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Archive for the ‘Vacation rentals by owner’ Category

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.

Paris Tips: Tips You Wished Someone Told You About Before You Left Series! Money

The final post in our Tips You Wished Someone Told You About Before You Left series is about Money.  For instance, do you use cash, credit cards or traveler’s cheques when traveling to Paris?  My recommendation to clients is to use a combination of both cash and credit cards and leave the traveler’s cheques at home.

If you are not a frequent overseas traveler, it is imperative you contact your bank and credit card companies before you leave to let them know that you will be traveling (so they don’t turn off your credit card), and to find out what your daily withdrawal and spending limits are.  Also, ask about any service charges that might apply on international transactions.

Here are some helpful money-related tips to make your stay as trouble free as possible:

Contact Bank and Credit Card Company

-       Inform them that you will be traveling overseas

-       Find out your daily withdrawal and spending limits

-       Verify that your account has no restrictions on international withdrawal of money or payments

-       Understand all service charges involved in using your bank and credit cards overseas

Know Your Pin Number

Paris ATMs and credit card machines work with PIN codes comprised of numbers only.  Make sure to memorize your code in its number format (1=ABC, 2=DEF, etc.) before heading to France.  Any modifications to your code should be handled before you leave on your trip.   In some cases, once you are in Paris, banks will not allow any security related changes.

Cash Payments

After enquiring about transaction charges with your bank, you can determine if it is better to withdraw cash from an ATM or to change money at an exchange bureau.  Even with transaction charges, it has been my experience that withdrawing cash from Paris ATM machines is the best way to go.  For clients of Bank of America, you benefit from the ATM World Alliance, which is a group of international banks that allow their customers to use their debit cards within the network without international transaction fees. (See the site for more details.)  If you do decide to exchange money, exchange bureaus are located around the major tourist sites.  Always call around to find out the various rates and commission charges to get the best exchange deal.

Credit Cards

Before you have eaten your meal or tried on that perfect skirt, always ask if the restaurant or shop takes credit cards and what the minimum purchase amount is.  Many boutiques and eateries in Paris do not accept credit cards for less than 10€.  Most supermarkets accept credit cards with a minimum purchase of 1€. Also, keep in mind that Visa is the most widely accepted card in France.  MasterCard is the next most accepted.  Often, American Express and Discovery are not accepted.

Tipping

I’m sure you have heard, but unlike the US, tipping is not standard practice in France.  However, when eating at a restaurant or café, a 15 percent “service charge” is automatically added to your bill.  This does not mean that the waiter will actually be given the extra money for his service.  If you are pleased with the service leave an extra 5-10% on the table in cash for your waiter.

Safety

Paris is a very safe city.  Walking at night in most areas is extremely safe and you should not have any problems.  But, pickpockets run rampant in the City, especially on the main lines of the Metro and around some of the more touristy areas.  Take extra precaution when in the Metro (vigilance on the Line 1!) and crowded areas like the Eiffel Tower or Sacre Coeur.  Your bags should be firmly closed and any cash or credit cards placed inside the bag in a zipped pocket.  If you can, make sure to carry a bag that can be worn crossed over your body and that can be closed completely.  Backpacks should be worn with the straps on both shoulders, and wear it on your chest while in the Metro. While visiting the sites, I recommend that you leave your passport and valuables safely in your apartment.  If you do have the unfortunate experience of being pick pocketed, call your credit card company immediately and go directly to the local police station to report the theft.  A good tip before traveling anywhere overseas is to make copies of your passport, drivers license and the front and back of your credit cards in case you need to go to the embassy for an urgent replacement.

We hope you’ve found this series helpful.  When planning your trip to Paris, contact us for a beautiful vacation rental and more insider tips that can help make your trip the best possible!

This week, we begin a series of blog posts called, “Tips you wished someone told you before you left.”  In the series, we’ll include helpful insights on topics like getting around Paris, Museum passes and using money in Paris.

In this first installment, let’s talk about the different ways of getting around Paris.  The best ways to get around Paris are walking, taking the Paris rapid transit system (Metro, RER and bus), taking a boat, and biking.  Here are some tips on how to use the various methods:

Walking
Truly the best way to visit Paris is to walk. The city is surprisingly easy to navigate on foot and virtually flat (except for Montmartre).  What better way to see the sights and get a feel for all of the unique neighborhoods?!

