Paris practicalities

A Paris vacation is a dream trip, but it doesn’t have to be a wallet breaker.

The last week of February ’12, my wife, JoAnn, and I stayed in Paris at a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment at 70 rue St. Dominique, located in a charming neighborhood only five blocks from Les Invalides, where Napoleon’s tomb and the Army Museum are located.

On the other side of the park and the Seine was the Palais Royal, and a short distance from there were the Champs d’Élysées and the Place de la Concorde. In the other direction, it was about a 10-minute walk to the Eiffel Tower.

Having a friend who had used the service, we had contacted Vacation in Paris, LLC (Newton, NJ; 800/403-4304), which offers a wide variety of rental apartments in Paris. Our apartment averaged $170 a night for six nights — much cheaper than most Paris hotels and, of course, more spacious.

An apartment appeals to us because we don’t like to eat out for breakfast and occasionally, after a huge lunch, we want to fix a simple dinner. But the real appeal is living among Parisians rather than in a tourist setting.

In the neighborhood of our apartment were small grocery stores, wine shops and, a few blocks away, rue Cler, partly a pedestrian-only street, with a huge cheese store and shops with pastries, pâté, fruits and other delicacies.

While I speak passable French, we found that most shopkeepers knew enough English to be able to serve visitors. Even if you’re not buying anything, be sure to visit rue Cler.

We usually ate in two restaurants near our apartment, but we discovered that the real bargains were in the Latin Quarter near Notre Dame. Many restaurants are hidden away in alleyways and on pedestrian streets.

We found 3-course lunches (not including wine) for €15-€18 (near $18-$22). Salmon, mussels and crème brûlée were common and delicious, though other options ranged from simple hamburgers and salads to more expensive seafood.

In front of Les Invalides, the hop-on/hop-off buses operate every 30 minutes in winter and every 10 minutes in summer. They’re run by L’Open Tour, and there are four different routes, each taking about two hours. Not only is it convenient but it eliminates the need to bone up on the public bus schedules.

We used the service for four days and considered it a bargain. A ticket costs €29 for one day or €32 ($39) for two days.

By the way, both of us were very impressed with Paris-Shuttle.com (call, in the US, 877/404-9674 or, in France, 0810 150 120, e-mail parisshuttle.reservation@gmail.com), which provided a transfer from Charles de Gaulle Airport to our apartment for €38 ($47).

Our visit to Paris was a real “people” experience. We found everyone we met to be courteous and helpful. JoAnn says you get what you give, so I suppose that a smile, some French and a need for assistance will almost always get a positive response.

BILL KOFOED
Ft. Pierce, FL