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Rick Steves' Paris

Updates to the 2013 edition

General

A few copies of the first printing of Rick Steves' Paris 2013 are defective. Before you leave, make sure you have pages 383-478. If your book is defective, please return it to your place of purchase. If that is not possible, please contact Bobby Dunne at our publisher's office. Email bobby.dunne@perseusbooks.com with your mailing address, the book title, the nature of the defect, and the original place of purchase.

France is no longer covered by the Select Pass.

Orientation

Bateaux Parisiens boats no longer offer a discount to railpass holders.

Sleeping

Hôtel la Bourdonnais will close from September 2013 to March 2014 for major renovation.

 

Updates for those still traveling with the 2012 edition

Orientation

The tourist information office at Gare de Lyon has closed.

Americans can now rent a Vélib bicycle with an American (magnetic strip, not chip) credit card by booking a "short-term subscription" online.

The correct website for the Paris Greeter program is www.parisiendunjour.fr.

Sights

Prices for all versions of the Paris Museum Pass have increased €4. Current prices: 2 days/€39; 4 days/€54; 6 days/€69.

At the Louvre, the new Islamic art section — with its glass roof modeled on a head scarf — is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012. It's located in the Cour de Visconti courtyard of the Denon wing. Videoguides on Nintendo portable game consoles (€5 rental) now provide visitors with commentary on about 700 masterpieces. If you want to use the Louvre's ticket machines, you'll need cash (US credit cards don't work).

The Impressionist wing of the Orsay Museum has, at last, reopened. The star attractions — the Impressionist paintings — are now located in entirely renovated galleries on the museum's top floor. Other paintings and sculpture have been situated throughout the building, offering a fresh view of this rich trove of 19th- and early 20th-century masterworks.

At Notre-Dame, there are now free English tours on Sunday at 14:30. Admission to the treasury is now €4, and its new hours are Mon–Fri 9:30–17:40, Sat–Sun 9:30–18:10. The tower climb at Notre-Dame now costs €8.50 and in June closes daily at 18:30 — there are no longer later hours on weekends.

The Rodin Museum is partially closed for renovation; expect some statues to be moved around and some rooms to be closed altogether. Rooms are being reopened one by one as they're finished (final reopening likely not until 2014). The gardens will remain open throughout the renovation. To compensate for the closures, the museum has added a few rarely displayed Rodin pieces to its exhibits. Also, the museum has added evening hours on Wednesdays, when it stays open until 20:45.

The Army Museum is no longer open half an hour later on Sundays, but the late-night Tuesday hours for April–Sept are still in effect through 2012. Current hours: Museum — daily April–Sept 10:00–18:00, Tue until 21:00, Oct–March 10:00–17:00, closed first Mon of month year-round; Napoleon's tomb — daily April–June and Sept 10:00–18:00, may be open Tue until 21:00; July–Aug 10:00–19:00, Tue until 21:00; Oct–March 10:00–17:00, closed first Mon of month Sept–May.

The Montmartre Museum is no longer closed on Mondays; it's now open daily 10:00–18:00.

Sleeping

The new Hotel Lindbergh is ideally situated for shoppers and park lovers — a coin toss from the Bon Marché department store and a five-minute walk from classy Luxembourg Garden (Sb-€130, Db-€150-170, Tb-€190, no air-con, 5 rue Chomel, tel. 01 45 48 35 53, fax 01 45 49 31 48).

Hôtel Muguet and Hôtel de l'Empereur have strict cancellation policies; you must cancel seven days before your arrival or lose your deposit.

The Hôtel Castex has a new website: www.castexhotel.com.

The Hôtel des Deux-Iles has a new website: www.hoteldesdeuxiles.com.

For Internet access in the Luxembourg area, try Cyber Cube at 5 Rue Mignon (Mon–Sat 10:00–10:00, closed Sun); Le Milk has closed.

Hôtel la Perle now charges extra for breakfast.

The correct address for Hôtel Relais Médicis is 5 Place de l'Odéon.

Connections

Trains between Venice and Paris now use Gare de Lyon (not Paris Bercy), and are run by Thello, a private company that has stated it will not accept railpasses on this train.

Day Trips from Paris

Versailles

A shuttle bus run by the local transit company now goes from the Rive Gauche train station to the Trianon Palaces and the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette. The shuttle does not stop at the main entrance to the Château, but it's ideal for anyone going to the Trianon/Domaine first, or ready to return by train to Paris right from the Trianon/Domaine.

Chartres

There's no longer a branch tourist-information office across from the cathedral. The main TI is in the historic Maison du Saumon building at 10 Rue de la Poissonnerie (Mon–Sat 9:30–18:30, Sun 10:00–17:30).

The cathedral tower has new hours: May–Aug Mon–Sat 9:30–12:30 & 14:00–17:30, Sun 14:00–17:30, Sept–April closes daily at 16:30.

The Auberge de Jeunesse has a new website: www.auberge-de-jeunesse-chartres.com.

Le Cloître Gourmand is now closed on Monday, and Le Pichet is closed on Wednesday.