Topic Wiki

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http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/7517
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/27356

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http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=53999.msg1209038#msg1209038

Other TRs:
Yitzy93,
Moishy36, deals, chuchem, milechazzer, LAXtraveler, fdg9, ChAiM'l, rots5, Ergel, steve L, sy guy, waterpri, MC dvol
CGR

Map of Jewish Paris
Kosher Paris Map
Kosher List-July 2015 or Here.

RESTAURANTS (the best of)

There are hundreds of kosher restaurants in Paris.  The locals generally don't eat the meat under Beis Din as they don't require Glatt meat.  But they will eat everything else under Beis din.

Search for restaurants by cuisine and hashgocha here.


NameLocationMetroTypeHechsherNotes
Darjeeling17thArgentine-1MeatRottenberg
Sar Eden19thOurcq-5BakeryRottenbergOrganic bakery
Charles Traiteur19thOurcq-5BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur20thSaint-Mandé-1BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur11thRue-Des-Boulets-9BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur16thVictor-Hugo-2BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur17thWagram-3BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur Halavi17thWagram-3BakeryBeth-Din Chalavi
Korcarz4thSaint-paul-1BakeryBeth-DinIn the Marais
Ardely’s19thOurcq-5Milk ChocolateKatz
Damyel19thOurcq-5Parve ChocolateRottenberg
L’As Du Fallafel4thSaint-paul-1FallafelBeth-Dinin the Marais
L’Inte Cafe12thMiromesnil-9,13DairyBeth-Din15 minute walk from the Park Hyatt
Kosher pizza4thSaint-paul-1PizzaRottenberg
Le Shine17thPorte Maillot-1ChineseLubavitchnear the Arc
Soumsoum11thVoltaire- 9MeatLubavitchGreat Israeli restaurent, there is a second one in the 8th
Doron ba Laïla19thGare Saint-Lazare 3-12-13-14MeatRottenbergNice meat restaurant
Tibs19thOurcq-5DairyKatz
Thai One2ndSentier-3MeatRottenberg
Le XXV16thTrocadéro-9-6BakeryRottenberg Chalavi
Le XXV8thTernes-2BakeryRottenberg Chalavi




Activities:
-Segway Tour. Please do not PM Ergel with requests for coupon codes. The codes are long dead
-Seine River Tour
-Eiffel Tour (Metro: Trocadero -6,9)
-Versailles Palace and Gardens. Never wait on line to buy tickets. 1. Use museum pass 2. Buy in advance 3. There are vending machines near the bathrooms (you have to poke around to find them) without lines. (if you go during a really busy time and the line seems endlessly long, go to the gardens first and return to the palace in the afternoon when lines are shorter). To get an audio guide, you usually proceed across the Royal Courtyard after passing security. If the lines for the audio guides are long, turn left in the Courtyard, to the Apartments of the daughter's of Louis XV’s. There you'll find another counter where you can get audio guides, with no lines at all. You can then exit the apartments and continue along the tour, bypassing the longer line.
-Louvre Art Museum (Closed Tuesday) (Metro: Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre -1,7) Shushan/Purim artifacts that can be seen at the Louvre, per the book Purim and the Persian Empire.
-D'Orsay Art Museum (Closed Monday) (Metro: Solférino -12)
-Musée de l'Orangerie des Tuileries (closed Tuesday) small museum featuring Monet's lilies (Metro Concorde: -1,8,12)
-Centre Georges Pompidou modern art museum open 11-9. closed tuedays (Metro: Rambuteau -11)
-Tuileries Gardens. (Metro: Tuileries -1)
-Paris sewer museum Smells really bad but an interesting look at the sewer system
-Champs Elysees shopping (Metro: Champs-Élysées - Clemenceau -1,13)
-Arc de Triomphe (Metro: Charles de Gaulle - Étoile -1,2,6)
-Operan National De Paris opera house. tours daily 11:30 and 2:30. Admission included in Museum Pass, tour extra
-Montmartre (Great neighborhood to walk around with boutiques, artists, and great views, and a funicular that kids will love) (Metro: abbesses -12, Anvers -2)
-The Great Synagogue (La Victoria) is beautiful but the main shul is only open on Shabbos mornings for Shacharis, but definitely worthwhile if you're there over Shabbos (Metro: Notre-Dame-de-Lorette -12)

Hotels:
-Park Hyatt Paris (Hyatt cat 7) is an outstanding value for your points. They used to give a phenomenal kosher breakfast but now it's barely even worth requesting.  Still rooms are a decent size for Paris, the Spa facilities are very nice, and the intoxicating smell used throughout the hotel for forever be linked with the romance of Paris. Ideally located between the Opera and Tuileries metro stations.
The Park Hyatt has free parking, though driving and parking elsewhere in Paris is very difficult.
The Park Hyatt has also complimentary bikes for guests.
There is a backdoor for entry on shabbos.

