ParisBest ways to improve this book: It was SO EXCELLENT and helpful, I think just keeping it up to date is all that's needed. Dianne Lattemann in Seattle, WA USA 07/26/2008 List the arrondissement for each site; this would help navigation with various maps based on those regions. Joe in Mountain View, CA USA 07/09/2008 For people wanting to rent an apartment for a week or longer stay in Paris, www.vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owners) is a wonderful resource. You can get references, detailed information, and save the fee of a rental agency. I've rented 2 different apartments in Paris, an apartment in London, 2 in Florence and a villa in Tuscany this way. All satisfactory. M. Hughes in San Francisco, CA USA 07/03/2008 It is already wonderful. I would like suggestions of a few places to stay away from the center of the city. gail argenbright in beaverdam, va USA 06/28/2008 I love Rick's books! I recommend them to everyone who asks. Kathy in Downingtown, PA USA 06/23/2008 City Books: Add a page with alphabetical list of all Tube/Metro/RER stops and all lines served for each. Would help find route to sites & locations faster. With just the stop name I find I have to hunt through metro map & all lines to find the stop I need (unless a very well known stop like Pris/Concorde etc.) Thanks. Jay Moe in Waupaca, WI USA 06/13/2008 That's a tough one; this book was our tour guide almost every step of every day. We did just about every walking tour except the Rue Cler, because we ran out of time and shopped as we did the other walks. We were approached twice with the "found ring" scheme. The second time I said, "Oui, Merci!" She still asked for money, but left quickly when she saw we were aware of her game. We started off each tour with, "What's Rick say about this?" We also used your language translation book - Merci Beaucoup! Jean Hoffmann in Pleasant Prairie, WI USA 06/05/2008 Encourage more use of the buses with Carte Orange. #69 just begins the riches. The RATP website prints custom routing in English and got us almost everywhere by bus. http://www.ratp.info/touristes/index.php?langue=en&rub=reperer&cat=itineraires Cliff Allo in South Hill, WA USA 06/04/2008 More details on some musuem tours, especially the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay. There is so much to see in these but the book glosses over a lot of good stuff. Tom Iarossi in San Diego, CA USA 06/04/2008 I thought it was pefect - I reccommend it to anyone heading to Paris! We're also planning a trip to Spain in May 09 so you can be sure we'll be purchasing those guides as well! Michelle Kelly in Ft. Collins, CO USA 06/03/2008 I really don't have anything, it was a godsend to us. Catherine Roberts in Henniker, NH USA 05/17/2008 The only drawback is the lack of maps. I hope that with improving technology, you'll soon figure out a way to include maps. In the meantime, I plan to try to scan your maps (especially the walking tour maps) into my computer and put those on the Kindle. If that doesn't work out, I will gladly carry hard copies of the maps. Marjorie Solomon in Atlanta, GA USA 05/16/2008 Gosh - can't think of anything. This book, Paris 2008 was WONDERFUL (yep, I'm shouting!) Julie Pickup in Monee, IL USA 05/12/2008 It might be worth noting more clearly that the Orangerie does not open until 12:30. The information is in the book, but I somehow ignored it and went to the museum after a morning at the Louvre only to find that it would not be open for another hour. I know that this was faulty planning on my part, but one sentence noting the late opening time probably would have helped me. Thanks Ashley in Chicago, IL USA 05/07/2008 Suggestion: Add more website links for those of us who want more detail on things you mention, but aren't covered in much detail in the book. I've been on many websites that weren't given; two examples: It took me forever to find a good map of the Tuluries Garden and information on it's history- There's a great map, garden & plant info., and detailed history by dates on the Louvre website. I wasn't that interested in the Catacombs, but we're going since it will interest my boys. Then I found this site with a great map (2008 edition) http://exploration.urban.free.fr/catacombes/zoomI2008.htm It has details not only on the bones section but on the HUGE quarries-goes all the way up to Luxembourg Garden (I was amazed at what a tiny section the bones are in). It shows rooms that were used for different things like HQ for the Resistance in 1944, antiaircraft shelters, etc. and now I'm looking forward to going. I'm sure this info./map will probably be there on the tour, but a website address to detail like this before going would have been helpful. Nancy in Mars, PA USA 05/02/2008 The book is incredible, but do add St. Denis to your locations. It is an easy trip by Metro and a wonderful learning experience. Julie McLendon in Alpharetta, GA USA 04/17/2008 Please make sure you note that the weather is much colder then USA, particulary Southern CA, 40F in CA is NOT the same as in Paris, we froze and ended up buying scarfs, hats and mittens. Toni in Murrieta, CA USA 04/02/2008 Add the Hotel Abbazia to your guidebook. We found it and booked becuase of tripadvisor reviews. Excellent experience all around. Deana in Burlington, ON Canada 03/18/2008 More explanation of how to reach the Arc de Triumph, it was fairly vague. Casey in Landstuhl, Germany 02/21/2008 Remember the Webster's Dictionary with the grooves in the pages so you could easily tab to a letter in the alphabet? Something like that would be helpful for reference in your guidebooks. I bought those colored tabs to label and mark pages of the different things we wanted to do. I color coded Museusm, Walks and day trips for quick reference. Then removed the tab when completed. It kept us very organized. Cheryl Dowdell in Charlestown, RI USA 02/08/2008 We just got back from a fabulous trip to Paris. Between the 4 of us we had 4 different guides but time and again we kept coming back to Rick. One thing I wondered if you'd consider updating. Myself and two other family members have a slight cases of claustrophobia. My daughter had a terrible attack and nearly hyper-ventilated going into Ste Chapelle. I went back to the guidebook thinking maybe I had missed a description that would have told me what to expect. If I had been able to give her a heads up i think she would have been fine and been able to really experience the utter joy of the site. As it was I held her while she gasped and trembled while I tried to be reassuring without missing the experience myself. I wonder if just a few more descriptive adjectives about those winding stairs (length of flight, number of steps, close walls only last a few moments) might really help some of us Americans used to more "personal space"! otherwise thanks for the wonderful guide! Laura Jean Watters in Staten Island, NY USA 01/14/2008 The book was a great help. My only suggestion would be to make the maps as pull outs - that is removable from the book and possibly provide the book with a ring binding so the some pages could be easily removed. e.g. at the Louvre rather than the whole book just the louvre section, same for the walks. Pretty easy to identify the tourists carrying your book. A spring bound book would allow only the pages of the day to be used and removed from the book. Because you redo the book every year it should not matter to your users as they will be buying a new one for the next trip. Dan J Newbold in Kelowna B..C. , Canada 01/02/2008 More of your wonderful recommendations on accomodations and restaurants.
