First time trip

I am planning a first time trip to Paris in June/July this year for myself, hubby and two adult children (20and 18).

We intend staying three nights.

First question. If you want to spend say two days sightseeing, which would be the real %26quot;must see%26quot; Paris places?

Second question. Which area of Paris to stay? We need somewhere central where we can walk to everything or catch the metro. We dont want a red light district. We need somewhere close to bistros etc to eat and drink and lovely places to walk around. Ideally very French and somewhere fairly safe to walk around at night.

Third question. Which would be your ideal 3/4 star hotel which is French and central?

My husband although well travelled around the world has never been to Paris before. I have been a couple of times but only for the day. My children again although well travelled have never been to Paris.

I would welcome some good Tripadvisor advice! Thanks

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must sees: Opera Garnier (walk around outside and then take self guided tour inside for 8 euros), Notre Dame, St. Chappelle, go up the Arc de Triomphe, walk Champs Elysees, Place de la Concorde, Tuilleries Gardens, Louvre, walk past Hotel de Ville (gorgeous building which is the City Hall of Paris), walk around Ile St. Louis (great restaurants, shopping, etc.) see the Tour Eiffel twinkle at night (every hour on the hour for 10 minutes)(I think it is a waste of time to stand in line. If you insist on going up, then get there before it opens or go at night when less/no line.

Place Vendome, walk Marais District (being sure to eat a falafel at L%26#39;As du Falafel on Rue des Rosiers.

Also walking in the 5th/6th arrondissement (Latin Quarter) is great.

That%26#39;s a start.

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Thank you %26quot;In love with Paris%26quot;! This is exactly the sort of advice I need. After all what is the point of queuing up for 3 hours to go up the Eiffel Tower at the wrong time of day..

Any recommendations as to small French hotels to stay in?

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Cambio,

In love with Paris is spot on as to what you must see. As to hotel ideas it would be easier to know what your budget is for the hotel. Would you be needing 2 rooms? I%26#39;ve stayed in the Marais, St. Germain and Ile St. Louis areas. All were wonderful.

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Hi,

I%26#39;ve been traveling to Paris, often sans husband, for many years. I%26#39;ve stayed in many different areas, and have never felt unsafe no matter what area, no matter what time of day, and even on the Metro. Consequently, safety need not be much of a consideration.

Consult your guide books, notice I said guide books plural, so you can each identify the things that most interest you. It%26#39;s all well and good for us to list our must sees, but it%26#39;s not our trip. It%26#39;s really important for all of you to identify your must sees.

BTW, most of us use two or three guide books, since no single book can ever cover it all.

For hotels, see which ones sound good in your books and then come to the forum for reviews. Between the two, you should be able to locate a hotel that will meed your needs. Additionally, consider an apartment. Apartments are really good value for a family.

Bon voyage.

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I agree with In Love With Paris on the list of %26quot;must sees%26quot;. I also really enjoyed the Montmarte neighborhood and the Bascillica Sacre Coeur. The mosaics inside this church are incredible and if you choose to climb to the top you get a great view of the city.

As for the Eiffel Tower, I opted not to go all the way to the top and don%26#39;t regret it at all. I chose taking the stairs to the second tier and that was enough of a view for me, especially after seeing the city from the top of Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur.

Happy Travels!

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I agree with all of the above and would add to take a boat tour. We have always stayed in the 7th (Rue Cler area). We love the feel of the neighborhood and it seems to be a wonderful place to watch real Parisians go about their days (rather than just tourists). It has always felt very, very safe. We are taking our parents to Paris this year and will stay at the Hotel Valadon. It has great reviews, but we have always stayed at the Leveque in the past and were pleased. Have fun!

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My opinion of the best area to stay in is Ile St. Louis. It is centrally located, has great restaurants and shops, and is surrounded by the Seine. In my opinion it is perfect--if you can afford it. Check out hotels and apartments located there and see what you think. I stayed in an apartment for 9 days on Ile St. Louis in Sept. %26#39;06 and just loved it. I felt like a native. I would happily stay there every time.

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I%26#39;m staying in the heart of St-Germain de Prés and loving it.

I%26#39;ve walked almost everywhere, only getting the metro when I%26#39;m running late for an appointment (I%26#39;m here for work as well as play) - or as last night, it started to rain.

I had no hesitation in getting the metro at 9.30pm - there are so many people around you can%26#39;t help feeling safe.

I wouldn%26#39;t walk backstreets (where there don%26#39;t seem to be any people) on my own - but I wouldn%26#39;t do that at home either. :)

With regard to hotel advice, we really do need to know your budget - preferably in Euros. I%26#39;m on a very tight budget and am prepared to forego the frills for somewhere clean, quiet and safe, but from what I%26#39;ve read on TA, a lot of people have very different ideas about what %26quot;basic%26quot; means, so it%26#39;s hard to give advice without having an idea of what you%26#39;re prepared to pay.

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MUST SEE

a) Eiffel Tower (queue early in the morning, go up to level 3 by lift to have a scenic view from the top. In the early 1900s, residents use to fly balloons from the top floor. Return to ground zero walk the furthest to have a snap of Eiffel Tower from the distance, it%26#39;s iconic)

b) Notre Dame Cathedral (get in the church make a round turn, insert 2 Euro to get a coin as souvenir, then go up to see the church bell and a scenic view of the city)

c) Arc of Triumph (take the lift to the top, or walk up by stairs. it has magnificient view from the top, as you can see roads (rue) leading towards where you are, this is how grand Parisian urban planning is. This is the place where Hitler and his army marched through the the arc)

d) Champs Elysees (from Arc of Triumph, walk down the famous street, hop in to LV, Miu Miu, Gucci, etc unless u r not buying)

e) Versailles (this is the grandest palace I have ever seen, better than the palace in Vienna and Neuschwanstein)

f) La Defense (pronounced as La De%26quot;phom%26quot;, is French%26#39;s new generation of architectural building. It%26#39;s beautiful to be there, reflects French modernism towards 21st century.)

g) Moulin Rouge (famously known as the red light district, a must see)

h) Church of the Sacred Heart (Paris%26#39;s oldest church, built on a hill, very gothic...a must see, besides the church, there is a place next to it where freelance artists work a living)

i) Louvre (The Louvre, the world%26#39;s most popular museum is worth a visit. Avoid peak hours, go for the non-peak hour visit in the evening, I must stress, other than La Jaconde, take a look at the Egyptian room)

j) Others (Opera House, Les Invalides, Siene river cruise, Hard Rock Paris)

U can stay at this hotel (Hotel Le Villiers). My report tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187147-d636502…

Rgds

Simon

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187147-d636502…

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Thanks to everyone for your cracking advice. Regarding our budget, I suppose what I am looking for is about 150 Euros per room per night (two people in each room) plus breakfast.

Now that you have given me much more information on the areas that would be good to stay in I will be looking through the tripadvisor reviews for the hotels in the Marais district or in the %26quot;triangle%26quot; that has been mentioned.

Any gems of hotels that you guys have stayed in would be appreciated.

Thanks again!!