Chapter 1 : Best of France Tours (Paris) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - TripAdvi Each guide in the This Way series offers information on the highlights of not only the world's most popular tourist regions, but also more unusual destinations such as Kenya, Thailand, and Jordan. Top 5 Things to See and Do in Paris 1. To access the third level, the only option is the elevator, which costs 17 EUR. Summer weekends are the best time to visit the garden, as the fountains are set to music then. Here is a video of it. Explore the Louvre The Louvre is the biggest museum in the world with thousands of square feet of space and millions of works. Be prepared to spend hours here and not even see it all. It costs 15 EUR. Take in the Latin Quarter A historic area near the Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter is filled with tiny, winding streets that turn at weird angles to open into little cafe-lined squares. Visit Sainte-Chapelle This is my favorite church in Paris. I find this Gothic church to be far more beautiful than the nearby Notre-Dame. Other Things to See and Do Click the title to expand the text 1. Go museum hopping The Louvre might get most of the attention, but there are plenty of other great museums in the city. Walk the Champs Elysees This is a very prestigious avenue in Paris with cinemas, cafes, luxury specialty shops. Come in the very early morning to see the place utterly deserted. It makes for great photos. See burial sites of French heroes. The garden contains just over a hundred statues, monuments, and fountains, all scattered throughout the grounds. At lunch on a nice day, a park full of people having a picnic which is something I highly recommend you do! View the city from Montemartre The home to starving artists for decades, this area gives you a stunning view of Paris. Climb from the north tower to the south to appreciate the masonry, and get a close-up view of the Gallery of Chimeras, the fantastic birds and beasts gazing over the balustrade. The outside facade has been cleaned up in recent years but the inside has a bit of that old Gothic grimy charm. To climb the tower, it costs 10 EUR. Celebrate Bastille Day Every July 14th, a group of spectacular events in Paris celebrates the infamous storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution. This is French independence day and one of liveliest days in the country. Experience the Cinema en Plein Air Every July and August, Paris rolls out the inflatable screen in the Parc de la Villete for this major outdoor cinema event in the 9th arrondissement. Visit Maison du Victor Hugo This beautiful apartment dates to Its most famous resident was the writer Victor Hugo, who moved here when he was His old apartment is now a museum dedicated to his life and writing. The museum is quite small, but Hugo like me lovers will find it very interesting. Open daily except Mondays from 10am-6pm. The French resistance used these tunnels during World War II, and rave parties flourished there during the 90s. Within this maze of tunnels, lie the famous Catacombs of Paris. Here you can visit the tunnels and see the old burial sites of the city. It costs 27 EUR. There is an especially abundant amount of good jazz clubs in the city. During the summer high season and on weekends, prices tilt towards the higher end. Private double rooms begin at 80 EUR per night. Lots of hostels provide free linens and many offer free breakfast which in Paris typically consists of pastries, croissants, and other baked bread with spreads like Nutella and jam to be washed down with strong coffee. These hotels have free WiFi. Rooms with more amenities like air-conditioning and free breakfast start at 60 EUR. Average cost of food â Expect to pay between EUR for dinner at a nice restaurant including wine. Luckily, buying your own food is cheap. There are many bread, cheese, markets, and meat shops throughout the city. Creating your own meal will cost around EUR, depending on what you buy and if you get wine. If you want to eat at a restaurant the French are known for their culinary skills, after all! To save even more money, consider lunch instead of dinner which, in France, is still typically 2 courses. Every other block has a metro subway stop. The day pass, called ParisVisite, also gives you discounts to some major Parisian landmarks. You can buy tickets at any metro station. There are cheaper day passes available if you are under 26, as well as discounted prices on weekends and holidays, but they are only explained on the French website. If you can speak passable French, and are under 26, you can ask for those reduced fares instead. Taxis in the city are expensive rides cost a minimum of 6. Uber is also a cheaper option than taxis, with a base fare of 1 EUR and costs 0. Using the budget tips below, you can always lower this number. However, if you stay in fancier accommodation or eat out more often, expect this to be higher! It is closed on Tuesdays. Buy a metro card â Paris has over subway stations, so it is easy to get Page 1
