Paris... A couple of questions

Hi Shannon! Afraid I don't have any hotel recommendations - we stay in apartments when we go to Paris! As for taking the train to the D Day beaches, you can take the train to Caen and pick up a rental car there - and you will need a rental car to see the area!
To get the best fares, you can purchase your tickets ahead of time via Rail Europe. Enjoy your trip!!

Nancy,
You mentioned you rent an apartment, every time you go to Paris.. Is that expensive. How does it work?

Shannon, You may find it very helpful to have a look at either the France or Paris Guidebooks. There are LOTS of listings there for good Hotels in various sections of Paris, along with prices, sightseeing information, restaurants, etc. The Rue Cler area is close to the Eiffel Tower, and that's a favourite of many here. It's difficult to make specific recommendations on Hotels, as you didn't provide any criteria for price range. It's difficult to know what "a little more affordable" means? Regarding a trip to Normandy, there are a few important points to keep in mind. You can purchase train tickets at any station or visit an SNCF Boutique (there are numerous locations in Paris). You'll need to travel from the area that you're staying to Gare St. Lazare using the Metro. That's the station used for all departures to Normandy. Although you can easily get to Caen or Bayeux, you'll need to arrange local transportation to get to the beaches and other D-Day sites. Keep in mind that the D-Day events occurred across a 50-mile front and extended several miles inland, so that's a huge area! The best way to visit the sites is via a local tour, and there are several good tours available. That's not ideal to do as a day trip from Paris though due to the travel times, as most of the full day tours depart from Bayeux at 08:00. If you'd like information on some of the tours, post another note. The Museum in Caen also offers tours, but I can't recall the details. Check their website for details. Firms such as Paris Vision offer one day Coach tours to Normandy, but they tend to be a bit "pricey" (€169 PP). Happy travels!

Consider renting a car and staying overnight in the area. It's an easy drive to/from and to do the place properly is a full day. If that is not practical check out the battlebus site on the web. There are also private guides who will tool you around in their own car. (Check out Rick's book on France for more details.) IF you've never been to Paris there's enough there to keep you busy for a solid two weeks. Fall can be wonderful - crisp air, fewer crowds, Fall foods to savor.

Shannon, for a more "Parisian" hotel, try the Hotel Londres Eiffel. It's very nice, clean (recently remodeled according to Trip Advisor), and close to the Eiffel Tower. Staff speaks English and was very helpful. Lots of cafes, shops, etc. in the neighborhood. Hope you have a great time in Paris (my favorite city!).

Shannon, I am also going to Paris this year and am renting an apartment. This works best if you will be there for at least 7 nights. I got one basically on top of the Eiffel tower for $195/night. I used vacationinparis.com because it has gotten wonderful reviews. They are an American company (so payment is in US$) and they send you everything you need (keys included) before you leave. i haven't actually gone yet, so i can't personally speak to the company's service, but I've heard nothing but positive reviews so far!

I got one basically on top of the Eiffel tower Wow, that must be some view from up there. Do you have to wait in the lines for the elevators and stairs? lol

Have to agree with the other poster stating Hotel Londres Eiffel. It's almost literally around the corner from the Eiffel Tour. I've stayed there before on a Rick Steves Paris tour. Don't know what price range you are looking at though. The staff speaks English (not broken English), and they were able to help with anything and everything I needed or wanted.

We have stayed at Hotel du Champ de Mars. Really liked it. We "heard" about it from Rick.

We are going in May and rented an apt 10mins from the tower in a lovely Apartment for about 100 USD a night we got it through vacation by owner and rented several of our apartments for the trip through them..
If you are interested send me a message

We stayed @ the Hotel Londres Eiffel last June and it was perfect ! Walking distance to the Eiffel Tower & Champs-Élysées . Also several restaurants that were quite good and recommended by Rick Steves. The staff did speak English and were very accommodating. We opted for a view room of the Eiffel Tower as it was a special occasion for us. We would stay there again !

You can also take a day tour out to see the beaches at Normandy. We did that two years ago. We used Gray Line tours, which subcontract out in Paris. You can look at Gray Line Tours.com and see ther tour schedules and prices.

Grayline is Cityrama in Paris. ParisVisions is same type of company and equally reputable. ParisTourisme is also considered very reputable and one of our posters just got back from one of their tours( to Mont St Michel) and thought it was fine, their prices are better then both Cityrama and Parisvisions. I may use Paristourisme myself this year,, the prices are good and they are considered completely reliable, plus if staying on the left bank its easier to get to their meeting point in the morning.

Shannon,
I'm also going to take a short (2 day/1 night) trip to Normandy while I'm in Paris, during D-Day anniv. Bought my ticket online (tgv-europe.com) for paris-bayeux, leaving from gare st. lazare. I've been to beaches before, and am going to rent a bike in Bayeux to ride out there.

Just a correction, do NOT use RailEurope to buy train tickets ahead of time if you end up deciding to go to Normandy via train. Use the www.sncf.co.uk for the best deals, and print your tickets at home (make sure you say that you're in the UK, you will be unable to buy tickets online if you say you're in the U.S.) I wouldn't wait til you get to Paris to go to an SNCF boutique if you want to save money on the train tickets, they will be cheapest when bought in advance (up to 92 days).

The Hotel Relais Bosquet has some nice apartments for a good price.

Our Rick Steves tour stayed at the Hotel Duquesne Eiffel which I really liked (and a favorite of Steve Smith, he told me). Not quite 'on top' of the tower but a short walk. As for Normandy beach tours, we spent a day with Dale Booth (google Dale Booth Normandy Tours) and I thought it was absolutely brilliant. Check it out! Ross, a native Missourian!

Another vote for Hotel Londres Eiffel! Great hotel, friendly staff, lots of neat shops/restaurants in the area. Shot walk to the Eiffel Tower every night for the twinkling lights.