Tag Archives: No Worries Paris guidebook

Paris: walking the walk

22 Wednesday Oct 2014

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Look inside our book, No Worries Paris:

noworries paris walk

No Worries Paris photo page

A little self promotion:

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 the city’s neighborhoods. No Worries Paris is sure to meet expectations the famous sights of Paris but it is also full of surprises at out-of-the way places.

“Paris is as vast as it is old, and wandering aimlessly won’t let one see all of it. ‘No Worries Paris’ is a beautiful travel guide from Jerry & Janine Sprout, presenting advice for those who want to experience Paris in all of its potential. Featuring many walking tours, each accompanied by full color photography, ‘No Worries Paris’ is a must for those who want to get the absolute most out of France.” Small Press Bookwatch

Available on Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com or go to http://www.trailblazertravelbooks.com and order a signed copy direct from the authors.

No Worries Paris Cover

Gare de Lyon – take time to dine

23 Tuesday Sep 2014

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Train Bleu Paris

One of Paris’s Belle Époque dazzling restaurants is located in none other than a train station. A great suggestion for an afternoon is visiting the Jardin des Plantes and finishing it up with a late lunch at Le Train Bleu.

Originally created to cater to visitors of Paris’s Universal Exposition 1900,
the beginnings of this restaurant are linked with those of the Gare de Lyon. In the planning stage, the Compagnie Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée (the PLM) decided to build a new railway station with 13 tracks capable of handling tens of thousands of visitors. The station’s buffet has an immense, richly decorated rectangular dining room, basket-handle arched ceiling, Caryatides, rococo mermaids, gilding, mirrors and 41 murals painted by 30 renowned artists evoking the most beautiful French landscapes traversed by the railroad: a view of the Mont Blanc, Antibes, Marseille’s old port, the Lac du Bourget, etc… ‘No restaurant is more beautiful than that of the Gare de Lyon!’ wrote Louise de Vilmorin.

Gare De Lyon

Having narrowly escaped destruction by the SNCF (French national railway company) after WWII, Le Train Bleu has been listed in the Historic Monuments Registry since 1972. The TGV menu is served in 45 minutes; it consists of a slice of home-cooked foie gras, a beef steak tartare with freshly fried potatoes and a cup of coffee.’  Don’t miss the traditional baba au rhum: the maître d’hôtel sets it down in front of you, cuts it in two, douses it with rum and leaves the bottle and the bowl of Chantilly cream on your table to be used at will.

Le Train Bleu
Place Louis Armand
75012 Paris

The Paris boutique hotel list: hip vs charm

12 Saturday Apr 2014

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noworriesparisSlippers

Wrap up in a soft white monogrammed robe, pop the champagne and unwind in your cozy boutique hotel room after the long flight to Paris. The following are all well located with chez this chez that dining just around the corner. They range from ultra-mod Phillip Stark to chintzy French provincal plush. Scroll through our suggestions, click through to their home pages, then move on down to Trip Advisor for their reviews. You can book directly (most staffers speak some English and you’ll bypass the middleman fee) or price at Expedia, Travelocity, Kayak, booking.com or hotels.com. Do your homework, you’ll be rewarded $$$.

parishotelrecommendations

Location is everything and all of these get our stamp of approval. Of course you know to book well ahead of your departure for the best deals. Price usually equates to the size of the room. Don’t be shocked at how tiny some are, especially the bathrooms. Most are ideal for short getaways when you can afford to spend a little more. Twenty to fifty dollars more per night can buy you a lot more room, amenities, charm and sometimes a free petit dejuner. Why you’re visiting Paris, non?

Dauphine Saint Germain Hotel
36 Rue Dauphine, 6th, 1-866-599-6674
http://www.dauphine-st-germain.com
Romantic and picturesque without being overly cute.

Hotel Le Six
14, rue Stanislas, 6th
http://www.hotel-le-six.com/en/
Known for its accommodating staff.