around the city. A day pass is only Have a picnic â With so many beautiful parks and outdoor gardens, it would be hard not to take advantage of this. Eating in Paris is cheap when you do your own shopping. Buy some bread, cheese, and meat at the local shops and have an outdoor picnic. Paris Museum Pass â This is a prepaid card that gets you access to over 70 museums and monuments around Paris. This is perfect for the museum hopper and for anyone that wants to save money and get ahead in line. Paris Pass â This is a super-sized version of the Paris Museum Pass and is for people who are going to be doing heavy sightseeing in a short period of time. It includes a TON of sights, the ability to skip lines, and a free hop-on, hop-off bus tour in addition to everything in the Paris Museum Pass. Free museum admission â All national museums are free admission on the first Sunday of every month. If you happen to hit this day, be aware of potentially large crowds and long lines. Dine out during lunch â Food in Paris is not cheap. It will cost you an arm and a leg to eat here but during lunch, restaurants do a pre-fixe menu for between Euros. When I eat out in Paris, I do so during lunch so I can still eat amazing French food without it eating my entire wallet! Cook your meals â The best way to save money on the road is to cook your own meals. Many hostels, campsites, and guesthouses have kitchens. Pack your own container and silverware and make some sandwiches and salads on the go. Couchsurf â There are a lot of hosts in this city and with restaurants and accommodation so much, I highly recommend trying to find a host on the website where you can get a kitchen, a place to stay, and local friend to show you around. The community here is very active and friendly! The Uber Pool option is where can you share a ride to get even better savings though you can get your own car too. For more in-depth information, check out my guidebook to Paris written for budget travelers like yourself! It cuts out the fluff found in other guides and gets straight to the practical information you need to travel and save money in one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world. Click here to learn more and get started. Backpacking Europe This book will help you navigate Europe like a local, avoid the crowds, and save money so you can travel cheaper, better, and smarter! Get the Guide Guide to Paris I used my near decade of personal experience and expert knowledge to help you get off the beaten path and into the little secret spots free of tourists. Get the Guide Guide to Stockholm Stockholm can be a very expensive place to visit but with a few good tricks and hacks, you can easily have an affordable visit to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. This guide will save you hundreds of dollars year after year for the rest of your life! Get the Guide Teach English Overseas This page book will give you the tools you need to travel the world and work overseas by doing something you do every day: Get the Guide Conquering Mountains The ultimate guide for solo female travelers, giving you the information you need as a woman to plan an amazing trip and be a fearless and informed traveler. Page 2
Chapter 2 : Nomadic Matt's Guide to Paris See the Paris travel guide if you are planning a visit to the most famous city in the world! Central France with the Loire Valley & Burgundy. France This Way group. Made with love by travelers for travelers! The purpose of my guides is to let you live large on a budget. I focus on activities that give you insight into the land, people, and culture. July Return policy: It looms large in our collective consciousness. Paris is everything you imagine it to be â cultured, sophisticated, classy, romantic, beautiful, historic, and stylish. It is a place to fall in love and be in love. But for first-timers, it can be intimidating. When should you go? What should you see? How do you get around? How do you avoid all those tourists who overwhelm the place? In short, where do you begin? And not knowing where to go or what to do means losing out on having an authentic Parisian experience, away from the crowds and high priced and terrible tourist traps. When this happens, you miss the true magic that is Paris. There are tons of websites dedicated to Paris, but who has time to wade through thousands and thousands of websites written by people who might not know a croissant from a baguette? I used my near decade of personal experience and expert knowledge to write a straightforward book on how you can experience Paris the right way. This comprehensive guide features insider tips on places to eat, stay, and play. Suggested itineraries â Two-, three-, and five-day itineraries are included to make planning and navigating your visit as easy as possible. A history of Paris â Learn about how Paris became the city it is today. Nightlife tips â Get away from all the tourists and hang out with locals by using my robust list of wine bars, lounges, pubs, cocktail bars, and nightclubs. I like to go out â and that works in your favor! Transportation advice â With maps and detailed information, get all the cheapest routes and options to get around Paris like a local. Practical information â Get the essential tips that make guidebooks so useful, with information on tipping, visas, public holidays, embassies, currencies, emergency numbers, working hours, weather, and much, much more. Related books and movies â Get inspired for your trip with these incredible books and movies about the City of Lights! Maps â Get detailed maps of the entire city with suggested routes so you never get lost! Plan Your Paris Adventure Today! This book will help you navigate Paris like a local, avoid the crowds, and save money so you can travel cheaper, better, and smarter! Page 3
