NJ to Paris - better flight options for first timer

I know this probably sounds crazy, but we are just now deciding on trying to go to Paris (and maybe add in Alsace for 3 days) for a total of 10-12 days.

We are looking at leaving around 5/28 OR 7/10 and doing 10-12 days.

Questions:

  • is it too late to try to do this?
  • What airlines/travel sites would be best?
  • Does adding in Alsace sound like a good idea?
  • Where in Paris would be the best area to stay - Never done an AIRBNB, but I guess we are open to it. MUST have AC. And with my back, not really wanting to climb a ton of stairs with luggage.

Also want to do Brittany and Versailles.

The rest I think we can figure out later IF we work it out.

If we cannot work it out, we are thinking of making a first trip to Pacific Northwest, if anyone has any suggestions on where to base and things to do. Wineries would not be our #1 focus. Same basic date ranges.

Help!

Steve,

Is it to late?? NO. you got over a month before May 28th so it can definitely be done.

For flights I would recommend google flights as a good starting point. It can at least get you an idea of whats out there. With a 10-12 day trip Alsace is definitely possible, but it would really depend on how busy you want your days to be. Luckily in France you can get from Paris to anywhere by train pretty easily. You could easily do like 5 days Paris, 3 days Brittany, 3 days Alsace.

For Paris, its hard to recommend a location to stay without knowing your interests, Some people love St. Germain others near Champs-Élysées, others like the Marais. Each neighborhood a different feeling so what works best for some might not be best for you. I’m always more of a fan of hotels, but there can sometimes be something nice about having your own kitchen and cooking. It would depend on the place but I would expect stairs with maybe a very old school elevator but that all depends on the building.

If planning for all this seems super daunting you can always enlist help from a professional. For a pretty small fee (especially in comparison with the cost of a 12 day trip to France) you can have someone like myself discuss, plan and book everything for you. Not trying to steer you one way or the other, but just letting you know there are options out there if all this seems to daunting to plan on your own.

I’ve found very good airfare/hotel combo deals on Expedia. And that narrows the range of hotels a bit as they bring up a bunch of choices which you can narrow down by location, cost, etc.

My main advice is to stay some place near a metro stop (not difficult). Before my plans changed I was intending to stay near the Saint Sulpice metro just to be near Pierre Herme for the pastries. But your priorities might be different.

While there are always “deals” on the travel website. I would avoid them like the plague. When things go right it is great. When they go wrong… they go really, really wrong.

Tons of options in Paris. If you are going to stay more than a few days an apartment is great. There are plenty of apartment rental companies that do well and are pretty easy. They should all tell you exactly how you would access your apartment, stairs elevators etc. I think an idea of budget would help. With your back I would think business class airfare might be quite important.

George

- is it too late to try to do this? Of course not

- What airlines/travel sites would be best? Look for direct flights – from NY/NJ you should be able to find direct flights on United, American, AirFrance, etc. If you are looking for less expensive options - then connecting flights through LHR or FRA may be available. You can check first on a site like kayak or travelocity, but I always book directly with the airline that I’m traveling on to avoid complications.

- Does adding in Alsace sound like a good idea? Also want to do Brittany and Versailles. Versailles is an easy train ride from Paris and can be done in a day. If you want to get out of the city, I’d choose either Brittany or Alsace but not both. If you are doing Brittany or Alsace, I’d prefer to get a car. You may want to consider that on the front end of your trip and then drop the car at the Hertz Louvre Carousel when back in Paris.

- Where in Paris would be the best area to stay - Never done an AIRBNB, but I guess we are open to it. MUST have AC. And with my back, not really wanting to climb a ton of stairs with luggage. It really depends on what you want to see and your budget. If you are only staying a few days in the city, I’d lean to a hotel - for longer, then an apartment. I’d check AirBnB as well as VRBO. If you have difficulty walking (Paris to me is a walking town), then get close to a metro.

Steve: re airlines NY-Paris, check out La Compagnie and Open Skies. Both are (lower end) business class, so relatively cheap. You get a fully reclining seat and pretty large space. We’ve taken them both (tho not in a few years) with good results.

