Paris 101 (1)
Travelling to Paris is everybody's dream. Including mind, and I got my chance not too long ago. Of course people say we need a lot of money to go to the European countries considering the exchange rate.
I am going to share with you how I made it through Paris and London in non expensive public transports.
It involves a lot of homework. Hence the reason why I am posting this summary for you, because trust me I went through a lot of sites both foreign and our own local bloggers to make it work for me. There are also things that I didn't find out from them and had to find out about it myself when I was there. Especially Paris.
This is a copy of the integrated train map of Paris. It includes the metro and RER stations. U can download the pdf version from http://www.aparisguide.com/maps/metro.htm
Next, find the stations closest to the hotel that you intend to stay in.Hotels near these stations are a good choice Gare du Nord and Gare d'lest. If you are travelling by train from London or any other countries, you will arrive at the Gare du Nord station. So if you are not printing the above map out, go grab this map at the train station immediately, because trust me it is very difficult to find French people who understands English, including the people who sit at the train enquiry centres.
If you wanna skip sight seeing using the hop on hop off tours, use the Metro to get around. Although you won't get to hear the guided tour by audio, you save loads of money. For Hop On Hop Off tours, checkout Paris 101 (2) Metro stations are mostly in line with the tourist attractions- Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Palais Royal, Pont Neuf etc. As to La Vallee, Disneyland and Versailles you can use the RERs. There are about 300 stations in Paris.
Allocate one day for sightseeing. Buying tickets for Zone 1 and 2 is adequate to visit all the attractions.Tickets are called Ticket Mobilis for daily passes for these two zones EU 6,60. The stations are within walking distance from the tourist attractions. Bear in mind, if you've got a lot of old people following you around, you can't opt for this. The stairs up and down will definitely kill their knee joints and balance. And they will need someone to point them to the direction of which way to go next within the Metro.Better opt for the Hop on and Hop off tours.
Since being in Paris will mean a lot of sightseeing and shopping, plan you days according to weather forecast.Rainy days can be spent doing shopping- not to miss La Vallee Shopping Village -checkout Paris 101(3) on how to get there and what is there
Learn basic French. That will definitely help you a lot . Paris 101 (4)
It is important to understand that Paris isn't as safe as London. Crime rates are higher among tourists in Paris. Ensure that your bags are not out of sight. Better practical than fashionable here.As soon as you arrive, I am sure that you will get the air of insecurity. Initially I thought it was just me, but my sister felt the same way too.
I am going to share with you how I made it through Paris and London in non expensive public transports.
It involves a lot of homework. Hence the reason why I am posting this summary for you, because trust me I went through a lot of sites both foreign and our own local bloggers to make it work for me. There are also things that I didn't find out from them and had to find out about it myself when I was there. Especially Paris.
This is a copy of the integrated train map of Paris. It includes the metro and RER stations. U can download the pdf version from http://www.aparisguide.com/maps/metro.htmNext, find the stations closest to the hotel that you intend to stay in.Hotels near these stations are a good choice Gare du Nord and Gare d'lest. If you are travelling by train from London or any other countries, you will arrive at the Gare du Nord station. So if you are not printing the above map out, go grab this map at the train station immediately, because trust me it is very difficult to find French people who understands English, including the people who sit at the train enquiry centres.
If you wanna skip sight seeing using the hop on hop off tours, use the Metro to get around. Although you won't get to hear the guided tour by audio, you save loads of money. For Hop On Hop Off tours, checkout Paris 101 (2) Metro stations are mostly in line with the tourist attractions- Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Palais Royal, Pont Neuf etc. As to La Vallee, Disneyland and Versailles you can use the RERs. There are about 300 stations in Paris.
Allocate one day for sightseeing. Buying tickets for Zone 1 and 2 is adequate to visit all the attractions.Tickets are called Ticket Mobilis for daily passes for these two zones EU 6,60. The stations are within walking distance from the tourist attractions. Bear in mind, if you've got a lot of old people following you around, you can't opt for this. The stairs up and down will definitely kill their knee joints and balance. And they will need someone to point them to the direction of which way to go next within the Metro.Better opt for the Hop on and Hop off tours.
Since being in Paris will mean a lot of sightseeing and shopping, plan you days according to weather forecast.Rainy days can be spent doing shopping- not to miss La Vallee Shopping Village -checkout Paris 101(3) on how to get there and what is there
Learn basic French. That will definitely help you a lot . Paris 101 (4)
It is important to understand that Paris isn't as safe as London. Crime rates are higher among tourists in Paris. Ensure that your bags are not out of sight. Better practical than fashionable here.As soon as you arrive, I am sure that you will get the air of insecurity. Initially I thought it was just me, but my sister felt the same way too.