Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Escape Paris Package (TransAtlantic Sail Date October 29, 2015

$hip$hape

By $hip$hape,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

 Share

Recommended Posts

oreilln

oreilln

Posted
Posted
I contacted my bank yesterday and found out I can purchase Euros before we leave. Just have to go to the bank, order them and will have them in 2 business days. Trying to get out how much I will need for 3 days.

 

What does it cost to take the Metro? I have been looking for a map that I can print out and so far not much luck. This being our first time in Paris we were just going to do some easy things. I would like to do the Batobus that allows you to get on and off at 9 stops, but am having a hard time trying to figure out how to get there from our hotel at Mercure. I've seen there is a location near the Eiffel Tower to pick up the boat and I figured this would be a good starting point.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Happy to help if I can! A carnet (pronounced kar-nay) of 10 metro tickets will cost around 14 euro, each ticket will get you to your final destination, ie you dont pay extra for changing internally. The maps at the stations can help you get almost anywhere in Paris. The batobus is a good idea, a very reasonable way to see a lot of Paris. It is slow so when you want to get somewhere fast, you are better on the metro. But it will give you a fantastic view of Paris from the Seine. You can join the batobus at numerous stops along the river, your hotel will probably have a map. They do have a stop at the Eiffel tower, though there are more central stops. (By the way, if you want to go to the top of the Eiffel tower, get there early, queues can be horrendous!)

I think your hotel is in La Defense? La Defense is a very modern area on the outskirts of Paris, quite attractive in a way. It is a bit far out but the good news is there is a metro stop that will bring you right into the heart of Paris, the only way you should travel in.

As well as the obvious sights, one of the great pleasures of Paris is wandering the different neighborhoods. Theres St Germain, walking in the footsteps of writers and philosophers, theres the Latin Quarter with its student feel, theres Le Marais, the old Jewish quarter, very fashionable and busy on a Sunday when everywhere else is quiet. Or go up to Montmartre, where you will probably visit Sacre Coeur but there are wonderful streets too such as Rue Lepic. And remember the parks, right in the heart of Paris and good for a rest. There are markets everyday in different parts of Paris, give a real flavor of the city. And whereever you go, you will find a metro stop nearby that will bring you back to your hotel via the superb connections. Have a coffee or a drink in a sidewalk cafe and watch the world go by!

Paris isnt famous for nothing so go with the flow and you will have a wonderful time in this most beautiful of cities!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
somebodyII

somebodyII

Posted
Posted
Happy to help if I can! A carnet (pronounced kar-nay) of 10 metro tickets will cost around 14 euro, each ticket will get you to your final destination, ie you dont pay extra for changing internally. The maps at the stations can help you get almost anywhere in Paris. The batobus is a good idea, a very reasonable way to see a lot of Paris. It is slow so when you want to get somewhere fast, you are better on the metro. But it will give you a fantastic view of Paris from the Seine. You can join the batobus at numerous stops along the river, your hotel will probably have a map. They do have a stop at the Eiffel tower, though there are more central stops. (By the way, if you want to go to the top of the Eiffel tower, get there early, queues can be horrendous!)

I think your hotel is in La Defense? La Defense is a very modern area on the outskirts of Paris, quite attractive in a way. It is a bit far out but the good news is there is a metro stop that will bring you right into the heart of Paris, the only way you should travel in.

As well as the obvious sights, one of the great pleasures of Paris is wandering the different neighborhoods. Theres St Germain, walking in the footsteps of writers and philosophers, theres the Latin Quarter with its student feel, theres Le Marais, the old Jewish quarter, very fashionable and busy on a Sunday when everywhere else is quiet. Or go up to Montmartre, where you will probably visit Sacre Coeur but there are wonderful streets too such as Rue Lepic. And remember the parks, right in the heart of Paris and good for a rest. There are markets everyday in different parts of Paris, give a real flavor of the city. And whereever you go, you will find a metro stop nearby that will bring you back to your hotel via the superb connections. Have a coffee or a drink in a sidewalk cafe and watch the world go by!

Paris isnt famous for nothing so go with the flow and you will have a wonderful time in this most beautiful of cities!

