Need some advice from someone who knows - Paris

I have never been to Paris in August but from what I have read on this forum and others, some smaller shops and restaurants will be closed but most others will be business as usual. Not every citizen of Paris leaves the city in August, so grocery stores, wine stores, department stores, restaurants are open to serve Parisians as well as visitors.

For your first visit to Paris I think the Mercure in the 18th is not a good choice, unless they are making you an offer you can't refuse. It is too far from everything and being close to the Moulin Rouge is not really a recommendation.

August is likely to be hot (or not) but I think Paris at any time of the year is a wonderful destination. Wouldn't you rather be in Paris in August than in London, Ontario?

Thank you SO much Norma - very detailed and good advice, you have been very helpful (not knowing the city at all, we really need help from those who do!)I will heed your advice about the area surrounding the Moulin Rouge - that is precisely what we had no idea about. So do you give the okay to the 8th district? YES, I would rather be in Psris in August - I like the hot weather anyway, so might as well be somewhere special! Good to know that even in August we won't be left stranded without being able to eat!! Speaking of which, any idea what amount of Euros we should be looking at for food for a week? We are hoping to get breakfast with our accomodations. Any other tips/advice you can pass on would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I pretty well always have to go to Paris in July and August,, its just the only time I can,, I would love to go in September or May ,, but oh well.

I find the closures I encounter do not affect my visits at all. Once in awhile I hear about a nice restuarant I should try,, and discover it is closed, but many do not even close for the whole month anymore , sometimes just a few weeks. I always check online about closures,, most places seem to have websites i find.

Most cafes stay open. Many restaurants do stay open,, and the few shops etc that close I don't care about anyways. No tourist sites close.

I have always considered August very hot.. but 2 yrs ago I took a friend who had never been, and I warned her about the heat and to pack " capris , cool skirts and sundresses etc") and guess what,, we had a freaky 9 days of cool wet weather in August!! We were both underdressed with only one long pair of pants and one long sleeved jacket,, LOL We had to go shopping..
Last year I went in July and August and visit was divided ( one week in mid July, one week beginning of August) and the HEAT was almost sickning ..(to me, and I realize I likely have a low tolerance being a west coaster) .

I would also choose hotel i 8th over Pigalle.

Surprisingly,, I do not find the lines in August for most touristy sites any different then what I have found in June or early September..If one wants to avoid a buys touristy time,, then I suggest Jan and Feb...LOL

I spent 6 weeks in July/August in Paris. Got to do everything I wanted and if not than it was for the lack of money rather than for any closures - which I didn't notice.

Paris is not on the Mediterranean so unless you have an unusual heat wave (well, those do happen the odd time) you don't have to worry about unbearable heat. It may be quite nice or you could end up with 2 weeks of rain and temps under 20 C. the summer I spent in Paris I didn't have a single day I felt too hot. And I was in a budget hotel (i.e. no shower in the entire building!) with no a/c.

Thank you Pat! Do you or anyone else know of the Hotel Cervantes, Rue de Berne, 8th district. This is the one we are looking at for August. (good deal with Air Canada)
Also, any idea what kind of money we should be alotting for food? We are not looking to dine in fancy establishments. Any more tips/info you have would be great! Thanks again!

I see that the website for the Hotel Cervantes says continental breakfast is included in the room rate, so you only have 2 meals to consider for your expenses. You will find that many cafes and restaurants have set "menus" (or "formules") for the midday meal which often include a glass of wine, so taking your main meal of the day at lunchtime can save you money. For your supper you can buy something to go at a charcuterie or the food & grocery section of one of the department stores (Monoprix, Galeries Lafayette, Printemps) and have a picnic in your hotel room or in a park. The Parc de Monceau is beautiful and not too far from your hotel.

Being sensible Canadians, I know you will equip yourselves with proper maps of the city, and of bus & metro lines. Nothing more pathetic than tourists wandering around, depending on the kindness of strangers to find their way to places. In a movie I saw last year a young man in Paris took malicious glee in misdirecting a group of sweating American tourists looking for Sacré Coeur, or some such site.

I hope you fall in love with Paris.

Hi Sheryl,
I was in Paris this morning :) The last 2 summers in a row I was in Paris during August and had no problems. There were a few small shops (family owned most likely) and cafes that were closed but it wasn't a big deal really. All the attractions were open, plus tons of restaurants, cafes, shops and large store chains (ie Monoprix and Galleries Lafayette). You shouldn't have a problem. Re: hotel locations, personally I would avoid the Montmartre area. It just seems a little seedy and way too out of the way for me (I prefer to be in or near the centre where the action is--Latin Quarter/Jardins Luxembourg or Montparnasse which is just a little further away but very handy with metro connections, etc.).

