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I'm in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Europe. The plan is pretty simple. 1 week in London and 1 in Paris. I've seen all 50, most of Canada and some of Mexico but never taken the flight across the pond to explore there. Music festival(s) are already in the cards but what I'm concerned about is WHERE DO I STAY?!?
I was hoping to get some real life reviews from people I trust. I know there are some Inforoosters that are global travelers.
Any help is appreciated. Where to stay, what to do, tube info ....
I have never been to London, but I lived in Paris for a year! I would stay in the 5th. I don't know specific hotels, but anywhere close to the Seine or a metro/RER stop in the 5th would be my ideal location without a doubt. Most of the hotel rooms are the sizes of closets, so don't expect much!
I could talk FOREVERRRRR about Paris (and a whole bunch of other European cities), so feel free to ask anything else!!!
Welcome back Bonz, but I do not find it strange that your presence being requested in the Orgy thread and then you showing up, like it was the quacking Bonzai Bat Signal.
my uncle has traveled all over europe and saved a TON of money couch surfing. its this website where you connect with people who will let you stay in their house for a few days while you backpack or what ever. he hasn't been in any "Hostel" situations YET and when I hop the pond I'll probably try to do the same thing. heres the web site www.couchsurfing.org/
Post by dreamingtree on Nov 3, 2011 11:08:50 GMT -5
There is an area near the Goodge Street Underground in London that has a lot of B&Bs at decent prices. Basically as long as you are near an underground tube station it is easy to get anywhere. Also, you need to book way ahead to get these because they are so reasonably priced compared to the rest of London.
We stayed at the Arran House in May. It's basic but it was clean, safe and the breakfast was great. It was not our first choice but the others were already booked up. Here are a few links:
I stayed at the 3 Ducks Hostel in Paris when I was backpacking with my college buddies for spring break. When we checked out they told us we were "the reason Europeans hate Americans", but I don't even know what we did to piss them off. Also, there's a church across the street that rings its bell 12 times at the top of every hour, regardless of the actual time.
I don't know why I'm telling you all of this, I guess to tell you not to stay at the 3 Ducks Hostel in Paris.
There's a hostel in London I can recommend... once I find the name of it. It's across the street from the British Muesum and was fine, I had no issues there and everyone was friendly. www.hostels.com/hostels/london/astor-museum-inn/520 oh, ok, found it. 81% rating, might find another out there with a better rating. I know I would stay again and it was pretty close to the tube. Tube is easy, just like any other metro system.
*edit, OH, just saw the hotel/wife part. Tube advice still stands, just get a map! I usually try to know in advance the places I will be visiting and know what station will get me there.
Last Edit: Nov 3, 2011 15:23:30 GMT -5 by taco - Back to Top
There's a hostel in London I can recommend... once I find the name of it. It's across the street from the British Muesum and was fine, I had no issues there and everyone was friendly. www.hostels.com/hostels/london/astor-museum-inn/520 oh, ok, found it. 81% rating, might find another out there with a better rating. I know I would stay again and it was pretty close to the tube. Tube is easy, just like any other metro system.
*edit, OH, just saw the hotel/wife part. Tube advice still stands, just get a map! I usually try to know in advance the places I will be visiting and know what station will get me there.
We haven't fully knocked out hostels. It would just have to be private room.
If I ever win the lottery I'm renting The Royal Suite at The Lanesborough. I'm going to trash the ever loving quack out of it.
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Last Edit: Nov 3, 2011 16:14:35 GMT -5 by Deleted - Back to Top
And Bonzai .. Perfect. I should have said areas to stay in and not just specifics. I really have no idea where I need to be looking.
I'd say Bonzai has it right. The 5th arrondissement is centrally located which puts you in walking distance or a short cab ride from a lot of attractions. Paris is fairly easy to navigate(awesome Metro system!) but with just a week, you don't want to spend to much time figuring out how to get around. The 5th is also a beautiful area just to walk around. I love all the old Roman historical sites in the area.
I'd also recommended brainstorming on what you want to do with your time there and take that into account when picking out an area. You can find plenty of maps like the one below that will help give you a simplified visual of the city. Then once you have a hotel you can use your hotel address to plan out trips based on metro maps etc. If you already have that figured out it will save you lots of time while there.
This site seems to have some good deals. It's a good place to look around at the prices in different areas.
