I started to get last minute jitters just before this trip, after doing almost too much research and frightening myself silly, mainly because of the warnings about the problems some tourists can have with the RER and Metro. However, I needn’t have worried because everything went like a dream and after touching down at Terminal 2B Charles de Gaulle Airport at 10.00am, by 11.00am I was sat on the RER on my way into Central Paris. I did, of course, take sensible precautions, particularly being a woman travelling alone, and not knowing the language. I kept my handbag under my coat and in front of me at all times plus whenever going through the station barriers, I pushed my suitcase in front, rather than dragging it behind and getting it caught in the bars and I tried to look confident at all times.
I personally, after much research, had decided that the Carte Orange (Zone 1 - 5) would be most suitable for myself, as I didn’t want to go to the ticket office/machines more than the once, therefore the CO would cover me to and from the airport, my planned day trip to Versailles and in and around Paris, whether by Metro or Bus. I took a photo with me, along with a note saying what I wanted and the price. I did think I might have to go for the Navigo, as they are phasing the CO out, which would have cost me an extra 5 euros but I had no trouble and the guy behind the counter, did the necessities with my picture etc. and within a few minutes, I was on my way! The weather was absolutely beautiful too!
I travelled to Chatelet des Halles and after doing my homework, knew I had to exit at Rue Pierre Lescot which I found relatively easily and most fortunately, my hotel was literally a 2 minute walk away, once outside the station.
I won’t go into too many details regarding my hotel, the Prince Hotel Forum on Rue Rambuteau, but suffice to say that if you are into large 4/5 star Hotels with taxis to the front door, this wouldn’t be for you. It is in a pedestrian zone, it was tiny and a little shabby but it was clean, the staff were friendly and it served me well as a base right in the hub of Central Paris. There were literally dozens of small restaurants and shops in the immediate vicinity plus a large shopping mall within 2 minutes walk.
Arriving before 12.00 midday, my room wasn’t ready, but they were happy for me to leave my luggage, while I went for a walk to explore the area. Within 5 minutes, I had found my way to the Seine and over the Pont au Change to the Ile de Cite and Notre Dame.
I had decided, for my first afternoons entertainment to take a Bicycle Tour which I had discovered on the internet and made my first job to find their HQ so that I would know where to find them at 3.00pm, when I knew their next ride would be taking place.
Seeing quite a bit in my short walk, I arrived back at the Hotel at 2.00pm and after dumping my luggage in my room, making a quick change from my travelling clothes, I was off, back to the bike garage.
There I met our guide, Paul, a charming and friendly young man, who I first thought was American but turned out to be from New Zealand (he’d been in Paris for 7 years and had picked up a definite US accent J. I was fortunate that there were just 3 other customers (also from New Zealand - father, mother and grown up daughter) which made up a small, friendly group for the tour (I believe they can take up to 10 people out at any one time).
Now this is where I have to admit to being over 50, overweight and very unfit (I use my car to go to the corner shop)…. So was a little hesitant about my capability of surviving a 3.5 hour bicycle ride around Paris but I needn’t have worried, it was very leisurely, there were many stops along the way, when Paul gave very knowledgeable talks and photo opportunities.
I would advise anyone planning to do this tour, to do so very early in your stay in Paris, because it gave me a wonderful insight of what there was to see and what I might want to return to, to see in more detail.
Also, at no time did I feel worried about the manic traffic in Paris as Paul guided us on cycle lanes, footpaths, tiny streets and riverside paths throughout, so I would definitely have no hesitation in recommending this tour to anyone of any age, shape or size, who is new to Paris, and would like to be introduced to this beautiful city, in a gentle, friendly and personal way.
By the time we returned from the tour it was getting on for 7.00pm and feeling by this time, very tired (not having slept well the night before my trip, getting up early for the airport, the travelling and the bike tour, all having taken their toll), I knew that there was no way I would have the energy to return to my hotel, dress myself up to go out again to a tidy restaurant, so I’m afraid being very hot and grimy, I did the only thing possible on the way back - stopped at a KFC!! Yes, I’m afraid I didn’t have the confidence, looking and feeling like I did, to tackle a smart Paris restaurant, so I took the easy way out!! After eating and finding a small shop where I bought myself a bottle of wine to take back to my hotel room, I finally collapsed into bed, absolutely exhausted but happy, around 9.00pm to sleep like the dead until 7.00am the next morning.
Day 2
I was up bright and early for my trip to Versailles and before I left my hotel, I purchased a 2 day Museum pass costing 30 euros, entrance to Versailles 20 and the Louvre 9 euros, so thought it the most sensible option for me, as I already had my bus/metro pass.
