Headed to Europe

[Gonzai]

Ok, so Jenn and I are leaving in a week and a half to go on a
Mediterranean cruise. We are also going to spend some extra
time in Paris and Rome, so I was wondering if anyone had any
suggestions for things we might do while we are there.

[iceman57]

Just ask what you're looking for in Paris, I can arrange miracles

[rallihir]

My family and I were in Paris, Rome, and London last month. It's almost impossible to know where to start. In Rome, the Roman Ruins and Coloseum are must see places. You may want to consider buying your entrance tickets away from the Coloseum as the lines are horrendous. You can buy tickets for the Coloseum and Roman Ruins right around opening (9 am) at the Roman Forum entrance or Palatine Hill. Also, the St. Peter's Basillica and the Vatican Museum are essential stops. Be sure to have as much gelato as you can while in Rome. I also recommend attending the day market at Piazza Campo dei Fiori. There are all kinds of fruit and flower vendors and it is a good place to have lunch.

In Paris, the Eiffel Tower is a must see, but beware the lines. When we went, the lines were a 3.5 hour wait. We decided that pictures were enough and just wandered around the grounds. There are museums galore in Paris. The Louvre is obviously the 1st choice, but get there early. There is an entrace near the Lion's Gates that has shorter lines than the long one that snakes around the IM Pei designed pyramid. If you are a Da Vinci Code fan, go to see the Mona Lisa first. It is by far the most crowded of all the exhibits at the Louvre. You can easily spend several days at the Louvre. The Musee de Orsay had a very good Manet exhibit and if you are into Impressionist art, you will definitely want to go there. If you go to Notre Dame, be sure to take a short walk to Ile de Citi, the small island adjoining Notre Dame. There are some nice shops and it is not as crowded as Notre Dame. I also recommend taking one of the boat tours on the Seine in the evening when all the buildings and Eifel tower are lighted. I could go on and on about different sights. Too much to see and too little time. While in Paris, we also went to a nice restaurant called Pomme on Haussman Boulevard near Malesherbs. All their dishes were made with apple in some form or another. They had an excellent selection of different ciders as well. Good luck and have fun on your trip

[iceman57]

Nice summary!

Ok, so Jenn and I are leaving in a week and a half to go on a
Mediterranean cruise. We are also going to spend some extra
time in Paris and Rome, so I was wondering if anyone had any
suggestions for things we might do while we are there.

Forgot to ask, but what are you looking for?
"Classics" from a tour or more unknown typical places (restaurants, popular districts, hidden courtyards and gardens)?

[Shampoo]

I don't have any suggestions for specific sites to see
just wanted to chime in and say have a great trip and
fun time!!

I'm so green-- I'd love to see pics and hear stories
of your antics and adventures in Europe!
Say hello to Spain for me and have some mariscada and
callos madrileña in my honor.
LOL!

[Killua]

Watch out for pick pockets, especially in Rome. It's a beautiful city and I had a blast there, but you definitely have to keep your wits about you. Cargo pants with zippable compartments and money belts are important. Also, keep your passports on you at all times, or in the safe in your room.

[Gonzai]

Thanks Killua - I have heard the same thing. Jenn and I have already taken precautions for that.
I have to say, though, passport?? Do they really steal passports there??

Wow Craig - that was some amazing information you threw out there. I have them all wrote
down, and will start looking into some things. I know that we are within walking distance
from our hotel to the Eifel Tower. Not sure about waiting in any lines, though. We are
only there a few days, so waiting is not real big on my list. We have decided to get
up every morning and go for a run down the Champs-Élysées. I am quite looking forward
to that. I wonder if there are any races in Paris at the time we are there??

Also, we are going to do the papel audience with the pope while we are in Rome. I believe we
also have a tour scheduled for the vatican gardens. I am definately wanting to see St. Peter's
Basillica and the Vatican Museum, as well as Vatican City. I never thought about the Colosseum,
though. That is a great idea. Will have to add that to my list of things to do. ^_^

Iceman, we have spent very little time planning out anything in Paris. We really have concentrated
more on what we are going to do in Rome. So, yeah, what are the hot spots?? What restaraunts
are good. Not sure where I am going with this, but any good information would be appreciated.

