Thanks to the great advice on this board, I was able to book a double room for 4 at the Crowne Plaza Republique for our July weekend holiday with our two teens D%26#39;s. It was difficult to find rooms for 4.
Looking at the map, it seems that we can reasonably walk to Notre Dame, Louvre, Champ de Elysees and across the bridge to Latin Quarter. Is this correct? I would rather walk than figure out the metro or buses with our non-existent french. I brought a phrase book but I really have little hope to be fluent by then, lol. We can leisurely walk 10-20 city blocks with no problem. I expect to just take a taxi back at the end of the night, if price is reasonable.
Someone on my previous post also suggested taking the boat to the Eiffel tower. This sounds like a great idea. However, I thought these were round trip tours. Can someone point out which tour does this? I hope to do this day of arrival towards the evening and return by taxi.
Also, is the area around Republique safe to walk back to at night?
Due to time, the only museum we will visit during
our trip will be the Louvre. Therefore, I don%26#39;t think it will be worth buying the museum pass. I understand that the teens (under 18) are free. Therefore, is there a place I can buy tickets for DH and I, ahead of time to avoid standing in line?
Finally, can you recommend a place to grab a nice inexpensive breakfast near the hotel on our way out in the morning.
Thank you for all your advice.
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I think you might be under-estimating the distances involved. From Republique, Notre Dame is 2.5km (1.55 miles), and the Champs d%26#39;Elysees- Arc de Triomphe end, is 3.5km (2.17 miles). The Louvre is about 2.5km also.
The hotel%26#39;s official website has lots of other distances too.
www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/925/en/hd…
The area is perfectly safe and you will find plenty of places to eat. I cannot name any as I never write these things down - I prefer to decide on the day!
This should help re the boat trips:-
http://www.batobus.com/english/index.htm
If you%26#39;re looking for a round trip then try bateaux-mouches.
http://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/
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As an alternative, I can still book Le Meridien Montparnasse. However, looking at the map, it looked like the same distances. If this is a better option, please let me know. I can still change it.
Thank you.
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As you say, the distances are about the same as from Crowne Plaza. I think, overall, you%26#39;d be happier at Le Meridien: I don%26#39;t know why this is, but Americans seem to favour the left bank, whereas Europeans favour the right bank. Possibly something to do with US guide books...??
Transport to all the main sights is very easy from Montparnasse. Metro line 6 from either Montparnasse Bienvenue (MB) or Edgar Quinet will take you direct to Bir Hakeim station which is a stone%26#39;s throw from the Eiffel Tower. Line 4 from MB will take you to Notre Dame and Chatelet (for the Louvre).
If you prefer to travel by bus then the 92 from Gare Montparnasse (that%26#39;s not the metro station but the main line station about 200m away) will take you to Ecole Militaire - very close to the Eiffel Tower, and the 96 will take you from Gare Montparnasse to St Michel (for Notre Dame -a short walk) and Chatelet.
Sorry I don%26#39;t know anything about the museum passes. Maybe a search in the white box above will produce some help.
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I stayed at the Crown Plaza Republique 2 weeks ago (see review). Our group too was a party of 4, with 2 only speaking English. The 2 English-only speaking had ZERO problems feeling comfortable speaking English in both the area around the Place de la Republique and the %26quot;tourism%26quot; sites you listed above. I think you will be pleasantly surprised how many French folks speak functional English.
I would recommend using the Metro. The strength of the Republique location is its Metro station. The entrance to the Metro is just outside of the lobby. The folks who staff the ticket booth at the Metro speak fluent English. The front desk staff at the hotel speak English more properly than I do. I would not be intimidated to ask for help in English as far as purchasing tickets/passes and navigating the Metro. It really is simple and efficient. Walking 10-20 blocks sounds reasonable but, I would take transportation TO my destination and then WALK BACK if I felt up to it. I think you will find a leisurely stroll exciting and satisfying but you will also arrive at your intended destination fatigued and you wont be able to fully enjoy it. Especially as a party of 4, YOU may be up to the walking where others in your group will get grumpy and tired.
We took the BatoBus (Boat) for 1 day around Paris. It was 12EUR per person. I think it was a bit expensive for our use but I was able to get some great photos from a very different vantage point. I think there were 8 different stops. You can get off at any stop and then get back on later. I think the boats came every 20 minutes or so.
I walked around the Republique area between 10p and 2a with a senior and a 7yr old. I never felt unsafe.
I purchased tickets to the Louvre at the front desk of the Crown Plaza Republique for 11Euro each (9 + 2Euro surcharge). Having the tickets in hand and not having to rush in the morning so we could get in line was definitely worth the 2Euro surcharge. Use the Porte des Lions or Carousel entrance when you get there.
For breakfast I went to a bakery 100M from the hotel lobby (Aux Péchés Normands 9, Rue Fbg du Temple). They had yummy bread, pastries, fresh fruit, etc.. With coffee and enough food for 4 we spent about 12 Euros. Another great place we went was Cafe Brasilia (Blvd de Magenta). We had coffee and Ham and Cheese crepes for about 6Euro per person. We then walked down the Canal St. Martin back to the hotel.
%26quot;Non Existant%26quot; French is really not worth being apprehensive about. 90% of the French we interacted with spoke functional English. The key is being polite first and you will find that most will be willing to speak English to you. I think if you focused on some basic French vocabulary you will get past the language barrier fairly easily.
*Merci* thank you. French are polite.
*Bonjour/bonsoir* greet everyone you are going to interact with
*Au revoir* say goodbye to everyone you interact with
*Pardon* excuse yourself in crowds. Excuse yourself when getting someone%26#39;s attention
*Combien* how much/many - you can signal for them to write it down if you can%26#39;t count in French
*Ce tout* %26quot;that%26#39;s all%26quot; to signal that you are finshed
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