Help with non - Disney trip to Paris please

[Carrie_Cat]

1) What is the best way for me to get back from Chessy to Orly at the end of our stay?

2) This trip is meant to be semi-educational with an emphasis on French language experience (think A-levels!), any ideas on how to get the best out of the trip in this respect?

3) I was wondering whether to do Provins on one day as none of us have been there before. Bearing in mind that we are also spending one day at Versailles do you think this is worth doing in itself and as part of the "French immersion experience" I hope to provide? And will the three days that leaves be enough to do Paris justice or should I scrap that idea?

Thanks

1 - The easiest way would be by transfer (RS Transport or Ezyshuttle type thing) but it would also be the most expensive.

You'd then have the VEA buses which would be cheaper (18€ pp) and take about 45 minutes

And cheapest of all but longest would be the RER A to Chatelet-Les Halles change to the RER B (direction St Rémy lès Chevreuse) get off at Anthony and catch the OrlyVal monorail to the airport

or change to the B as above, go 1 stop and change at St Michel to the C (direction Massy Palaiseau) get off at Pont de Rungis and change to the bus that takes you to the terminal be prepared for a long journey

The 2 RER options are about 35 minutes from Paris so you'd have to add on your time from Disney

2 - I'm going to sound really dim here and I apologize in advance but I have no idea what you mean by that question.
I never did A levels as I was here and never went back so I have no knowledge of curriculum or anything like that that might help

3- Depending on when you are going Provins is wonderful and it's so easy to get to from DLP. There's a bus that goes direct and you get to see the countryside on the way.
Provins in season has lots happening and they put on shows and walks. Off season it's still pretty and interesting but you miss out on so much as there is no guidance

Versailles is manic whatever time of year and you need to be giving it a good half day see a full day if you want to look at the gardens and the little Trianon and the big Trianon as well as the Palace.

3 days in Paris will let you see a lot if you plan well and group together by area what interests you.
It depends how you travel and sightsee
Just remember to try and not over do it as if you are staying in the city you can see so much more and take real pleasure in just walking around and sitting at a café terrace and watching the world go by. Look at the ET twinkle in the evening on the hour from one of the many bridges. Visit the Luxembourg gardens and watch the French out and about.

 

[Ware Bears]

Ooh, great thread. We're staying in Paris for 3 nights this summer so that we can get a truer feel of the city. We've gone in for day trips twice before, and felt perfectly safe travelling back to DLP in the evening (of course it's still light until late in summer) but I'd like to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night and also experience actually staying in the city rather than just visiting for the day.

We've booked the Hotel Longchamps Elysees, it's near the Trocadero and has triple rooms. I found it on Trip Adviser, on the whole the reviews seem favourable.

We'll have two full days in Paris so we're planning on visiting Versailles one day (loved the programmes that have been on BBC2 recently) and just enjoying Paris on the other. We've previously visited Provins on the bus from DLP - it's a lovely day out.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

We've booked the Hotel Longchamps Elysees, it's near the Trocadero and has triple rooms. I found it on Trip Adviser, on the whole the reviews seem favourable.
.

You are in a very select area there I used to live opposite the Lycéé Janson de Sailly on rue de la pompe.

The restaurants and cafés are dearer than in other areas and there's not a great deal open at night.

It's very safe though to come back to and you can walk back from the ET or the Arc de Triomphe very easily

 

[cherrymarzipan]

1 - The easiest way would be by transfer (RS Transport or Ezyshuttle type thing) but it would also be the most expensive.

You'd then have the VEA buses which would be cheaper (18€ pp) and take about 45 minutes

And cheapest of all but longest would be the RER A to Chatelet-Les Halles change to the RER B (direction St Rémy lès Chevreuse) get off at Anthony and catch the OrlyVal monorail to the airport

or change to the B as above, go 1 stop and change at St Michel to the C (direction Massy Palaiseau) get off at Pont de Rungis and change to the bus that takes you to the terminal be prepared for a long journey

The 2 RER options are about 35 minutes from Paris so you'd have to add on your time from Disney

2 - I'm going to sound really dim here and I apologize in advance but I have no idea what you mean by that question.
I never did A levels as I was here and never went back so I have no knowledge of curriculum or anything like that that might help

3- Depending on when you are going Provins is wonderful and it's so easy to get to from DLP. There's a bus that goes direct and you get to see the countryside on the way.
Provins in season has lots happening and they put on shows and walks. Off season it's still pretty and interesting but you miss out on so much as there is no guidance

Versailles is manic whatever time of year and you need to be giving it a good half day see a full day if you want to look at the gardens and the little Trianon and the big Trianon as well as the Palace.