Marie - eeeps - I am so looking forward to the trip. Can you just picture Jenn and I running
around Rome and Paris? You know how we feed off of each other. Should be an interesting
and good time. I will definately send you pictures when we get back.

[iceman57]

What do you think about a national history classified restaurant with menus from 75 per person (with beverage) up to 225 per person.
Direct from RER A (express subway) from Champs Elysees Station, about 3 stops (10 minutes).

Dated from 1900, fully restored. The most funny part, it is inside a railroad station that drives you to Marseille through Lyon, and with painting of the main cities you may cross.
http://www.le-train-bleu.com/uk/

May that fit? I often bring customers & suppliers here.

[ReiTheJelly]

I'll just echo the "watch out while in Italy" theme. There are massive amount of pick-pockets and they're very slick. Many of them are kids, too. When they get caught, they'll try to elicit your sympathy into not telling the police. They're *really* good at picking your pocket, so be extra super careful while in Rome. If you carry a purse, make sure it has a thick, unbreakable strap long enough to cross your chest; don't just hang it from your arm. Otherwise, put your money and passport in a money belt under your clothes.

TMI: Before I went to Italy, I actually went to the fabric store and bought pockets (for making pants; they're usually in the notions section). I sewed one to the INSIDE of my pants/skirts at the waistband and used a full strip of velcro to secure it closed. Velcro is GREAT against pick-pockets, because they don't have easy access, and if they try, it makes a ton of noise. Sure, it looks a bit weird reaching *inside* your pants for money, but it's better than having it all stolen.

Also, be very firm with Italian men. Hitting on foreign women is practically their national sport. They don't care if you're 15 or 50, married or unmarried; they'll try their best pick-up lines on you, all the same. They can actually be really, really annoying and persistent.


Have fun in Vatican City! It's been a long time since I was there, but meeting the Pope is always fun. I'm not Catholic, but it was a pretty cool experience. Although, I got to meet John Paul II. Not sure how it is with this guy. Oh, and if you're there on Sunday, try and attend Mass.


And, of course, be sure to chuck some euros into the Trevi Fountain!

[Killua]

Gonzai, US passports are basically the most valuable passports in the world. I've heard they can run from 3-5k on the black market.

I'd recommend reading up on some of the tactics pick pockets use there. Women will sometimes literally toss their babies at you so you catch the baby, then they take your purse. Some of these people have absolutely zero shame. Watch out on the subways, and don't let any taxi drivers rip you off.

What do you think about a national history classified restaurant with menus from 75 per person (with beverage) up to 225 per person.
Direct from RER A (express subway) from Champs Elysees Station, about 3 stops (10 minutes).

Dated from 1900, fully restored. The most funny part, it is inside a railroad station that drives you to Marseille through Lyon, and with painting of the main cities you may cross.
http://www.le-train-bleu.com/uk/

May that fit? I often bring customers & suppliers here.

Whoa, that restaurant is beautiful.

Edit:
http://news.yahoo.com/rome-police-arres ... 50682.html

Bwahahaha. I knew these guys were kinda pushy, but not -that- pushy.

[Gonzai]

Ok iceman - I have to give you props on the restaurant. That looks absolutely fabulous.
I will have to add that to my list of places to go.

Thanks for the heads up on everything Rei, and the tips on how to keep things safe.
Sounds like we will have our hands full. Oh, and the Italian men - I would say we are
in big trouble. Jenn is pretty cute. That should be quite interesting.

Killua - thanks for the info on passports. I will definately have to keep a firm grip on
mine. I would have never guessed that something like that would be worth so much
money. And wow - toss babies?? Ok, that is going a tad bit overboard. Will
definately put money and other valuables someplace safe.

[iceman57]

Ok iceman - I have to give you props on the restaurant. That looks absolutely fabulous.
I will have to add that to my list of places to go.