Enjoy your trip to France, I'm sure enjoying mine :)

D-

PS> I just read the other replies and Pat makes a good point re: weather. Both times I went in mid-late August, it rained quite often and was pretty cool (and cold at night) so you might want to pack accordingly with 1 or 2 combinations that will allow for a random freak heatwave that happens here occasionally.

My first trip to Paris was in August 2006. Although Europe had experienced a severe heatwave in July of that year (it was miserably hot when we were in Germany), by August it had cooled off and the weather varied from warm to cool and rainy. Well cool to me anyway - I live in a hot climate. Nothing was closed that we were interested in.

As for where to stay, I agree that Monmartre is probably not the best choice. Too far from most of what you will probably want to do. Many people on this board love the Rue Cler area (7th), likely because Rick Steves touts it. I stayed there my first trip for just that reason. It is a nice area, but I found it to be too far from everything but the Eiffel Tower. Earlier this year we rented an apartment in the Latin Quarter (5th). More lively, easy to walk to many sites, easy metro access, just more to see there. The smaller the district number the closer it is to the center of Paris. I don't know the 8th, but it would be better the the 18th. How long will you be there? If you are there for more than a few days you might want to consider an apartment. It is usually less expensive than a hotel with more room. Parisian hotel rooms are very small. Have a great trip!

I agree with Andrea.

We just got back from a couple of weeks in France,and five of those nites were spent in a great little Parisan apt ($90 EU/nite) that we found just below the Maris dist. within walking distance of the Eiffel tower. Do like Rick Steves says, and stay close to the center of things.

Many of the Paris hotels will not let you eat in your room, so out goes the bottle of wine and wonderful cheeze and bread appetizers. With an apt you can wash clothes, make your own meals, pack some snacks for the day, and have a great place to stretch out after a rough day siteseeing.

Any time we "park" in an area for 5 nites or more we rent an apt. We used Homelidays.com to find this apt, and have also used Homeldays and VRBO.com to find great places in Rome, Lisbon, Sorrento, etc.

Hi Sheryl,
We're just back from a week in Paris. We stayed in an apartment we found through VRBO, mostly because we wanted to save money on food, and it saved us a lot.
We were staying in Montmartre and found that most restaurants charged about 10 euros or more for the menu of the day, which is the cheapest deal. When you add on the price of even a small carafe of wine, it really adds up. We always had some kind of sandwich with a coffee, which we bought, for our other meal.

So I think you should allow a minimum of 60 euros a day for food (for two) if you're staying in a hotel.

I have a blog at www.maggiesmagicpantry.blogspot.com
with 5 posts about Paris, if you want to look. If you like shoes, you'll love Paris!

Have a great vacation!

I really like the apartment option. We stayed in the Marais last year for two weeks in a studio apartment. It came down to less that $150 per night. It was close to the Bastille and the Metro, plus we could walk to Ille St Louis and Citie, Notre Dame, etc. Easy access to the Metro gave us the ability to easily move anywhere in the city we wished.

The cool thing about an apartment is that you can cook at home, which saves money. You can also visit the lovely outdoor markets, and buy food. It really makes you feel like a Parisian. We would eat breakfast and dinner at home, and lunch out. Sometimes lunch was a crepe or a sandwich, but sometimes it was a full meal. Eating at noon saves money, as prices are not as high.

Most of what you will want to see in the center of Paris, around Notre Dame. Staying in those more close in areas will allow you to walk to many sites and enjoy the city. My favorites are the 5th, 4th and 7th. We really enjoyed the Marais last year--very lively area with lots to see, grocery stores, the Richard Lenore market, etc.

I have to admit, Paris in August is not my very favourite time to be there, but as I would never give up a trip to Paris no matter what time of year, I would be happy to go! You just have to accept that it is a different city - hotter, dustier, more crowded with tourists and grumpier locals But it is still Paris and it has its charms Buy an ice cream; find a shady spot to sit in the Luxembourg Gardens; and enjoy the people watching As for accommodation, I would suggest looking into vacation rentals It really is the cheaper option and you really do get into the groove of the city Montmartre has some very dodgy areas (avoid Pigalle!!) but it also has some really lovely streets away from the tourist areas - I rented a flat for a couple of weeks with some friends a few years ago and it was wonderful Still, I prefer around the Luxembourg Gardens, the Marais, Trocadero, etc I have had a lot of success on Craigslist (having rented a few times) and I have also used an agency In any event, if you are in Paris for a week or more, renting a flat is the best way to do it

MOntmartre is a wonderful place to stay further up the hill closer to Sacre Coeur.... but NOT near Moulin Rouge... the whole street is XXXX stores.

We have stayed in an apt on Rue Lepic around the corner from the Moulin Rouge and loved it. As long as you stay on Rue lepic and farther north to Sacre Coeur you will be fine. My husband and I walked all over including the Pigalle district, and it was not bad at all, No one bothered us except maybe the guys playing 3 card monte, which we didn't mind. There's quite a bit of history around Montmartre and a lot to see. Just give it a chance!