Bernadette Dunn in Madison, CT USA 12/05/2007 I think your book was great. I will be going back as I loved Paris. I plan on staying at the same hotel but will ask not to be on the market side of the street next time as it is too noisy very early in the morning. You & your staff have done an excellent job with the book in trying to prepare us for what to expect. I will certainly purchase your other books for some of the other cities in Europe before I travel there.Thanks again Rick. Patricia Proctor in Mount Vernon, Wa USA 11/12/2007 1) For a first-time foreign-language traveler, specific instructions on getting an RER, then Metro, ticket to get from CDG to central Paris and back would be helpful - if you're reasonably agile (I'm over 65) with light baggage, using RER/Metro leaves a whole lot more money for visiting patisseries. 2) Ease up a bit on Montmartre - I used a vacation apartment on rue Lepic and am glad for the experience of daily shopping at all the little food markets, even with my rudimentary French. I avoided the sleaze on Blvd de Clichy by using Abbesses Metro stop or walking the pedestrian strip down the middle of the boulevard, or catching a bus by the cemetery. 3) Emphasize getting around by bus - they're almost a cheap tour, you get to rest your feet, and most bus stops and buses have clear strip maps showing where they go. 4) Emphasize the hazards of those magnetic Metro ticket strips! 5) Make the Paris Sewer tour easier to find in the book - it gets mixed reviews, but I found this self-guided tour quite enjoyable, partly because many of the signs describing changes from origins of Paris to date are in English. 6) Add occasional notes on winter travel, e.g., many cafes have outdoor heaters or screens. 7) Emphasize just wandering around and trying places - I found enjoyable cafes, cheaper, when I got at least one block out of sight of any major tourist attraction, although I had bad luck with finding several recommended eating places closed on the day I made a special effort to find them. 8) Your book can't repeat too often the value of beginning every encounter, even with a bus driver or ticket seller, with Bonjour, and ending with either Merci or Au revoir, even if that's all the French you've learned. 9) I took the train to Chartres (loved cathedral, Miller tour, and town); it would have saved some travel anxiety to know that the track from which a train leaves isn't posted till about 10 minutes before train time (this applies also to getting back to CDG, and at Gare du Nord, the RER to CDG shares a track with 3-4 other destinations), and that there may be a ticket seller who speaks English; if so, there will be a Union Jack (British flag) showing at that window - also, the seller asked if I was over 65 and I got a significant discount on ticket price, so the potential for age-related discounts could be another emphasis. Anon in Eastsound, WA USA 11/11/2007 Add the mass times for the churches St. Sulpice, Notre Dame etc. St. Sulpice has a web site that you could include. Kathy Nega in Apollo, PA USA 11/10/2007 Recommended reading for Versailles - suggest you review "To Dance with Kings" by Rosalind Laker for terrific background. Both my daughter and I found that it brought the palace and the gardens spectacularly to life. Nancy Burnett in Kitchener, ON Canada 11/07/2007 Please make your index more comprehensive (this probably applies to all guidebooks). We remembered seeing somewhere in the book an organ concert at St. Sulpice, but had a devil of a time locating it again. K. Ockwell in Rent, WA USA 11/05/2007 See the above comment. Robert Boulette in Honolulu, HI USA 11/01/2007 Only thing I can think would be to add a concise table showing the various tourist sites, museums, etc combined with at least a weekly calendar "dots" to show which are open or closed on a specific day at a glance. The "Paris at a Glance" section was good, but a weekely calendar in combination would allow easier planning. Other than that the suggested itinerary for a one week visit was excellent. You do have to read the book a couple of times to get an itinerary straight in your mind. An extra hint I can offer would be for the person using the book to either write separate directions or add notes to each destination for the Metro or bus connections they need to go from their hotel to the museum, etc. and either on to their next point of interest or back to their hotel. I did this and it saved me a ton of time trying the bifocal squint with the metro map. Also makes it possible to look less like a tourist if you know where you are going and how to get there. Allan Gould in edmonton, AB CANADA 10/21/2007 Love the layout, the commentary, everything. Chris and Mary Ray in Cincinnati, OH USA 10/15/2007 add Quai Branley Museum lucie butler USA 09/24/2007 I have a lot of respect for you experience and opinions, but I respectfully disagree with the recommendation on page 3 of Paris 2007, saying that one should use a travel agent to buy plane tickets. With kayak.com, expedia, etc, it seems just as easy (easier) to order them online. It does pay to shop around online, though. I found the highly desirable, but somewhat more costly Air France nonstop from Seattle to Paris (CDG) on kayak.com, Air France's website, etc. for the same price, but when I checked Delta's website, I found I could fly on the exact same Air France flight, but using a Delta ticket, for 10% less. Anonymous USA 09/22/2007 I find that most of Rick's recommended sights and restaurants as dead-on. However, I would ask that you seriously reconsider recommending Golden Air for airport shuttle service in Paris. We had a terrible experience with them. The shuttle cares more about packing in as many people as possible over getting their customers to the airport on time. We missed our flight while the shuttle is caught in terrible Paris traffic picking up other passengers. In the process, the driver drove recklessly, and could have easily gotten us into several accidents. We did not feel safe at all in the ride.
