Best Affordable Paris Restaurants (ideally around Latin Q)

Hi,

I am visiting Paris in March and am keen to build up some local knowledge on the best places to eat and the over-priced tourist traps to avoid.

I am not after any expensive Michelin-esque restaurants, but would love to visit some authentic and delicious Parisian bistros and restaurants with a lovely atmosphere.

I am planning to stay in Latin Quarter/St Germain areas so anywhere nearby would be a bonus.

Kind of price range I would look for is around the £30 a head mark for food and wine (approx. 42 Euro or 60 US Dollars).

Having done a little research, some potential options I have found so far are:

Le Coupe Chou

Petit Pontoise

Chez Alexis %26amp; Daniel

Really appreciate some thoughts on any of the above, and definitely recommendations for where I should go!!

Thanks everyone!

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I like Brasserie Balzar rue des Ecoles. It has been there for a long time and is still popular with a lot of Parisians and tourists alike.

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Thanks for that- looked the place up and seems to get mixed reviews- some fantastic and some not so good. Definitely one for me to consider.

A few more I have come across that seem to get good reports are:

Les Editeurs

Au Gourmand

Ze Kitchen Galleria

... any thoughts on these anyone.... or any other recommendations??

Can%26#39;t wait to be in Paris sampling these places for myself!

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A few great value restaurants in the 5th. arrondissement that easily meet your requirements and are also my favourite places to dine when in Paris are:

L%26#39;Époque on rue du Cardinal-Lemoine near Place de la Contrescarpe

Au Bon Coin on rue de la Collégiale

Le Languedoc at 64 Boulevard de Port-Royal

Chez Léna et Mimile on rue Tournefort

Bon apetit!

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My friend and I have started a little tradition of eating on the first night in Paris at a little place just off the Blvd St Germain called L’insulaire. We have a prix fix meal here which ends with a cheese assortment. This year it came to 38.00 euros which includes the ever present bottle of wine.

Pjk

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PJK: was that 38 euros total for both of you or 38 per person?

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If you%26#39;re a fan of the Pudlo Paris guidebook, you might want to know his opinion of Les Editeurs - he calls it mediocre and says the dishes don%26#39;t live up to their setting. He says it%26#39;s %26quot;a pity.%26quot;

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Hmm.. OK, maybe I will avoid Les Editeurs then. I have four nights in Paris and want to make the most of every dining experience if possible!

Thanks for the tips everyone... keep them coming!!

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I ate at two very nice restaurants on blvd Port Royal last fall, Le Languedoc and Le Petit Marguery. Both excellent. Btw, I highly recommend the Grand Marnier souffle at Petit Marguery. It%26#39;s their specialty and it doesn%26#39;t disappoint.

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Check out www.idealgourmet.fr they have listings of many resturants in your price range. They also have sample menus. I found them very helpful.

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38.00 euros total. We love that place. It is a 2 choice prix fix deal.

hth

Pjk

Breakfast in Bayeux

Any great places for breakfast in Bayeux?

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All depends what you are looking for in a breakfast - the french traditionally have coffee in a large bowl which is black and either a piece of baguette they spread with jam and dip in - makes a lovely mess. Any bar/cafe will serve this if you are looking for a more traditional breakfast I would suggest you try a hotel like Novotel, Luxembourg, or Churchill they perhaps cater for more American or British clientele.

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Removed on: 1:21 pm, September 16, 2009

one day in paris

Hi,

I have one day, roughly 9 hours not inc airport transfer time. Any ideas?

Would i be better of with a shuttle or taxi from CDG to Paris city centre?

Jules Verne restaurant in the eiffel tower - any good? I was thinking lunch..

Also any ideas on how much a guide for 2hrs or so would cost at the Louvre?

Thanks

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anyone help?

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If you only have one day in Paris, here%26#39;s my advice:

See the Eiffel Tower, go to the top.

Wander the Park under the tower.

Walk the banks of the Seine.

Stroll through midevil streets of the latin quarter.

That is all doable in your 9 hours. I would skip the Louvre for fear of spending your precious time in line. Have fun.

