3 weeks in paris for work

April 27, 2007 7:21 AM

i'll be staying in paris for about 3 weeks for work - i have a small bundle of questions about this

i will be working at a company located in the la defense section of paris for 3 weeks. my questions are:

1. is there any reason i should stay at a hotel at la defense vs staying closer to the center of the city? I know the metro goes there, but how long of a commute is it from, say, the champs-elysees area (which is where i'm looking at, since it's near the right metro line) to la defense? if i did stay at la defense, do the subways run frequently at night so that i could still go out after work and get back relatively easily?

2. what are some good things to do in paris alone and/or after 6pm?

3. 2 of the 3 weekends i am thinking of taking weekend trips... any recommendations that are easily accessible my train or cheap plane? currently i'm thinking geneva as one of them but am open to ideas.

thanks!

posted by illegiblemess to Travel & Transportation around Paris, France (23 answers total)

This doesn't exactly answer your first two questions, but see if your company might spring for corporate housing where you could have a little kitchen, so you won't have to eat out for every single meal (yes, french food is awesome, but the 3 hour meals get tiring after a while!) ...

a nice weekend trip might be London, if you've never been - the train drops you off in the center of the city, no car needed. Geneva is very pretty, but you should go see Chamonix/Mont Blanc if you're going that direction!
posted by j at 7:31 AM on April 27, 2007

RE: The day trip -- we are traveling from Geneva to Paris in just a couple weeks. Check out www.easyjet.com (and www.ryanair.com) if you haven't already. Our flight is super cheap and I think it's like 1 hour!
posted by theantikitty at 7:37 AM on April 27, 2007

weekends:
1) Chamonix/Mont Blanc/Annecy/Geneva. Be sure to take the cable car up to Les Aguilles du Midi, and even across into Italy and back. Geneva would actually be my least favorite part of this weekend. Geneva's nice, but I think Zurich's much more interesting.
2) Bruges, Belgium. Cute little town with lots of chocolate and old Europe feel. Very prepared for tourists, without feeling closed in by them. Love the bell tower.
3) Somewhere in France. There is so much to see in France, you shouldn't leave it all the time! Depending on what you're into, you might consider a weekend in Aix, and visit the Roman ruins in the very windy Les Baux de Provence. You could drive through the Loire Valley and visit castles and vineyards. You could visit the northern coast and see WWII sites or fishing villages (I highly recommend Honfleur!).

After being in Paris for so long, I don't know as I'd recommend London heavily because it's so nice to get out of the giant city feel. But the train over there could be an experience in itself, perhaps.
posted by whatzit at 7:42 AM on April 27, 2007

1. Champs Elysees is about 10-15 minutes by metro from La Defense. If I were you I'd stay at Champs Elysees because you can walk back to your hotel after being out. This is important because the metro stops running at midnight.

2. The best thing to do in Paris is just to walk around. Make sure you have a map in your bag, and just wander. Stop in cafes to rest, read or watch people. If you like movies, you'll be in heaven; there are countless movies playing every day of the week.

3. You can also take shorter trips closer to Paris (any guidebook will have lots of ideas), or go south to Avignon or Marseille or Cannes.
posted by agent99 at 7:42 AM on April 27, 2007

1. Not more than 10-5mins on the metro, I would see no reason to stay closer to the centre but then I view the metro as not being totally unpleasant. The metro closes around midight although I think it varies sometimes. You can get a taxi at night.
posted by fire&wings at 7:43 AM on April 27, 2007

*10-15. And agent99 more or less covered it.
posted by fire&wings at 7:44 AM on April 27, 2007

1. You should stay somewhere more central. One of the charms of Paris is getting to know a little neighborhood and making it yours and so you should stay somewhere that's alive. La Defense is just for working - it's dead out there. It's on the metro, at the end of a line, but that's just not good enough.

2. Get a Pariscope which is a weekly magazine about things going on in Paris. You can get it at any newstand kiosk or magasin de presse and it comes out on Wednesdays. It lists all kinds of things to do in Paris - concert, walking tours, brocantes, museums including special exhibits, and more. It's in French but you should be able to understand it well enough without French - names of things and the hours their open is enough. Be sure to watch out for late night openings at museums so you can go after work. Paris is a great city to be alone in - don't worry about that!

