Paris - travelling and other questions

Question

I'm going to Paris later this august, and have an excellent itinerary planned of all the famous sights and of course, all of the little cafes and secret spots of Paris. (I hope!) Will travelling be easy to work out? I am going with a friend and we both have international student cards, so will we get discounts? We intend to use the metro. Should we get a carnet of tickets at the beginning of the week? Any tips you can give us for the bus system, the metro, the taxis, decent pubs, cafes, bars and clubs in Paris?

Also, excluding getting there and back, and accomodation, I have budgeted £150 for 5 days. More like 4 days, really. Is this realistic? I plan on never eating out, and museum admission rates are generally very good for students: usually free.

We are staying at the Aloha hostel in a mixed dorm of 6 people. So we will be living with four strangers. We will be bringing padlocks for our bags! Are there any safety tips you can give us? Does anyone know the aloha hostel themselves?

Please reply!

Answer 1

A couple of tips.

Have you thought of using the new rent-a-bikes called Velib?

It costs 1 euro a day or 5 euros for a week. You pick up a bike at a bike stand and leave it (within half an hour) at another bike stand. There are well over 1000 stands in Paris, far more than there are metro stations.

You can take any number of rides a day, each up to half an hour - which is more than enough to get to the next place of interest. If you think you need more than half an hour, you just return your bike to a stand and get another one! If you really do exceed your time, you are charged 1 euro extra, so it hardly breaks the bank.

The weekly carte orange is bieng phased out, but you can still buy the coupons at some stations. Costs about 18 euros for a week. Runs from Monday to Sudnay, so it depends on how your trip is scheduled.  

Answer 2

I think you 150€ is enough! Shop for groceries at ED, a cheap supermarket (good quality though!!) .  As mentioned above, walk to most places. The most beautiful spots in Paris arent even in the travel guide, so enjoy the weather and take some comfy shoes:)

The best place to go in the evening is the Marais. Very quirky and cool place!

I dont know which kind of music you like, but I went to a club called Tango and I had so much fun...it was a very cheesey night inspired on Eurovision songs!! Very authentic!

Have fun, Au revoir!  

Answer 3

Hi!

Yes, travelling is easy in Paris. You will find all information about the parisian metro, bus and tramway  here:

http://www.ratp.fr/

Few french people speak english, so don't forget your pocket dictionary.

150 £ for 4-5 days excluding accomodation seem OK, if you don't visit too many cafes & pubs every day!

I don't know the aloha hostel.

Answer 4

You could invest in a Plan De Paris, the Paris version of the London A-Z. The Metro is excellent. Yes, buy a carnet of tickets, but do bear in mind that the centre of Paris is really small so it's cheaper to walk most places. You could easily walk from the Arc De Triomphe to the Eiffle Tower for example. You get to see interesting things that you might miss underground.

Try to visit Saint Chapel on the Isle De La Cite - it's really lovely.

It's so long since I lived in Paris that I can't honestly comment on accommodation and prices. I'll let someone else help you there.

Answer 5

First if you could speak a little french that would be a good start £150.00 for 4 days is OK if you buy out of supermarkets they are Irish and English pubs there cafes are very expensive metro would be the better way of getting around because there ticket machines are in English bus drivers and taxi drivers not much English

Answer 6

I went in May for 5 days. I used tickets which I prefer over the pass. It costs 10 tickets for about 11 euros. Plus alot of the attractions are near each other, so you can walk alot. I also suggest getting the museum pass which includes alot of attractions and monuments not just museums. I got a 2-day pass, I saw quite a bit and you bypass the lineups which is a plus.

I don't think 150 euros is enough. I used about 300 euros and my hotel room had a kitchenette. I brought my cereal from home and went to the grocery store to buy stuff to make for my lunch which I would eat in the parks.

go www.frommers.com. I got lot of helpful tips and advice. plus it has a list of attractions with a brief description, cost, nearest metro, and hours open.

Also when you get to your hotel, just grab any brochure. Most them have a map in it with the attractions and metros highlighted. Also they have a subway map in the brochure. I still have my brochure, it was a god send.

Answer 7

If you want to know any information of Paris regarding staying then you can find it from http://www.stayresfrance.com/paris_hotel... I hope it mustbe useful for you.