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Removed on: 1:17 am, September 17, 2009

Best way to Marais from CDG for 3 people

We are staying on Rue Chapon and wonder if it cheaper to take a taxi. If not do you have directions for us? Thanks

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Cheaper then what??

The quickest way into Paris it to take the RER , easy as pie. You can then take the metro to your hotel( or apartment) or take a taxi. A taxi is great if you are tired after a long flight, or have alot of luggage.

The RER into Paris is about 9 euros a head, add 10-12 euros for taxi , total of 37-40 euros to do it that way, a taxi from airport , depending on traffic , time of day, amount of luggage( they are allowed to charge 1 euro per bag, and night travel is more then day travel, and when traffic is heavy you pay to sit in traffic) a taxi from CDG to hotel will cost about 50 - 65 euros, give or take a bit.

If you are staying at a hotel thye usaully have directions on the web site on how to get there, if you are staying at an apartment the agency should tell you which metro stop is closest.

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I%26#39;d say for 3 people it%26#39;s worth a few Euro more (total 50-60 E) to just hop in a taxi and go straight to your destination (no lugging luggage through metro stations and turnstiles after a long flight).

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The RER alternative will require one transfer on the Metro. Lots of stairs.

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I would go for the taxi too, as it is a more restful way to arrive and not that expensive fcr three

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Thanks for the great replies. Since we are arriving around 8 AM we will most likely be a bit tired. So I am thinking taxi.

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Suggest you have the address written down to show to the driver. Have a nice trip.

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We are a family of three that just returned from Paris. We took the Paris Blue Shuttle for 14.90 euros a person. The nicest thing was that we did not even have to look for them~~we went to the shuttle stop about 20 minutes before they were supposed to pick us up. I expected to wait, but as soon as we walked out, they were there looking for us! In Paris, we mostly used the metro, but on a few occastions we did take a taxi. I did notice that when we took a taxi to the train station (with luggage), they charged us more than most of our longer rides. I%26#39;m assuming it had to do with the luggage handling.

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The taxi luggage fee is 1€ per bag, and there is another fee [2,60€?] for being picked up at a SNCF station.

Shuttles are a good deal for people traveling alone.

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Removed on: 8:18 pm, September 17, 2009

Lyon/Rhone or Bordeaux?

Hello,

Next July our group of 6 will spend 14 nights in France. We%26#39;re trying to finalize our itinerary so we can get hotels booked. We%26#39;ll spend the 1st 6 nights in Paris, then 2 nights each in Reims, Dijon area and Carcassone. That will leave 2 nights that we can either spend in the Lyon area following Dijon, or Bordeaux following Carcassone.

Can anyone offer their recommendation of Lyon over Bordeaux? This will be our 3rd trip to France and 1st time outside of Paris.

Thank you for your help.

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What mode[s] of transportation to you plan to use, and what airport are you flying out of? Seems like Bordeaux is out of the way.

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We%26#39;re probably going to do a combination of driving and train. When we leave either Carcassonne or Bordeax, we%26#39;ll actually go back to Paris for 3 more nights, then on to London via train. I noticed that getting to Carcassonne from Dijon meant we probably would take the train through Lyon and need to change there to go on to Carcassonne. Thought maybe it might make more sense to spend several nights in the Lyon area and return to Paris from Carcassonne. But, of course, it seems like we would need to go through Bordeaux anyway to return to Paris. We really prefer to spend 2 nights in each location, so that means we need to choose between Lyon or Bordeaux.

Any thoughts here?

Thank you,

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Nine nights in Paris and only two each in the other areas? That%26#39;s alot of travel time and not much time spent exploring the regions. There%26#39;s so much to see in each area, why not a couple of nights less in Paris, and three nights or more in only one or two other areas? It isn%26#39;t much of a vacation when you%26#39;re driving or ona train most of the day. also, it will be very crowded in France in July, so the less time spent in traffic the better.

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Hi DioneOneil,

I wish it were that simple. For our group of six, we are all arriving at different times, some have not been Paris, and we depart to different countries at different times. The time spent in Paris differs for each person. The 8 nights to spend in various locations in France are the time that the total group of 6 has together. Some of us will spend time in Paris only before the travel around France, and some of us only after. I am the only person of the six that will be in Paris both before and after.

if only 8 nights for other locations, what would be your picks if you wanted at least a minimum of 2 nights in each location?

