Paris

Eurostar is easy. Just be sure you're at St Pancras at least half an hour before departure because you need to go through security etc, just as you do at an airport. When you reach Gare du Nord, you will probably need to take the metro. You can get a map of it on
www.aparisguide.com/maps/metro.htm
and you will probably find that there's a metro station quite close to your hotel.
Booking.com had a good selection of hotels almost everywhere and the reviews are worth reading.

Love Eurostar. Think it's about £70 return to Paris if you leave after 4pm and you get to keep an eye on your luggage!

Alway's use Eurostar for paris then stay at nice and cheap hotel and save £s for special treat's.

I was going to get one of those suitcase on wheels things..will I be able to keep that with me? We're staying on the Champs Elysees and have to use the Metro Saint Phillipe du Roule. I hate metros! What is the protocol for tipping in France? I'm hoping this will be the first of many trips to Paris; I'd like to get to know the city well. Haven't been abroad for several years so feeling a bit nervous! Hotel is a bit posh, I think..I'd be much happier in something a bit more rustic, but it's a birthday present.

crimson

Hi Crimson
Have you tried using the forums on Trip Adviser. There will be one specifically for Paris. You can get loads of information by just reading other people's threads but if you ask your own questions, you usually get lots of people willing to give you their own ideas.
We're using the forums there to get info for a trip to America. They've been brilliant.
Rosie

Yes; I looked on there for advice about toilets [my big worry!]. The trip was wonderful and I can't wait to go back one day. Such a beautiful city with so much happening all the time. Our weekend was taken up with racing so we didn't get to do any of the galleries [free on the first Sunday of each month].There was a free bus to the race track; free entry [this was their biggest day of the year]; free racecards plus a hat for me and a colouring book for my grandson. No one stopped us taking our own food in [we get searched when we go racing over here because they want us to buy the awful food they sell]. They put English racecourses to shame. The trouble with travel is that, the first time you go [I hadn't been to paris for over 40 years] is always the most exciting. The return trip, although you know more of what to do and where to go, is never quite the same. I envy you going to America; travel has been missing from my life recently. I felt so 'alive' when I was away [if that makes sense]. [By the way, there was a free toilet on the way to the free bus; one of those tardis type affairs...so I had no need to worry!]. Are you doing The Grand Canyon etc? My son went to Las Vegas a couple of years ago..a strange place to visit, I thought but it was a fantastic holiday. Have you read the Bill Bryson book about America 'The Lost Continent'? Bill Bryson has been my imaginary travelling companion for years; I used his book Neither Here Nor There when we travelled round Europe with the kids many years ago. Took them to some very strange places thanks to Bill....

I'm going to Paris at the end of this month with a friend from Uni days. Since 1998 we have gone approx once every 2 years, though a couple of times we have gone to Nice instead. Before we go we draw up a list of things to see and do, and the list never gets any shorter, because while we are there we keep finding things to do 'next time', so these get added to the list, along with things we read/hear about in between visits. We try to stay at the same hotel every time because it is in an area that is lived in by real Parisian families and feels safe to wander at night, as well as being within walking distance of the Ile St-Louis, Notre-Dame etc. Can't wait!

Oh, I didn't get to see Notre Dame. Could you pm the name of the hotel to me? We always like to immerse ourselves in places in a non touristy way as much as possible. It was a bit scary at night, I have to say, but then all big cities are!

After several visits to Paris over the years, I've now decided that my favourite place is the Musee d'Orsay - right by the Seine, close to everywhere and with a fabulous collection of Art Nouveau. Eurostar isn't really an option for me as it would mean an overnight stay in London first, so only feasible if I do the 2 cities together!

Agree about the Musee d'Orsay, but do also try the Musee de Cluny which has the most wonderful medieval tapestries - all those poor women sitting in draughty castles and stitiching away while their blokes went off on crusades for years!

Has anyone else been to the Catacombs in Paris? Quite extraordinary and just a little gruesome but I was persuaded to visit them on a recent trip to Paris and very glad that I did. It left a lasting impression on me!

www.parislogue.com/catacombs

Just the sort of place that I love yogagran, having taken my kids to see The Cemetary of the Capuchins in Rome [thanks to Bill Bryson again]. 'You want to see relics and by golly you'll see relics' I told them [actually it was me that's fascinated by such things!].

I love the Musée de Cluny too, but I think the tapestries were more likely woven by Flemish weavers than by ladies stitching - try reading Tracy Chevalier's novel 'the Lady and the Unicorn' which is a very well researched account of the construction of a tapestry, as well as the lives of the weavers.

As well as the Musee d'Orsay, another must visit place is Cimetiere de Pere Lachaise in the 20th where you can spend all day wandering amongst the good, the great and the not-so-great - fascinating. I lived in Paris as a student and much regret not seeing all these wonderful places; at 20 I was just interested in 'other' things so have been making up for lost time every time I visit Paris

I love all the places mentioned here! For a slightly more unusual expedition, try the Paris mosque - the courtyards (not the prayer room) are open to the public, and there is a tea room too. It's an amazingly tranquil oasis in a busy part of Paris.

We need to compile a Grannies Guide to Paris perhaps, pointing out which areas are best done on one day. A sort of 'Not So Rough Guide to Paris'.

Thanks raggygranny - that sounds like the sort of place that I'd like to visit next time I'm there

I'm beginning to feel the need of a trip to Paris, sooner rather than later! Any advice on good markets?

We r planning a trip to paris in February for my last birthday beginning with a 5. I really want to focus on the Musee D'Orsay so any hotel recommendations would be very helpful. We will go Eurostar and dont mind the Metro.

Hotel Mouffetard (?Comfort Inn) in the Rue Mouffetard is simple/inexpensive but comfortable enough for a short visit and in close proximity to Musee d'Orsay and the Luxembourg Gardens and mostly everything else! Good restaurants in the area and has a 'local' feeling - markets and residents etc...

My daughter and I stayed at a Comfort Inn near the Gare Du Nord - plain but clean and a good breakfast. Wear sensible shoes as one needs to walk everywhere, as there is so much to see in just the simple things besides the usual tourist traps. The Metro is easy and it's plan is very well laid out like the London system. You have to queue a fairly long time to go up the Eiffel Tower but the view is worth it - the Louvre is packed and everyone wants to see the Mona Lisa - so be patient. We went around Montmartre and ended up in the Sacre Couer where we heard the nuns sing evensong, a magical moment. I loved Paris warts and all and rates with Venice as a top place to see and go back to. Eating out can be expensive - we tended to go to the back streets and see where the locals ate and that was a lot cheaper. Have a fab time.

Wish I could jump on a train right now!

Wait for me Mrs JJ - we could have a GN outing