Paris!

Frith

I'm going to Paris for 2 days at the end of October with my 2 sons (high school age).


Can anyone recommend anywhere to look round? I'm also interested in the bike hire scheme (is it complicated?) and having a trip down the Seine.

InsideInsurance

Bike hire is simple enough:

http://en.velib.paris.fr/How-it-works

Paris traffic is fairly scary but statics imply its much safer to cycle there than in London.

Its a very large city and depending on what you and your kids like you can easily spend a month and still not see anything close to all of it.

slinga

We've been on the Seine trip twice now.
First time about20 years ago and looking back over the photos there weren't many people on the boats.
Just six months ago when we went the second time the boats were crowded.
Not difficult to buy a ticket though which we were able to do just before one boat was leaving the quayside.

Couldn't buy a ticket to go up the Eifel Tower on the day.
Best to purchase these online a few weeks beforehand.

Louvre for the Mona Lisa was jam packed although the David had few people looking at it.

Disappointed with Notre Dame. Westminster Abbey is so much better.
If you want some photos of ND then those taken outside are better than those taken inside.
Can't take photos inside WA though.

Les Halles no longer operates as a market and is in fact under reconstruction.

Mrs_Soup

On a sunny day Sainte Chapelle is amazing. Looks like any old church from outside but inside ...
I'm a big fan of the Eiffel tower, haven't had problems getting a ticket but have tended to go in the evening.
I would avoid the Place de la Concord on a bike (or indeed at all if possible).

sandsy

The Science museum is worth a visit:


http://www.cite-sciences.fr/en/home/

Frith

Thanks, everyone.


All pre-booked tickets for the ET have gone (!) and not sure younger son would queue for ages on the day.

Voyager2002

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Its a very large city and depending on what you and your kids like you can easily spend a month and still not see anything close to all of it.

Actually, the central part (of most interest to the majority of visitors) is fairly small so that walking around is almost feasible. I do agree that you would need several months to see all of the major sights.

On the Eiffel Tower, it is usually easier (and cheaper) to get tickets to climb the stairs rather than go up in the lifts. Get there early in the morning before the queues are too bad, and plan to spend a fair chunk of the day up there. There are lots of things to see and do, even an ice-skating rink (boots are provided at no extra charge). Do take some drinks and snacks since catering up in the sky is not cheap, as you would expect.

Frith

At the moment our itinerary looks like this:


Thursday - get to hotel 5pm. Go to Montmarte (funicular) and Sacre Couer and have some tea somewhere.


Friday - Notre Dame then the base of the Eiffel Tower then some geocaching in the park opposite (Champs de Mars, I think).


A general walk about and see the Arc de Triomphe.


Sunday - a quick walk along the Promenade de Plantee before getting on the Eurostar just after lunch.


Does that all sound sensible?


I'm not sure on how to use my mobile phone in France (last time I went abroad they hadn't been invented!) but I would need it for the geocaching...


Also, do bank cards work in France? Happy to take cash too but was wondering. Just got an ordinary Nationwide a/c.

InsideInsurance

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Actually, the central part (of most interest to the majority of visitors) is fairly small so that walking around is almost feasible. I do agree that you would need several months to see all of the major sights.

I did prefix it with the caveat of it depending on what you are interested in. The general being absorbed into Parisian culture rather than just box ticking photos at the largest monuments does push you out of the centre a bit more.

Having spent a week walking around Paris, rather than using the metro, I can confirm even the central part is large enough to give you plenty of blisters. A quick google suggests 34 square miles is central paris

PeteDoff

Frith wrote: »

and not sure younger son would queue for ages on the day.

Is he paying? if not he does as he's told.

Frith

Yes, that would work well with a child with autism.