D Mahashin in Santa Clara, CA USA 09/08/2007 The book is great except it doesn't mention the Institut du Monde Arabe, such an architectural interest. I looked in other guidebooks, but they didn't give the Rick Steves insight, i.e. Are the museum placards in English as well? Brian Seiler in Souderton, PA USA 08/26/2007 RER directions from airport to neighborhood would be appreciated. Aimee in Oakland, CA USA 08/25/2007 have a complete map of paris Michelle Bauman in Edmonton, Canada 08/24/2007 I've been a Rick Steves fan for years - this was my 10th European book (Scandinavia, Italy, Germany/Austria, London, England, Spain, Portugal, France, and Switzerland). Ever one has served as my bible while touring. Rick never disappoints! Books I read and enjoyed in France: Moveable Feast, Paris to the Moon (loved that one), Inspector Maigret series - you may want to add Count of Monte Cristo to your list. I also watched many of the recommended films beforehand including Amelie, Red Balloon, Da Vinci Code, Moulin Rouge. Others I would recommend: PBS series on Napoleon and Marie Antoinette(found them at the local library); Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring; Return of Martin Guerre; Before Sunrise and Before Sunset; Marie Antoinette (kirsten dunst) and the Age of Innocence. Thank you for producing such readable, usable, entertaining, and indispensible guidebooks! I've recommended them to all my friends - they make excellent gifts for travelers. Liz Tanner in Provo, UT USA 07/30/2007 The book was a life saver for our trip. I used it every day as my guide and was never disappointed with the suggestions or explanations of the sites. To really experience another culture/country one must be aware of the history behind their customs. Rick Steves' book held every detail necessary to be emersed in the Parisian lifestyle and feel right at home. Our trip was magical and I would have been lost without my Rick Steves guidebook. Shelley Myers in Deer Park, TX USA 07/23/2007 (1) Provide a link to a website (English or French) where one can find up-to-date information on Bastille Day events. We discovered all the metro stations were closed near the parade route in the morning and near the Eiffel Tower in the evening. Long walks from more distant stations meant that it was impossible to arrive early. We did not know how or where to find good viewing areas. The fireworks are not visible from Champ de Mars, but are over the Seine. The bridges over the Seine also were closed to pedestrians. We had fun, but we could not see either the parade or the fireworks.
(2) Explain why (or how to tell when) some brasseries stop serving food at 7:30 p.m. and only provide drinks. W. B. in Los Angeles, CA USA 07/21/2007 Overall a great book. Bill Gordon in Miami, FL USA 07/12/2007 Improving this book would be very difficult. The tours and walks allowed our family (on our first trip to Paris) to explore the city without guides, giving us a sense of independence. These are the best organized guidebooks I have found to date! I only wish Rick Steves published books for the rest of the world! Wesley Green in Atlanta, GA USA 07/10/2007 Include information on a day trip to Normandy. Joined a Paris City First tour. All day, 175 euros per person, lunch included. Took us to Peace Museum in Caen, Pont du Hoc, Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, American Cemetery, Gold Beach. A long day on the bus, but worth seeing what/where our dads fought. Selma Pierce in Salem, OR USA 07/08/2007 We were sent outside the Louvre to access the African, Oceania, Asia, Americas exhibit however we found the entry to be uncrowded with no security line ups. From the main floor go upstairs to the 1st floor and you can then go straight through to the Mona Lisa and The Weddig Feast without encountering the crowds coming in from the central areas. Ian Marr in Nanaimo, BC Canada 06/17/2007 I would suggest adding the metro line number in addition to stop name when giving a location. I found myself searching the metro map pretty hard to find that stop name for our destination without knowing which line it was on. I'm on my 4th or 5th Paris book as I get one every year we visit. Thanks Rick. Jay Moe in Waupaca, WI USA 06/05/2007 This was a great book - it truly helped us guide our way through the city. Thank you so much for providing such a wonderful tour book! Pam Notar in Fairport, NY USA 06/05/2007 I thought this was one of the best travel guides I have ever used. I travel a lot and typically buy Frommers and Fodors books but from now on whenever I travel I will look for one of yours! Melissa in Hoboken, NJ USA 05/31/2007 Include a section on a daytrip to Mt. St. Michel. We used CityRama, left at 7:15 a.m., and were back by 9:00 p.m. Mt. St. Michel was incredible, and it was definitely worth the 4 hour drive. Angel in Chicago, IL USA 05/29/2007 Just FYI So many travelers had your book of Paris--we had a few conversations and chuckles--holding up our book and the othes would show theirs and we would chat. Susan AUld in Stuart , fl USA 05/29/2007 It's already wonderful -- the museum tours are our favorite feature. However, we prefer slightly upscale hotels and restaurants, so those sections usually aren't very helpful for us. I know it would be a major change, but would you consider adding some "splurge" sections, so those who can, will have your guidance when searching out hotels and restaurants. Thanks very much. Karen Possner in Bethesda, MD USA 05/21/2007 A comment below, posted on 3/25/07 states some things that are not in the Paris guidebook that he thinks are important. Rick does have his favorites. I took the Paris tour and stayed on Rue Cler and went to several of the restaurants recommended. They were fine. On my next trip I stayed in the same area, but on subsequent trips I have branched out and found other areas of Paris I like as well or better than this one. So his guides are very good for first timers for sure, for subsequent visits his guide still has lots of basic info that you need, but as for where to go and what to do -- you can really follow your own lead. BG in San Francisco, CA USA 05/18/2007 Can't think of a thing. This was my first trip to paris. I