3. Go to Amsterdam! For a day trip, Giverny and Fountainebleu are nice. Giverny for Monet's house and gardens, where the flowers are planted just as they were in his time - they're stunning and you see the way they influenced his paintings. He had an amazing collection of Japanese prints that are on display there. Fontainebleu is nice for biking and hiking or even rock climbing if that takes your fancy.

For weekend trips involving flying, check out Skyscanner for the best fares. It's awesome.
posted by hazyjane at 7:50 AM on April 27, 2007

commute:
You can use the trip planner on the Métro de Paris website (www.ratp.fr) - in English - to determine the times. It estimates about 20 minutes from Champs-Elysées-Clemenceau to La Défense (Grande Arche) by train. If you look at the left frame, there's a place to look at schedules (horaires, choose mode of transportation in middle, then choose line). The last M1 arrives in La Défense at 1:15 (2:15 Saturdays and holidays). That line runs about every 8 minutes at night (also found on the same schedule).

I wouldn't want to stay at La Défense because it's quite a quiet area, especially once business shuts down for the day. In town, it's great to wander, people-watch, go to attractions still, or go out to eat. Like the comment above, eating out can take a very very long time between deciding where to go and and getting done with the meal. So enjoy it. If you haven't yet, you might want to borrow/buy a copy of Rick Steve's Paris, and perhaps one of his country books, for some further suggestions on restaurants, walking and driving tours, etc.
posted by whatzit at 7:54 AM on April 27, 2007

Don't stay in La Defense. Bleh. It's not much of a neighborhood for living in. And the Paris metro is fast and extensive and wonderful, but starts shutting down at midnight.

Look into short-term apartment rental (some info in this AskMe). Also look into aparthotels.

It's worth knowing what the star rating system means. This is a categorization system defined by French law, not a subjective rating system.
posted by desuetude at 7:56 AM on April 27, 2007

1. The RER might be useful for commutes to La Defense. Doesn't run as often, and more of a commuter line, but if you end up close to a stop in the centre-ville...

2. Wander. Concerts, shows, people-watch. Pick an arrondissement per evening.

3. Chartres for the day, but let the train be your guide.
posted by holgate at 8:07 AM on April 27, 2007

3. Chartres, definitely. Amsterdam, if you can.

Neither will disappoint.
posted by milarepa at 8:39 AM on April 27, 2007

1. La Defense is pretty far from everything, learn the RER. If you're trying to estimate time on the metro, I usually estimate 2 minutes for every stop+ time waiting on platform/walking around stations. For the RER stops you should estimate much longer.

2. I love going to the movies in Paris. If you don't speak French, you can go to American movies with French subtitles anywhere. Go to bars. Buy a Pariscope at any tabac--It has all the weekly listings, and you're sure to find something to do.

3. For shorter day trips you HAVE to go to Giverny (Monet's home and Gardens) and Versailles. I wouldn't necessarily reccomend these trips unless it were Spring time, but since it is you must visit. Also, you can easily take a trip through Brussles to Amsterdam, and visit both in three days (don't go to Brussles on a Sunday).
posted by Packy_1962 at 8:40 AM on April 27, 2007

1. is there any reason i should stay at a hotel at la defense vs staying closer to the center of the city?

I stayed in the Marais and loved it. You will love anywhere you go, but know that the Champs Elysee is probably the most touristy / boring area based on my short two week visit.

2. what are some good things to do in paris alone and/or after 6pm?

- Paris is famous for its nightclubs, bars, and, of course, restaurants. Do a lot of walking and eating. Paris is a city where you can walk randomly for a while and then find a Metro to get home.
- There is a boat trip round the Seine that leaves from either the Eiffel tower or Notre Dame. Do this first as it will orient you to the city. Touristy but fun. When you get off go in Notre Dame and watch a service for a while.

3. 2 of the 3 weekends i am thinking of taking weekend trips... any recommendations that are easily accessible my train or cheap plane?

You will not believe how cheap plane tickets are in Europe. I traveled from France to Italy for a dollar, and I'm not kidding. Go to Florence.

Remember in France to always say Bonjour immediately when talking to anyone. Even if you are just buying a stick of gum.