Please be warned %26#39;newbies%26#39; to Paris: I didn%26#39;t think it was possible to go wrong on the metro but I did!! I know, I had been warned to make sure it said Versailles Rive Gauche but being too enthusiastic, I jumped on the first train that said Versailles and within a short time, after passing a station that shouldn%26#39;t have been on my list, I realised I was going in the wrong direction!
When studying the Metro/RER map, I realised that the C line must go round almost in a loop because at the end of the journey the opposite end from Rive Gauche you also find yourself in Versailles - Chartiers. So by the time I had got off the train, found the right platform for the journey back, I had lost a lot of time. Fortunately, I met four lovely American Lady Gardeners who had done exactly the same thing as I and they cheered me up immensely!!
On arriving at the end of the line, it was easy to find your way to the main entrance - turn right outside of the station, up to the first set of traffic lights, turn left and Versailles is straight ahead.
Now, if at all possible, I would advise anyone to buy their ticket for Versailles in advance because once there, there are two queues - one to buy your tickets, then another to gain entrance, so if you have it in advance you can skip one of these ‘lines’.
Another tip for the uninitiated: the Versailles gardens are immense and having had such a lovely bike ride the day before, thought I would hire out a bike so I could cover all the grounds at a more leisurely pace but alas, they wanted photo ID (driving licence or passport) and I had left mine back at the hotel, only taking with me a small amount of cash and credit card, so they would not allow me to hire a bike, despite all my pleas.
But despite that, I had a wonderful day there, the palace being extraordinary (my favourite being the unbelievable Hall of Mirrors), the nooks and crannies of the gardens that were a joy to explore and Marie Antoinettes Hamlet etc was something I wasn%26#39;t expecting but was absolutely amazing!!
I stayed quite late which gave me some lovely photo opportunities without hoards of other tourists in the pictures and of course, being by this time, extremely tired again, I opted to catch the bus back, which was just sitting waiting for me outside the main gates. It travelled back down one main road through to the Port de Sevres, where I had to change to the metro. I personally enjoyed this drive, loving to look at all the different buildings/shops etc.
Once again, feeling hot, grimy, tired and starving, and it being well after 7pm, I couldn%26#39;t wait to go back to the hotel before eating, so braved a small café/restaurant for a Parisienne Salad and a glass of wine. Now this was the only time I encountered any rudeness - the waitress slammed the wine in front of me, without looking at me or smiling (probably because of my untidy appearance :-) but I refused to be rude to and when my meal arrived, gave her a beaming smile and a Merci Beaucoup, when she relented, smiled back and was perfectly fine after that.
So back I went to my hotel, tired and well fed, to sleep like the dead once again!!
Day 3
Had a lie in till 8.30am today!! Then up and off for a stroll to the Louvre to make full use of my 2 day museum pass but be warned - the Louvre is huge and I spent between 4 and 5 hours there and only managed two wings out of three!! It was very hot and busy plus so much of a maze, you frequently lose your bearings and have to study intently the guide map to work out exactly where you are and by early afternoon I had had enough - so much beauty in one place, phew!! (You can only take so much :-)
So I left to get some fresh air, strolling along the Seine over one of the bridges to see Sainte Chappelle, reviving myself along the way with crepes (ooh la la - they’re yummy!!) and an ice cream.
By the time I got to Notre Dame it was around 5.30pm and I went inside to find there was a service (mass?) taking place, with 100’s of tourist milling around at the same time - quite extraordinary!! I never found the staircase to go to the top of the towers, which is just as well, because I definitely wouldn’t have had the energy to get up them!!
So once again, exhausted, full up with too many naughty foods and having had another wonderful day, I got back to my hotel earlier than the previous two evenings, ready to polish off my bottle of wine, make a start with my packing and plan my itinerary for the next day.
Day 4
Having to be out of my hotel by 10.00am, they were happy for me to leave my luggage with them, as my flight wasn’t until the evening.
I had decided that as I had an unlimited bus pass to make full use of it on my final day and criss-crossed the city, hopping off the bus whenever I saw something that looked interesting, hopping back on again, whenever I wanted.
I went down to the Pont de Grenelle to see the original Statue of Liberty, stopped off, of course, at the Eiffel Tower but seeing the huge queue, was happy just to look at it from ground level!!
I passed the Arc de Triomphe, travelled down through the Avenue des Champs, through the Place de la Concorde, along the Seine, through to the Bastille monument. Walked along the Viaduct des Arts, ending my day around the area of the Place de l’Opera.