-The InterContinental Paris - Le Grand is not far from the Park Hyatt. It cost 70k IHG points per night or you can use IHG free nights. It is a good alternitive if the PH is not available or if you don't have/don't want to spend 30k Hyatt points per night.

-The Westin (SPG cat 6) is not as luxurious at the Park Hyatt but is located nearby and does the trick if you only have Starpoints and not Chase or Hyatt points.

Shabbos meals:
-Chabad of Champs Elysees has great shabbos meals and you're sure to bump into other tourists there as well to share tips.
It is a 30 minute walk to the Park Hyatt, but the walk is quite lovely via the Tuileries Gardens and the Champs Elysees.
Reservations are required: http://www.chabadchampselysees.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/888847/jewish/Shabbat-at-Chabad-Champs-Elyses.htm
-if you don't/can't eat at Chabad, they suggest getting takeout from Ben & Cook located in the 8th. Hashgacha: rabbinate Lubavitch De France 33 1 45 61 03 95. 35 Euro for 2 challas, 2 dips, meatballs with noodles or veggies for 2. they close at 3pm on Fridays (in the summer). call for more info
- Friday night meals at Grand Synagogue http://www.tiny.cc/chabbat

There is no eruv in Paris. Consider taking the metro to shul with your talis bag along with return tickets for motzei shabbos.

Transport from CDG:
-If you are going to the Opera area you can take the RoissyBus (pronounced Wahsee-Boos as you will get blank stares if you ask for the Royzee-Bus) which goes there nonstop. You can pay by credit card in the RoissyBus waiting station or on the bus.  The cost is €10.  It is a 5 minute walk to the Park Hyatt.

-There are also train options from CDG: the subway is located in terminal 2E/2F, to get to paris its ligne B (Blue) it should take approximately 30minutes to get to Gare Du Nord
it cost 9€10 each way per person

- Mendy Taxi: 0(1133) 6 50 99 82 93 http://mendystransport.com/en/
- Shimon taxi: 0(1133)6 98 27 16 08  Tamidshuttle@gmail.com

- Uber, Bolt are the best option to get to paris cheapest and fastest

Metro:
The subway is fast, efficient, and cheap. A book of 10 tickets is 13,30€ for adults and 6,65€ for kids.
The subway closes between 12:30 and 2am.

Map:
Streetwise Paris cannot emphasize enough, this is really a must. Of course, if you have GMaps and data you don't need this map unless you really like paper.

Guidebooks
Rick Steves' Paris 2013
Fodor's Paris 2013 (Full-color Travel Guide)

Other Tips
-If you plan on visiting several of the items covered by the Museum Pass - make sure to check it out and price out your options.  Many times it is worth it to get a one-day or multi-day Museum Pass to save some money and more importantly, time (see link for more details: http://en.parismuseumpass.com/)
-Double check days when museums/sites are closed as many do close on different days of the week.
« Last edited by yitzy93 on November 27, 2023, 04:50:39 PM »

Author Topic: Paris Master Thread  (Read 966050 times)

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1900 on: November 26, 2014, 01:08:14 PM »
Rick Steve's was great for the Louvre. We really enjoyed it. He doesn't take you through the entire Louvre, but we did see all the famous things that we've heard of it, so it could be that the rest of the museum doesn't have famous things (?)
I really don't think you need a tour of Versailles, but if you want one, I wouldn't think you're crazy.
Some of those "mystery" "dark heart" etc tours look like they might be interesting - especially if they're 50% off...
Perhaps an Eiffel Tower deal might be cheaper than paying at the gate.
But, DUDE! Jump on the segways for just $50!

Offline MC

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1901 on: November 26, 2014, 01:16:23 PM »
+1 to Rick Steves. Used it for Versailles too and it was great.
But if a tour would get you past those lines it might be worth it!  :D

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1902 on: November 26, 2014, 01:28:41 PM »
Rick Steve's was great for the Louvre. We really enjoyed it. He doesn't take you through the entire Louvre, but we did see all the famous things that we've heard of it, so it could be that the rest of the museum doesn't have famous things (?)
I really don't think you need a tour of Versailles, but if you want one, I wouldn't think you're crazy.
Some of those "mystery" "dark heart" etc tours look like they might be interesting - especially if they're 50% off...
Perhaps an Eiffel Tower deal might be cheaper than paying at the gate.
But, DUDE! Jump on the segways for just $50!
Thanks. I guess it might be cheaper to get to Versailles by myself, but I'll have to compare the costs.

