we want to experience Europe!) 

    When we travel, we're not huge sightseers (although we will do some sightseeing) and would really like to go off the beaten path and experience Paris more as locals would. We'd like to do a short term apartment rental or find a hotel that's in a fun neighborhood. We know absolutely nothing about Paris neighborhoods, and the online research is overwhelming. Any suggestions?

     
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    Bumble bee
    mountain.bride    December 12, 2009   Australia

    I'd probably stay somewhere in the St Germain area, it's still a bit touristy but it's *so* Paris and I think you'd find what you're looking for. I haven't stayed there but last time I was in Paris we spent a delectable afternoon wandering the streets and decided we'd stay there next time :) (There must always be a next time for Paris!)

    I'd use expedia and trip advisor to choose somewhere to stay, or google apartment rentals in Paris and see what comes up. Lonely Planet are my favourite guides too and you could find some good advice in their books/website. Good luck - it's definitely a beautiful city and a perfect spot for a honeymoon :)

     
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    Bumble bee
    ms.pascua    June 25, 2010   Los Angeles, CA

    We are currently residing on Ile Saint Louis (the small island adjacent to Ile de la Cite, where Notre Dame is located)...I'm posting from our wireless free internet.  We are renting a one-bedroom apartment here (9 Quai D'Anjou) & it's a tres belle address.  Ile Saint Louis is MUCH less touristy than Ile de la Cite or any surrounding area, but it's smack dab in the middle of everything if you just take a 5 minute walk.  We used www.parisattitude.com to get this place.  The apartment manager is decently civil (showed us how to use everything & let us know where the super marche is), but don't expect the kind of help you get at a hotel...if going the rental route, DEFINITELY do research on your area before you go.  PP mentioned Lonely Planet, which I also think is good, but I really learned a lot from Rick Steve's Paris (He has a little section also recommending websites for renting apartments).  Another area that is popular is the area near Rue Cler, which is the American Ex-pat area, so lots of Parisians who cater to English speakers who are NOT tourists.  It's in the 7th Arrondisement (Paris is organized by Arrondisement, so know which one you're looking for), Ile Saint Louis is in the 4th (be careful as the Marais, the nightclub area & gay district are also in the 4th...if you like a lively night life & your hubby doesn't mind getting hit on occasionally, this is a nice, fun area...if you'd prefer something quieter without worrying about both genders getting hit on, stick to the island), & Saint Germain (per the previous poster) is in the 5th & 6th depending on the address.  Good luck!

     
    4.
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    Bee Keeper
    lilyfaith    June 23, 2012   Lakeview, Chicago

    Thank you both so much! Your posts were incredibly helpful and exactly what I was looking for. 

     

    @ms.pascua: so funny you mention that, we live one block away from Boystown so we're quite used to nightlife culture! The apartment rental sounds amazing, that is exactly the feel we're looking for. Any other advice for not making any rookie mistakes? I know it's going to be obvious we're tourists, but I'd love to really experience the city all the same. We're trying to learn some conversational French at the very least, because neither of us speak the language. 

    @mountain.bride: that's one of the neighborhoods I was looking into, so good to hear that reaffirmed. Paris has always been my dream honeymoon spot, and I had no idea that we'd actually get to stay there! 

     
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    Bumble bee
    Georgia Bee    October 9, 2010   Atlanta

    I am so jealous!  I am with Ms Pasqua that the 7th is a great location.  Definitely take some time to learn some French.  Signs in English are few and far between, sometimes menus too. Try ordering some children's picture books.  This will help you identify basic things.  If you are there for 2 weeks, take the Eurostar to London for a day or two.  Great experience!

     
    6.
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    Bee Keeper
    lilyfaith    June 23, 2012   Lakeview, Chicago

    @Georgia Bee: great advice, thank you! We're definitely doing menu/food research as we're vegetarians. 

     
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    Busy bee
    Bliss Honeymoons    October 10, 2010   Columbus, Ohio

    St. Germain is a great area that is in the heart of everything.  The other wonderful thing about Paris is that the Metro is very user friendly, so you can get from one side of town to another in about 20 minutes (barring delays, of course).  St. Germain is also next to the Latin Quarter (where a lot of students reside and hang out), so you can find fairly cheap eats & drinks over there.  Regardless of where you choose to stay, meander through the streets & back alleys.  You will always stumble on some gem of a restaurant or shop that only the locals know about.