bought every guide book out there. Rick Steves was the only one I actually used. It presented the City in a way that suited my getting-the-overview attitude. Mary Zikos in Princeton, NJ USA 05/17/2007 It's hard to imagine any improvements to this little book! My wife and I have travelled to Europe extensively since 1982. We have usually relied on Frommer's or other guide books, but since trying the Rick Steve's Paris 2007, I can't imagine using any other publication. We've already ordered your books on Ireland and Prague and the Czech Republic for trips later on this fall. We've been to Prague four times; it's going to be nice discovering things we never knew existed! Keep up the superb work! Ron Kickasola in Hickory, NC USA 05/15/2007 I'd love to see you have an appendix with suggested neighborhoods for certain things, for example between 30 and 80 Rue du Temple are wall-to-wall handbag stores. Other places that have a high density of restaurants or cafes could be listed by arrondisment, thus rather than recommending one particular cafe, you could suggest a few blocks that had many choices. A listing like this for the whole city would be really helpful. Also, put metro line numbers inside the symbols. Lachlan Cooke in Seattle, WA USA 05/14/2007 After 9 days in Paris using your book daily we cannot think of any way to improve it. Kudos to you and your staff. We also purchased a money belt and TSA locks for our luggage from you store. All were well worth it and less expensive than our local luggage shop. Stephen and Dorothy King in Palm Harbor, FL USA 05/11/2007 Better directions, especially at the Louve and Versailles. More information on the metro outside of downtown, prices,etc. Craig Caldwell in Kaysville, Ut USA 05/09/2007 We were quite confused about the trains and could have been better prepared. I don't know if the guidebook could have helped. For our specific trip, it was harder to get train reservations than was implied in the book and website. Ken in Citrus Heights, CA USA 04/29/2007 Several people have lamented the hefty (16 ounces)size of the Paris guidebook and suggested that, perhaps, a spiral binding would help. A spiral binding would certainly make it easier to handle and read and slice out unneeded pages. However, it took me only 5 minutes to slice off the backing of the book with a utility knife (with sharp blade) and a metal ruler, and another 5 minutes to go through the book and eliminate the sections I have no need for, thus eliminating more than 5 ounces of weight. Each of the remaining sections can be individually stapled, making it vastly easier and much lighter to take only the section(s) one needs for the day's activities. Beverly Muir in Laytonville, CA USA 04/28/2007 Please improve the Index! Not only does it need cross references, too many major places discussed in the book are not listed at all. Frank McClanahan in McMinnville, OR USA 04/27/2007 Please add more gay nightlife information. William Greely in Walpole, MA USA 04/21/2007 The maps in the book were a little small and difficult to read for those of us with older eyes, but realizing the size constraints of the book they probably could not be bigger, unless you used fold outs. Richard Brim in Lansing, MI USA 04/11/2007 Since we were there for a month, carrying the book everyday became a bit tedious. I thought how wonderful it would be if you could create some type of binder system for your books with removable sections that one could customize their trip or even customize their days by changing out the sections. I think this would be great as one would need only carry the sections they need each day. Just an idea. One last note...we used the book for the entire month and pretty much did everything in it from page 1 - the end. We can definately say it is a great guide to Paris, regardless of who you are or what you are looking to experience there. Joel Goldsmith in Atlanta, GA USA 04/04/2007 I'm sure you will not publish my comments because they are not at all favorable, but they are based on fact. I have used all the major guidebooks to Paris over the years, and yours has by far the least information. I understand that no guidebook can list everything, but for a Paris guide to omit the Guimet Museum, the Science Museum in the Parc de Villette (or any mention of that interesting park) is really poor. You have room to list the Museum of Eroticism. Is it just poor taste? In the 2007 guide you omit any mention of the huge Quai Branly Museum. Even though it may not have been open when you researched the book this is a museum that has been in the works for decades. You could have mentioned that it was scheduled to open in 2007. You don't list the Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes, the largest parks in Paris. These omissions are criminal. I think I came across the Institut Cartier someplace in the book, but it is not in the index, making the information useless for most people. Your space devoted to the Rue Cler area almost sounds as though somebody got paid off for puffing it. There are a dozen streets in Paris more charming than that one. Your list of restaurants is fine, what little there is of it. It feels to me as though the person who wrote this book was just sloppy and lazy. Finally, gesiers are chicken gizzards, not livers. Richard Epro in New York City, NY USA 03/25/2007 Cross references to other sections in the book either bold typed, or in the margins. Many times, I remembered reading something about a sight, but couldn't find it right away. Gregg Maxwell in Grapevine, TX USA 03/22/2007 We followed a suggestion in the guidebook, and took the Air France bus to the Arc de Triomphe. We then tried to get a taxi the rest of the way to the hotel. All ignored us, even though we went to a taxi stand. We had to walk to the hotel on Blvd de la Tour Mauborg. For the return to airport, the hotel ordered a taxi. When the driver found out we were only going as far as the Arc de Triomphe to catch the Air France bus, he harangued us in French for the entire journey; my wife didn't let on that she spoke French. We are both in our 60s and are hikers, so we are used to walking, but there are many people of all ages that would be unable to