General Information

Paris Metro does get crowded at rush hour, but I don't feel claustrophobic. Never been on the tube, but it looks like deep narrow tunnels. The Metro was built mostly by cut-and-cover, so the stations are more open.
Galleries Lafayette is just one metro stop away. Beautiful interior and shopping experience even if you don't buy anything. Do lunch in the top level cafeteria.
Favorite food is at Albion which is one Metro stop away at the other direction at Poissonniere. Only open weekdays, but great food at a reasonable price. Call for a res.

I find the metro much less cramped and crowded than the tube in London. I am not as experienced with London but my indelible memory is being in a jam packed car on the way to Victoria Station to catch the train to Gatwick and having the power go out for 15 minutes and being stuck in the dark in a crowded tube train underground worrying that I was going to miss my plane. Never had anything like that happen in Paris.

Be sure you are pickpocket proof. I don't know if pickpockets are as common in London (although we were burglarized there and also had someone in our B&B have their purse stolen during breakfast) but skilled pickers, often young girls, are very active in the Paris metro. Not hard to be secure, but you do have to make sure you are including purse worn cross body or forward and well under your control.

For shopping, don't miss the Galleries Lafayette department store. Look up some pictures, it's beautiful.

I felt the Metro in Paris at peak times in the summer was way worse than the Tube in London. Given the choice between the two, I would prefer the Tube.

Funny.. we found the tube to be positively insane during rush hour.. even the steps leading down to it would look like an avalanche of bodies just pouring into a hole!

I don't think you will find the metro half as bad.. and it is faster then buses ...

Great food does not have to pricey ... I usually find a cafe that offers a nice salad composee for lunch.. 10-15 euros.. ( basically big salad with veggies.. sometimes bacon bits, hard boiled egg,,etc.. like a meal) .. and I love grabbing a crepe ( ham and cheese are my favorite , but kids seem to like the nutella and banana ones) from a street vendor or kiosk.. ( 3-5 euros) .. makes a light lunch..

My daughter and I loved stopping for afternoon ice cream.. especially in summer.. we loved Amorinos Gelato.. ( they shape it like a rose in your cone).. Berthillions is popular with some folks ( its very pricey though.. like 5 euros for one small ball.. ) I find it too sweet.. and of course our old stand by Haagen Daaz!

For dinners check out the "menu" .. which is not the card that the menu items are listed on.. but means the special meal of the day.. often 15-25 euros for 2 or 3 courses.. often the best deal of the restaurant.
By law all establishments must have their menu( in this case I do mean their listings.. lol ) displayed outside , so you can always check out prices and offerings before decided whether to enter..

And remember the price you see is the price you pay.. not like here in Canada where we then add a bunch of taxes after the fact( one thing I really like about most europeon countries is they list the prices taxes and service usually included in listed price!)

Live in London and have visited Paris within the last month, and I don't see a great deal of difference between the London Underground and the Paris Metro. The tunnels and hence trains are a bit bigger, but it doesn't make much difference. The only difference with Paris is that fewer stations have very long escalators.

We've unfortunately tried a few times to take the Tube at peak hours - and have had to wait a few times for another train to come along as people just packed on like sardines with no more room. We've only had two trips to Paris, but never noticed that issue, but I'm not sure we travelling on it at peak times...

I don't particularly like the 'underground' way of travel either... especially when crowded. Last few times we took the bus whenever possible. I like getting oriented and seeing where I am going rather than emerging from a hole underground. I also usually walk almost everywhere (lots and lots of miles)
I will check and see if that is the Mercure I stayed at a few years ago.

One way to spend less on food and still eat well is to make lunch your main meal of the day and then eat lightly at dinner. Some hotels include breakfast in the room rate and others charge extra. If it is not included in your room rate, check out the price. You'll probably do better just getting a coffee and croissant on your own at a local "corner café".