     
    8.
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    Bee Keeper
    lilyfaith    June 23, 2012   Lakeview, Chicago

    @Bliss Honeymoons: Thanks! We're very excited to do just that - I love walking around new places with no set schedule. 

     
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    Bumble bee
    ms.pascua    June 25, 2010   Los Angeles, CA

    @lilyfaith: I misspoke about the St. Germain area...it's in the 7th & 6th, not 5th - which is the Latin Quarter (very cool area, too, but more student driven, as the Sorbonne is right there).  As for advice, I'm with @Georgia Bee, conversational French is helpful...anytime you speak first in French, people are more willing to help you, even if your French is horrible (mine is; I too didn't study French before coming here).  In fact, I just got a compliment from our local grocer (not super market) that my French pronunciation is pretty good & he likes that I'm trying to communicate in French.  Speaking of grocers...if you're honeymooning on a dime, find out how to get to your local super marche (soo-pear mar-shay) to save money on things like water, cured meat (deli meat), butter, jam/jellies, coffee & tea, juice, milk/cream, etc. basically anything NOT fresh (milk/butter exempt).  Then find out where your local boulangerie/patisserie (bow-lahn-zheh-ree/pah-tea-sehr-ree) for bread & pastries, local marche (mar-shay...this could be a grocer's store or a street market - like a farmer's market, depending on your location), cave (kah-vay) for wine, & brasserie/cafe (brah-sehr-rie) for "less than a fortune" meals out.  You want fresh items for what's mentioned above & super markets in Paris don't do "fresh" all the time.  Also, buy for each day...things can go bad quickly (made with less preservatives), so only buy what you need for the next day. 

    I mentioned tea/coffee...definitely pop into your local cafe/brasserie for a cup o' joe at least once, but unless you like paying 1-3 Euro for each cup (no refills here), get some for your coffee maker at your apartment.  If you order standing at the counter (comptoir) you pay less than sitting down at a table.  And I mentioned "less than a fortune" meals...these are still decently expensive: 10-16 Euro for a plat (plah...French for entree, entree here is an appetizer), 13-18 Euro for a formule (for-mool...entree+plat or plat+dessert), which translates to $13-20ish  for a plat & $17-25 for a formule.  Add wine or a drink to that (soda can be 3-5 Euro or $4-7), and you're paying $30+ per person for a meal...and that's for lunch; dinner goes up.  However, there are cheaper options: Emporter (ehm-pohr-tehr) is "to-go" in French...look for these signs if you want a cheaper lunch option; not a usual choice for dinner, but that doesn't mean you can't do it.

    Finally, definitely do as the locals do & put together a picnic of bread, cheese, cured meats, fruit, chocolate, wine/beer/drink & find a park to sit and eat.  Mr. & I have done this on Champs du Mars (practically under the Eiffel Tower), in front of Notre Dame (not a park, but hey...oooh, there's the John Paul XXIII park "behind" Notre Dame!), & in the Luxemborg Gardens.  Each time, we were surrounded by French people of all ages doing the same.

    Okay...all this info has been about food...hmmm, I guess I've started to think like the French & plan my days around meals instead of activities.  Oooh!  Pick up a cookbook with French recipes...there's lots to choose from: the famous Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, anything by Jacques Pepin, buy the cookbook from your favorite French restaurant, etc...I bought Mireille Guiliano's the French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook.  I've made a couple things out of it already.  This last option is really if you plan to make the time to cook; if you're staying a week, you may already have it jam-packed with plans.  Good Luck!

     
    10.
    5,478 posts
    Bee Keeper
    lilyfaith    June 23, 2012   Lakeview, Chicago

    @ms.pascua: thank you so much for all the information! I already have sooooo many French cookbooks, but I'm excited to try the food. The one thing I'm really nervous about is finding good vegetarian options, but we eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, and can always get by on bread and cheese. And coffee, of course. 

    Now I'm disappointed that our honeymoon is almost two years away! I'd love to go to Paris right this second...

     

     

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