Questions and Answers

We are planning a family trip to Paris and then Normandy over HS Spring break, March 17-26. Safety? and also the best Hotel for location and family (10 members). Any ideas of what not to miss in Paris? Thanks

Other than being aware of your surroundings and not actively courting trouble, I wouldn’t be too concerned about safety. My personal philosophy is that even though we want to be safe, we can never be completely insulated from the random events in the world around us.

Paris offers tons to see and do and I’m sure you’ll find many suggestions but a couple of my favorites are the catacombs, dark hot chocolate (Le chocolat chaud à l’ancienne dit “l’Africain”) at Cafe Angelina and the Musée d’Orsay.

The “best” hotel will depend on your resources, what you value (time to travel from the edge of the city to sights or to stay close to them), and what you want to do. Enjoy, it’s a great city!

I stay in the Rue Cler neighborhood (7th Arrondissement) close to the tower. I exercise the same safety awareness no matter where I am, home or away. And I go to Paris twice a year for work and I feel safe there.

When I stay a week or longer in Paris, I rent an apartment. If this is a first time visit, you need to see all the famous venues – the Tower, Louvre, Norte Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur. Have fun!

My friends and I really love the Sandemans free walking tours. They have one for Paris and additionally, there are paid walking tours with them as well. I had a great time on the free walking tour of Paris and it’s especially cool if you like history. We also joined their paid Montmarte tour and found that quite enjoyable as well, even though it rained.

Watch out for your personal belongings! My phone was stolen by a pickpocket while I was on a crowded train.

With so many family members, it might be better to rent a large apartment or house on Airbnb. The Paris Metro is fairly easy to use (and remember to buy tickets in packs of 10 for a discount!)

Wonderful advice everyone!

I definitely agree with renting a flat — most Paris hotel rooms only allow two people, [I]maybe[/I] three, so you’d spend an outrageous amount on hotel rooms. There are some really lovely-looking spaces on Airbnb: [URL]https://www.airbnb.com/s/Paris–France?guests=10&source=bb&page=1&allow_override%5B%5D=&place_id=ChIJD7fiBh9u5kcRYJSMaMOCCwQ&room_types%5B%5D=Entire%20home%2Fapt&ss_id=yt049rhc&ne_lat=48.88920799082537&ne_lng=2.3675741588431265&sw_lat=48.82555437757702&sw_lng=2.276078644927111&zoom=13&search_by_map=true&s_tag=Sg1KfyPD[/URL]