Pulse of Paris
March 2 - 8, 2010
A new
Pulse of Paris trip…5 nights, instead of 6. We have eliminated the Optional
Day, the day you can do as you wish. This change in schedule allows us to keep
the 2007 tour price
The
facts:
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The
value of the dollar has plummeted. It has been declining over the last
several years and now it’s an all time low vis-a-vis the euro.
-
Airline fares are up...it’s the high price of oil.
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Guide
fees, with the new exchange rate, are way out of line.
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Hotels
seem to be holding their prices, but have raised breakfast prices. Prices
range from 7 to 15 euros at a medium-priced hotel (15 euros is $23 with the
dollar at $1.54 to one euro)
What’s a
passionate traveler to do? If you still want to travel, and who doesn’t,
you’ll have to be willing to be flexible, be willing to think of your ultimate
goal …to get away. (See our tips below -- Cheapskate, Smart Traveler --
with strategies we developed on our January, 2008 trip to Paris.)
We offer
you Paris’ best focusing on its history, art, fashion and cuisine.
Our Itinerary:
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Paris' most famous café |
Day 1
Arrive in Paris, transfer on
your own to our hotel, located in the prestigious 6th arrondissement.
In our opinion, this is the best location in Paris, within walking distance of
great restaurants, shopping, and museums (near Musee D’Orsay, a long walk to the
Louvre plus several jewels of smaller museums).
We
always keep activity to a minimum on your day of arrival. We’ll visit the
Louvre for just an hour where I will show you the museums key masterpieces
including the: Winged Victory and the Mona Lisa. You may want to stay longer on
your own or come back another time.
Short
walk around our neighborhood, St. Germaine-des-Pres, if you have the energy.
Early dinner.
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The Seine from the Bateaux-Mouche |
Day 2
Morning walking tour of the
Marais, one of Paris most intriguing neighborhoods, ending at the beautiful
Place des Voges. The Marais chronicles the fascinating history of Paris
during the 17 & 18th centuries.
Afternoon…Orientation
sightseeing tour of the city’s great monuments including the Arc de Triomphe,
Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides and more. . Then the Bateaux Mouche
cruise on the River Seine, another view of Paris’ glorious monuments.
Dinner at Altitude 95 at the
Eiffel Tower…not the best food in Paris but dining here gets you from the lower
level of the Eiffel Tower without having to wait on line.
Day 3
Our close up of Paris many
aspects of Paris cuisine... Morning visit to a street market. Along the way
we’ll pick up the ingredients for a tasting at our hotel later in the day:
cheeses, chocolates , pastries and breads. Visit to Bon Marche with the best
food department in the city.
Lunch
(your dinner) at a 2-star restaurant. You should experience one of the great
restaurants of Paris and you’ll be delighted with the service, ambiance and food
at Salon Helene Darroze.
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Temptations at Fauchon |
After
lunch a brief stop at Fauchon, the justly renowned food emporium Afternoon
demonstration cooking class at the luxurious Ritz Carlton Hotel…It’s wonderful
to watch a haute cuisine chef go through his paces. The class is informal, low
key and fun and you learn and taste the menu. We always try to gain admission
to the Ritz lobby with its long corridor with dozens of vitrines showcasing
luxury goods.
If the
group wants, we can have a cocktail in the bar (optional and probably 20 - 25
euros).
Day 4
Morning
fashion Show at Galeries Lafayette, our pick for the best place to shop in Paris.
We stop at the Welcome Desk to get a 10% discount card. Most of the fashion
houses have boutiques here so it’s one-stop shopping. We provide ample time to shop.
Late
afternoon spa treatment at the beautiful spa at the Four Seasons Hotel. We
include a deluxe warm manicure (cost $116) or a deluxe warm pedicure (cost
$130). Either is included in the tour price. You might prefer a more expensive
treatment such as a facial or a massage. Just figure these treatments are twice
the cost of a manicure (you would get a credit of $116 toward another
treatment).
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Queen's Bed at Versaille |
Day 5
Versailles is spectacular.
