Travelling to Paris

Cyanide · 29 Sep 2015 at 14:41

Hi guys,

I've booked a family holiday to Disneyland Paris next September (hotel and park only at the moment) and I'm planning on treating my wife and daughter to a weekend in Paris beforehand.

Disney is booked for Monday-Friday so I'd be looking to do Saturday and Sunday in Paris then jump on the train to Disney Monday morning.

I know I can't book the Eurostar until early next year and from what I gather that's the best way of getting there?

Also, I'm aware that Paris can be hideously expensive - any tips on picking a decent hotel without getting ripped off? Ideally one near one of the main train stations or tourist areas as none of us speak French or have particularly good senses of direction

hughtrimble · 29 Sep 2015 at 14:51

Could try Air BnB for such a short stay? Might save a few quid compared to a hotel in a similar location.

Cyanide · 29 Sep 2015 at 15:11

hughtrimble said:
Could try Air BnB for such a short stay? Might save a few quid compared to a hotel in a similar location.

That might not be a bad shout, just had a look and there's some really nice looking places that are shockingly cheap - presumably because I'm booking so far in advance.

Any recommendations on what area to look at or does it all fall under the tag of "Paris"?

Jim99 · 29 Sep 2015 at 15:13

It's a bit 50/50 in terms of Eurostar, when I last looked it was marginally cheaper to fly BA (but more expensive to get to Heathrow than to St Pancras, which brought Eurostar out ahead).

I stayed at a good value hotel near the Gare Du Nord a while back, but I didn't rate the area much.

kefkef · 29 Sep 2015 at 15:19

Eurostar was nice this year when we went, but it's a bit long winded compared to flying (though I am only 20 minutes away from Leeds Bradford). By the time you add up the train to London and then Eurostar it was about 1-1.5hrs quicker flying. Landing inParis, you walk out of the airport, down the hill under a covered walkway and hop on one of the many trains to Gare Du Nord. From there the Metro can get you anywhere in Paris quite quickly and easily with a little bit of common sense (hell,, even my wife managed to not get lost using it and she can get lost in the local tesco's) and it all adds to the adventure.

I've stayed in a few parts of Paris and the one thing that strikes is the size of the rooms, they are tiny. Three in a room would be a squeeze, so specify a family room if possible. The last few times we've been we stayed at the Best Western Jardin De Cluny, nice little hotel quite close to Notre Dame. I'd Steer clear of 2,3,9,10th arrondisement, the 5,6 and 8th have always been nice, with 5/6 having a good selection of restaurants and cafes to sit outside.

It is dear for anywhere you sit on the street (£10-12 for 1.5 pints of lager) but if you stick to just one or two beers and a few coffees then it should be fine. It's still cheaper than Rome!

Redgie · 29 Sep 2015 at 15:34

I flew as it was actually cheaper from up north, but not sure how you're fixed for proximity to an airport. Hotel wise, I just went on tripadvisor, put my dates and a max price in, then sorted by TA rating. We ended up at a lovely boutique style hotel called the Monterosa that was < 5 minutes from the nearest metro station and cost £50pppn. No complaints on the flight or the hotel

.

Cyanide · 29 Sep 2015 at 15:40

We're ~20 minutes from East Midlands and ~45 from Birmingham so flying is an option. I suppose it'll depend if they finish building my local train station in time!

Cost of drinks won't be an issue, and I doubt room size will be either - it's me, my wife and our daughter will be 3 1/2 at the time

Be nice to make it a bit more luxurious too, I've booked the Disneyland Hotel and we'll be treating Emily to princess dresses etc so it'd be nice to start the week off with something decent too

Jim99 · 29 Sep 2015 at 15:42

I'd definitely look at flying in that case, a) it will probably be a bit more special, although with Eurostar you can spend the whole trip trying to spot fish and b) I imagine it would be a bit of a trek to St Pancras.

doogs · 29 Sep 2015 at 15:48

Try looking at the "Hotel Mercure Paris Montmartre Sacre Coeur".
Its not far from the Moulin Rouge but outside the red light district.

We stayed there and it was really good - its fine for kids. There is a good café across the road (Café Luna) that does good breakfast, etc and they speak English.

Nearest underground is about 1 minute walk "Place De Clichy" which will get you down to the top of the Champs De Elysses at the Arc De Triomphe. You can also get to Gard Du Nord (one of the main train stations) quite easily.

hughtrimble · 29 Sep 2015 at 15:51

Cyanide said:
That might not be a bad shout, just had a look and there's some really nice looking places that are shockingly cheap - presumably because I'm booking so far in advance.

Any recommendations on what area to look at or does it all fall under the tag of "Paris"?

When I've used it, you've been able to specify an area by zooming in on the area of the map you're interested in staying in. So put in your criteria (cost, dates etc.), then find the station(s) on the map you want to stay near, and then zoom in on them to see what's around.

