Paris via Eurostar

begley

Evening all! Right, I want to take Mrs. Begley to Paris as a surprise for our first wedding anniversary which is the end of Feb next year. Does anyone know of any cheap hotels, things to do, Eurostar deals, etc., etc., so I can do this without breaking the bank!! Cheap is good! Thanks!

von1

Hello

We took my mum there last christmas for her 70th birthday. We got a fantastic deal staying at Fraser Suites Le Claridge Champs Elysees. It was only about £820 (total accommodation cost) for a 2 bedroom suite which was beautiful and huge by paris standards.
I dont think the prices are out yet for February but I would recommend doing the whole thing direct through Eurostar as I found this easy and the cheapest way too. I shop around for hours before I book something.
Also, if you want to save a bit, use the trains in Paris instead of taxi's or transfers which cost a fortune. They are quite easy once you get the hang of them and very cheap. They will take you to all the sights.
Buy water etc. in the supermarkets and bring alcohol with you if you drink! The first night there, we went to a bakery next door to our hotel as I needed milk for my 1 year old. I think they charged me something like £3 for a cup and then charged my sister about £4 for a little bottle of water!
Paris doesn't have to be expensive if you go to the right places. Our hotel was also self catering so we had breakfast and lunch in our room, saving a fortune.
have a lovely time.

Pee

Check out the Eurostar website. If you are outside London, you can get a deal from a closer station. You can take liquids on board, so how about a bottle of champagne or cava on the way out? Get a couple of champagne flutes in a box from Asda or similiar before you go.

Eurostar is really nice. We stayed walking distance from the Gard du Nord and it was an okay area, the tube stop was Republic. I would find somewhere close to a metro stop as we walked miles, but it was good getting the metro "home". I don't know how much you want to spend on a hotel. How about checking out the lonely planet or expedia to get an idea of prices in an area, and then contact the hotels direct / try hotels comparision?

Drink wine rather than beer if you can. I wouldn't go so far as to say bring drink with you, there will be wine at better prices than you would find here and plenty of beers, we used our window sill as a fridge for beer, water and cheese. You can make a hanging fridge with a carrier bag depending on your circumstances. If going for long enough, buy some flowers when you get there as they make the hotel room look really special - you know if your wife would appreciate that, but I know I did.

Get a guidebook, maybe from the libarary and remember that certain places are closed on certain days - try a rough schedule before you leave home...

shown73

We tried the windowsill trick as well, but didn't reckon with the birds! That was near Republic underground also, quite convenient. Buy the book of tickets, works out cheaper and more convenient, underground easy to use.
Not everyone realises that it's possible to go up to the top of the Arc du Triomphe, although its a lot of steps! Worth it though, just to watch how the French manage to negotiate the chaotic traffic with no accidents.
Sightseeing buses are quite a good deal, hop on, hop off anywhere. Apart from the usual tourist spots, its worth taking a look into Gallerie Lafayette department store, stunning decor, and a different themed restaurant on each of the six floors with reasonable prices.

begley

Thanks so much to all. Really appreciated. I can book the cheap Eurostar in about 3 weeks, so will do that and keep you posted! Again, thank you, it's all been taken on board!! Liz x

Pee

Shame about the birds raiding your fridge. They obviously didn't fancy our cheese or Desparados...

shown73

I'm hoping it was birds! We were on the top floor, with the usual tichy Paris balcony. Wrecked my breakfast plans, although the hotel breakfast wasn't nearly as bad as we had been led to believe.
By the way, if taking the boat trip after dark, make sure to get the ones that have banks of floodlights facing sideways. Ours didn't and I was a bit envious. Can't remember which was which now. Oh, and get to the Eiffel tower early if going up. Avoids a lot of (forgotten how to spell queing!)