The ParisSharing Blog

Archive for the ‘Parisian accommodations’ Category

While another global economic crisis is lurking, we at ParisSharing are intent on making travel to the city of lights an affordable proposition in spite of it all. During the second half of August, we are offering our guests the following freebies:

A free night’s stay in a real Parisian self-catering apartment.

This offer is valid for a stay of at least 5 nights. Otherwise, you will receive a 10% discount off the normal price. There are currently numerous choices available and you can see a list of these by making an availability search on www.paris-sharing.com.

Free lunch at a selected ParisSharing eatery

We’ve gone to some length to find great value eateries. So, if you happen to be traveling with kids, or are on a tight budget, you can still enjoy eating out as well as eating in (since your ParisSharing apartment provides you with a splendid kitchen!). You can see our list of eateries by clicking here. The free lunch is valid for a value of 12€. If you don’t think it’s possible, just check our list. In addition, if you find another eatery worth sharing, write up your experience for our website and we’ll reimburse you the 12€.

Free bottle of white wine (Domaine de Tariquet classic)

Did you know that the Uni Blanc grape used by the Domaine de Tariquet, grown in Gascogne, is the same used to produce Cognac? It’s a dry, rather acidic wine, great with seafood. Savor it with a view over the roofs of Paris from your ParisSharing apartment, such as this one.

Free drinks on the beach

The city of Paris, in an effort to better communicate on the excellent quality of the city’s tap water, is serving up syrop-based drinks, where you fill your glass in a nearby water fountain. Passion fruit, apple, and more. Drinking tap water is better for the environment. It reduces the the production and disposal of plastic bottles. The drinks are served on the Paris beach (Paris Plage) at the “Bar à eau” near the Pont Marie metro stop.

Free jazz manouche

Gypsy-style jazz at a trendy café-restaurant near Bastille. The concert is free (and worth the listen).

You just have to buy a drink at the regular price. l’Atelier Charonne 21b rue de Charonne 75011 PARIS 11EME ARRONDISSEMENT

Plan d’accès

Free moonlight cinema

For the 11th consecutive year, Paris’ Image Forum offers Parisians and visitors a taste of great French films under the moonlight and across the city. Watching such a movie while sitting outside in a famous place will give you that uncanny feeling of being both here and there.  Click here for the list of French films an a schedule of showings. Yes, the films are in French!

Free entrance to the Petit Palais and the Musée Carnavalet

As it turns out, these two museums are free for the public, except for special exhibits. But for many it is a well-kept secret that we are sharing with you! For more info on the Petit Palais, which is no less than the fine arts museum of the city of Paris, click here. The Carnavalet Museum in the Marais covers the history of Paris. More information about the museum is also available on Guide2Paris.

To benefit from those freebies offered directly by ParisSharing, you do need to do the following:

1/ register as a member on www.Paris-Sharing.com and agree to receive newsletters

2/ become a Facebook fan

3/ Reserve one of our self-catering apartments for a stay beginning on or after August 12th and by August 31st at the latest.

Even though some of these freebies are obviously available to anyone and not just ParisSharing guests, by wrapping all them into one package we demonstrate that we are dedicated to your total Paris experience.

Maybe you know of other freebies in Paris during the month of August. We’d love to hear about them on our Facebook page.

We’re running a contest on Facebook!  Enter to win a FREE night’s stay at a ParisSharing apartment!

Contest Details
Can you guess which ParisSharing apartment features this lady’s image just around the corner?  If you can provide the name or title of the apartment and are the first to post the correct answer on our Facebook page, you’ll win one FREE night’s stay in the very same apartment! The prize is valid for one free night in August 2011 when you book at least 5 nights in that apartment. If you aren’t coming to Paris in August, you can still participate in the contest and transfer the FREE night to a friend. You will simply need to register as a member on our website and sponsor your friend to register as well.

Go to our Facebook page and start guessing! The first correct answer that’s posted will win the award.  If you need some help, check out this map of all the ParisSharing apartment locations.

Photo courtesy of ParisSharing

Most people, when they come to Paris, want to see as many sights as possible in the shortest amount of time.  How can you possibly see 70 major museums and monuments in just 5 days?!   The Musée du Louvre is the largest museum in the world and houses 35,000 works of art displayed in over 60,000 square meters of exhibition space, you could spend days at the Louvre alone!  Here are a couple of timesaving tips when visiting Paris:

Buy Eiffel Tower Tickets in Advance

Buy your Eiffel Tower tickets in advance online .  Having your tickets in advance will save you time from waiting in the long line to go up the elevator to the top floors.

Get a Museum Pass

The museum pass provides access to 70 museums and monuments in and around Paris.  You’ll save time by not having to buy tickets at each museum. Don’t forget, kids are free at most national museums in France so don’t bother buying passes for children under 18.

Eat Breakfast at Home and Sandwiches for Lunch

One of the great things about renting an apartment from ParisSharing is that all of our properties offer a full kitchen.  You can save a considerable amount of time having breakfast at your home before heading out to visit the City.  Also, the French are known for their long lunches and, while it’s a wonderful experience, you can miss out on a lot of visiting while enjoying a 4-course meal.  Our advice is to skip the cafes or restaurants at lunch and stop off at a boulangerie (bakery).  All boulangeries now offer low-cost, fresh sandwiches that are great to take on the go.

Pass on the Bell Tower

Don’t waste time waiting in line to go up to the bell tower at Notre Dame.  Visit the inside of the church and save the walk up the stairs for another trip.