I'd say Bonzai has it right. The 5th arrondissement is centrally located which puts you in walking distance or a short cab ride from a lot of attractions. Paris is fairly easy to navigate(awesome Metro system!) but with just a week, you don't want to spend to much time figuring out how to get around. The 5th is also a beautiful area just to walk around. I love all the old Roman historical sites in the area.
I wish we had more than a week but time constraints with vacation days and what-nots.
I've been to both, but I didn't stay anywhere you'd want to go. I went with my high school's European History class trip with about twenty kids, two teachers and the parents of one of them. We were in hostels with multiple bunkbeds per room most of those two weeks, but we booked that trip six months in advance and everything was filled up because our timing coincided with the 1998 World Cup. We bussed in from about an hour away when we did go, but it was amazing being in such a city when a cross-section of the world is there.
I will pass on the same advice Grandpa gave me before I left: Stay away from those French women, they'll give you crabs.
Welcome back Bonz, but I do not find it strange that your presence being requested in the Orgy thread and then you showing up, like it was the quacking Bonzai Bat Signal.
Still so jealous of you. When it gets closer and you want suggestions of the best places to go, streets to walk, etc. I'm your girl ;D
Totally! We're trying to see if we can squeeze in a quick trip to Spain in the summer to get our toes wet and figure out how exactly we travel together for more than weekends at a time before we try something longer.
Here's a question. If you know me IRL then you know I'm pretty littered with tattoos. I'm figuring that I'll have to cover up going into churches .. Will I feel uncomfortable in Europe just letting it all hang out or should I be thinking of being covered up for the trip?
Post by jesstacular on Dec 15, 2011 23:30:55 GMT -5
In London, I'd definitely recommend St Christopher's Hostel. Great experiences there (including rooftop parties! Fab).
I stayed in two hostels and a discount hotel in Paris. What I'd recommend is finding something in an area you'd like to hang out in (like the Marais - that's where the discount hotel was). Then you can still easily access the Metro, but you can also just walk outside and go have a cafe at a cafe.
St Christopher's Hostel in Paris (part of the same chain as the London one) was really nice inside. . . but had less "life" to it somehow, and also doesn't fit my idea of "in an area I'd like to hang out" (though it is easily accessible by Metro - love the Paris metro).
Book your Paris hostel in advance! You don't want to get stuck with the only hostel rooms in the city available at the Blue Planet. . . yes, the bad ratings on the hostel site are for real. It was one of the worst hostels I've stayed in (and I've stayed in quite a few). Decent location by one of the train stations though. . .
Oh, and in churches: shorts and tank tops are kind of no-nos however you look. But short-sleeves and pants should be fine, even with visible tats. (Edited because I thought you were female when I first wrote that. . .)
We spent two weeks backpacking across Western Europe.(London to Amsterdam, to Switzerland, to Pamplona, Spain, then to Paris for Bastille day before heading back to London) Hostels are cheap and the right ones can provide a cool and ultimate Euro experience. Which hostels are those? IDK, it has been 10 years and the only Hostel I remember the name of was the Funny Farm in Interlaken, but I am sure the advice from Jess given above is accurate. I will say, when in France, try to speak the language. Learn some simple, basic communication words, like hello, thank you, where is the Louvre, you will quack it up(unless you speak French), but the effort you put forward trying to speak their language will do a lot with interactions of French people and they will respect you for that. Learn how to pronounce des Champs-Élysées, one of the main avenues in Paris. French love it when we quack up that name. Also, do not look for ice. Most restaurants do not carry ice for your drinks, drink it warm, get use to it. In London, the food sucks, it does, Fish n' Chips are good, but other than a few treats the over all food experience is lacking, but who goes to London for the food? As for church, I went to a party one night in London, well they had turned this old Church into a club, and it was crazy. That might give an idea on how Europeans view Churches, more laid back.
Oh, and in churches: shorts and tank tops are kind of no-nos however you look. But short-sleeves and pants should be fine, even with visible tats. (Edited because I thought you were female when I first wrote that. . .)
I'm sure that some people on here can argue that you're right.
Thanks for all that info. Much appreciated. It's little things like that I worry about.
but I do not find it strange that your presence being requested in the Orgy thread and then you showing up, like it was the quacking Bonzai Bat Signal. 
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