Thank you!

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I am partial of course, but I would say Lyon, as Bordeaux is out of your way (it would make a lot of travelling). Lyon is really worth visiting, the whole city center is a UNESCO Heritage Site. I am sure you will like the roman ruins on the Fourvière hill, the beautiful Reanaissance district, strolling along the two rivers...Lyon is also famous for its gastronomy !

Have a look :

www.en.lyon-france.com/page/p-554/art_id-/

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Thank you OnlyLyon for your suggestion. I%26#39;ll check it out!

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I had to make this choice last summer. I chose Lyon, and have no regrets :) It%26#39;s a lovely city, especially near the Rhone. I%26#39;m sure Bordeaux is fine as well, though.

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Don%26#39;t hesitate asking for more infos if you finally plan to make a stopover in Lyon!

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Train schedules, route map and tickets:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

…raileurope.com/map_of_europe/france.html

www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/_SvHomePage…

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Removed on: 3:22 am, September 18, 2009

dol de bretagne to paris

going wth my kids to dol de bretagne with accomodation there over summer and wanted to visit paris to see main sights. how far is it/how long would it take?wondered abt going for the day but maybe better to stay overnite? is the fast train on this route?any idea of cost?

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You%26#39;re looking at a train trip of approximately 3 hours to Gare Montparnasse with a change in Rennes. Tickets can be purchased on SNCF up to 90 days in advance--earlier the better for possible prem [lower] fares.

www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/_SvHomePage…

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Removed on: 5:23 am, September 17, 2009

Guided Tours

I have been pouring over these forums for a about a month now. Everyone is alway so helpful and I have found some very useful info for an upcoming trip next month.

I am having a difficult time figuring out if I need to make reservations to have a guided tour that certain locations offer or if they only offer audio guided tours.

Ideally, I want to walk up to my site of choice, buy a ticket, and pay the extra fee for a guided tour (or see what time the next one will be available). I want tours of the Arc De Triomphe, Notre Dame, Ste. Chappelle, Versailles, Conciergerie.

I want a little more in depth history on these sites. I like to have little things that go unnoticed pointed out to me.

Anyone in the know?

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I was not aware of any tour of the Arc, I mean, you go up you go down, and inbetween there are a few display cases. Get a guide book and just cut out the section that explains the Arc to you.

At the Louvre you can reserve a tour when you arrive, and if you look online( the Lourve does have a very handy website, why not look at it?) , or just rent an auido guide when you enter.

Versailles it is the same either rent an audio guide or take a tour which you can pay for when you arrive, do arrive EARLY as lines can be long, other option is to take a tour from Paris directly with a guide who accompanies you , more expensive but maybe more convenient if tour is important to you.

No tour of Concierge that I could see, but again, go online .

I think since you wreally want a actual guide accompanying you that you might be best to look into going on private tours of these places, I have heard posters on this board mention a few different companies and guides. ( I think Context was one highly recommended) . these are not cheap options though, so you could just do what many do, get a good guide book( yes, I know not quite the same)

PS When I was 13 my grandmother hired a private guide for the WHOLE day for me at the Lourve, it was very expensive but it made a world of difference, you are absolutely correct , having %26quot; little things pointed out%26quot; makes things much more interesting !

This was over 30 yers ago and I still remember that first visit to the Lourve.

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Thank you for your reply. I have been pouring over the guidebooks and individual websites. While some sites do say they offer guides, they indicate to call a number. I was just wondering if I could just get a guide when I bought my ticket...basically without reservation. Or if they had a set time where they offer tours.

No need for a personal guide for the whole day. Too much money. Especially when most of the sites I%26#39;ve gone too indicate guided tours for 5 Euro. Can%26#39;t beat that price. Looks like I%26#39;ll be calling the numbers they indicate. I hate having set times. I love to play things by ear.

Luckily I have a connection (cousin is was an art buyer for Sothebys) for the Louvre and several other museums. So, we%26#39;ve already arranged for private tours of those through the museums themselves for free.

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Evereve, you lucky bum!! LOL ( Having the free tours arranged!!)

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Removed on: 7:20 am, September 17, 2009