Hi everyone,
We%26#39;re finally almost there after a couple of months of planning. Just had a couple of questions before we leave:
1) How%26#39;s the weather in Paris? I%26#39;ve checked out the BBC weather and it appears to be sunny and in the mid 20s. We are coming from a tropical climate so would a light jumper/cardigan be sufficient for us and our kids age 10 and 5 for the day?
2) How much should we estimate for food daily? Breakfast is provided by the hotel so its lunch (deli/cafe type for a sandwich/pasta) and a 2-3 course dinner with wine?
3) I%26#39;ve been seeing so many posts on going to the top of the Eiffel Tower and am wondering if its worth the wait in the queue especially since we have 2 children or are we better off skipping it altogether and just viewing it from nearby and then going up the Arc de Triomphe?
4) Train to Eurodisney - I%26#39;m aware of the RER but does the TGV go there as well from central Paris?
5) Musee grevin/Science museum - which would be more fun for kids?
6)Are the summer sales still on or have they ended?
Thanks very much in advance!
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Hello,
Just got back from Paris with my 8 year old daughter. Weather, the week we were there was 20%26#39;s, we had rain jackets and light sweaters for morning and always carried one or the other with us just in case. We went to the second floor of the Eiffel tower, my daughter thought it was worth the queue, we did however get there quite early on a wednesday morning. I personally liked the view of the Eiffel tower best from afar and thought the best view of Paris was from Sacre Coeur. The Eiffel tower is such a symbol of Paris though, and I think my daughter would have felt cheated if we hadn%26#39;t gone. We did go to the Arc de Triomphe but did not climb to the top, so I can%26#39;t comment on that. We spent alot of time in the Tuileries and rode the giant Ferris Wheel there once, great views also. The Paris Plage along the Seine was also fun for a stroll in the evening and a picnic. We ate very simply 10-15 euros per for lunch, ate most dinners in our apartment. Hope this helps, have a great time!
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1. I do not predict weather but 30+ is possible in August.
2. Dinner menus (3 courses) typically from 25-30€/person, including tip, excluding wine.
4. No
6. No, they are ended
For 3 %26amp; 5 how old are your children?
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Sarastro, %26quot;our kids age 10 and 5%26quot;.. :)
I think the Grevin would be fun for both, also consider the %26quot;Musee de la Magie%26quot;, with its old-fashioned automatons and short magic show.
http://www.grevin.com/home
http://www.museedelamagie.com/
11, rue saint Paul 75004
Open Wed, Sat, Sun 2:00-7:00
Adults 9€ children 7€
The elevators to the Eiffel can get very very packed and unpleasant, and I recall (from quite a ways back) that you have to change on the 2nd level to go on up to the 3rd level - is that correct? You can decide when you get there and see whether it%26#39;s really crowded or not... the Arc de Triomphe has been %26#39;redone%26#39; inside and does provide a nice lower-level view over Paris. (I think the 3rd l. of the Eiffel is almost too high to make the view below that interesting, espec. if there is any haze).
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Hi. We just got back from Paris today. The weather at the weekend was boiling by our standards (high 20s) but when we left this morning it was cooler and we wore cardigans. Coming from Malaysia, you would find the low 20s chilly and I%26#39;d recommend light weight sweaters.
The only other help I can offer is about the Science Museum (at Villette), where we spent all day yesterday. First, if you decide to go there, do your homework. We queued up for tickets, only to discover that the permutations were endless. You can buy tickets for the individual elements there -- the geode (surround sound cinema), the planetarium presentations, the permanent exhibitions, the submarine, etc -- in all different combinations. However, having spent an absolute fortune on tickets that we thought would get us into everything, we tried to go into a few places and were turned away for not having paid the extra tariff. This was most annoying at the children%26#39;s area -- probably the most relevant area for your children%26#39;s age group. I would suggest that if you go, you maybe just purchase tickets for the kids%26#39; area and one other event -- the show at the planetarium for example.
Visit the information desk BEFORE you line up for tickets so you%26#39;re absolutely sure about what to buy. We didn%26#39;t do this and the woman at the ticket desk was VERY rude and unhelpful to us because we didn%26#39;t know exactly what we wanted! (Having said that, the women at the information desk who we spoke with after the ticket fiasco were all lovely...)
Enjoy your trip.
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travelnutty - I swear I read the post several times looking for the age of the children, I don%26#39;t know how I missed it.
I have made an appointment with my optometrist.
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It was just %26#39;your turn%26#39;.. If my eyes don%26#39;t miss something, my brain usually does.
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Thanks everyone for the feedback and its ok Sarastro that you missed the age! :)
A couple of final questions - we are staying in the Montparnasse area (Le Meridien), are there lots of pattiseries/creperies in that area where we could get a quick bite? Also is there a Monoprix/any other supermarket in that area where we could stock up on milk, yoghurt, snacks etc?
Pickpockets - any tips/areas we should avoid/be extra cautious?
Thanks!
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We were in Paris last week from Wednesday until Sunday. Wednesday was very cloudy but very warm. Thursday to Saturday had bright blue cloudless skies and the temperatures were in the mid 20s. On Sunday it was very hot - we saw one neon sign outside a shop saying that it was 33 degrees. So we were lucky with the weather. I think August weather is usually warm but you just can%26#39;t be sure of it.
As for the Eiffel Tower: before we went we had read messages on here where people said that the best views were from the second level. I could not agree with that. We went on Saturday morning and were glad that we bought the tickets to go to the very top because the views were spectacular. The weather was wonderful - clear blue sky and no haze at all. We got some excellent photos - which would have been hard to get from the second level because of the %26quot;health and safety%26quot; wires they%26#39;ve put up since the last time I was there in 1994.
Also, we arrived early, just before opening time on Saturday and, though there was a queue it was quite fast moving. We certainly didn%26#39;t have to wait hours - about 45 minutes in total, I think. I think that the Eiffel Tower is such a symbol of Paris that it would be a pity not to go up it. Although I had been there once before 15 years ago and did not feel the need to go up a second time, my husband had never been and so for his sake I did it again. He really enjoyed it.
One thing I would say. Do not buy the ticket for the second floor and think that perhaps when you get there you can change your mind and buy a ticket, on the second floor, for the top. While we were in the queue on the second level for the lift to the top we saw them closing the ticket office on the second level. Some people were left disappointed, that they were unable to buy tickets for the top, so my advice is to buy your ticket to go to the top when you are at the ground floor ticket office. That way you will be sure of getting one.
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