haul a suitcase for many blocks! Suggest a warning in guidebook. Warren Galloway in Toronto, ON Canada 03/11/2007 I would add a maps for dummies section. I encounter several people with your book who could not read a map. Robert in Winston Salem, NC USA 03/07/2007 We tried to follow the recommended guide for the Louvre, but it was impossible with a stroller. The elevators are scattered about in different places than the stairs. If we had known, we would have taken our baby backpack instead. I suggest when you research a place, find out if they allow strollers or make you check them. Another was Versailles. Our toddler had to be carried/prodded/etc and we had to rush as they made us check it at the door. Deanna Buscema in Vicenza, Italy 01/18/2007 Don't use the word "dovetails" on p. 135 of the 2006 edition: "...the Left Bank Walk dovetails with the shopping stroll." I wanted to do both and I spent so long trying to figure out whether dovetails meant the Left Bank Walk should be done first or second. [Editor's Note: "Dovetails" simply means that the two walks fit together nicely and can be done one after the other, or with the Shopping Stroll as a side jaunt in the middle of the Left Bank Walk. It doesn't matter which one you do first but a comprehensive map, such as Paris Pratique or the Penguin Paris Mapguide, is very helpful for navigating your way.] Ellen Bothwell in Melun, France 01/13/2007 Include a chapter in the books directed to North Americans on how to behave in a hotel. Don't stand outstide a room and yell your conversation. Do you need to slam that door to make sure it's closed, or perhaps could you turn the handle and close it quietly? When you come in at 2:00 a.m. in a drunken stupor, perhaps you could remember to not pound up the stairs and bang around in your room for over an hour. Other people are on vacation as well, and don't appreciate being woken up throughout the night by badly behaving tourists. As well, really stress that it is more than polite to learn some basic French words, such as merci, s'il vous plait, pardon, and desole. And learn how to pronounce those words properly. Merci is not pronounced "mercy". Nothing annoys me more than sitting in a Belle Epoque cafe, and having to listen to harsh North American accents pronouncing loudly how French wine isn't that bad and yelling for their cheque and then saying "mercy". And one more thing. When in a church, particularly during a religious ceremony, pay attention to the numerous signs in various langages that politely ask people not to take photographs or videos. Think about it; would you appreciate if you were at your religious worship ceremony and 10,000 tourists barged in and started taking photos with flash? Then don't do it at a church in Europe.
JC in Edmonton, AB Canada 01/05/2007 Update the museum pass info. Also a large problem I faced in August was mant recommended restaurants were closed due to holiday in August - that needs to be more apparent. One day we spent 2 hours trying to find an open recommended restaurant. Jennifer in Philadelphia, PA USA 12/19/2006 Opera Garnier - "Call to confirm", under Tours. Please include a phone #. Susan in Cooper, CO USA 12/12/2006 I thought that some more maps scatter throughout the books, maybe overviews for each section, might help. I had a hard time (before I got here and started to get a feel for the city) figuring out where some of the stuff was. For example, the beginning describes the city in terms of the arondissements and shows a city overview. But some of the sections (such as Eating, Shopping, and some of the city tours) say that they're in particular districts (like "Rue de Cler"). A quick overview map with the section in question highlighted might help give a quick idea of where you're talking about without a lot of paging back and forth to other sections and maps to figure it out. [Editor's Note: We do have a map called "Paris Map Overview" that is right after the Table of Contents and right before the Introduction section. This map may be what you were looking for.] Chet and Kris Haase in Pleasanton, CA USA 12/09/2006 More of the guided museum tours, or lengthening the ones currently in the book. These were almost all excellent and were the reason I purchased the book. velevele in Champaign, IL USA 12/05/2006 Rick please do a Richelieu Wing iPOD tour guide. We loved your Denon wing tour. Despite they moved Venice de Milo!! So disrepectful... We had to pause the guide and ran upstairs to find her. then come back to resume the tour... Please add Musee de la musique. Add some pastry shops, like le Notre and pierre Herme. They are expensive, but worth the splurge of 6 euro a piece... Just google them you'll get their website. Fauchon is too standard. Janet in Greenwich, CT USA 11/29/2006 Add some of the trendier restaurants. Heather in New York, NY USA 11/29/2006 Harder paper for the cover of the book. It's gets bent or curly easily. Elaine in San Francisco, CA USA 11/26/2006 Add a "tour" of highlights for the other two wings of the Louvre.
Add the metro stops to the street maps: it's too hard to find a metro stop from the metro-only map. The Printemps dept. store map is excellent in this regard. Jim Mansfield in Costa Mesa, CA USA 11/17/2006 Add details about how to get both to *AND* from CDG to central Paris by RER. If I had not been there before and done this, I would not have known the short cuts. (A) Where is the CDG train station? (B) the automatic ticket machines only take *French* credit cards.
(C) Inside the glass to the *left* side are the RER tickets [shorter lines].
(D) To the *right* are tickets for all of France [longer lines and not what you want].
(E) Return trip Paris -> CDG: add warning that not all RER-B trains go to CDG. I saw numerous people make this mistake.
(F) A warning about RER -vrs- METRO tickets. Important: hold onto your RER ticket! You can freely walk out of Metro without a ticket but you *must* have a ticket to exit the RER system. I saw several people who lost their RER ticket receive a 35 Euro per person fine, collected on the spot by the ticket police on the RER-B to the airport. Also, in central paris, Metro tickets work on the RER. No need to buy another ticket.