 

Oreilln:

 

Norwegian currently has us booked at Mercure Montmartre. I have us planned for a walk to the Sacre Coeur and have printed out a map to do this. I just wasn't sure how to get to the Eiffel Tower via Metro to catch the Batobus or what the cost would be. With your help I will plan on purchasing the carnet and not worry. If I purchase 1 carnet, can I use it for the 2 of us?

 

Thanks,

 

Donna

Link to comment
Share on other sites
oreilln

oreilln

Posted
Posted
Oreilln:

 

Norwegian currently has us booked at Mercure Montmartre. I have us planned for a walk to the Sacre Coeur and have printed out a map to do this. I just wasn't sure how to get to the Eiffel Tower via Metro to catch the Batobus or what the cost would be. With your help I will plan on purchasing the carnet and not worry. If I purchase 1 carnet, can I use it for the 2 of us?

 

Thanks,

 

Donna

 

Hi Donna, thats a better location since there are places of interest in Montmartre itself. Montmartre is on top of a hill overlooking Paris so there can be quite a few steps, there is a train and funicular I think. You will want to visit Sacre Couer, amazing views and most visitors also end up in the famous, if overtouristy, Place de Tertre. But Montmartre also has lovely little streets for wandering in, with a great village atmosphere, around Metro Abbesses, Rue Des Abbesses, Rue Lepic etc. And this area is within walking distance of your hotel. You are also just beside the famous Montmartre cemetery, if that interests you!

And again, you are near a few metro stops to get to the center of Paris, it will be easy. The carnet will work for both of you, they are for named people, its just 10 tickets at a cheaper rate and handier since you dont have to buy each time. One ticket works for each journey, so distance etc doesnt matter.

Watch where you eat in Paris, try and use a good guidebook, there are some great restaurants at great value but some are poor, just for tourists. So avoid big tourist spots for eating, such as the above Place de Tertre, or the streets in the Latin Quarter. I did a little guide to Paris for a US friend of mine, I will see if I can dig it out for you.

Noelle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
oreilln

oreilln

Posted
Posted
Oreilln:

 

Norwegian currently has us booked at Mercure Montmartre. I have us planned for a walk to the Sacre Coeur and have printed out a map to do this. I just wasn't sure how to get to the Eiffel Tower via Metro to catch the Batobus or what the cost would be. With your help I will plan on purchasing the carnet and not worry. If I purchase 1 carnet, can I use it for the 2 of us?

 

Thanks,

 

Donna

 

Sorry Donna, I meant to say in my last post that the Carnet of Metro tickets is NOT linked to one person so you can both use them.

I have found the little piece I did for a photographer friend of mine, will try and attach it now, never did this before on CC so hopefully it works.

Best, Noelle.

Paris.docx

Link to comment
Share on other sites
somebodyII

somebodyII

Posted
Posted
Hi Donna, thats a better location since there are places of interest in Montmartre itself. Montmartre is on top of a hill overlooking Paris so there can be quite a few steps, there is a train and funicular I think. You will want to visit Sacre Couer, amazing views and most visitors also end up in the famous, if overtouristy, Place de Tertre. But Montmartre also has lovely little streets for wandering in, with a great village atmosphere, around Metro Abbesses, Rue Des Abbesses, Rue Lepic etc. And this area is within walking distance of your hotel. You are also just beside the famous Montmartre cemetery, if that interests you!

And again, you are near a few metro stops to get to the center of Paris, it will be easy. The carnet will work for both of you, they are for named people, its just 10 tickets at a cheaper rate and handier since you dont have to buy each time. One ticket works for each journey, so distance etc doesnt matter.

Watch where you eat in Paris, try and use a good guidebook, there are some great restaurants at great value but some are poor, just for tourists. So avoid big tourist spots for eating, such as the above Place de Tertre, or the streets in the Latin Quarter. I did a little guide to Paris for a US friend of mine, I will see if I can dig it out for you.

Noelle.

 

Noelle:

 

Thank you so much for this information. What is a funicular?

 

Have you ever hear of the restaurant Flunch? I thought we might try it one night since it states that the locals eat there. We usually don't eat where the tourist eat, we like to eat where the locals eat.

 

Donna

Link to comment
Share on other sites
somebodyII

somebodyII

Posted
Posted
Sorry Donna, I meant to say in my last post that the Carnet of Metro tickets is NOT linked to one person so you can both use them.

