First time to Paris

Hi Guys,

I am considering going to Paris in October. I am 23 and plan to bring my mam and dad on holidays as a treat. I have never been to Paris before so there are a few questions that I need some help with.

Just how large is Paris? I have been to Rome in the past and I found it compact enough to travel by foot, is this possible in Paris?

I plan on staying somewhere central, considering the 1st, 4th, 5th or 6th arr. Which arrondisement would be best suited to my small group. I am especially concerned as to which area is best for the evenings. We are not looking for anything wild, just somewhere to have a nice meal and watch the world go by. Any recommendations?

Any other tips are also welcome.

Thanks guys.

|||

First,, I can%26#39;t help it ,, it is so cute that you call your mother, mam!!

Now to business! I think your plan is lovely, what a considerate daughter, so nice to see a 23 yr old mature enough to want to treat their parents,instead of these great big kids always having mom and dad pay their way ,, well into their adult lives. I am very impressed. Your mom and dad obviously did a great job with you!

I think the 4th, 5th adn 6th are great choices, I am not as fond of the 1st( I have stayed there and found it a bit dead in the evening, not so much character as some other areas .

What is budget?

|||

I%26#39;ve done both Paris and Rome on foot -- about 10 days in each instance. Paris was easier to see in this fashion than was Rome, perhaps not so much due to the size of the city but rather because I stayed in the %26quot;Ancient Rome%26quot; area, and thus had long walks to get to many of the areas of interest. In Paris, I stayed on Rue St Michel -- centrally located at the border of the 5th and 6th districts. This was convenient to most everything, and the 6th is charming beyond belief. It%26#39;s filled with restaurants, cafes, small hotels, and winding narrow streets/alleys. I%26#39;d find a hotel in the area bounded by the Seine, Blvd. St Germain, Blvd St Michel and Rue Bonaparte. I saw most all of central Paris from this base, all on foot; in some cases this involves quite a bit of walking, but if you did this in Rome, I think you%26#39;ll be quite comfortable with Paris.

|||

You can walk losts of places but don%26#39;t forget the Metro which is wonderfully efficient and will take you anywhere. You could, also, do a familiarising coach tour one morning and you must go on a river trip. Pick out the things you really want to see and plan your days around them. Musts I would recommend are: to the top of the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre and Sacre Coeur on a Sunday morning (for the art market - worth people watching if nothing else), the Musee D%26#39;Orsay (lots of art nouveau in a one-time train station) and a snack in the rooftop restaurant of the big store Samaritain. If you have time, do go to Versailles - no wonder there was a revolution!

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 9:21 am, October 08, 2009