Also: LOTS of threads in AskMe about Paris. Take a look.
posted by xammerboy at 8:50 AM on April 27, 2007

Brussels is another weekend/day trip opportunity. It is about 90-120 minutes on the train.

Enjoy your time!
posted by mmascolino at 8:52 AM on April 27, 2007

Response by poster: thanks for all the great ideas. i have actually been to paris before so i won't need to see the major tourist attractions, which makes it a little easier. some of the day trips from paris sound fun. is there any way to do any sort of wine tours easily from paris (without a car?)
posted by illegiblemess at 9:07 AM on April 27, 2007

Grenoble is pretty and a three hour TGV ride from Paris. Are you under 26? You can save 50% off your ticket by buying a 40€ ID card that's good for a year. (at least that worked 5 years ago)
posted by mkb at 9:16 AM on April 27, 2007

is there any way to do any sort of wine tours easily from paris (without a car?)

Getting to vineyards is going to be tricky. But Reims isn't far by train, and that hosts all the big champagne houses. Nice day out: cathedral, lunch, fizz.
posted by holgate at 9:17 AM on April 27, 2007

ParisWalkingTours offers day trips. They have a few standard ones that they do on a regular basis, but they offer others occasionally. Nice folks -- I recommend them. I wouldn't be surprised if they did a wine tour.
posted by desuetude at 9:22 AM on April 27, 2007

Plane tickets are cheap in Europe but they go up significantly at the weekend and as you get closer to the time of travel - so if you want to go a bit further on your weekend trips you should plan and book asap.
posted by koahiatamadl at 9:25 AM on April 27, 2007

if i did stay at la defense, do the subways run frequently at night so that i could still go out after work and get back relatively easily?

You'd be on the primary metro line, so you'd be good until close.

2 of the 3 weekends i am thinking of taking weekend trips... any recommendations that are easily accessible my train or cheap plane? currently i'm thinking geneva as one of them but am open to ideas.

You have train and low-cost airfare (easyjet out of orly) to pretty much all of Europe. As such, it's basically down to what interests you.
posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great at 9:35 AM on April 27, 2007

The TGV offers special (sub-€30) deals called "Prems", but I've only seen them in French on the official SNCF booking site here. You can often pick up your tickets at the station or simply print them out - so no need for an address. More on French trains here.
posted by mdonley at 10:27 AM on April 27, 2007

La Defense reminds me of a Holiday Inn, it seems kind of sterile and there isn't much going on there at night, while closer to the center of Paris there is exciting, fun stuff to do.

If I had your trip to take I would stay in the fifth arrondissement, where you will find the Sorbonne, interesting cafes, book stores and cinemas. Then again I just like walking around Paris, eating whatever looks good in the shop windows. The only problem with staying in the fifth - unless you prefer peace and quiet at all times - is your natural Metro route to La Defense would involve changing at Les Halles, where you can easily get confused.

For the weekends I'd go to largish towns, since out in the countryside you pretty much need a car. That makes most of the smaller wineries difficult of access. There are pre-planned, bus wine tours for whose merits I can't vouch; certainly they are popular enough.
posted by jet_silver at 5:10 PM on April 27, 2007

I Nth that La Défense is not the best place to stay. What's your budget and who's paying for lodging? If you are expensed and it doesn't matter, look at hotels in the Marais, near métro St.-Paul (or Bastille). It's a much livelier and less corporate area than the Champs-Elysées, and less expensive to boot. If you're not expensed (or you work for a cheapskate), you could stay near the Place de la Nation and take the RER line to La Defense.

Holgate's suggestion of a day trip to Reims is great. See the cathedral, visit one of the champagne houses, and have a good dinner. With the TGV, there are plenty of good day trip options: Lyon (2 hours, wonderful food and gallo-roman archeology), Bordeaux (3 hours in the train, then wine tours), Brussels or Amsterdam via the Thalys service, London (3 hours from the Gare du Nord to Waterloo Station), Dijon (an hour and a half, wine tours possible)...heck, you can be in Cologne, Germany in a morning's travel. The whole notion of a weekend trip is radically different when you have high-speed rail available.
posted by brianogilvie at 6:48 PM on April 27, 2007