(G) The RER-B (CDG -> Paris, and return) tickets are good for the transfer to/from the normal Metro; no extra charge many people though they had to purchase both a Metro and an RER ticket. Duane in Southern Half Of, NJ USA 11/15/2006 I think the Rue de Cler is a great area for being near the Eiffel tower, and provides all the restaurants and bars you could need, but it is out of the way for most of the rest of Paris sites, and I think this should be made more clear in the guidebook. KEVIN P GIBLIN in EDMONDS, WA USA 11/13/2006 Hi Rick, The guide book was amazingly helpful. We ran into Americans all over Paris who had your book in hand. It would have been very helpful to have had this book in a spiral bound format. It would also help to have a city map at the front of the book with an overlay of the metro map, so that we could see more clearly the relation of the city streets & metro stops. In the cheapest dining section, you might consider adding an entry for the Monoprix stores. Their in-store bakery serves a great variety of hot sandwiches for just 3 euro. Also, it might help others to read about metro fines and to emphasize the importance of keeping your metro ticket in your pocket until you leave the subway. I mistakenly threw away my single metro ticket (from a carnet) before leaving the metro station and was fined 25 euro at a random checkpoint for not having a validated metro ticket in hand. Overall, your book made it easy to make a large city manageable. Thank you for all of your work compiling this guide. allison reed in tampa, fl USA 11/05/2006 Your book is great. I was sent to Quipmper for business last minute (Wed- Fri) and decided to stop off in Paris Sun-Tues.. I did not have a plan. A lady next to me had your book on the plane and I created a two day plan in 2 hours. Your book was well laid out, the notes on when museums are clsoed saved me. The subway suggestion saved a lot of money. I saw more in two days than most people see all week!!! THANK YOU - I will suggest your book to anyone- everyone! Franklin S Westbrook in Lebanon , TN USA 11/05/2006 please place page numbers when describing locations--perhaps in parnethesis, insetad of saying i will share this later on on the book Josephine in Redwood City, CA USA 11/01/2006 The book was fantastic!!! I was the "tour guide" on my trip with my parents and friend. I probably consulted this book hundreds of times and always had it with me. Kathy Talkin in Chicago, IL USA 10/24/2006 I think it is perfect. Thank you so much! Danielle in Warwick, NY USA 10/21/2006 My one recommendation to Rick for Paris in particular (and maybe London as well), all references to restaurants or hotels should be accompanied by the arrondissement designation and the closest Metro/Tube stop. Then I would encourage all those who comment here to also list the nearest Metro/Tube stops, if possible, to places they recommend. Bill Young in San Leandro , CA USA 10/20/2006 The Paris Guide book was great and we never went anywhere without it. We especially appreciated the museum and neighborhood tours and had fun following along with the book. It was a kick running into others with the book in hand and always a great conversation starter. We even caught folks trying to hide the cover with brown paper, but we still spotted them. It made for some fun teasing and light-hearted moments. Karen and Hal Phillips in Edgewood, WA USA 10/15/2006 A few more French Phrases or words, that way you only need one book! I appreciated them and used them. Also you don't mention Princess Dianna's crash site, unless I missed it which is possible...I realize that is not a tourist attraction but I would have liked to known where it was since I went through that tunnel. I also wish I would have gone on the Versailles trip... didn't have time but I think I would have loved that. Cindy Hause in Waverly, OH USA 10/10/2006 Design the sections so that they may be separated without losing the last page of the previous section or the first page of the next section. Heather Pisani-Kristl in Norfolk, MA USA 10/10/2006 I wish I would have taken a look at your website before going. It looks information packed too! Melissa Bromby in Newburyport, MA USA 10/09/2006 One couple in Paris recommended studying the Metro before we leave our hotel - to determine how to get to our destination. Then writing it down - station by station. We did this for the first few days and found it really helped. Franny in Seattle, Wa USA 10/08/2006 I found myself flipping through the book a lot - I think more "see page..." would be nice for cross-reference. Michael Dwyer in Rochester Hills, MI USA 10/08/2006 Suggest add information to the Paris Guidebook that each Metro train has its own platform and track in stations with multiple lines. Obvious to us now, but when we were in the station for the first time, it was confusing in the surge of the crowds. Wilbur Dong in South Pasadena, CA USA 10/01/2006 Can it be bound into volumes? Paris 2006 won't fit in the average sized pants pocket. Maybe walks and maps in one volume. Hotels and eateries in another and history and helpful information in a third! All three volumes could be slipped into a sleave. Furnacefighter in West Chester, PA USA 09/28/2006 Provide a useful overall map and cross reference the small detailed maps to it. William E. Endelman in Seattle, WA USA 09/21/2006 I honestly can't think of any. I re-read portions of the book a couple times a day during my stay in Paris, because the information was so valuable. Laura Wendt in Madison, WI USA 09/16/2006 I would like your books to be available as E-books. I hate taking paper copies of travel books. Particularly would like the french menu reader on t he Palm, Any plans? i'll beta test :-) theo in southlake, tx USA 09/11/2006 Spiral binding would be better for using the book on tours and for tearing out sections that aren't needed. Make the cover stronger and put a pocket inside the front or back cover where I can stick my map. Diane in Tallahassee, FL USA 09/09/2006 Better maps, more restaurant suggestions that are less expensive. The dollar to euro exchange is horrible. B. B. in Boonton, NJ USA 09/07/2006 Yes! it seems that there is a problem with getting a shuttle van to actually be there when you arrive at a Paris