Re the metro, look out-- it’s not at all guaranteed that there will be an elevator or escalator at a given metro stop. Taxis in Paris are (last time I looked) relatively cheap, and worth it in that you get to see much more than you will from underground, esp nice on a first trip. Even a fare to the airport isn’t that bad ($40 or so, at least last time we took one).

PS and the center of Paris is a great place for walking, something interesting every few minutes.

Thank you everyone, for offering assistance.

I’ve already booked the flight and hotel with what I thought was a damn good deal for this late. But now Lori and George are scaring me. [wink.gif]

We leave out of Newark on the 28th and arrive on the 29th. We are booked for 9 days at https://www.citadines.com/en/france/paris/citadines-saint-germain-des-pres-paris/index.html. The flight is on Delta “comfort +” seats, whatever that is and the total was $4150 through travelocity, including hotel.

And as far as walking, I’m pretty tough and can walk up and down the stairs in the NYC subways, so I imagine it is no worse in Paris…no? I’ll make sure I bring a predisalone pack just in case though. I really want this vacation to be about my wife and her interests. If she is having a good time, then I will most certainly have a good time as well.

Now, to figure out exactly where we are in Paris and what interesting wine bars and restaurants we want to seek out. I already know what my wife wants to see as far as sites. Any suggestions for food, wine bars and sites to see would be appreciated.

Cheers!

Even though you didn’t book directly with Delta, get the Delta confirmation number and call the reservation up on their website.

Make sure the itinerary looks right, seat assignments too. Be sure your contact phone number and emergency contact are in the Delta reservation. Third party bookings (or even other airlines in the same alliance) don’t forward contact info usually.

Check the reservation every other week before departure, and the week before as well. It normally doesn’t matter until it does, and then it does matter a lot.

Even though it’s touristy, the bateau mouche is a beautiful way to see Paris by the Seine. We do it after lunch or after we’re tired walking around. If we know your food interests, it would help with suggestions - for example, do you enjoy food markets/cheese shops/bakeries etc or mostly restaurants and wine bars.

Steve,
The hotel location is excellent. Metro is Odeon, Lines 4 and 10. 10 goes along the left bank, 4 crosses the Seine. All three Avant Comptoir wine bars (which serve very good food) are a short walk away.

For your return flight allow plenty of time. We missed showing up at the airport three hours before and got bumped to the next day. The compensation was pretty good and much better than the US, but no good if you need to be somewhere the next day.
Your location looks good. Peruse Kotowskis posts for suggestions on dining, etc.

Steve–no worries about Paris metro stairs vs NY. I was thinking about taking the metro with luggage when you’d likely have to carry it upstairs. Also the Paris system is much simpler than NY, not hard to navigate.

Your hotel location is great, too. Lots of interesting places (to see and to eat) right nearby.

Barry,

Thanks for the tips. I will certainly double check on our trip with Delta…and the hotel for that matter. But I have had very good luck with Travelocity. Oh, I also booked through www.topcashback.com, so I will get something like 5-6% back on the hotel fees…I think.

Bateau Mouche - That is something I think my wife would be very interested in. Any suggestions on doing any special one? sounds like a great reprieve for us with our backs.

“do you enjoy food markets/cheese shops/bakeries etc or mostly restaurants and wine bars” - YES flirtysmile
Food markets - yes
Cheese shops - YES
bakeries - yup
Wine bars - YES
Casual, fun, interesting, parisian, bistros, outside dining with a view, Tapas, and yes, even one high end michelin type restaurant. But honestly, we love smaller, intimatish OR funky, people watching, memorable for various reasons, personable and friendly, service is not THAT important, Wine of course, …the bottom line is that we love food, but are not Anton Ego. No snobby stuff, no tie and jacket stuff, great food, fun food,…PARIS! I am trying to think of food that I do not like, and I am having a difficult time thinking of any. Maybe Tripe…but the truth is that I am not sure I have ever had it made right. My wife loves Foie Gras…as do I, but she really loves it. Oysters, seafood, pates, tartares, game meats…we really do have a hard time finding something we do not like. But what we want most is places that speak Paris/france and are not ridiculously expensive…(meaning per se types). We are figuring about $300-$350 per day for food. Does that sound right or am I shooting too low?

