Hi,
My husband and me are going on our honeymoon to London and Paris this November in the Thanksgiving week. I have a few questions regarding the Paris trip.
1. We are staying at the Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel %26amp;amp; Conference Center located at 17 , Boulevard Saint Jacques. - Im not sure of the location- what all is there to do around this place.
Are there any good restaurants that you recommend?
2. Do you recommend the Hop-on-Hop-Off bus tour of the city (Paris L%26#39;Open Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour)? I was thinking that instead of taking metro to different locations, this bus will take us to all the must see places and we can spend our own time looking around since its a hop on hop off tour. Any suggestions?
3. We are thinking of making reservations for the Moulin Rouge for Nov 18th- not decided between the matinee show (which happens only 10 times a year) vs the night 9pm show. Also, if we do the night show, we are not decided between taking the Paris Illumination Tour which includes the show and a 2 hour night tour vs. just the show.
I will appreciate any helpful comments that will make my trip successful.
Thank You
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Lucky you, a honeymoon in Paris! I can share my thoughts on your second question: The hop-on/pff buses are a nice way to get an overview of the city. However, I found them too slow in city traffic to be of much use for general transport. The metro system is quick, easy to use, and isn%26#39;t impacted for traffic, so after our first day we used it exclusively. Since you%26#39;re in a fairly remote location you%26#39;ll want to get comfortable with the metro so you can do all the sights.
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I agree use the metro to get to places you want to go. You might want to take a bus tour just to get an overview of the city.
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I disagree totally. For a first time visit to Paris the L%26#39;Open bus tours are excellant. You do get routed by all the major tourist sites, you can rest while travelling and enjoy the scenery( Paris is pretty, the metro is not) you can jump off and on as you please , and really speed should not be an issue as to enjoy many sites you should spend more then 1 /2 hr at them. It amazes me how some tourists seem to %26quot; check sites off their to do list%26quot; at a speed that tells me they are barely seeing them at all.
If the weather is decent( so wait and buy your tickets there, not online) it is lovely to sit up top, sipping a coke you bought for one euro( at a corner store) instead of five ( cafe) and watch the world go by while listening to a admittedly basic taped commentary.
Can%26#39;t advise on Moulin Rouge, I have done it , ( 20 yrs ago) and thought it was mega cheesy then, so personally take whichever option is stealing the least of your money, at least do not eat there!!
I do recommend a night boat tour up and down the Seine, beuatiful.
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please sugest which hop on hop off tavel agent ....
i will be in paris in oct end would like to go on it for one day...
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The yellow and green Paris Open buses are very common and they are a pleasant experience. http://www.gotoparis.net/opentour.html.
And my $.02 reply to an above post, you are right about how nice it is to be outside atop an open bus in Paris. I just don%26#39;t recommend it as a convenient means to get from point A to B. Add in wait times between buses and delays when traffic is heavy and you might spend more of your precious Paris time idling than you care to. I%26#39;d rather spend my time off the bus in a cafe or at an attraction than creeping along when traffic is heavy.
Don%26#39;t misunderstand...the bus tour is fun and highly recommended.
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There are two main compaines that have the Hopn on and Off bus tours., The most popluar( which I have doen) is the L%26#39;Open Bus Tours. Their buses are bright green and yellow. YOu do not need to buy the ticket until you board the bus. A one day ticket is 25 euros, and ticket for two days is 28 euros. .
You can board the bus anywhere you see the yellow and green sign, usaully right beside the regualr city bus stops. They have stops near all the major tourist sites.
You can go in the internet and find their site, %26quot; L%26#39;Open Tour Bus %26quot; .
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First off, congrats on your impending nuptials. Paris is a magical city for us as my husband proposed to me there on my bday. We also honeymooned there last year. The one thing that alarmed me about your post was,%26quot;...thinking of making reservations for the Moulin Rouge...%26quot; Don%26#39;t do it! It is overrated, too expensive, and the epitome of a tourist trap. IMHO, Las Vegas shows are way better and less campy. We%26#39;ve never done the hop on-hop off bus tours in any city, but it doesn%26#39;t sound like a bad idea.
I would suggest going to London first and Paris last. Going from Paris to London is such a letdown and diminishes what London has to offer. Also, Eurostar/Chunnel is best way to go as far as transportation between the two cities.
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I appreciate your suggestions – I’ll go ahead and book the Paris hop on hop off tour for 1 day to see most of the city so we can take it easy the next day. I’m thinking November might not be a very touristy season and hence less traffic – its just my assumption, I might be totally wrong.
Ouiparis, thanks for your suggestion, but our tickets are already done, we are going to Paris and then to London – although I regret not posting this message before making the reservations. Not a lot of people are very happy about us spending our honeymoon in London – so we are not expecting a lot.
As far as Moulin Rouge is concerned, we are surely doing it since its been recommended by so many, I’m sure it will be an experience and I will be able to contribute my 2 cents to anyone who plans on seeing it later on.
I’m a little disappointed to know that my hotel is in a remote location- hope we don’t waste too much time commuting.
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aquagirl, your hotel is very conveniently located. It is in the heart of the Latin Quarter - close to boulevard Saint-Germain, the Jardin du Luxembourg where you can picnic on a nice day. There are many restaurants - Le Coupe Chou on rue Saint Jacques, Les Papilles on rue Gay Lussac and tons of great chocolatiers and patisieres in the area like Pierre Herme on rue Bonaparte, Gerard Mulot on rue de Seine, Laduree on rue Bonaparte, Patrick Roger on 104 bd. Saint Germain and Pierre Marcolini on rue de Seine (not too far from Mulot). I love his dark chocolates with lavender and earl grey tea. Do I sound like I love chocolates?
Have a real great time. We will be gone by the time you arrive in Paris, returning to San Francisco on Nov. 14 so we can spend thanksgiving with the family.
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Congratulations! Paris is definitely a romantic place to be for your honeymoon. I had my honeymoon in New York City during the transit strike almost two years ago and we used the same type of buses to hop on and off. It was very, very cold (20%26#39;s %26amp; low 30%26#39;s) while we were there. It served us well until we were trying to get back to the theater district in time to see a show. Traffic was a BIG problem. Of course, these are two different cities, and it was during a strike so we didn%26#39;t have the option of subway or transit buses. We are also going to be in Paris that week and I am searching blogs for a fun place to stay in the left bank. I am torn between a small cozy hotel with a real French flavor or a big hotel with many amenities. Have a terrific time, enjoy all the yummy food and pastries! :)
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