We see Versailles with a single focus, Marie Antoinette, the queen of Louis XVI
who has progressed from reviled to revered. See her bedroom, visit the Petit
Trianon (if it is open after renovation), and the Hamlet, the informal complex
of farm-like structures which was Marie Antoinette’s retreat at Versailles. We
finish off our study of Marie Antoinette with a glass of champagne, the favored
drink of the Queen, and, of course, cake.
Day 6
Return home or stay an extra
day on your own. I urge you to stay on.
Note: Itinerary subject to changes and adjustments.
Cost
$3,100 (USD) includes hotel for five nights (single occupancy, no single
supplement), 3 breakfasts, 3 dinners, all activities outlined in itinerary. Price does not include airfare, airport transfers, lunches,
café stops, alcoholic beverages, personal expenses, and wine/alcoholic beverages.
Transportation is by Metro (subway) and bus. If the group wants to take a
taxi (SWT Tours' preference), the taxi fare will be shared, making the ride more
affordable.
Cheapskate Paris
A gift at Sonia
Rykiel for 5 euros...Free
coffee in china cups all day long at Nespresso, a manufacturer of espresso
machines that are wildly popular in Paris, located near Bon Marche department
store...Champagne tasting of a 36 euro bottle at Bon Marche...Super-star pastry
chef, Pierre Hermes, indulgent macaroons for 1.70 euro each, buy a few but one
is enough as a substitute for dessert.
These
money-saving tips with style add don’t detract from the quality of your trip.
So ignore any inclination to put off your European trip due to a plummeting
dollar. Don’t cancel, instead become a thrifty traveler, determined to make
your trip more affordable.
Here’s
the blueprint we used on a late January, 2008 trip to Paris…
Timing matters…You’ll
find the best airline rates from January through March.
Hotel
rates are cheapest in January. And cheaper until April.
Another
plus, this year the winter Paris sales in almost every store runs from Jan 9 to
February 16th. Deductions start at 30%, then may eventually get to
50% and 70% as time goes on. Summer sales start the first Wednesday in June and
run about a month.
Cut the
length of your trip. Say 5 days instead of 7. If you are organized and have
your itinerary planned by a travel professional, you will be able to see almost
everything you would in a longer trip.
Stay
at a less expensive hotel…use
the internet for some new hotel ideas. Don’t dismiss a 2-star hotel. The star
rating is not foolproof and some 2 star hotels have not been upgraded after
undergoing extensive renovation. If the hotel has recently been renovated and
has good guest comments (take with a grain of salt) are two measures I use.
But the
most important decision maker for me is location. I must be able to walk to
good restaurants, shopping and museums. You’ll save time, money and energy . For
my money, the 6th is the best hotel location choice. It can also be
the most expensive.
Reality check…Google
“olanda cheat sheet” a conversion from dollars to euro. I print it out and put
it in my wallet. I knew instantly that paying 10 euros ($15,41 last week) was
overpaying for a bad sandwich and cup of coffee.
Tier
2 money saving tips:
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Skip a
taxi from the airport, about 60 euros
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Opt
for the Air France bus to one of the big train stations or L”Opera for 14
euros
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Take a
cab from drop off point to your hotel…for me about 6 euros
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Returning to the airport, we used a shuttle service, Navette-Aeroport, 01 41
50 42 50, an 8 passenger mini-van that gives door to airline service. Sure,
you’ll have to ride around to a few other hotels, but the car was brand new
and this is the only service I ever used that was on time (6:45 a.m.).
Cost: 25 euros.
Taxi verus
Metro versus Bus…My
first day in Paris, I spent about 25 euros on 3 taxis. A considered extravagance
but since I hadn’t slept and I needed to cover 3 very diverse areas of the city,
the cost was worth it. When you take the metro, once you get off at your
station, you still have to find the address you are looking for. If yu are a
good map reader, this is easy for you. I am not.
My
favorite map is the series called Streetwise Paris (maps are available for most
European cities. Cost: in US about $7)
Metro vs
Bus…I am not a fan of the Metro…many destinations require changes to a different
line requiring long walks, lots of stairs. The buses are less crowded, I always
got a seat, you can pay on the bus 1.50euro. You will have to master the routes
but with the help of your concierge and some well marked diagrams (not maps) at
some bus stops, you should be able to handle this.
