Great 'MoneySaving city guides, part 1: Paris' Hunt

scan1703

Hi, sorry if this is off topic but I am taking my girlfriend for her first trip to Paris next week for a surprise, probably cheesy you may think but I also plan to pop the question in Paris, also a surprise, to both of us!!

Due to having 2 little girls under 2 we are only able to get 2 full days & 1 night in Paris so time is not on my side here.

We are staying in Bastille / Marais area [Standard Design Hotel], I plan to use bike rental for our stay, either Velib or Fat Tyres, would like to use the boat along the Seine to hop on & hop off but its Paris Plage, from memory the river banks are heaving at this time. Has anyone biked around te city, thinking of Champs

Can anyone suggest any romantic places, parks, bridges to pop the question? I plan to grab some baguettes, pastries, couple of bottles of wine, my Gotan Project CD & some dutch courage. Arc de Triomphe, Ile De Cite, Jardins De Luxembourg are places I had thought of & the Pont des Arts bridge. I've read about Buttes-Chaumont park but its out of town and not even sure we could cycle up there, but does sound romantic & again its free apart from the wine & food, and of course the ring!!

Any suggestions appreciated, I have been several times to Paris but its all in a haze now. Has anyone tried the Blue Elephant Thai in Bastille, mixed reviews but we love Thai food & Mexican.

Thanks

jamesy4894

Just got back from Paris on Friday and stayed at a brilliant hotel just outside the central area and this saved us a lot of money- we do it in most cities as a 20 minute metro ride in is worth the (upwards of) £30 you save per night.

The particular hotel was Hotel Porte Doree in the east of the city which was on a pretty boulevard and was mainly locals which was nice. The hotel, which amazingly was only 2*, was possibly the best decorated hotel I've ever stayed in and only cost 65 euros a night, which we thought was a bargain given the scruffy rooms we've had for more in Paris on previous trips.