Chapter 3 : 36 Hours in Paris The best way to map your journey is by using the RATP online guides. Enter the station you're departing from, using Versailles-Rive Gauche (RER) as your final destination. Example: Using St-Michel as the departure point, the site tells you that it will take 43 minutes using the RER C. Your biggest decision will be whether to take the stairs or the elevator. I prefer the stairs as the lines are shorter, the price is cheaper, and you get a better sense of the structure of the tower. The stairs are wide which allows faster visitors to pass resting families easily. The stairs will only take you to the 2nd level however. To get to the 3rd level the top you can take the elevator all the way up or stairs to the 2nd level and from there an elevator to the top. The queue for the elevator on the 2nd level is shorter than on the ground floor but can still take up to 45 minutes. You can buy tickets in advance and skip the line â and you can purchase them up to 3 months in advance. The website will often show tickets are sold out but if you keep trying back you might get lucky as additional tickets are often released right up to the day before. If possible visit on a clear day â and yet there is nothing more mysterious than seeing the tower disappear in the low misty clouds in winter. You can see as far as Chartes cathedral 80km away. It is also very windy up there and cold, so be prepared. Visiting at the end of your Paris visit can also be a good idea as kids will recognize different sites from around the city. In winter there is an ice skating rink on the first floor. There are two restaurants both family friendly but they need to be booked well in advance on the website. The biggest challenge here is limiting yourself and having a plan. It would take weeks to see everything. The Raft of the Medusa is my favorite in the Louvre and is based on an incredible tale about a shipwreck that will leave any kid enthralled. Buying post cards of intriguing art works beforehand and then searching for them is also a fun game. Kids love that the audio guides are on a Nintendo 3DS which you can buy in advance and use to plan your visit. There are Visitor Trails based on particular themes that you can print in advance and will guide you about the museum searching for different art works. The building itself is incredible and worth time to explore and learn its history Six things you may not know about the Louvre. Over years old, this Gothic masterpiece sits on top of a Roman temple. During the Revolution it was used as a stable, in Napoleon crowned himself here and during the mass to celebrate the Liberation shots rang out. Here you can see the remains of the Paris that Asterix would recognize â the Roman city of Lutetia. There is a pretty playground behind the cathedral with fabulous views across the Seine. In winter go skating in front of the nearby Hotel de Ville and in summer enjoy the fun at Paris-Plages when the main road on the Right Bank is turned into a beach. The surrounding neighborhood features a collection of charming streets, shops, and restaurants. Parisians have mixed feelings about the sparkly white basilica of Sacre Coeur. It was built to celebrate the end of the Paris Commune in, which was born and brought down in Montmartre. As a result it is a highly conservative building with some very nationalistic symbols. You can climb to the top of the dome but the view from the hilltop is splendid enough. Be aware that there is a continual mass inside the cathedral and silence is the rule. The gardens in front have a beautiful old carrousel at the bottom. There is also a lovely little park behind Sacre Coeur. This is a beautiful spot for a family evening stroll when the crowds have gone home and Sacre Coeur is lit by the moonlight. The haunt of some of the greatest artists Place du Tertre is now a tourist knickknack heaven and a short walk from the basilica, so ideal for kids who love key rings and fridge magnets. Older kids will enjoy the Espace Dali that has an interesting collection of works by the surrealist Salvador Dali. On Rue St Vincent you can see the Montmartre vineyard the harvest celebrations take place in autumn. A statue of Saint Denis who was martyred here and gave the area its name sits in the centre of the square. Walk back down Rue Lepic, which has two of the many windmills that once dotted the hill and lots of interesting shops and cafes. Wonderful views both day and evening of the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees, and the rest of the boulevards that radiate out from the arch. Lots of steps up a tight winding staircase to get to the terrace on top there is no elevator. Napoleon celebrated his victory over the Russians and the Austrians at Austerlitz in by building this triumphal arch. When it was built it was in the fields on the edge of Paris. Since then occupying and liberating troops have marched under it and the July 14 military parade takes place here. First climb the Page 4
stairs to see the view. Then admire the arch itself. The shields on the top are engraved with his victories and inside are the names of his generals â those who were killed are underlined. The frieze on the northern side shows his troops breaking the ice in the frozen lakes so thousands of their enemies would drown. The tomb of the unknown soldier lies underneath. It contains one of the 1. The eternal flame is relit in a small ceremony at 6. It stars the cartoon Anastasia Open Daily 10am to 6pm, closed Tuesday. This park in the east of central Paris Jardin des Plantes was laid out in as a medicinal garden. The museum has a lot to see my kids loved the butterfly display and can easily fill 3 or 4 hours. The third giraffe ever to set foot in Europe moved here in It is small and intimate zoo, classically Parisian in feel, and small children love it, even if it does not have the big safari