I didn't even see the segway tour! Wow, that looks awesome!

My only concern for all tours is that none of them are bookable now for July. They do sell gift cards (for a ~$19 fee) that seem to be on sale as well, so I'll need to tally up the total costs and buy a gift card good for 365 days from purchase and then purchase the tours later. The catch it that the gift card needs to be used in one shot, so all the tours would have to be available at the same time.

+1 to Rick Steves. Used it for Versailles too and it was great.
But if a tour would get you past those lines it might be worth it!  :D
I don't think even the audio guide tour offers a skip the line option. They do sell a skip the line tour, but it's obviously more expensive.  I might just to Rick Steves in the end.

I'm happy that they're having the sale, but that means I have to decide what tours I want to do now (even though I won't be booking them now).

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1903 on: November 26, 2014, 01:37:48 PM »
Thanks. I guess it might be cheaper to get to Versailles by myself, but I'll have to compare the costs.

I didn't even see the segway tour! Wow, that looks awesome!

My only concern for all tours is that none of them are bookable now for July. They do sell gift cards (for a ~$19 fee) that seem to be on sale as well, so I'll need to tally up the total costs and buy a gift card good for 365 days from purchase and then purchase the tours later. The catch it that the gift card needs to be used in one shot, so all the tours would have to be available at the same time.
I don't think even the audio guide tour offers a skip the line option. They do sell a skip the line tour, but it's obviously more expensive.  I might just to Rick Steves in the end.

I'm happy that they're having the sale, but that means I have to decide what tours I want to do now (even though I won't be booking them now).
Gotcha. Okay well good luck calculating it all and having availability when you need it!

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1904 on: November 27, 2014, 03:17:24 PM »
Okay, so now that the €50 Musement gift cards are for sale I should decide which tours to do.

Based on suggestions I'll skip the Louvre tour and just do RS and pay €12/person for admission.

I do plan on doing the segway tour.

My questions is regarding the Versailles tour. The tour costs €22.25/person with the discount. It includes skip the line entrance tickets but not tickets to the gardens and it includes transportation by bus to/from Versailles. Also, since the PHP and the tour are only a 9 minute walk we could just walk there.

If I wanted to do it on my own I'd need to pay for tickets to the Palace for €15 (€18 including gardens) plus metro fare to/from for €8.40 for a total of €23.40 (or 26.40)/person.

The main difference I see is that going on your own enables you to spend as much time as you want there, where as going with the tour limits your to their schedule.

So, my questions are:
1) Does it make sense to go with the tour for 4 hours and pay extra to go in the gardens, or is it the type of place you'd need more time to visit and is better done on your own?
2) Do the skip-the-line tickets with the tour make a big difference? I know MC said there are long lines, could going with the group be worth it just for that?

Offline Ergel

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1905 on: November 27, 2014, 03:33:54 PM »
Worth it just to skip the lines, no doubt. And the convenience of transportation.
You can always go with them and break off if you'd like to stay longer, no one will force you to stay. In that scenario you paid for transportation to Versailles, entrance to the palace, skip the line as well as a guided tour (I would have paid $25 just to skip the line).
I doubt you'd want to spend any more time in the palace in addition to the tour. I wonder what leeway they give you with time in the garden. I imagine you'd likely want to spend more than the allotted time in the garden (walking around, bike ride, boat, etc.) and you can ditch them at that point
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1906 on: November 27, 2014, 03:40:32 PM »
Worth it just to skip the lines, no doubt. And the convenience of transportation.
You can always go with them and break off if you'd like to stay longer, no one will force you to stay. In that scenario you paid for transportation to Versailles, entrance to the palace, skip the line as well as a guided tour (I would have paid $25 just to skip the line).
I doubt you'd want to spend any more time in the palace in addition to the tour. I wonder what leeway they give you with time in the garden. I imagine you'd likely want to spend more than the allotted time in the garden (walking around, bike ride, boat, etc.) and you can ditch them at that point
Good points. The one think I couldn't find was prices to go in the garden if you only paid for the palace. From their site it seems like there's a €3 difference between just the palace and tickets including the gardens, but that doesn't mean that's the price of a ticket to the garden by itself.

You can go bike riding in the gardens? They look massive, but I didn't know about biking and boat rides.

