Paris Master Thread

[@Yehuda]

Is it better to spend Thursday night through Sunday afternoon in Paris or Sunday afternoon through Tuesday night? We'd like to see Versailles as well as the main sites in town). We plan on hopefully staying at the PHP.

I like your second option better. Sunday night - Eiffel Tower. Monday - Versailles. Tuesday - Louvre. That would be my basic framework. You can fit in other activities Monday night and possible Tuesday afternoon.

[@Yehuda]

Did you go to Darjeeling?

Nope Guess I should have asked more about where to eat, although Indian food doesn't sound sooo appetizing to me, but I guess I would have to try it first before making a judgement call.

[Yehoshua]

Either is too short.

How long is the minimum amount of time needed? We're not really art museum people. I'm planning a 2 week (on the ground) trip that starts and ends in MAD, and we wanted to visit other cities as well.

[Dan]

Nope Guess I should have asked more about where to eat, although Indian food doesn't sound sooo appetizing to me, but I guess I would have to try it first before making a judgement call.

So you didn't go to the best milchig or best fleishig place but you castigate the food...
Interesting approach.

[Dan]

How long is the minimum amount of time needed? We're not really art museum people. I'm planning a 2 week (on the ground) trip that starts and ends in MAD, and we wanted to visit other cities as well.

I would do Thursday night-Monday afternoon as the absolute bare minimum.  Could fill up till Tuesday easily as well.
Shabbos at Chabad of CE is great, met lots of interesting couples from all over the world and good food as well.

Need to at least walk around the Louvre (some will say Musée d'Orsay as well), go up Eiffel Tower, go up Arc de Triomphe, walk the CE, tour Versailles palace and gardens, walk around Montmartre, walk around Le Marais, take a Segway tour, a boat down the Seine, leave time for going out to breakfast (croissants!), lunch, and dinner, time to wander around and get lost...Paris is a place that grows on you if you spend the time and do it right.

[@Yehuda]

So you didn't go to the best milchig or best fleishig place but you castigate the food...
Interesting approach.

Castigate? I just said we were really unimpressed with the "bunch" of places we went to. Also, what's the best milchig place, maybe we did go?

And I know I haven't written up my TR yet, but I differ with you greatly about Paris. All those sites were great, but Paris never grew on us. We liked Venice, Amsterdam, and Gibraltar much better. But hey, we're all entitled to our opinions, right?

[Dan]

Castigate? I just said we were really unimpressed with the "bunch" of places we went to. Also, what's the best milchig place, maybe we did go?

And I know I haven't written up my TR yet, but I differ with you greatly about Paris. All those sites were great, but Paris never grew on us. We liked Venice, Amsterdam, and Gibraltar much better. But hey, we're all entitled to our opinions, right?

L'inte cafe.

It just reminds of of the guy who wants to eat what the king eats.  His wife doesn't have the ingredients so she wings it and the guy is totally unimpressed at what the king eats.

If you don't do something right, it's hard to chalk it up to difference in opinion versus just not doing it right.

Either way, Paris isn't something we stepped off the plane and loved. You have to do it right and it grows on you quickly.

Let's just say Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway weren't clueless when it came to Paris.  Good movie to watch to illustrate:  Midnight in Paris.

[moish]

It just reminds of of the guy who wants to eat what the king eats.  His wife doesn't have the ingredients so she wings it and the guy is totally unimpressed at what the king eats.

alol

[@Yehuda]

Ha that's funny. We actually had a really bad experience there. Service was slow, food was bad. They offered to redo it (which was nice) but it came back just as bad. Some people just have a different experience.

I think we did Paris right, except for passing on Segways because another $200 is something when you're traveling for 6 weeks. But otherwise we did the highlights, chilled at PHP a lot and had a nice time. It's just not one of the cities on our list that we would revisit.

[sky121]

The love of the city creeps into your heart in a much quieter subtle way than someplace like Venice.

That's for sure.

They're different. 

[@Yehuda]

Btw the place that had the great dessert for really cheap (next to Tib's) raised the price of the dessert

[MC]

Is it better to spend Thursday night through Sunday afternoon in Paris or Sunday afternoon through Tuesday night? We'd like to see Versailles as well as the main sites in town). We plan on hopefully staying at the PHP.

Both are way too short for such a magical city, but I would say your second option is better as it gives you more non-shabbos days for sightseeing.

[Yehoshua]

Both are way too short for such a magical city, but I would say your second option is better as it gives you more non-shabbos days for sightseeing.

Would you spend Sun-Thu in Paris and skip Ireland?

[MC]

Would you spend Sun-Thu in Paris and skip Ireland?

I might get disowned for this one, but yes.

[sky121]

Quality not quantity. I agree as well.

[Yehoshua]

I would do Thursday night-Monday afternoon as the absolute bare minimum.  Could fill up till Tuesday easily as well.
Shabbos at Chabad of CE is great, met lots of interesting couples from all over the world and good food as well.

Need to at least walk around the Louvre (some will say Musée d'Orsay as well), go up Eiffel Tower, go up Arc de Triomphe, walk the CE, tour Versailles palace and gardens, walk around Montmartre, walk around Le Marais, take a Segway tour, a boat down the Seine, leave time for going out to breakfast (croissants!), lunch, and dinner, time to wander around and get lost...Paris is a place that grows on you if you spend the time and do it right.

Thanks! I didn't know about the love of the city growing on you. So I think spending Sun afternoon-Thur night would fall into your time frame minimums. Our only hesitation is the antisemitism. I spoke to a friend who's wife's family if from Paris, and they've been going every summer for over 10 years. He said that since 2009 the antisemitism has really increased and warned us to be cautious.

Anyone have any recent experience with antisemitism in Paris? Is it a reason to go for less time?

[Yehoshua]

I might get disowned for this one, but yes.

Thanks. I won't tell anyone 

Quality not quantity. I agree as well.

Not sure I understand. You can do quality in 2 days, no? Seems like you're in favor of spending less time in Paris

[@Yehuda]

Thanks! I didn't know about the love of the city growing on you. So I think spending Sun afternoon-Thur night would fall into your time frame minimums. Our only hesitation is the antisemitism. I spoke to a friend who's wife's family if from Paris, and they've been going every summer for over 10 years. He said that since 2009 the antisemitism has really increased and warned us to be cautious.

Anyone have any recent experience with antisemitism in Paris? Is it a reason to go for less time?

When we were there this summer, we literally did not see a thing. We saw the riots on TV in the restaurants but not a thing in the streets. Maybe we were just lucky.

[Yehoshua]

When we were there this summer, we literally did not see a thing. We saw the riots on TV in the restaurants but not a thing in the streets. Maybe we were just lucky.

You were there before the siege on the Shul.

[Dan]

Not sure I understand. You can do quality in 2 days, no? Seems like you're in favor of spending less time in Paris

She's saying 4 days in paris over 2 days in 2 cities and not getting a feel for either city.

Are you not able to fit shabbos in Paris? It's quite lovely.