3 days in Paris will let you see a lot if you plan well and group together by area what interests you.
It depends how you travel and sightsee
Just remember to try and not over do it as if you are staying in the city you can see so much more and take real pleasure in just walking around and sitting at a café terrace and watching the world go by. Look at the ET twinkle in the evening on the hour from one of the many bridges. Visit the Luxembourg gardens and watch the French out and about.

This is incredibly helpful, thank you so much.

I have now actually booked the Cluny Sorbonne, a twin room for three nights for £254 which I thought was pretty good for what sounds a lively and fairly central area. I shall think of you, Carrie_Cat, as I walk down the street wondering if you are one of the passers-by, not that I wish you the necessity of a doctor's visit!

I totally understand what you say about taking pleasure in walking around and sitting in cafes watching the world go by. This is definitely part of the plan - to soak up the atmosphere. With regard to the language, I mentioned A-level French as that is what DS is studying at school. I certainly don't expect him to be learning specific parts of the curriculum during our visit but I am hoping that he will learn from a certain amount of immersion in the language. We will try and speak French as much as possible during our stay.

Thank you for such detailed help in getting to Orly from DLP. I hadn't realised it was such a nightmare and it would have taken me forever to find out the options you have given me.

Ooh, great thread. We're staying in Paris for 3 nights this summer so that we can get a truer feel of the city. We've gone in for day trips twice before, and felt perfectly safe travelling back to DLP in the evening (of course it's still light until late in summer) but I'd like to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night and also experience actually staying in the city rather than just visiting for the day.

We've booked the Hotel Longchamps Elysees, it's near the Trocadero and has triple rooms. I found it on Trip Adviser, on the whole the reviews seem favourable.

We'll have two full days in Paris so we're planning on visiting Versailles one day (loved the programmes that have been on BBC2 recently) and just enjoying Paris on the other. We've previously visited Provins on the bus from DLP - it's a lovely day out.

Ware Bears, thank you for your hotel suggestion which I will file away in my own "Very Useful DLP (and Paris) Information" file.

Yes, I loved that series of programmes about Versailles and I am really looking forward to revisiting it with a better understanding of its history. Felt very sorry for Louis XVI.

Looking forward to seeing the ET lit up too!

Hope you have a great time in the summer

 

[emmabelle]

not trying to hyjack the thread but....I have a question for Carriecat.


If we are staying in an apartment near the Eiffel Tower between Pont de l' Alma on the RER and the Ecole Militaire metro stop, what would be the best route to catch the RER A to Disneyland?

 

[Carrie_Cat]

not trying to hyjack the thread but....I have a question for Carriecat.


If we are staying in an apartment near the Eiffel Tower between Pont de l' Alma on the RER and the Ecole Militaire metro stop, what would be the best route to catch the RER A to Disneyland?

You must be near rue Cler and the avenue Bosquet

Go to Ecole Militaire and take line 8 (direction Créteil) to Opera. Follow the signs to the RER A...you walk through the corridors, up and down a few stairs and end up at the RER station at Auber.
There you take the train to DLP (direction Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy) and get off at the last stop

 

[emmabelle]

You must be near rue Cler and the avenue Bosquet

Go to Ecole Militaire and take line 8 (direction Créteil) to Opera. Follow the signs to the RER A...you walk through the corridors, up and down a few stairs and end up at the RER station at Auber.
There you take the train to DLP (direction Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy) and get off at the last stop

yes we are! We're on Rue du Gen Camou. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Carrie_Cat]

yes we are! We're on Rue du Gen Camou. Thanks for the tip!

Same street as the American library.