airport -- they have lots of excuses for what happened. The last one I heard was there was a mix-up and the van was there on time as contracted for, but they picked up the wrong party, etc. We need help with this Rick -- not all of us are up to negotiating the RER to and from the airport! BG in San Francisco, CA USA 09/06/2006 Our hotel was suppose to reserve a shuttle when we got to the airport and called. There was no reservation even though our hotel had verified it. We were lucky to have met a lady who lived in Paris on our flight, she let us share her taxi. The airport arrivals area was very confusing. And I learned that the shuttles will try to get others to take it as well, even if you have one reserved, so you could spend hours riding in a shuttle around paris until everyone is dropped off at the different hotels. If possible for those taking the metro a better description of where those are. And right now there is a lot of work on the metro and the RER lines. m hatch in speer, il USA 09/05/2006 Perhaps more research and advice is needed for the various airport shuttles. A previous poster related a bad experience with Paris Shuttle, though it seems as if he underestimated the amount of time needed to get to CDG in traffic. I have used shuttle vans a couple of times, each time the van was not where it was supposed to be at CDG to pick me up -- I had to call them. Going to CDG, the hotel I was staying at booked the van for me (not sure what company) and they estimated the correct time, never was late for any flight. But for those who book non-private shuttle vans, they should know how many hours to alot for trip to the airport, and what are the most reliable companies. My best, most comfortable ride to the airport was from a private taxi (cost 75 euros for 2 people and lots of bags) but well worth it! Also, for the bus that Rick recommends that goes from the Eiffel Tower to Pere Lachaise -- it is indeed a good one to take, only problem when I got out of Pere Lachaise I could not find the bus stop for going back into town - it was not directly across from where I was dropped off. I took the metro instead and it was fine, but Rick, please indicate where the bus stop is to get back into town! Thanks very much. BG in San Francisco, CA USA 09/05/2006 You might want to mention that the Louvre gallery that houses the German/Flemish/Dutch paintings is closed on Mondays. When we asked why, we were told that "it just is." So if you travel all those miles to see Vermeer's The Lacemaker, don't go on a Monday. Paula in Cambridge, MA USA 08/20/2006 The book is heavy to carry around, which I did and used every day. A suggestion would be to set up the book as a series of small removable sections that could be used for the day while touring a particular site or section of the city. Susan Healy-Mills in Barrington, RI USA 08/20/2006 We stayed outside the city center, in the Best Western Hotel Orleans, which was a very nice place at a great price. Otherwise we wouldn't be able to afford staying in Paris. And the best restaurant we ate at in Paris was nearby, Cafe d'Enfer on Rue Daguerre. So I feel you can get a great Paris experience outside of the city center areas recommended by Rick. Also, I would say not to go to Paris in August, when there are no Parisians there, only tourists from Italy, Germany, Korea, Britain and the US... from everywhere except Paris. A lot of shops were closed, including places of interest to us tourists, and I really don't feel like I got the authentic Paris experience. I'm not sure that I would like a crowded city better, but I would love to see less tourists, that's for sure. Summers Henderson in Somverville, MA USA 08/18/2006 It would be extremely helpful to put addresses for some of the sights (especially the ones outside of Paris- ie Fountainebleau, Versailles, etc.) so that we can input the addresses into our GPS systems. A lot of us expats who are temporarily living in Europe drive to many of these places and aren't relying on train directions as much. Although a lot of the GPS systems have "major sights" in their systems- some of the more obscure sights require a street address in order to locate. T.R. in Bertrange, Luxembourg 08/06/2006 I can't imagine how you can do it, but it was very heavy to carry around! If the weight could be decreased...perhaps a series of small books within one large one? And carry it around I did. The ladies in my group did all volunteer to carry it though! Roe Hughes in Philadelphia, PA USA 08/01/2006 We travel with our 4 lb. yorkie. I would love to know which hotels are pet friendly and the fee. Lisa Valle IL USA 08/01/2006 Consider adding information on Paris apartments. I stayed in a Latin Quarter apartment and I think it is a great option for staying in Paris. It it's not convenient to include in the book, perhaps an on-line forum where people can share information on apartments they've rented. Chris Dayton in Monroe, WA USA 07/31/2006 Include hotel de l'Avre Mary in Minneapolis, MN USA 07/13/2006 Some of Rick's recommended Paris hotels are now prohibiting guests from eating food or drinking alcoholic beverages in their hotel room. It would be useful to know which hotels have this this prohibition before booking. A prohibition against wine in a Paris hotel room is absurd in my opinion. Bob Hooper in Honolulu, HI USA 07/12/2006 A better map of Paris in the front of the book would be helpful. Those in the guidebook had gaps; the Gare du Nord wasn't shown on either of them. Hilde in Old Bridge, NJ USA 07/02/2006 One thing to include might be the tarif reduit for travelers ages 18-26. It is a reduced rate at most sites for those of us that are young adults! Lauren Mitchell in Dallas, TX USA 06/29/2006 Letting the reader know to verify most operating hours and fairs with the actual place, instead of fully relying on book. Yesica in Danville, CA USA 06/25/2006 Please indicate where the #69 bus stop is, in front of Pere Lachaise, so you can get back into town! I took this buss from the Louvre on rue Rivoli to the Eiffel Tower and it worked out well. But going home from Lachaise, we could not find the corresponding bus stop to take us back -- ended up walking a couple of blocks and taking the metro. Rick recommends the #69 for sightseeing mostly, assuming