Fly Paris in April, rates soon to go UP

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Eiffel Tower Paris

Although you might experience rain, the cheap time to fly to Paris is April. I fed in some sample dates, April 10 through April 19 and came up with some numbers. These are all subject to change but can give you a rough idea.

From $742 Flights New York (JFK) – Paris (CDG)
From $899 Flights Boston (BOS) – Paris (CDG)
From $949 Flights Newark (EWR) – Paris (CDG)
From $967 Flights Chicago (ORD) – Paris (CDG)
From $1009 Flights Baltimore (BWI) – Paris (CDG)
From $1047 Flights San Francisco (SFO) – Paris (CDG)
From $1097 Flights Los Angeles (LAX) – Paris (CDG)

Turkish Airlines has the all-time lowest flight from JFK: $799. Fifteen hours with a stop in Istanbul. Deal??? My flight preference is always Air France with as few stops as possible. Nonstop from SFO on April 10 is just $1084. In seven days fares are predicted to rise. So reserve your tickets now!

UNITEDairlinesparis

A few bargain hotels to get you started:

New Orient Hotel $161
Hotel de Varenne $194
Hotel de Londres Eiffel $185
Residence Foch $197
Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel $169-$378
Les Jardins du Marais $207-$346
Villa Pantheonget $199-$1614
The Westin Paris – Vendome $364-$541
Crowne Plaza Paris-République $184-$360

Bon Voyage.

Lunch break on rue Mouffetard

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NoWorriesLunchBreak

Sometimes the ol’ feet give up and it’s time to recharge. Thanks to one of our readers, Patty Brissenden, innkeeper at Sorensen’s Resort in Hope Valley, California, her salad/beer/guidebook shot was preserved for posterity. As you can see, she’s ready to dig right in after quenching her thirst. The stop:

Mouff’tôt Mouff’tard
71, Route Mouffetard
5th arrondissement
tel: 01 47 07 91 58
metro: Monge

http://www.moufftot-moufftard.com/accueil.html

Highly recommended, prices very reasonable. Ambiance A+.

LeMouff

Sick in Paris? An emergency? Call these numbers

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emergencyParis

In the U.S. we have the universal telephone number 911. The EU-wide emergency number is 112. For direct medical help while you’re in Paris call SAMU: dial 15 or  01 45 67 50 50.

Another option is having a doctor make a housecall. Two services are available:

SOS Medecins France
Housecalls 24/7: dial: 36 24 from your apt phone (0.12E/minute) or 01 47 07 77 77
It is imperative that they have a direct telephone contact to assess the degree of urgency and can bring you the best reply. Cost: €35 and €90 depending on the time of day. Always remember to buy trip insurance before leaving which should cover this.

Research their services at http://www.sosmedecins.fr/ (Be sure to check the box with the English translation.)

Urgences Médicales de Paris
24/7 housecalls
5 Rue Jean-Baptiste Berlier 75013 Paris
dial: 01 53 94 94 94
Research their services at: http://www.ump.fr/

Toothache: S.O.S. dentistes: dial: 01 43 37 51 00
87 blvd de Port Royal, 13th arrondisement
A private dental office that offers services when most dentists are off-duty

English speaking hospitals:

American Hospital in Paris dial: 01 46 41 25 25; http://www.american-hospital.org ; 63 blvd Victor Hugo, 92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine; Private hospital offering emergency 24-hour medical and dental care.

Hertford British Hospital, dial: 01 46 39 22 22; http://www.british-hospital.org; 3 rue Barbès, 92300 Levallois-Perret
Less-expensive than the American Hospital.

Find an open pharmacy (pharmacie de garde) by calling 32 37 or go to http://www.3237.fr/. You can count on pharmacists to render good medical advice and dispense antibiotics without a prescription.