My wife teaches Consume design and is very interested in the museums and art. Wants to see Normandy for sure and she wants to see Versailles. She likes wine but is not a fanatic.

Honestly, we are pretty open to ideas.

Hope this helps you guys help me.

Mark K: I read some other threads and is there any restaurant that you have NOT been to in Paris?? champagne.gif

Lori,

Thank you for the info.

The Brittany trip: We are looking to just do a one day trip there and back. Is that enough to enjoy it?

Alsace: I think we will probably pass on this trip. But if we were to try, how many days? Is 2 enough to enjoy? I would really only want to see Alsace, find some fun places to eat and go to ZH and another winery…if that.

Thanks Peter.

Any suggestions are always appreciated.

I’ll remember that!! Thanks Tom!

The wine bars are definitely something we will take in. Thanks Mark! I know you know a ton of restaurants. So any info will be much appreciated. Also, cheese shops, wine shops, food markets, etc etc etc. flirtysmile

For me, the really distinctive part of Alsace was Colmar, which is a 6-hour drive or a 2.5 hour train trip from Paris, and very convenient to Zind-Humbrecht. Not a day trip, but two days would be enough. A car is a hindrance in Colmar proper, which has a beautiful, canal-lined pedestrian downtown, but some form of car transport is really needed to get to the wineries in the rolling hills. Taxis are not prevelant, but you can call for one. By now they might have Uber, which is a great way to get around Paris. What they call UberX in Paris is actually a black car service, fully licensed, with prices that are basically the same as a taxi. Can’t say enough good things about it. If you can’t make it to Alsace, I love the La Brasserie de l’Ile Saint Louis, which is about 1km from your hotel. It’s not strictly an Alsacian restaurant, but they have classic dishes like choucroute garni and coq au riesling that are as good as we had in Alsace. They also serve ice cream and sorbet from the legendary Berthillon, without the irritating line. Moderately priced.

If you don’t make it to Brittany, there are a number of creperies on Boulevard Montparnasse, but I really like La Creperie Bretonne. Crepes, galettes, and a range of Bretagne ciders, served in the traditional “bolee” cup. Very inexpensive. A couple ciders and a hearty “complet” galette for 20 euros. Speaking of budget, that’s a very reasonable amount of money, as long as you enjoy Continental breakfast. A decent croissant is a euro or two, avoid the English breakfasts, eat your main meal at lunch, and stay away from the tourist traps.

One place that is casual but outstanding is Au Vieux Comptoir, about 750m from your hotel. Au Vieux Comptoir They have special dinners from time to time that are hard to believe, but even the regular menu is a super value. Reservations essential, but can be done by email.

Oh, and if your wife is interested in design, do not miss La Musee des Arts Decoratifs. It’s in the former palace that encloses part of the Tuilieries garden. In almost any other city it would be a headline attraction, but Paris is pretty stiff competition. Anyway, it has a little bit of everything, furniture, jewelry, art. They accept the museum pass, but it’s easy to spend an entire afternoon there. Not crowded at all.

Steve, probably you’re thinking of this already, but there are SO many museums in Paris that it’s best to plan out what you want to see and when. A museum pass as Walter mentions should be a good idea (I’m assuming that gets you in the short line) or an advance ticket. If you just go there, the wait can be very long.

Another point–you might want to check what rate your credit card charges for purchases over there. A lot of them pile on the fees (exchange rate plus foreign transaction fee), but there are some that just charge the market rate and no more. That can make a big difference.

Incidentally, whenever you walk into a restaurant or store (except for really large ones) it’s best to say “bon jour” otherwise you are likely pegged as being impolite.

BTW your hotel is very close to Sainte Chapelle (it’s on the same island as Notre Dame) which is surrounded by larger buildings, but the inside is just a gem (13th Century).