It was fascinating travelling through all the streets, seeing something of interest, a building, market, monument etc and being able to stop for a few moments to peruse and then within minutes another bus coming along
It was time then, to wend my way back to the hotel, pick up my luggage and get to the airport.
All in all, I loved Paris - a most beautiful city but sadly blighted by too many tourists and too much traffic - but everyone wants to see it - what can they do? There was so much more I would have loved to have done and seen but time was lacking and many things I could only skirt over briefly.
I wouldn’t have missed going there for the world!!
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Glad you had a good time. Thanks for posting your report - you certainly packed a lot in to your few days.
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Sounds like you did a great job traveling alone!
Really like your bus idea for your last day- you saw more than you would have walking and got to different parts of the city w/o killing yourself.
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Thanks for the trip report. Would you please share the name of the bike tour company you used?
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You can read about the bike tours on:
www.bikeabouttours.com
A brilliant idea run by just a few charming and friendly young men!!
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Sounds like you had a great time. You managed to pack in a lot in a few days.
I can identify with getting turned around in the Louvre. One time I thought I%26#39;d be trapped in the Egyptian wing for eternity.
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Enjoyed your trip report. The first time I was in the Louvre I over did it and was worried that they would be carrying me out of there on a stretcher. Too bad they don%26#39;t let us rent the Segways inside the Louvre.
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You two made me LOL at your messages.... glad I wasn%26#39;t the only one. Those huge, high courts with the large statues had me foxed - some were so similar I couldn%26#39;t work out if I%26#39;d been in them before or not until I studied the statues!
What really annoyed me was when I really wanted to see something, plotted my map very carefully and just when I reached the entrance it was blocked off and you had to go into another wing to reach it. The maps make it look like all the wings are inter-joined but they obviously don%26#39;t want you use short cuts in that place LOL!!!
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Thanks for the trip report.
As a woman who prefers to travel solo I love reading about it when others also travel the same way.
Where did you buy your CO? People still ask for it on these forums but we rarely hear back about what stations they bought the pass at (if successful).
And for next time, if you want to climb up the Notre Dame, the entrance is at the side of the church - as you face the main church entrance, the entrance to the towers is on the left.
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Hi CB --
So glad you had a great time - I have two pieces of advice - start saving for your next trip to Paris right now, and go through your guide book to note the things that belong on your next itinerary.
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Thanks you guys/gals.
Yes, my idea for the last day was to try to save my feet a little!! Knowing I had to get to the airport with my luggage in the evening, I knew I would have to save myself some energy somehow. It was brilliant because, as you said, I got to see so much - it was like having my own Bus Tour ticket but with so many other buses to choose from.... I never stood on a bus stop for longer than 5 minutes.
Mez3000 - I bought the Carte Orange at the CDG RER ticket office. Before my trip I printed off a small chart, similar to the one near the bottom of the page on this link:
www.gisparis.com/paris/paris_subway.htm
I then highlighted the one I wanted (in my case Zone 1-5). I made sure I had a small full face pic of myself, measuring approx. 1%26quot; square - doesn%26#39;t have to be an official passport one - I just printed a snap of myself on ordinary paper from my computer and cut it out to size around my head!!
When I went to the ticket office, I just handed the guy behind the counter the two small pieces of paper (pic %26amp; small highlighted chart), smiled sweetly and said %26#39;bonjour monsieur - un billet carte orange, s%26#39;il vous plait%26#39; and passed him 32.10 euros. He just smiled back, pulled a small grey plastic folder from his drawer, pulled out the pass and stuck my pic to it and that was it!! I sat on a seat nearby and wrote my name on the front and I was off and running, never having to go to a ticket office/machine again.
Now, they are beginning to phase out the Carte Orange but I believe you can still buy them (subject to stock) up to the end of this year. However, if you intend to be a frequent visitor to Paris over the next few years, it would pay you to buy the new version - the Navigo Decouverte - which costs an extra 5 euros the first time but the pass will last you for 10 years, with you just having to top it up every time you visit.
The main difference between the CO and the NC is that you don%26#39;t have to pull out your ticket everytime you go through a barrier - you just pass the small wallet infront of an %26#39;eye%26#39; and the gates open - I even saw some young women passing their handbags/purses in front of the eye - so it must be pretty sensitive to pick up through a ladies bag!!
1BCtraveller - I will indeed start saving again for another trip because, as I said, I only just skirted the surface on those 4 days.....