When I stayed at the Mercure they had a substantial breakfast included. Not sure if all are the same, but they cater to a lot of tour groups who expect a 'big breakfast' and it was there. I also tend to do picnics (which kids love) and I am not one to go to highpriced restaurants for a big dinner. Also, I often go to the Monoprix , which was very near the Mercure I stayed at. Fast lunch or you can carry out for a picnic.

Thank you all so much for your replies. I've already decided that walking will be the main way around, although we will need to take the metro at some point.
Breakfast is included at the hotel so that's good, thanks for the restaurant review, had a look and it looks great so that is going to be a definite:). Can't wait to be honest!

Very nice restaurants often have similar menus at lunch time to dinner time at about 65% or less of the evening dinner menu price so if you want to splurge you can go big at lunch for much less.

Rue Montparnasse (not Blvd Montparnasse) around the corner from Rue Delamber near Montparnasse station has a bunch of crepe restaurants, Josselin perhaps being the favorite -- but they are all fine. You can get the full Normandy crepe experience here with many choices of savory or sweet crepes and a lovely stone cup of cider (alcoholic). The crepes really do make a meal and are several times as good as those from stands (which make a fine snack. ) The standard 'complete' crepe is ham and egg, but there are many many options.

I hate using the bus because it takes so long -- wait wait wait and then slowly slowly slowly --- if you get a seat you can see the scenery but there are few seats and many passengers. The metro is fast and efficient and very rarely in our experience crazy crowded. You must anywhere in public be pickpocket proof but especially on bus or metro.

I too found the Metro and London tube to be about the same at rush hour, perhaps it depends on what line you take. As for shopping, I recommend checking the stores along the rue du Rivoli, from the Marais area west to Place de Concorde. this area has a lot of reasonably-priced chain stores, Zara, H&M, and others -- I always end up browsing them. BHV is a good department store across the street from the Hotel de Ville. All of the Marais has wonderful shopping, jewelry and clothing stores. COS on rue des Rosiers is one of my favorites. If you want super trendy and high end, check out Colette 213 rue St Honore, 1st arr. First floor has books, CDS, small souvenir items -- a mecca for trendy teens. Fun place to see and be seen.
Also, City Pharma is interesting, and apparently is considered the biggest pharmacy in Paris, but it is small and cramped by US standards, and always full of people, so be prepared for this. Doesn't keep me from going there though, and there are a couple of nice clothing stores near there.

angela,

I've travelled on both The Tube (been a few years though) and the Paris Metro, and my impression is that some of the London stations are smaller and therefore feel more cramped, especially at rush hour. Many of the Paris stations seem larger, so I don't seem quite as crowded during rush hour even if there are lots of passengers.

I tend to view it as part of the "local experience", and tolerate the hordes of people the same as everyone else. Thousands of people endure that experience every day to and from work.

Ken...I both laugh and cringe when we've had to take the Tube...I know a few times we said...oh, wouldn't it be cool to live in London!? But then I think of how my poor soul would shrivel if I had to face the daunting task of taking the Tube everyday...I'll stick with my car and wide open spaces ;)

My feelings about the differences between the London Tube and the Paris Metro echo Ken's.

Although there are plenty of times i've been squashed on a very full metro! But for me it's that feeling of the very LOW tunnels in London. I kind of like that the "feel of the metro in the two cities is so different.

Monoprix, Galleries Lafayette and Printemps for shopping. Printemps used to hand out the best free map of Paris. Walk up Champs Élysées if only to see the lines outside the luxury goods stores ( I think it the longest line was at Louis Vuitton-some will have the right answer if I'm wrong).

On our way to Church at the American Cathedral we passed long long lines early Sunday morning made up of mostly Asian tourist hoping to get into Louis Vuitton. I so don't get it.

Parisians are serious about food. Ask at the desk in your hotel for recommendations for restaurants.

Combine shopping with an amazing view and surprisingly affordable lunch.
https://www.likealocalguide.com/paris/printemps-rooftop-terrace