I’m planning a trip for this summer, maybe mid july, but I’ve never had to do anything before like this so I don’t know where to start. I’m going with two of my friends and since I’m the responsible organised one I’m in charge of the planning (they can help if they want to but I don’t think they know where to start either, and if they have any ideas along with mine they can tell me, I’m quite glad to be doing it because i’m not sure i trust them to get it all sorted before the summer). My parents can’t help me with this because they don’t know about it because they’ll be in Italy at the time and I’m not going with them.
So i really need help with find out about the different ways of getting over there, how to find hotels to stay in that won’t be too expensive but aren’t shit holes, and i need a way to get from London or wherever to Paris, that doesn’t cost too much but won’t get us killed.
Sorry if this isn’t the right forum, it probably isn’t, but i couldn’t make up my mind. Thanks in advance.
Hotel, B&B, self-catering, hostel, YMCA, etc. ? Obviously all budget related.
Once you know your budget, go to a local big bookshop and sneak around the Travel section looking at the Lonely Planet Guide to Paris – that’s one of the types of travel book targeting you’re kind of market, there will be others.
Having done that, you’ve got an idea of prices and areas within the city that sound good to you.
Go online and start searching using the keywords that make most sense – you can do it in English as most Parisians have woken up to their tourist markets and have their sites in English as well. Google:
Name of area you want + type of accommodation you want
and see what comes up; they’ll be loads of options. Then you book your accommodation and book your travel and work out how to get from one to the other.
I just made this very trip a few weeks ago, and can tell you that taking a bus or train to Dover and then a ferry across the Channel will probably be cheaper, but will take you a lot longer. I stayed with friends, so I can’t help you much on the lodging side, but definitely find yourself a budget travel guide. Lonely Planet also has a message board, and people there are experienced travlers for the most part and will have lots of advice, but you should do your homework first.
Also, check out the budget airlines; I don’t know how likely they are to run deals during peak travel season, but maybe other BritDopers can help you on that. BMI and EasyJet had some really cheap fares from London to Paris. I went the Eurostar route, but only because I was in Kent, so by the time I had to spend another several hours and pay for another train ticket to get back to the airport, it wouldn’t have been worth it.
I can thoroughly recommend Eurostar or Eurotunnel if you have a car by then (declaration of interest: I’m a shareholder in Eurotunnel). Given that you’re rather north of London, though, you might look into local coach journeys.
I can’t help you about where to stay - I’ve only stayed in a military place there (no, not the Bastille ) and I can’t remember the name anyway.
Do be aware that you are proposing to go in high season. Not only is this when most foreigners visit Paris, and prices are highest, but many Parisians disappear to other parts.
Do make sure your passports are up to date.
You are bright and intelligent so I do not need to warn you about the dangers of a pretty young girl - or group thereof - wandering about a foreign city unaccompanied, do I? And a plain ring on the appropriate finger will stop many from pestering you.
If you want a really cheap, but very basic hotel, there is formule1. They one next to my office is around 30 euros per night for a room with breakfast included. It’s a short bus ride followed by a short train ride to the centre of Paris.
Hotels in Paris itself are a lot cheaper than in London. Last time I was there I stayed in the Hotel D’Amiens, but it’s around 60 euros a night for a double room.
In Paris, you need a carte orange. 26 euros a week IIRC for zones 1-3. Only valid monday to Monday.
Getting to Paris is the easy part. If you live close to an airport and you have definite travel dates, the flying is easy and cheap. If not, then the cheapest and most convinient option might be to take a bus to London, followed by the Eurostar.
If you’re not staying that long in Paris you should take the Paris Visite card instead of the Carte Orange (worth a month).
Eurostar is good, and you don’t have a car, it’s the best way to go from dowtown to downtown.
Formule 1 hotels are cheap, but there is none in downtown Paris, There more next to highway exits. forget it if you dpn;t have a car, or if you don;t want to be in the traffic all day.
You can try Etap Hotel : they have some at the doors of Paris (don;t take anything north of Paris : bad suburbs!). It’s about 50 E per day for 3 people.
I heard about this one http://www.hotelsaintemarie.com/, seems to be ok and it’s in the heart of Paris, but you need to book kinda fast.
If the money is an issue you can try the “auberges de jeunesse”
) and I can’t remember the name anyway.