I can't think of any nice bits near the big stations, but I'm really not familiar with Paris enough to be able to comment. I'm sure there are plenty on here who can help.

I stayed near the Champs-Élysées on Avenue Foch and it was pretty sweet indeed, with the metro so close by, and being so near to some rather nice areas. However, it was literally not possible to extend your arms fully across the width of the room

.

Cyanide · 18 Dec 2015 at 11:02

Bit of a bump on this one as I can now book my transport

Went to book the Eurostar today but the price has shot up the week I want as it's the Paris half marathon apparently... that makes flying with BA from Heathrow about the same price, if not slightly cheaper. I take it this is a better option than the Eurostar given the cost difference? Only concern is not having things go direct but looking at it CDG to Paris then Disneyland to CDG is pretty straightforward and shouldn't be too expensive?

I'll apologise in advance to anyone who's on the flight with my 3 year old - she likes to sing on the bus so god only knows what she'll be like on a plane

Will Gill · 18 Dec 2015 at 11:26

The majority of Parisians will not give you an easy time if you can't speak a word of french, I'd learn some basic phrases, making an effort at least goes a long way.

M1k3H · 18 Dec 2015 at 11:40

Will Gill said:
The majority of Parisians will not give you an easy time if you can't speak a word of french, I'd learn some basic phrases, making an effort at least goes a long way.

This, although not the majority for us, i still remember going to a boulangerie and trying to order a ham and cheese baguette and the owner would not understand the word cheese! :rolleyes:

I had a ham baguete in the end as i remembered the french for ham.

Cyanide · 18 Dec 2015 at 11:41

I'll get a phrase book for me and my wife to start practicing. I never did French at school so it could be interesting :eek:

byeo · 18 Dec 2015 at 12:29

Cyanide said:
Hi guys,

I've booked a family holiday to Disneyland Paris next September (hotel and park only at the moment) and I'm planning on treating my wife and daughter to a weekend in Paris beforehand.

Disney is booked for Monday-Friday so I'd be looking to do Saturday and Sunday in Paris then jump on the train to Disney Monday morning.

I know I can't book the Eurostar until early next year and from what I gather that's the best way of getting there?

Also, I'm aware that Paris can be hideously expensive - any tips on picking a decent hotel without getting ripped off? Ideally one near one of the main train stations or tourist areas as none of us speak French or have particularly good senses of direction

I see you're from Notts, Doncaster/Sheffield airport are starting a DSA to CDG in March next year with Flybe, might be worth taking a look...

Cyanide · 18 Dec 2015 at 13:13

byeo said:
I see you're from Notts, Doncaster/Sheffield airport are starting a DSA to CDG in March next year with Flybe, might be worth taking a look...

We've got family ~30 mins away from Heathrow and BA isn't much more than the Flybe/Ryanair/Easyjet flights I've found elsewhere. Having a 3 year old with us I'd rather pay a few £ more for BA or AirFrance to get a bit more service and comfort.

john_s · 18 Dec 2015 at 13:33

Air France are often good value for Paris (and *very* good value if a strike disrupts your flight by just a couple of hours

).

They code share with FlyBe. If you're a FlyBe passenger, you don't get free drinks, unless it's an Air France plane (in which case, everyone got a drink). If you're an Air France passenger on a FlyBe plane, you get a voucher for a free drink.

byeo · 18 Dec 2015 at 13:36

Cyanide said:
We've got family ~30 mins away from Heathrow and BA isn't much more than the Flybe/Ryanair/Easyjet flights I've found elsewhere. Having a 3 year old with us I'd rather pay a few £ more for BA or AirFrance to get a bit more service and comfort.

Having flown with two young kids, 3 and 4 years old to Paris (Air France from Birmingham to Paris Charles de Gaulle) what "bit more service and comfort" do you want on a 45 minute flight ? We got water and a croissant and that's it...

inogen · 18 Dec 2015 at 13:45

I much prefer the Eurostar. I've paid more for it than flying and would again. Especially for short trips. I feel much better getting off a comfy train than a cramped plane. But anyway.

If you want to go out to eat in some of the more famous fancy restaurants, go for lunch. It's much cheaper than for dinner and it's more laid back. A lot of them you need to book for evening meals and they're a bit busy for small kids.

Cyanide · 18 Dec 2015 at 13:47

byeo said:
Having flown with two young kids, 3 and 4 years old to Paris (Air France from Birmingham to Paris Charles de Gaulle) what "bit more service and comfort" do you want on a 45 minute flight ? We got water and a croissant and that's it...

We've flown on a short flight with one of the budget airlines before - never again. Herded on to a cramped plane, horrible seats with no space, staff with the "we're just here to work" sort of attitude... even the coach from the airport to the city was more luxurious.