by Wendy
Let’s round out the year with a few more tips for those of you planning a trip to the city of lights. This draft has only been sitting unfinished for over a month, sorry.
Getting Around
After we arrived in Paris this past September, we took Le Bus Direct from Charles de Gaulle airport to Gare Lyon train station. This route also stopped in Montparnasse, but there were other lines as well. About 18 euros for an easy, comfortable ride through Paris traffic.
It’s never a bad idea to have a transportation backup plan, even if it’s a taxi or uber. There can be no or limited service on bus, trains or metro due to strikes, maintenance or city events. It happens. Washington DC recently shut down certain metro stations for weeks at a time for repairs. As my cynical seventh grade teacher used to remark to halt our whining, “that’s life in the big city.”
For the return back to the airport, we took Roissy Bus from the Opera neighborhood, which I discovered last year. For more on Roissy Bus and other transportation tips, check out this post.
Train Travel
Traveling by train is a wonderful option to add cities or even countries to your Paris itinerary. While it can be cheaper to book in advance, we opted to buy tickets to Beaune after we arrived at Gare Lyon, to account for any flight or travel delays. We used a kiosk to search times and prices; the first one wouldn’t accept our credit card, but the second one did.
Apparently SNCF paper tickets need to be validated before you board the train. I read this online prior to the trip, so we watched what others were doing and followed suit. There are little yellow boxes near the platforms that stamp the tickets.
Always good to remember that some public restrooms in places like train stations require a small fee. And the attendant may not be able to change a 20 euro bill. I should know better, but still made this rookie mistake in the haze of jet lag.
We learned that first class train tickets may not cost that much more than second class – but can make a big difference. After sitting in a cramped, dingy and slightly smelly compartment to Lyon (where we transferred to Beaune), we bought first class tickets on the way back to Paris from Lyon. It may depend on the train, but we were surprised by the comfortable reclining seats and clean, spacious and quiet train car.
Dining
Steak frites are a popular item in France. Our friends recommend Le Relais L’Entrecote – which sounds amazing and is still on my list for a future visit. Jack and I wandered around for miles one night debating where to eat until finally rolling the dice at A Côte in the Opera neighborhood, another steak frites place. Jack was skeptical but it was getting late, the waiter was friendly and the dining room was cozy…and dinner ended up being one of the best of the trip. The steak was perfect and served with marrow that could be sampled with a spoon, delicately crispy fries, salad and flavorful béarnaise. And the desserts were incredible.
If you’ve got your heart set on going to a specific restaurant, make reservations. There was a popular wine bar we were interested in visiting, but on a Saturday night in a tiny dining room? Forget about it. On the other hand, it’s Paris, so there are no shortage of restaurants to discover. It may just take a bit longer. That night we were able to get a 10pm reservation at another wine bar, Le Comptoir des Petits Champs, and had a reasonable three course dinner. Not every dish hit it out of the park, but everything was good and we loved the warm atmosphere.
I could easily turn this into another Paris food post, but I’ll stop after mentioning one more place we really liked. I don’t think we expected the above when we stopped in Baguett’s Cafe on Rue de Richelieu to grab a quick coffee and scone. Delicious.
Views and Walks
The top levels of Le Printemps department store include a giant market of gourmet products from France. Browse around and then walk out to the balcony on the 9th floor for an excellent view of Paris. There is a cafe and restaurant as well, but it’s free to step out and take in the skyline.
This post lists a few more of my favorite Paris views.
Walking in Paris is one of our favorite activities, even without a clear destination in mind. One morning we had planned to go to the World War I museum in Meaux, a suburb of Paris – but it was such a beautiful day we decided to stay outdoors. We walked along the Seine, admiring the blue sky, the architecture, the houseboats, the Eiffel Tower in the distance.
Jack and I are total night owls, so we love walking around Paris in the late hours. Probably no surprise to anyone who knows us or reads this blog on a regular basis. But the city of lights is so stunning at night.
Speaking French
Willi’s Wine Bar on Rue Petits Champs was a lively spot for a pre-dinner glass while we waited for our dinner reservation down the street. We were surprised that it seemed to be a magnet for expats or travelers wanting to socialize with English speakers. The guy sitting next to us was in a similar line of work as Jack and raised not far from his hometown. Small world.
Just about everyone in Paris speaks English, and will often switch to English after hearing attempts at French. Sometimes I would say, “J’aime practiquer” and found those in Paris or Beaune to be very helpful and encouraging. Though we had to laugh when a waitress greeted us by saying, “Hi, I’m British so we can all speak English and save ourselves the embarrassment.”
Paris, I miss you. See you soon, J’espere.