Rapid Transit System (RATP)
Metro:
Paris’s extensive underground network is the most efficient and fastest way to get around. The Metro runs from 5am to 1:30am depending on the line. Tickets can be bought at the automatic ticket booths in the stations, and are available in a single ticket or a pack (“carnet”) of ten.  Kids have discounted rates (ages 4 -12) with children under 4 riding for free. Metro maps are found in the stations and are posted all over the metro system. Here’s a very informative video that will walk you through using the Paris Metro  and click here for a Metro map.  Use these to familiarize yourself with the system before heading underground.  When using the RATP system, you need to know the name of the last stop so you know which direction to head in.  Also, remember to hang on to your tickets when using the Paris transit system in case you are “controlled” by RATP representatives.

Transit Passes: Paris Viste tickets are unlimited use tickets for tourists and are available in 1-, 2-, 3- or 5-day passes for use on the Metro, RER (urban train) and bus. For longer stays, weekly and monthly tickets called Navigo are available.

RER Train: The RER is a suburban line that goes outside the city with several stops in central Paris. If you stay within the city limits of Paris, your metro ticket can be used on the RER. If you are taking the RER further outside of Paris then you need a separate RER ticket. There are four lines, but the most frequented by tourists are the Line C to go to Orly Airport, Line B to go to Charles De Gaulle or Line A to go to Disneyland Paris.  Click here to see a Paris RER map.

Buses: The bus system is also a very effective, excellent way to become familiar with the city. The same tickets are used on the buses as the Metro and RER.  When you enter a bus, insert your ticket into the machine to validate it. To transfer, you need another ticket. If you have a Paris Viste ticket then simply show it to the driver. Bus maps are posted in Metro stations and in the bus shelters. Buses can run from 6:00am until 12:30am, depending on the line.

Boats: The Batobus runs up and down the Seine with eight stops covering the major tourist sites including Tour Eiffel, Musée d’Orsay, St. Germain de Pres, Notre Dame, Jardin des Plantes, Hotel de Ville, Louvre and Champs-Elysees.  The boats operate as hop-on and hop-off meaning that you can get on and off wherever you’d like as long as you have a valid ticket for the day.  Tickets are available for 1-, 2- or 5-day passes with discounts for children.  The boats run every 15 – 30 mins (only during daylight) depending on time of the year.  You can buy tickets online at www.batobus.com, at ticket offices at each stop and at several train stations (Gare de Lyon, Nord and l’Est).

Biking:  Another great way to see Paris is by bike.  I know this might sound scary for the average tourist, but the City of Paris has gone out of its way to make biking safe and simple.  There are over 371 kms of bike lanes throughout Paris.  The City operates the Velib’ bicycle rental program, which is a self-service bike service available all over the City.  You can pick up a bike at any Velib’ station and return it at any other station.  To rent a Velib’, you need a bankcard that has a chip and is compatible with the system (Amex, MasterCard, Visa). The first 30 minutes of each ride is free of charge. The 1-day pass is 1€ and the 7-day ticket is 5€. See the Velib PDF in English for more details.  Since this is a public system, it is very important to check over your bike before leaving the station to make sure the bike works properly.  Also, before you leave, make sure to rent your apartment from ParisSharing!

Which would you prefer? A standard Paris-Hotel or Paris-Sharing?

There are some boutique hotels in Paris that are really worth checking out if you travel as a couple and have an ample budget. There are also more than a few mediocre, cookie-cutter hotels in the two to three star category that are worth sidestepping altogether.

We’ve put together a little photo documentary to demonstrate what may be obvious to some, and not to others. Instead of spending 90€ to 120€ on a mediocre hotel, you can have your own self-catering apartment on Paris-Sharing. Not only will it be more spacious and more fully equipped, it will also feel like home….because it is a home!

The hotels we photographed will not be disclosed, of course, but they are located in nice neighborhoods near Montmartre. They are also perfectly up to required standards, so if you feel inclined to complain about them, maybe you’re just not into hotels.

If you’re not into hotels, you’re probably into Paris-Sharing ! With the exception of the one shown below (in the 140€ range), the apartments that juxtapose the hotel photos are truly ones that are priced the same as the hotel. As you will see (click here), the contrast is astonishing. Our economy-style apartments don’t cut any corners. They are simply less expensive because they are let by Parisians when they’re away, who just need to earn a bit more to smooth out the rough edges and maybe take a longer vacation. Many are also located a bit off the path from the tourists crowds. This gives you a chance to experience real local life in vibrant parisian neighborhoods such as  Belleville, Maraîchers, Neuilly, Batignolles, Beaugrenelle, and the Canal St. Martin.