Eating…You can
save lots of money here depending on how much you care about food. I care a lot
so here are my suggestions.
Breakfast …Your hotel may not include breakfast in your room rate. Breakfast is
running 7 to 13 euros at a medium price hotel. Eat at your hotel a couple of
days. The rest of your stay, you have lots of alternatives.
Satisfied with just coffee? Go to any of the small bars in your
neighborhood. Have an espresso for just 1.50 euros, a croissant will cost about
2 euros. Don’t sit down. Do as the natives do, stand at the bar. If you sit
down, you’ll add a couple of euros to your breakfast. Many brasseries offer
continental breakfast for about 4.5 euros and you can sit down. Look for signs.
Subway, if you can find one, offers continental breakfast for 2.5 euros.
Lunch…Want to save money and eat very well? Do lunch instead of
dinner. I had 3 excellent lunches each about 35 euros with a glass of
wine. Considering Paris’ haut cuisine dinners can cost 200 euros, these are
bargain lunches.
Salon
Helene Darroze…the ground floor of this 2-star restaurant, called the Salon,
offers a great 30 euro prix fixe lunch …3 tapas size courses that offer
intriguing choices. I had foie gras; black rice with chorizos and calamari and
fish and chips.
You must
treat yourself to the delights of eating in a 2-star restaurant. French service
is matchless, they will make you feel important, loved and pampered. Priceless.
Lunch was 35 euros with a glass of wine, services and taxes were included.
Excellent lunches at two other restaurants: L”Epi Dupin 3 courses: 22 euros and
La Bastide Odeon…2 course lunch 26 euros. Very elegant kind of casual ambiance.
Don’t worry about taking too much time out of your sightseeing. Both
restaurants served lunch in about an hour.
More
cheap skate tips:
Don’t
splurge on a $15 issue of French Vogue. Instead, drop in at any of the top
designer boutiques. Most have beautiful 4 color brochures featuring the current
collections. The Sonia Rykiel is always a favorite. Her spring message: think
Yellow.
Shopping
for gifts…Both Au Printemps and Galeries Lafayette have set up sidewalk stands
offering great buys. We picked up very long scarves with good design for 5
euros each. What’s more they come nicely folded inside transparent plastic
wrap…I also love my two inch wide amethyst bracelet, 5 euros..
Sonia
Rykiel , pink heart shaped post-its, just 5 euros. They will wrap your gift
nicely in tissue and a lovely little shopping bag just as if you had bought one
of their thousand euro sweaters.
Street Savvy…there are many streets in Paris that you want to haunt because
of the many possibilities they offer. Rue du Seine in the 6th
arrondissement
is an excellent example.
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Fromagerie Quatrehomme…great cheeses with a tiny glassed in area with a couple
of tables where if you go early, you can enjoy a delicious lunch of 5
different cheese with a glass of wine for around 10 euros.
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Da
Rosa, a couple of doors down, good for lunch or dinner, few tables. Plat du
jour of pasta, risotto about 16 euros. Splurge on their delicious chocolate
covered raisins with sauterne. Addictive.
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Fish,
down still further, is a great wine bar with good food.
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On the
opposite side of the street, pick up a rotisserie chicken to eat for dinner in
your room. Of course, you will have brought a knife and fork from home for
just such money-saving dinners.
Dare
to ask for tap water…Why spend 4 euros for bottled water?. Tap water is safe
in Paris, You will probably feel intimidated asking for tap water. I did it in a
2 star, even having the guts to order it from the sommelier. My water arrived in
a lovely decanter.
French Chocolate is justly famous with many wonderful artisanal chocolatiers
in Paris. Skip the large boxes of chocolate with astronomical price tags. Opt
instead for their small offerings that come pre-wrapped. From 4 euros each at
Maison du Chocolat. Their chocolate éclair, reputed to be the best in Paris, is
a 6 euro treat. At Jean Charles Rochoux, I had my favorite: a large chocolate
raisin square for 3.50 euros. I was offered a free sample of a truffle that
might have been the best I ever tasted at this tiny chocolate heaven. |