Offline Ergel

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1907 on: November 27, 2014, 03:42:57 PM »
Good points. The one think I couldn't find was prices to go in the garden if you only paid for the palace. From their site it seems like there's a €3 difference between just the palace and tickets including the gardens, but that doesn't mean that's the price of a ticket to the garden by itself.

You can go bike riding in the gardens? They look massive, but I didn't know about biking and boat rides.
Can rent bikes and ride around (they also have golf carts). You can go boating in the big lake
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline MC

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1908 on: November 27, 2014, 03:46:25 PM »
Good points. The one think I couldn't find was prices to go in the garden if you only paid for the palace. From their site it seems like there's a €3 difference between just the palace and tickets including the gardens, but that doesn't mean that's the price of a ticket to the garden by itself.
We had the museum pass, which didn't include the gardens. It was an extra 6 or 7 euros per person to go into the gardens.
ETA: Actually it was €15 for the two of us, just checked :)

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1909 on: November 27, 2014, 03:48:12 PM »
We had the museum pass, which didn't include the gardens. It was an extra 6 or 7 euros per person to go into the gardens.
Was it worth it to go into the gardens? How much time did you spend in the palace and in the gardens?

Offline MC

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1910 on: November 27, 2014, 03:57:32 PM »
Was it worth it to go into the gardens? How much time did you spend in the palace and in the gardens?
I thought so. Even though I wasn't crazily impressed with the gardens, it's just one of those things you can't miss if you're there already.

About half a day altogether (including the time we spent eating lunch in the gardens). We still had enough time to come back to Paris and visit the Musee d'Orsay that same day.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1911 on: November 27, 2014, 04:00:41 PM »
I thought so. Even though I wasn't crazily impressed with the gardens, it's just one of those things you can't miss if you're there already.

About half a day altogether (including the time we spent eating lunch in the gardens). We still had enough time to come back to Paris and visit the Musee d'Orsay that same day.
Thanks! We'll probably go for the tour just for the skip the line feature and just buy the garden tickets separate.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1912 on: November 27, 2014, 06:31:35 PM »
So as of now I bought €350 worth of Musement gift cards to cover the Versailles tour, the segway tour and the Stonehenge tour (in London).

I was thinking more about the Eiffel Tower behind the scenes tour. TA doesn't rate it too well, but it's cheaper than just buying elevator tickets to the top for €15.50/person.

The tour would be €11.45/person, the question is their reliability. Any thoughts?

ETA: Is going to the top even worth it? For €5/person we can just climb the stairs to the 2nd floor, making that the cheapest option. Also, CMIIW, but there's no line for the stairs.
« Last Edit: November 27, 2014, 06:39:54 PM by Yehoshua »

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1913 on: November 27, 2014, 07:25:29 PM »
There is a line to buy tickets to walk up the stairs. It took probably like 20 minutes. We didn't go all the way up bc 1) my fear of heights kicked in and 2) there was a crazy line on the second level to catch the elevator to the top.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1914 on: November 27, 2014, 07:28:44 PM »
There is a line to buy tickets to walk up the stairs. It took probably like 20 minutes. We didn't go all the way up bc 1) my fear of heights kicked in and 2) there was a crazy line on the second level to catch the elevator to the top.
Would you trust the tour company though? They don't seem to reliable.

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1915 on: November 27, 2014, 07:30:22 PM »
Would you trust the tour company though? They don't seem to reliable.
No idea

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1916 on: November 27, 2014, 07:32:19 PM »
No idea
Ok. I guess we'll hold off. I can't wait for the Segway tour to open up those dates though. Thanks again for the find.

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1917 on: November 27, 2014, 07:34:45 PM »
Ok. I guess we'll hold off. I can't wait for the Segway tour to open up those dates though. Thanks again for the find.
My pleasure :)

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1918 on: December 01, 2014, 09:00:30 AM »
Was it worth it to go into the gardens? How much time did you spend in the palace and in the gardens?

Definitely worth it!!! I had been to Versaille previously but it was in the winter so I missed the gardens. I went back this summer and we skipped the actual palace and went to the gardens only. They are magnificent and can take several hours to get through. Bring lunch with you and enjoy!

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #1919 on: December 01, 2014, 09:26:39 AM »
Definitely worth it!!! I had been to Versaille previously but it was in the winter so I missed the gardens. I went back this summer and we skipped the actual palace and went to the gardens only. They are magnificent and can take several hours to get through. Bring lunch with you and enjoy!
Thanks for the tip. Any good Lunch takeout places in Paris?