Paris

[DJerba]

I'm going to Paris on Saturday for the day we arrive at 10am and leaving there about 8pm. Anyone who has been to Paris, where would you suggest eating? We dont want anywhere poncy and over priced just good food and not opposed to it being french food either. Also is there anywhere you would suggest seeing/shopping etc? Any suggestions most welcome
Thanks

[delboy3]

For good value (i.e. non rip-off) restaurants, try the Latin Quarter. Also, have a look around the Trocadero & Eiffel Tower, Montmarte, Champs Elys�es, Arc de Triomphe, the Pompidou Centre, the Louvre, Les Invalides, Pigalle & Notre Dame, to name but a few. For shopping, try Les Halles. Bon voyage!

[Buenchico]

(Multi-part post):

I've been to Paris loads of time, usually on day trips (with Eurostar) and usually arriving and departing at around the same times as you will be. So here are a few suggestions for you:

I'm guessing that you'll be arriving on Eurostar. If so, take the RER Line B, southbound (i.e. towards Robinson and Saint-R�my-l�s-Chevreuse) from Gare du Nord, to St-Michel-Notre-Dame. If you want to view Notre Dame Cathedral, just follow the signs from the station.

Alternatively (or afterwards) walk into the Latin Quarter, which commences immediately south of the station. If you walk along the Boulevard Saint Michel, and explore the side streets which run off it, you'll find an eclectic assortment of shops. If the weather's fine, you might want to wander into the attractive Parc du Luxembourg, which you'll find on the right hand side of the Boulevard Saint Michel. The French Senate building, the Palais du Luxembourg, is in the park and is well worth a photograph or two. Alternatively, taking the side streets off of the Boulevard Saint Michel, opposite the Parc du Luxembourg, will take you to the Pantheon.

[Buenchico]

When you've completed your sightseeing and shopping, head back towards St-Michel-Notre-Dame station but turn off to your right just before getting there. (Look for St S�verin Church, on a map, as a focal point). This area is absolutely packed with bars, caf�s and restaurants. (Almost every building serves food and drink). The competition keeps prices low but that doesn't mean poor quality food or poor service. You can get a three course meal from �10 (about �7) but, for reasonable quality and a better choice of dishes, expect to pay around �15 (just over a tenner). If you pay �20 (�14) you can get a real feast.

What you do from here on will depend on whether you want to concentrate on sightseeing or shopping. For leisurely sightseeing, you could head back towards Notre Dame Cathedral and look for the landing stage for the Batobus (an unguided tour bus with frequent services) which is on the opposite side of the river to the Cathedral. The journey to the Eiffel Tower takes about an hour. (It's a hop-on, hop-off service, with an all-day ticket but, since Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower lie at either end of the route, you'll see everything if you get off at the Eiffel Tower.).

If you decide to ascend the Eiffel Tower, allow an absolute minimum of two hours because there are always queues for the lifts.

[Buenchico]

If you want to visit the Eiffel Tower, but don't fancy the river trip, you can get there much quicker by taking RER line C, westbound (towards Versailles-Rive Gauche or Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines) for 4 stops to Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel.

If I can assume that you've got to the Eiffel Tower (whether or not you choose to ascend it), a suitable route might be to cross the bridge, over the Seine, alongside the Tower to the Palais de Chaillot (which is worthy of a few photographs). Look for the Metro signs which will take you to Trocadero station. Take Line 6, northbound for 3 stops, to its terminus at Charles de Gaulle �toile. You leave the station right next to the Arc de Triomphe and at the top of the Avenue des Champs Elys�es with its classy (and pricey) shops and bars.

If you've taken the river trip (and especially if you've ascended the Eiffel Tower), a walk along the Champs des Elys�es will take you well into the afternoon and it would be wise to be thinking about heading back towards Gare du Nord. To do so, simply go to any of the Metro stations along the Champs des Elys�es and take Metro Line 1 (eastbound, towards Ch�teau de Vincennes) to Chatelet. Follow the 'correspondence' signs for RER Line B and then take this service, for 1 stop northbound (towards A�roport Charles de Gaulle or Mitry-Claye) back to Gare du Nord.

[Buenchico]

Immediately opposite the main doors of Gare du Nord, there are lots of attractive bars and restaurants where you can get an early evening meal, at very reasonable prices.

A few final hints:
1. You can buy a day ticket for the Metro and RER trains (and the buses as well, if you want to use them) for �6 at Waterloo International station. You get them from the information desk at the end of the departure lounge furthest from the security checks. (Alternatively, you can buy them from the small souvenir shop, under the escalators). It's possible to buy a similar ticket slightly cheaper in Paris because you only require a two-zone one and those sold at Waterloo are for three zones but it's worth paying slightly more at Waterloo to avoid the ticket queues in Paris.

2. The same information desk can usually provide you with a free street plan of Paris which is good enough for a day trip, so you won't need to buy a map.

3. Don't buy a guide book before you travel. The best guide book, for day trips, is published by ''L'Indepensable'. It's hard to find in the UK but is available from any of the 'Relay' newsagents at Gare du Nord.

Chris

[DJerba]

Wow! Loads to do thank you, much appreciated!