Louvre Entrance

Enter the Louvre from the “Carrousel du Louvre” entrance on Rue de Rivoli.  Go ahead and take pictures of the pyramid, but don’t wait in the line to get into the Louvre from that level.  Walk over to Rue de Rivoli and use the Carrousel du Louvre entrance,  go downstairs and follow the signs for the museum.

What about you?  Post any timesaving ideas that you learned from your visit to Paris on our Facebook page.

Some people think that France, or especially Paris, is a destination that isn’t too kid-friendly.  We even have a friend who passed on a trip to Paris as she didn’t know what she was going do with her young daughter.  Well, we’re here to tell you that Paris is just as much fun for children as for adults – especially if you know where to take them!

Here are 10 fun things to do with your kids while in Paris.  And these are just the tip of the iceberg.

1. Bateau Mouche

-       Boat tour of the Seine, catch boat in front of Notre Dame or the Eiffel Tower – the guided tours are offered in multiple languages, and are also available as lunch or dinner cruises

2. Eiffel Tower

-       Beat the lines by buying your tickets in advance online. The Eiffel Tower is open from 9 am until midnight in the summer – there’s also a restaurant on the first floor and a self-guided children’s tour

3. Notre Dame

-       Climb the 380 steps to the top of the bell tower to see the Emmanuel bell and then get an ice cream at Berthillon on the Ile St. Louis

4. Luxembourg Garden

-       Features an enclosed play area for kids ages 2-12 years old  (tickets are aprox. 2€) and a Guignol Theatre, which is a typical French marionette show – take the Metro to RER B Luxembourg

5. Jardins des Plantes

-       Includes not only beautiful gardens and recently renovated Art Décor greenhouses, and for the kids there’s a small zoo and the Natural History Museum

6. Discovery Museum

-       This science discovery museum regularily features hands-on exhibits with explanations in English  and also houses a planetarium

7. Cite de la Science et L’industrie

-       A wonderful kids science museum with a special kids’ discovery section  (must reserve in advance), plus an IMAX/Geode movie theatre

8. Parc d’acclimatation

-       Located in the Bois de Boulogne, the park features a small amusement park and a Guignol Theatre – every inch is filled with activities for kids including shows, farm animals and workshops

9. Bois de Boulogne

-       This lovely forest on the western edge of Paris with row boats, playgrounds and cafes is two and a half times larger than New York’s Central Park

10. Disneyland Paris

-       You may have visited Disney in the US but the Paris version is worth the trip – there’s something familiar yet uniquely French about DisneylandParis that makes it worth the trip

Not only can you enjoy these fun activities with your kids, but you can rent a ParisSharing apartment and feel at home in Paris while doing them.  What are your top things to do with kids in Paris? Let us know on our Facebook page.

Many people believe that Paris changes in the summer (and not in a good way) as the Parisians leave the city and it is left to the tourists.  But that’s not altogether true.  Paris is host to many exiting summer events that delight both locals and tourists.

18 June – 3 September (Saturday nights only) Grandes Eaux Nocturnes/Fountains Night Show – Chateau de Versailles

A spectacular light and fountain show is performed every Saturday night throughout the summer in the royal gardens of Louis XIV.  The show features thousands of lights, laser beams and a fireworks display set against the magnificent fountains and canals that surround the Chateau. As a backdrop, French baroque music played by a live orchestra accompanies the light and water installations throughout the park.  Ticket prices are €22 for adults, 18€ ages 6 to 17 and children under 6 are free, book on line or tickets are available at the entrance to the gardens.

22 June – Paris Soldes (Summer Sales)

Traditionally, France has bi-annual sales for 6 weeks in Summer and Winter.  This year, the summer sales begin on June 22 and last until July 26.  From the first day, you can find prices reduced from 30 – 60% , with discounts increasing as the weeks of the sales go on.  Some tips to follow for a successful Paris Soldes are to avoid shopping on the weekends and try to shop midday when Parisians are working.  You need to approach the sales with patience, you’ll be waiting in lines for the dressing rooms, at the cash register and in some cases outside the boutique just to get in.  Also, know that usually after the first week, most of the popular sizes and styles are already gone.  If you can’t make it to Paris for the sales then you can also take advantage of  the same deals online at some of France’s leading retailers like www.lebonmarche.com, Galleries Lafayette, Gerard Darel (delivery only to the UK)  or Petit Bateau.

14 July – Bastille Day

France’s national holiday celebrates the storming of the Bastille prison and the beginning of the French Revolution.  The day begins with a military parade down the Champs Ellysee and features military bands, tanks and horses all marching from the Arc de Triomphe down to Place de la Concorde.  The parade ends with the French Air Force flying over the city.  Afterwards, much of the military equipment is on display at well-known locations throughout the city.  The night features a concert at the foot of the Eiffel Tower with a famous headliner band and then a spectacular fireworks display also shot from the Eiffel Tower.

21 July – 21 August – Paris Plage (Paris Beaches)

The 10^th annual Paris Plage takes place from July 21 to August 21, where the banks of the Seine will once again be transformed into a summer beach scene with palm trees, sandy “beaches”, volleyball courts and lounge chairs.  The streets running next to the Seine will become a pedestrian zone featuring concerts, a swimming pool, outside games and activities and lots of food and refreshments.  Paris Plage runs the length of the Right Bank just across from the Louvre to Pont Sully and also around the Basin de la Villette and is open everyday from 8 am – midnight.  Also during Paris Plage is the FNAC Live Festival from July 21-24 located outside the Hotel de Ville featuring 4 days of live open-air concerts from France’s up and coming bands.

It’s not too late to book your trip to Paris to experience some of these exciting Parisian events!  In addition, we have some wonderful apartments still available for your summer stay.  Know of an upcoming event in Paris?  Tell us about it.