Some handy phrases in case they “no speaka da English”:
Need a doctor   Besoin un médecin (Il me faut un médecin)
I have had an accident   J’ai eu un accident
Injured    Blessé(e)
Unconscious   Perdre connaissance
Bleeding   Hémorragie
Heart attack   Crise cardiaque
Stroke   AVC (ah veh say), un accident vasculaire cérébral
Drowning   Noyade (se noyer)
Burn   Brûlure
Very sick   Très malade
I am in labor    Je suis en train d’accoucher

Keep these numbers as an emergency cheat sheet. Hoping you don’t have to use them. If you do, you can have full confidence that you will be cared for well here.

If you’re intending to see Paris by walking….read this

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noworriesparisTWIT1

Bonjour and bienvenue to the City of Light.
Illustrated by more than 300 color photographs, No Worries Paris takes readers on a visually luscious journey to the city s striking monuments, as well as into the cobblestone crannies of its villages and along the glamorous fashion boulevards.

Virtually all of Paris is covered in 10 Walking Tours, each with its own map. Walks take from a half-day to a day to complete, starting at one Metro stop and ending at another. The tours are complemented by 10 Promenades, which are shorter in length, taking in the sights around a single attraction, mainly on the fringes of city’s arrondissiments. No Worries Paris is sure to meet expectations the famous sights s of Paris but it is also full of surprises at out-of-the way places.

Of Midi-Pyrenees heritage, Janine Duchein Sprout started photographing Paris during her student days, beginning a lifelong passion that has sustained many subsequent visits. The images do far more than illustrate the text. She has captured the many nuances of Paris with portraits that tell stories sure to lure readers in a way that words cannot. Each walk is a photographic exhibit unto itself. About half the pages are devoted to photographs.

Writer Jerry Sprout adds a text that manages to be both concise and rich with facts and vignettes. The text offers enough detail to make the walks interesting while not getting bogged down in exposition. Key locales of French history are covered, spanning centuries and involving famous figures from the breadth of Europe. Walks also point out the former hangouts of artists, writers, actors, and performers. Particular attention is paid to the many well-known Americans who have made Paris a calling. Walks visit street markets, notorious restaurants, and many film locations. The world of shopping is well represented glamorous stores, chic boutiques and galleries, as well as vintage passages.

No Worries Paris has enough content to cover several visits. Practical travel tips and get-around information are included. Newcomers will most likely want to begin with monumental strolls. Francophiles may choose something more edgy and out-of-the-way.

The common thread is that each walk is along a visually aesthetic pathway that has a story of its own to tell. Readers who want to get to know Paris by seeing it on foot pausing occasionally for a gourmet taste or perfumed sniff along the way have found the right guide

No Worries Paris

ÉCU Festival: The Sundance of Europe

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The European Independent Film Festival is coming to Paris March 29-31. Ninety films from 28 countries will be featured. Check out the program here: schedule/week

Where:
Les 7 Parnassiens
98, bd du Montparnasse
métro: Vavin or Montparnasse-Bienvenue
bus: 91, 92, 94 or 96

Cinema Action Christine
4 rue Christine
metro: Saint-Michel or Odeon
bus: 24, 58, 63, 86, 87, 96

Where to stay (budget):
Hotel Perreyeve
63 rue Madame, 75006 Paris

http://www.perreyve-hotel-paris-luxembourg.com/fr/

Hotel Istria
29 rue Campagne Premiere, 75014 Paris

http://www.hotel-istria-paris.com/

Hotel Denfert Montparnasse
70 rue Daguerre, paris 75014

http://www.hotel-denfert-montparnasse.com/

Hotel Sophie Germain
12 rue Sophie Germain, Paris 75014

http://www.hotelsophiegermain.com/fr/index.php

Hotel Edgar Quinet (budget)
17 boulevard Edgar Quinet, Paris 75014

http://www.edgarquinethotel.com/fr/rooms.html

I ❤ Paris Photography Museums: a select list

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parisPhoto

Dedicated to the art of photography, these places are shrines.

Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson
2 Impasse Lebouis 75014

Metro
Gaité, line 13, exit n° 1, next to Rue de l’Ouest
Edgard Quinet, line 6, next to rue de la Gaité
Bus
Line 28 and 58 stop at Losserand-Maine
Line 88, stop at Jean Zay – Maine

http://www.henricartierbresson.org/pres/home_en.htm

From Tuesday to Sunday from 1 PM to 6.30 PM, Saturday from 11 AM to 6.45 PM. Late night Wednesdays until 8.30 PM. Closed on Mondays.
6 € adults
4 € under 26, seniors, unemployed
Free on Wednesday evening (6.30 PM – 8.30 PM) and for the Friends of the Foundation

On the top floor you can view his original prints, contact sheets, drawings, publications and correspondence from his travels around the world in which to document countries, wars, artists, celebrities and politicians.

Centre de National de la Photographie
Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild
Access M° George V (ligne 1), M° Charles de Gaulle Etoile (lignes 1, 2 et 6)
RER Charles de Gaulle Etoile (ligne A)
Address 11, rue Berryer
Phone 33(0)1 53 76 12 32
http://www.cnp-photographie.com

Every day except Tuesdays from 12 noon to 7.00 p.m
Full rate 4,60 €
Reduced rate 2,30 €

Maison Européenne de la Photographie
Free Every Wednesday Evening: Opens its doors every Wednesday night for free.

M° St-Paul (ligne 1), M° Pont-Marie (ligne 7), Bus 67, 69, 96, 76
Address 5-7, rue de Fourcy
Phone 33(0)1 44 78 75 00
http://www.mep-fr.org

Every day except Mondays and Tuesdays from 11.00 a.m to 8.00 p.m.
Full rate 4,57 €
Reduced rate 2,29 €

Patrimoine Photographique
Place Hôtel de Sully
Access M° Bastille (lignes 1, 5 et 8), M° St-Paul (ligne 1)
62, rue Saint-Antoine
Phone 33(0)1 42 74 47 75
http://www.patrimoine-photo.org

Every day except Mondays from 10.00 a.m to 6.30 p.m
Full rate 4 €
Reduced rate 2,5 €

Tired of walking Paris? Take a bus ride

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parisBus

Sometimes there’s more daylight left but your feet won’t cooperate to make more tracks. A solution is taking the bus, same price as a metro ticket with a lot more flavor and scenic opportunity. The inside is as interesting as the outside on certain routes.

Here’s how: go to Paris’s main transportation website: http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21879/tourists/

click on: Finding Your Way in Paris

fill in: The bus stop closest to your apt where you will get on, then your destination. It will show you the route to get there. Or you can do the same thing with the metro.

The site also has a big route map of where the buses go. Make sure you get a window seat nearest the driver. He can help you with getting off at the right stop. It is common courtesy to say “Bonjour” (“hello,” used in the morning and afternoon) or “Bonsoir” (“hello,” used in the evening) to the bus driver.

Best routes for sightseeing: 69, 63, 24 and 87. Take it to the end (usually not a terribly hospitable place but ask the bus driver where the bus stop is for the return trip: le retour).

To catch a bus, climb aboard and simply insert your ticket (use the same T+ ticket as the métro) in the slot machine upon entering (validate). If you don’t have a ticket, no worries, the drivers will take coins and the cost of a single ticket is about €1.90. If you’re planning to use the bus and métro often during your stay in Paris, consider purchasing a carnet, or book, of 10 tickets to save some money or check into the different. Even longer, buy a Navigo pass. And away you go!

Paris Fashion Week: Oh! Chanel

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Some runway looks. Winter 2013 trends: laundry bag chic, tractor-sole shoes, cigarette trousers, silk bustiers, strapless pinstripe daydresses, and artist-inspired collections.

The big names: BALENCIAGA, DIOR, CHANEL, CARVEN, BARBARA BUI, MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA, CHLOE,JOHN GALLIANO, VALENTINO, LOUIS VUITTON, MIU MIU, ELIE SAAB

The biggest runway is on the streets. Fashion is everywhere this week. Location Tuileries: Click!

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