Progressive prices (that may fit any kind of budget), typical Parisian restaurant cooking, fantastic decoration.
Not a 3 stars in Michelin, but a pleasant place to stay a bit. This restaurant is not in the touristic areas, so that's why it is less popular for tourists and guides.

For distances in Paris, you can cover whole town in subway in about 40 minutes. There are express lines with less stops such as this "A" labelled one that is direct from Champs Elysée to the restaurant.
There are tons of discret places where you may feel less tourist and more Parisian, as there are lots of American people living in the town (something similar like Europeans in New York).
Just ask, no problem to share adress book.

[cutiebunny]

Please don't leave your passport in your hotel room, even in a safe. The hotel staff routinely go through them and they will take your valuables, even if you stay at a high end resort. Any passport from a visa waiver country, especially those from the US, Singapore, Canada, UK and Japan, are very valuable. I believe for most European countries, unless you are a member of the EU, you have to carry your passport on your person at all times.

Most of your pickpockets are gypsies, and it's been well known for generations that they're quite problematic. There's an old tale in Italy that, when the gypsies come to town, you hide your kids...unless you want them to join the gypsies, that is.

Although I loathe the fanny pack, Magellan's sells an awesome one that not only has a wire through the belt portion of the pack, but there's also a place where you can attach a lock to the zippers and that wire. By locking it, the only way anyone else could get to your valuables is to run up to you with a bolt cutter. It was a pain to have to lock and unlock it throughout Spain, but, it was less painful that it would have been to have to make a trip to the US Embassy to get a new passport.

Do not get Euro Traveller's Checks - they were an absolute pain to deal with and I ended up having to exchange them at hotels since nobody accepts them. My advice is that, if you're going to budget yourself, get your money first at a bank in the US. You can order Euros, or any other currency, through most banks and the exchange rate is generally more favorable than it will be at one of the exchanges at the airport. Bank of America is pretty quick about ordering your cash and it should arrive at their branch within a few days. Do not depend on credit cards as many of your smaller stores do not accept them. And there's the nice 3% (?) service charge you get on foreign purchases, too.

Your best deals in terms of food are going where the townspeople go. If you see a lot of locals going somewhere, that's probably the place you should check out too. These prices are more reasonable, but they may not have menus in English. For example, if you want paella in the Plaza del Sol area of Madrid, you'll pay about 25 euro. If you don't mind walking a few blocks away from the plaza, you can get the same dish for about 15. Also, you can find some decent snacks in supermarkets. Munch on bread from the Carrefour supers while in France, and if you get a chocolate craving anywhere, pick up a Kinderegg.

If you head to a museum and plan to spend a good chunk of time there, spend the extra 10-15 euro on one of the translator devices that they provide. If you find an interesting painting, you dial the number into the system and there's a good 2 minute narrative about it. I spent hours doing this in the Prado and it was quite memorable.

[Gonzai]

Thanks for the advice CB. Argh, it was so much easier going to Japan.
Didn't have to worry about any of these kind of things. I am amazed
at all the information I am getting about thieves. I would have never
guessed that it would be such an issue. Glad I posted. I have certainly
learned alot.

[ReiTheJelly]

Do not get Euro Traveller's Checks - they were an absolute pain to deal with and I ended up having to exchange them at hotels since nobody accepts them.

I cannot speak about Euro Traveler's Cheques, but TCs in general are a good idea if you don't want to walk around with hundreds/thousands of dollars on your person. You'll just need to find a bank (or hotel concierge) to cash it for you.
Although Cutiebunny is correct that most credit cards charge a percentage for foreign transactions, it's a good idea to use them on larger purchases, which would otherwise require you to carry loads of cash around. If you do take your CC, remember to call the company and tell them which countries you'll be visiting. I forgot to do that when I went to Venezuela and the company put a hold on my card when they saw the first few charges - they thought my card had been stolen.
Make sure you have the customer service number for your CC written down somewhere in your luggage, just in case the card does get stolen and you need to cancel it.