I have found the little piece I did for a photographer friend of mine, will try and attach it now, never did this before on CC so hopefully it works.

Best, Noelle.

 

OMG Noelle, this is fantastic....thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

I totally agree with CPTech you definitely deserve 2 thumbs up.:)

 

Donna

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruise Mama

Cruise Mama

Posted
Posted (edited)

Do you think those who are staying at Melia LaDefense could identify themselves? (whether 12 or 13 day - no matter)

 

It seems the sights of Paris are going to be completely different based on where we are staying. Just wondering how many are pre-planning and who's just taking it as it comes.

 

I'm a bit overwhelmed - happening a lot for me these days.

 

You can also reach me at nclcruisemama at gmail dot com

Edited by Cruise Mama
Link to comment
Share on other sites
oreilln

oreilln

Posted
Posted
Noelle,

 

Thanks so much for posting that document. It's already helping us plan on what we are going to do.

 

Wish CC had a "like" or thumbs up thing. :)

 

You're welcome, I love Paris so happy to pass on any info. I sometimes think people are rushing around so much seeing the sights that they forget to simply enjoy Paris itself!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
oreilln

oreilln

Posted
Posted
OMG Noelle, this is fantastic....thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

I totally agree with CPTech you definitely deserve 2 thumbs up.:)

 

Donna

 

Thank you, Donna! Flunch is part of a chain, I think, probably reasonable. Since you are in Montmartre, you should consider dining there in the evening. You may not want to come back to your hotel to shower etc and then go back into the city to dine. There are numerous bistros with character around Rue des Abbesses etc, dont dine in Place de Tertre, maybe nice for a drink. Miroir is a great atmospheric bistro near Abbesses metro, I think walkable from your hotel. It has great food, menus about 26 - 40 euro. (Menus are nearly always better value than a la carte)

And a funicular is a kind of lift that takes you up to Sacre Couer and avoids walking all those steps!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
oreilln

oreilln

Posted
Posted
Do you think those who are staying at Melia LaDefense could identify themselves? (whether 12 or 13 day - no matter)

 

It seems the sights of Paris are going to be completely different based on where we are staying. Just wondering how many are pre-planning and who's just taking it as it comes.

 

I'm a bit overwhelmed - happening a lot for me these days.

 

You can also reach me at nclcruisemama at gmail dot com

 

Just to say, you can easily reach all Paris has to offer by metro from La Defense. I have stayed a number of times in Novotel in La Defense and you can get in to heart of Paris by metro no problem. Its about 20 - 25 minutes and very efficient so you can really decide where you want to go and get there by metro. La Defense itself is a modern area, people do come to visist it because of its starkly modern architecture but if you want to visit traditional Paris, hop on that metro! A taxi from there would be quite expensive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
$hip$hape

$hip$hape

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Catherine and I will be flying out of NYC/JFK on Delta.

...paid for upgrade to better seats and hoping to sleep.

Our dread of going to Europe is the time change.

(However, we love the one-hour-a-night change on the cruise back to the USA.)

 

We'll be arriving at CDG (Paris) @ 8:35AM .

I'm guessing this will be a 5 hour time difference, like getting up at about 3am Eastern Standard Time?

(Since I like my sleep...makes me nauseous just thinking about the waking early.

We've been through this time warp before so.... I know, I know; it's part of the deal:) .

 

All we have planned for the first day, of our 13-day package,

is dropping off our bags at the hotel, then go to the Hop-on Hop-off Big Bus Tour. That way, I can/may just fall asleep on the bus with translating headphones interpreting my dreams.:)

 

BTW, we'll be staying at the Melia Defense Hotel

http://www.melia.com/en/hotels/france/paris/melia-paris-la-defense/index.html

When at the Melia, we were advised to try an upgrade to a "Paris view" or a "Level" room.

Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruise Mama

Cruise Mama

Posted
Posted

Michael - we arrive 11:30 next morning (from Los Angeles). Looking forward to sleeping on the flight so as to enjoy arrival day. I like your idea of the hop on hop off bus - worried about planning much else to do that day. Difficult to try to figure out what to do with the 1/2 day tour (not knowing when it is - maybe it will be that first day!) We then only have the next day to do whatever we have finally committed to as we then travel to the ship the following morning. A lot to try to squeeze into such a short visit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
garylev35

garylev35

Posted
Posted
Michael - we arrive 11:30 next morning (from Los Angeles). Looking forward to sleeping on the flight so as to enjoy arrival day. I like your idea of the hop on hop off bus - worried about planning much else to do that day. Difficult to try to figure out what to do with the 1/2 day tour (not knowing when it is - maybe it will be that first day!) We then only have the next day to do whatever we have finally committed to as we then travel to the ship the following morning. A lot to try to squeeze into such a short visit.

We fly in from JFK on Air France leaving at 10:50 pm. We arrive in Paris about 11 am. We are staying at the Mercure Montmartre Sacre Coure. We are planning on doing a 5:30 pm sunset tour of the Eiffel Tower our tour includes the front of the line access as well as access to all 3 levels of the tower.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cruise Mama

Cruise Mama

Posted
Posted
We fly in from JFK on Air France leaving at 10:50 pm. We arrive in Paris about 11 am. We are staying at the Mercure Montmartre Sacre Coure. We are planning on doing a 5:30 pm sunset tour of the Eiffel Tower our tour includes the front of the line access as well as access to all 3 levels of the tower.

 

I saw your plans earlier and they sound wonderful - made me really wish we were arriving earlier! I thought I'd try to adapt your itinerary - just which day to leave out?

 

I'm very interested in the Eiffel Tower tour - wondering if this is what we try to do that first day for us (your second day). I'll have to look into it - time is running out (been very busy - sit on three non-profit boards and this is the busiest time of our year! - vacation most necessary!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CP Tech

CP Tech

Posted
Posted
We are planning on doing a 5:30 pm sunset tour of the Eiffel Tower our tour includes the front of the line access as well as access to all 3 levels of the tower.

 

This is an awesome idea. We have a friend who lives outside of Paris who will be with us the "full day" in Paris and this sounds like a great thing to do when we arrive and "get it out of the way".

 

Who did you book through?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
$hip$hape

$hip$hape

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Do you think those who are staying at

Melia LaDefense could identify themselves? (whether 12 or 13 day - no matter)

 

It seems the sights of Paris are going to be completely different based on where we are staying. Just wondering how many are pre-planning and who's just taking it as it comes.

 

I'm a bit overwhelmed - happening a lot for me these days.

 

You can also reach me at nclcruisemama at gmail dot com

 

Michael - we arrive 11:30 next morning (from Los Angeles). Looking forward to sleeping on the flight so as to enjoy arrival day.

I like your idea of the hop on hop off bus - worried about planning much else to do that day.

Difficult to try to figure out what to do with the 1/2 day tour (not knowing when it is - maybe it will be that first day!) We then only have the next day to do whatever we have finally committed to as we then travel to the ship the following morning. A lot to try to squeeze into such a short visit.

For Tuesday, October 27th, Catherine and I have a Skip-the Line 1:30 lunch booked at the Eiffel Tower (we did the booking near the end of July).

http://www.pariscityvision.com/en/eiffeltower-restaurant-lunch

Afterwards, we plan on having a glass of champagne at the top of the Tower.

 

Yes, everyone would like to know more about the NCL 1/2 day tour. Doesn't seem odd NCL is not giving information? (We're not counting on the 1/2 day tour fitting into our plans) If the timing fits in with our schedule, okay, we'll do it.

 

For Wednesday, October 28th, we booked a "Skip the Line:Musée d'Orsay Small-Group Tour". We've been to other museums on our own, but for this one, I'd like more information on the artwork, so we're going with the guided tour.

The Museum is have a special exibit http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/events/exhibitions/in-the-musee-dorsay/exhibitions-in-the-musee-dorsay/article/splendeurs-et-miseres-42671.html?tx_ttnews%5Btx_pids%5D=591&tx_ttnews%5Btt_cur%5D=42671&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=223&cHash=ae70452d81

Since I have a background in art history, this will be the highlight of Paris.

I've actually been doing some homework to get ready.:p

 

WE will be back in Paris next May for a river cruise, so other things already planned for our return trip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...