First time visit to Paris and France in September. My wife and I will arrive near the Hyatt Regency Paris E'toile two or three hours before check-in around lunch time. So it would be nice to eat lunch at a quintessential French cafe or bistro and then walk the neighborhood afterwards. Can someone recommend a nice spot to eat?
Afterwards, we'd like a leisurely stroll around to get a feel for Paris but not more than an hour or two. Some guidance, please.
If you like meat, you could go for steak-frites at the Relais de Venise on Place de la Porte Maillot.
Or there are tons of restaurants in rue des Acacias, rue d'Armaillé and rue Poncelet (10 min walk from your hotel), from where you could stroll to Place de l'Etoile and the Champs Élysées - taking the metro back to Porte Maillot whenever tired.
The immediate neighborhood of your hotel does not have much of interest, sorry.
An alternative could be to go to Neuilly (Sablons neighborhood) and eat there, but I do not know the restaurants in that otherwise nice area.
Best to go to the hotel, ask to check your bags (most if not all hotels will do this), and then ask them for 1) the name of a good bistro within 2-3 blocks, and 2) suggestions for a nice walk in the area. This is what the concierge is paid to do - know these kind of things.
The concierge will certainly speak English.
It's a Hyatt Regency -- even in Paris they will probably have rooms ready to occupy before official check-in time.
Are you getting a transit pass? A major transit hub is around the corner which gets you on Line 1 of the Metro, which takes you over to the Tuileries / Louvre or to the Marais / Hotel De Ville, and once you get to the Marais everything is tasty so long as you get off of rue de Rivoli.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porte_Maillot_(Paris_Métro)
If you don't want to get on the Metro but stay on foot, i think one of those converted elevated lines that's now a walking park is nearby but I can't remember the specifics right now, just do a search.
There is a very good kosher bistro about ten minutes walk away, if you're into that kind of thing
https://userdocs.zenchef.com/352980/YL8dODehQb0IceQwWwj0FieYqMPySlF0j3CVdMME.pdf
but as balso says above the immediate area is mostly commuters and hustlers, not very inviting for strollers.
I will only be in Paris three or four days. How much is a transit pass and what does that get me? I haven't learned what transportation is available yet.
Your hotel is about a 25 minute walk to Parc Monceau—which is a little Parisian treat in that neighborhood. There are likely many cafés and bistros on the way, but if you need a recommendation, just a 15-minute walk beyond there near the Saint-Augustin Metro station is Place Saint-Augustin with a statue of Joan of Arc, and two little cafes across from each other in which I have eaten in. La Pépinière, and Le Saint Augustin—the latter has outdoor seating which is a great place for people watching.
You’re quite close to the Port Maillot metro stop, more than anything else really so I would hop right on that. I would take it past Chatelet to St. Paul stop. This is Marais area. There are places to eat everywhere, and is not so overwhelming. A stroll around here, with Place des Vosges as your lynchpin is a low-impact into to Paris.
Your metro stop is on a great line for sightseeing, and you’ll be able to get just about anywhere with one train change. I’m afraid I don’t know if there’s a multi day pass that would suits you, but you can easily buy packs of 10 at kiosks or tabac stands (or you used to at least.)
Paris By Train, https://parisbytrain.com, offers information for your transport options. I am sure others will provide information on what would work best between the passes or single tickets.
Enjoy your trip.