Hôtel Sublim Eiffel
94 boulevard Garibaldi, 15th
+33 1 4065 9595, Métro: Sèvres Lecourbe.
Doubles from €189
Steam room, fireplace bar, metro map carpeting, Paris kitsch
sublimeiffel.com

Hotel Design de la Sorbonne
6 rue Victor Cousin, 5th, +33 1 4354 5808, Métro: Cluny-La Sorbonne
Doubles from €165
Pizzaz, designer colors, in room computers.
http://www.hotelsorbonne.com/en/

Hotel Bonaparte
61 rue Bonaparte, 6th, +33 1 4326 9737, Métro: Mabillon. Doubles from €130
Rooms feature 19th-century architectural elements such as stone fireplace mantels and moulded ceilings.
http://www.hotelbonaparte.fr

Petit Belloy St Germain
Notre Dame and the Louvre are less than 15 minutes away.
1 rue Racine, 6th, +33 1 4326 8713, Métro: Cluny-La Sorbonne. On special now from €129
http://www.hotel-petit-belloy-saint-germain.com/en

Hotel du Cadran
10 rue du Champs de Mars, 7th, +33 1 4062 6700, Métro: Ecole Militaire. Doubles from €119. Modern, can be noisy. Opening soon, their very own chocolate bar.
http://www.cadranhotel.com

Hotel 7 Eiffel
17bis Rue Amélie, 7th
Phone:+33 1 45 55 10 01
Marble bathrooms and Fragonard toiletries. In summer the rooftop terrace is open to guests.
www.hotel-7eiffel-paris.com

Hôtel Du Prince Eugène
247 Bd Voltaire, 11th. For a change of pace, take a walk on the hip East Side.
http://www.paris-hotel-princeeugene.com

Hotel d’Angleterre Saint Germain des Prés
44 Rue Jacob, 6th. A solid choice, popular with Americans
http://www.hotel-angleterre-paris.net

Le Fabe Hotel
A Left Bank find (Montparnasse), somewhat out of the way but clean, well priced.
113 bis rue de l’Ouest, 14th, +33 1 4044 0963, Métro: Pernety.
http://www.lefabehotel.fr/en/

Villa Saint Germain des Prés
29 Rue Jacob 6th, +33 (0)1 43 26 60 00. Popular, great reviews.
http://www.villa-saintgermain.com

Hotel Sezz
6 Ave. Frémiet, 16th, +33 1 56 75 26 26
Designer WOW. Right Bank. Murano-glass fixtures in the lobby. No front desk, instead a team of personal assistants to guide you. Champagne bar, campy, chic.
http://www.hotelsezz.com

Paris: all in a row at Bagatelle

03 Wednesday Jul 2013

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Paris_bagatelle_rosegarden

Although blooms are now fading, a walk through the Bagatelle is still inspiring – a time travel jaunt through a jangle of rose ropes and cone shaped conifers. It’s always quiet and there are plenty of benches to contemplate nature and read some Francoise Sagan or Balzac. Bus directions in your No Worries Paris guidebook.

bagatelle_Paris

bagatelle_orangerie

A visit to Paris’s “Sinister Way”

21 Monday Jan 2013

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Rue Roquette Paris

From the pages of the No Worries Paris guidebook: “The restaurants and bistros amplify on Rue de la Roquette. But in the 17C, Roquette was but a rural road leading to the large domain of a convent of the same name—which derives from a pale yellow flower, “the rocket,” that thrived in the rubble beside the road. At the time of the Revolution and for a century thereafter, Roquette was known as the “Sinister Way,” or “Sorrowful Road.” It connected the prison at Bastille to the new cemetery at Pere Lachaise, passing two other prisons, both a men’s and women’s. Funerals and bawdy public executions by guillotine were frequent. To your right as you reach the Roquette, at #76, is Theatre de La Bastille, where the quarter’s new vibe is apparent in dance and drama performances that warp and create trends.”

rueRoquette_Paris_Fr

The Tuileries Gardens, heart of the Axe historique

20 Tuesday Nov 2012

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I can’t always write about fashion and food so I’ll bore you with a little history today: Paris’s Historical Axis.

The Palace of Tuileries was commissioned by Catherine de Medici in 1564 on the site of a tile factory (hence the French name ‘Tuilerie’ deriving from ‘tuile’ – tile).

Young Louis XIV lived there, as did Napoleon Bonaparte who made the Tuileries the centre of his imperial power. It was severely damaged by a fire during the 1871 upheaval of the Paris Commune and the government resolutely cleared away the ruins in 1883. Rumor has it that it will someday be rebuilt.

If you stand in the center of the Tuileries Garden, you can try to locate ‘the spine’ of Paris: In one direction, you should be able to see all the way down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. Still in a line beyond that lies La Defense, the Grand Arch. In the other direction is the Place du Carrousel, IM Pei’s pyramid in the Louvre courtyard and much farther away (and not to be seen from ground level), the Bastille (demolished during the French revolution). The July Column takes its place.

Now you can slump in one of those free chairs, relax and fantasize about what transpired exactly where you’re sitting ….. or just doze off.