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Last week I whisked my KIWI visitors through Paris in 24 hours.
9.13: We took a morning train (25 euro ticket bought exactly 3 months ahead) from Brussels Gare du Midi and arrived in Paris Gare du Nord around 10.30.
10.30: We used our "carnet" of 10 metro tickets (bought from the vending machines which take Maestro cards) and took the no. 4 metro line direction "Mairie de Montrouge" to "Odéon" station. Save your metro ticket as you need to exit the metro stations with the ticket sometimes.
12.00: Then we walked two metro stops along the Bld St. Germain to our hotel "Hotel du Commerce"
not far from the metro station "Maubert-Mutualité and checked into our 75 euro hotel room in the Latin Quarter (one single and one double bed, free internet, kitchen facilities for breakfast, luggage store, clean toilets).
13.00: Walked to Notre Dame and visited the cathedral. Found a plaque commemorating Commonwealth soldiers during the World Wars.
14.00: Took metro to Montmartre and the Basilica at metro station "Cité" line 4 direction "Porte de Clignancourt" to "Barbès Rochechouart" and then changed to line 2 direction "Porte Dauphine" for one metro stop and got off at "Anvers".
After fortifying ourselves with a late snack of "croque madame" and salad and a "carafe d'eau" (tap water is free in French eating places) for 8 euro we tackled the steps and souvenir peddlars leading up to the Basilica and Montmartre.
16.30: Wandered down the hill from Montmartre and took the metro line 2 from "Anvers" direction "Porte Dauphine" to "Charles de Gaulle Etoile" to the Arc de Triomphe and a stroll down the Champs Elysées.
We continued to the Place de la Concorde, Jardin des Tuileries, the Louvre and crossed the footbridge "Pont des Arts" over the Seine in the setting sun.
We wandered back along the Seine towards the hotel via the restaurant area in St-Michel.
Next Day
8.00: French breakfast at the hotel after searching the local boulangeries for a delicious assortment of fresh "pain aux raisins", mini "brioches" etc.
10.00 Checked out, stored our luggage at the hotel and took the metro line 10 at Maubert Mutalité to La Motte Piquet Grenelle, direction Boulogne Pont de St Cloud for our visit to the Eiffel Tower.
On Tuesday morning there was an interesting market (open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) at Maubert Mutualité.
At La Motte Piquet Grenelle we strolled down the centre of the Champs de Mars towards the Eiffel Tower.
We simply passed under it and didn't attempt to tackle the enormous queues waiting to go up the tower and walked across to Trocadero, the fountains and the gilt statues.
12.00 At Trocadero, we took the metro line 6 direction Nation and changed at La Motte Piquet Grenelle for line 10 direction Gare d'Austerlitz and got off at Maubert Mutualité for our hotel and a quick lunch before collecting our luggage and walking to the Gare de Lyon for our afternoon train (25 euro Paris to Lausanne if you book exactly 3 months ahead) to Switzerland.
BON VOYAGE!
Flying Kiwi 2009
metro – external link: http://www.ratp.fr/
Parisian life - external link: http://www.paris.fr/
trains – external link: http://www.voyages-sncf.com/
Note: Although this article was written in 2009 prices haven't changed much and the metro directions are still valid.
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