animals. Mouths will water at the tasty array of cakes, cheeses, and ice cream shops and there are plenty of cafes to relax in. Under Paris there is a rabbit warren of tunnels and caves. At one point there were dozens of mushroom farms below ground and there are still tons of gold bars stacked under the Banque de France. In the tunnels known as Les Catacombes are the skeletons of six million Parisians. This is a great attraction for understanding the history of Paris. In the late 18th century the cemeteries were a breeding ground for disease and illness. The graves were emptied and the bodies stored underneath the city in the Catacombs. There are 6 million skulls and skeletons â victims of the plague, the French Revolution and the guillotine. Among the bodies were the revolutionaries Danton and Robespierre and the fairy-tale storytellers Jean de la Fontaine and Charles Perrault. The bones are laid out in spooky patterns and a spiral staircase leads down to this strange underworld. My big warning here is the wait which can be anywhere from 1 hour to 4 so get here early and have some snacks. There is a McDonalds and a grocery store nearby if the kids are hungry â one parent can stay in line. Kids get as much of a kick taking a look at the stinky sewers, Les Egouts. They were laid out by Baron Haussmann when he rebuilt the city in the s. The sewers run parallel to the streets above in a strange underworld. Its pipes and escalators are on the outside. Water pipes are green, air-conditioning ducts are blue, and electricity cables yellow. The building is named after Georges Pompidou, who was President of France He loved all things modern and this quirky building designed by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano is his legacy along with the motorway that thunders along the Right Bank. Take the escalators to the roof for beautiful views across Paris. Inside is a fabulous modern art gallery. Best for children is the permanent exhibition of art from It contains work by Chagall who drew illustrations for the fables by Jean de la Fontaine. Kids love the street theatre in the square in front of the Pompidou Centre. Good kid-friendly cafes are by the adjacent Stravinsky Fountain with its enchanting mechanical sculptures. A beautiful park with a great playground, a fountain pond for sailing small wooden boats, a marionette theater puppet shows at 2: Beware that the costs can quickly mount here as most attractions have a fee â even the playground. This is the place to discover just what it is like to have a privileged Parisian childhood. The park with its old men playing chess under the trees has been cloned across the Francophone world, so it may seem strangely familiar even to first time visitors. Ernest Hemmingway was a hard up parent and used to push his son around the park in his pram. This is all that remains of the royal palace built in When the kings moved to the Louvre it became a notorious prison run by a steward, the concierge. After the Revolution thousands of prisoners were held here before being taken to the guillotine, among them Marie Antoinette. Before you go tell the kids a brief outline of what happened in the Revolution in as there are no explanations aimed at children here. Inside point out the huge vaulted ceilings of the largest surviving medieval hall in Europe, the gruesome prison cells will appeal, as does the model of Marie Antoinette in the chapel. If it is a sunny day, pop into Sainte Chapelle when the stunning stained glass windows glow in the sunlight. They tell the story of the bible in a simple way that is easily accessible for kids. Both buildings are still part of the complex that makes up the Palais du Justice. Cool off in the Place Dauphine, where you can often see people playing boules. You can sail away on a tourist cruise along the Seine after lunch, be shudder at the thought that the Vikings once sailed down the Seine. I can not recommend these tours highly enough. Chapter 4 : 29 Best Tours and Things To Do in Paris with Kids â The Guide theinnatdunvilla.com will help you know all about the wonderful sites and monuments: Versailles, Louvre, Montmartre, Page 5
Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Mont S. Michel, Giverny. Chapter 5 : Visit Paris with a private guide Paris My Way Paris on the Way is a leading Agency of Licensed Tour Guides throughout France and Paris. Paris on the Way - Leading provider of guided tours in Paris and in France. Guiding services dedicated to private travelers and tour operators. Chapter 6 : Paris and Tours Camino - theinnatdunvilla.com Paris to Tours by Train. OK. This is going to seem confusing, but really it isn't. You just have to do a bit of research at one of the yellow kiosks in any train station in Paris before booking your train ticket. Chapter 7 : Paris Travel Guide: What to See, Do, Costs, & Ways to Save The Paris & Tours Way is the most northerly of those main four Camino de Santiago routes crossing France and mentioned by Aymeri Picaud in his XII century pilgrim guide 'Guide du PÃ lerin de Saint-Jacques'. Chapter 8 : How to Get From Paris to Tours â France Travel Guide Paris Pass - This is a super-sized version of the Paris Museum Pass and is for people who are going to be doing heavy sightseeing in a short period of time. You can purchase a two-day pass for â, a four-day pass for â, or a six-day pass for â Chapter 9 : The Best Way To Visit Versailles Paris Insiders Guide Paris is a city of cinemas. Located in the Latin Quarter near the Sorbonne is Le Grand Action Cinema is a wonderful independent cinema in Paris. Page 6