Same place. Different spelling.

Nice old-town core: the rest of the place sucks. I still have scars from being beaten up up by a gang 25 years ago. My crime was being a Brit.

We stayed near the Tour Eiffel when we went last time. I think it was a Best Western. Booked the hotel on the internet when we booked the Eurostar. It was fine. Rooms are small but you only need somewhere to sleep, wash and pee.

You realise the cost of a hotel room in Paris or course. If you want to eat reasonably cheaply then avoid the tourist places and have coffee and baguettes in a cafe.

Just a thought. I have been a few times for the day. You can see plenty and the money you save on hotels and meals you spend on the fancy class in eurostar and get a meal included on the train both ways. It's a really great day out. Also when you are there use the bateaubus to travel around. Great views from the Seine and the bus stops at enough major sites to keep you busy all day long. I would really recommend this way to do a quick visit to Paris

I used to visit Reims quite frequently, but just sort of passing through on my way from Normandy to Mainz in Germany. I agree with you. OK to visit, but not a place to linger long.

<waves to dmu>

Yes. I found a train for $285 US for the two of us from Ashford. The Ibis at Gare du Nord was about 100 euros for the night. Still, as my granddaughter says, there are thousands of places to visit and if she goes back to Europe she wants to go somewhere different. I hardly ever go away on holiday so if I spend a bundle this time what the heck!!

Babsi is right, you don't want to stay around the Gare du Nord area. How many nights, as if its just one then it really does make sense and a great experience to do the club class day return. I found that you dont really see much the second day and you have to lug luggage around with you.

I disagree with Babsi's comments about staying near to Gare du Nord -
Phil and I have been to Paris lots before we came out here and I must admit that Gare duNord is one of the best areas for convenience that we have stayed in but we cannot remember what hotel that we stayed in apart from that it was over the top of some restaurants and faced Gare du Nord station.

One of the advantages of staying in this location is that although you are local for the Eurostar you also have good Metro (underground) station and can get on almost any line from that rail station.

One thing for getting around that I would advise you to do is purchase a Metro pass (they do them in various number of days travel) so that you can hop on and off at all of the metro statons - you save a packet on train fares !

If travelling from the UK over there also I recommend that you go to a good bookshop like Waterstones or borders and pick yourself up a "Eye Witness Guide" for Paris - usually a mainly white book with black on it. This book has nice walks, good street maps in case you get lost and a good amount of information on all of the attractions too. We have used this book on many occasions that we have visited Paris and it has become our bible so to speak.

Also trear yourself to a Seine cruise too - lovely

Have a great trip

Gaynor

Why not leave it at the hotel and collect later?

Last time I did Paris, I stayed at a hotel across from the Luxembourg Gardens. Not too far from the Seine and dead convenient for so much on foot. The metro was on the express line from the airport, hence the hotel choice. On the last day, we did whatever we did, finished up with a late lunch in the gardens, nipped back across the Rue for the small cases and then onto the metro straight to the airport.

Airport! how old fashioned.

yes you can do that, and also leave at the station I think. It's just my experience that if you are staying one night then you may as well do the day trip, saves buying meals etc, and you have free champers and stuff.

The luxembourg gardens would be a lovely area to stay in. Much better than Gare du Nord. Its like staying round Kings Cross IMO.

I think I agree with Gaynor. Its not like we are going to be wandering around the hotel. Its just a place to store you luggage - - and a place to sleep. When we want to catch the train back we can grab our bags and then its steps to the station. I would be happy staying at the Ibis.

And I can't see how you can't do anything the second day. The train doesnt leave until 6 something in the evening, so presumably you are not going to Paris to lie in bed until lunch time, so that give us 8 hours to do something or other, even if its just walking around Montmartre which doesnt look far.

I think we should do the Big Bus tour the first day and the suggestion for the second day is that we go to Les Halles. I shall probably be exhausted by that long before we have to go to the station to catch the train back.

If either of you get remotely travel sick do not sit backwards on the train.

I treated my hubby to a romantic day trip to Paris on the Eurostar. I'd never seen anyone go green before. His coment about the Eiffel Tower was Oh It's big, he then proceded to throw up. Our romantic meal - He had omelet and I had steak at the cafe just across from the station.

Have a great time in Paris though.

[QUOTE=Novocastrian;7169382

<waves to dmu>[/QUOTE]

Just noticed your "salutation"!
Un bonjour to you in return!

well go together.......it's no way a 'dump'

The whole aera is a bit grim. Flat and featureless. Good place to have a war. Oh, hang on...

It always annoyed me when you'd read 'weekend getaway' articles in the Guardian about how convenient it was to just "pop over" to France, as if everyone could simply nip over in the car or on Eurostar.

It's not quite so convenient faced with a long journey just on the UK side to the ferry/tunnel or get the bus/taxi to the local station for the London train, arrive and then transfer to Waterloo.

Much easier to make a short trip to Bristol airport, fly and get the express train into Paris....and about half the cost last time I compared.

I used to get a buzz out of getting the 6am train from MK, tube to Waterloo, breakkie on eurostar and then walk off the train at Gare du Nord. Back home by 11pm, easy peasy when you are close to London and even easier when near Ashford.

I envied people who could get ferries easily though, pre train.