you will stay on it for the entire route -- but it can be a good commuting option. We need more information about this, or publish the bus stop map. Thanks bery much B. Golden in San Francisco, CA USA 06/16/2006 More selection, particularly in restaurants. For hotels you really only need one per city. For food, we need more options for deli or sandwiches for lunches, or bakeries for breakfast. You give the best, but we eat 3 times a day at least for each day of the trip, so more next time please. Deneen Clarke in Minneapolis, MN USA 06/12/2006 Please include a section at the back of the book about the complexity of buying RER tickets from Chares DeGaulle Airport to Paris. We found (as did other Americans around us) that the automated ticket machines only accepted Euro coins or FRENCH credit cards. They would not accept Euro bills or American credit cards. The locals working in the terminal were not able to lead us to a change machine and it's rather unclear that the ticket buying line is off to the side behind a glass wall. I think that one or two sentences in the book would alleviate some stress that we encountered at the airport. Windsor Lewis in Issaquah, WA USA 06/12/2006 I used this book for a trip in 2003 and now again in 2006. I am noticing a growing descrepancy in what Rick reports and what I experience. I think Rick Steves has become too famous and influential to be able to obtain accurate information. If hotel operators and resteraunt owners know or recognize that they are being evaluated by Rick Steves they make sure they offer outstanding service which does not necessarily represent what we the average traveller will experience when we visit. Robert Durvin in Clearwater, FL USA 06/04/2006 More info for accessible travel and families. The Paris Metro system is awesome, but not very wheel-friendly - we did a lot of hauling the stroller up and down stairs, which after 2 years of living in Europe we've got down to a science, but it would be a rude surprise for someone expecting something more like other European cities with more common escalators/elevators. Also, getting in/out of the turnstiles with a stroller is quite a feat in many of the smaller stations. More info on the Batobuses - we used these and enjoyed them. Pros are all-day tickets and simple counterclockwise route. Cons - not quite a precise schedule, and 30 minute wait if you miss a boat, and the simple route. Pat in In transit back to US, TX USA 06/04/2006 As you know, diabetes is a growing epidemic in the US. My husband is diabetic and it would be unbelievably wonderful if you had a small section of tips for diabetics. For example, US Air makes you buy your food now but all of the food they offer for sale is SWEET (read poison for a diabetic). The pastries in France, surprisingly, are not very sweet and are served in small amounts so are actually something that most diabetics can actually safely handle. Another issue we ran into for the first time (and we travel ALOT) was security in CDG. They would not allow us to use carry on luggage with a full supply of hypodermics, only one hypodermic for the flight. CAO in Redwood Shores, CA USA 06/03/2006 Suggest it be somewhat up-scaled to include some better restaurants and hotels. Jay Meisner in Riverdale, NY USA 05/26/2006 Sell it without the "Tour Guide" cover. I was successfuly in creating a non-descript new cover, but thought you might market a plain wrapper version. John Vosburgh in Tempe, AZ USA 05/17/2006 Rick needs to write more of his personal philosophy about this great city. A page is not enough to convey the importance of his knowledge, experience, and brilliance. Mark Day in Portland, OR USA 05/12/2006 Use some color to make things like phone numbers or addresses stand out. Reading all black type is difficult. A reader recommended taking the book apart and putting it in a spiral binder. That's a thought. If you published it that way, then instead of tearing pages out, you could unclip them!! Carolyn Wolfe in Boise, ID USA 05/09/2006 Review the cheap restaurants often. I believe that once they get their name in Ricks book, they raise their prices, and lower the quantity. Don S in Franklin, Mi USA 04/26/2006 This book was wonderful. I kept the Rick Steves Bible with me at all times in Paris. Thank you very much. Linda M. Brown in Cincinnati, Oh USA 04/23/2006 "Paris 2005" was very helpful, I can't imagine how my trip would have gone with out it! The only thing I would chnage is when giving a Metro Stop, add what line it is on, i.e La Tour Marbourg (8). Finding where a Metro stop is on a map can be difficult, but if we know what line it is on, we can just trace the line until we find the stop. Other than that, I found the book extremely helpful. Mike Suyeda in Yuba City, CA USA 04/15/2006 Rick Steves, you made our trip spectacular. Thank you!! Trish in Bridgewater, MA USA 04/14/2006 Extra stickum on the Metro Map! We ended up with the pages falling out fairly quickly because we used it so much. Patty Hendrickson in Portland, OR USA 04/13/2006 This is just a comment: The book is amazing! It was our bible before and during our travel to Paris. I recommended the book to my friends who will now be traveling to Paris because I did. Thank you for a fantastic job! Elizabeth in San Francisco, CA USA 04/05/2006 Talk more about using RyanAir at Beauvais Airport. It worked out great for us, taking a side trip to Venice. Allen in Indianapolis, IN USA 03/27/2006 Rick needs to remember that first time travelers arrive jet lagged and need more exact directions. For example, using the Roissy bus from CDG, we arrived near the Opera. We walked towards the Amer. Express sign, but you cannot see the metro station from there. Mention in the book that you cross the street left towards the opera again, and keep going around the opera to the left. It was disorienting the first time and hard to find (in the rain, jetlagged, it was cold). Ken Cardona in Santa Clara, CA USA 03/14/2006 More discount offers exclusively for the readers! Eric in APO, AE USA 03/10/2006 Mr. Steves, please keep up the great work. We never would have attempted Paris on our own without your book. West & Carrie Jacocks in Sumter, SC USA 02/21/2006 Keep it simple!!! Sharol Hollier in Flushing, MI USA 01/07/2006 |