We often walked to rue Cler on Sunday morning and had coffees at Café du Marché. It's a great spot for people watching and the service was always good

 

[Ware Bears]

It's very safe though to come back to and you can walk back from the ET or the Arc de Triomphe very easily

That's good to know, thank you.

Hope you have a great time in the summer

And you!

 

[cherrymarzipan]

Merci!

And now to hi-jack my own thread, can I ask you a techie question - how do you post multiple quotes from different threads? When I try, I lose the first quote if I use the quote button under a second post.

 

[Ware Bears]

Click on the icon to the immediate right of the 'Quote' icon for each post you wish to quote, then also click on the 'Quote' icon for the last one. I'd been on the DIS for about 5 years before I realised how to do it!!

 

[emmabelle]

Same street as the American library.

We often walked to rue Cler on Sunday morning and had coffees at Café du Marché. It's a great spot for people watching and the service was always good

If you have any suggestions for lunch in the 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th districts, I'm all ears. We'll be down in those sections of the city for at least three days of our trip, sightseeing.

My husband and son plan to eat lunch while my daughter and I shop. They hate shopping and my daughter and I aren't really into authentic french cuisine. I'm hoping to keep it under 50 euros per person. Any ideas?

 

[cherrymarzipan]

Click on the icon to the immediate right of the 'Quote' icon for each post you wish to quote, then also click on the 'Quote' icon for the last one. I'd been on the DIS for about 5 years before I realised how to do it!!

I must be really dim or something but I don't have anything to the right (immediate or otherwise) of the "reply with Quote" icon. Perhaps I haven't passed the five-year test yet!

 

[Ware Bears]

I must be really dim or something but I don't have anything to the right (immediate or otherwise) of the "reply with Quote" icon. Perhaps I haven't passed the five-year test yet!

LOL!

It's at the bottom of each post on the right - there's an 'Edit' icon which only shows for your own posts, then a 'Quote' one, then one with what looks like closing speech-marks and a plus sign, then one with a quill. It's the one with the closing speech-marks and the plus sign - if you hover over it it should say 'Multi-Quote this Message'.

If you don't have these at the bottom right of your posts please say and I'll move these posts to the Tech Board - hopefully someone else will be able to help because I don't have a clue!

 

[cherrymarzipan]

: Yes!!! The other icons are there now.... but they really weren't before! Weird.

Hey, thank you for putting me right.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Cherry,

I though of something that could might be fun for your immersion in French

http://en.meetingthefrench.com/category/meet-parisians-work_101.htm

A friend told me about them today. She did this one http://en.meetingthefrench.com/visite/gerard-mulot-macaroon-and-chocolate-workshop_231.htm
and really enjoyed it.

I think I'm going to give it a try when my mum comes out to visit

 

[cherrymarzipan]

Carrie, that is brilliant, exactly the sort of brainwave i was hoping for! Thank you so much for posting.

Unfortunately the workshop your friend took, which looked totally scrumptious, is unavailable for our dates and they must all be very popular as lots seem to be completely booked up but I think we might do this one: http://en.meetingthefrench.com/visite/sophie-muguet-ceramic-restoration-workshop-visit_487.htm

I will need to get the other two to look over them today and book quickly. I really love the idea and the small groups will be ideal.

Merci beaucoup

 

[cherrymarzipan]

For anyone else who is interested in spending time in Paris I have found this site which is great for showing short video clips about various places to visit, some well known and others not so:

http://www.geobeats.com/video/9b3c9c/bastille-market

Cherry

 

[Ware Bears]

Thank you, Cherry.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

For anyone else who is interested in spending time in Paris I have found this site which is great for showing short video clips about various places to visit, some well known and others not so:

http://www.geobeats.com/video/9b3c9c/bastille-market

Cherry

Oh thank you for that one I'll have a look

I like this persons videos a lot

http://www.youtube.com/user/Mxsmanic?feature=watch

and I saw this piece in the Guardian for you

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012/mar/02/paris-hidden-passages-shopping-shops

I love visiting the passages you never know what you will find and Mxsmanic has done a short about them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9ZqLj6gD_8&list=PL58088B55F08E95A2&index=25&feature=plpp_video