Paris on Foot

"We will be in Paris for one week and do not want to rent a car. Is this possible?" Paris is a wonderful city and the last place you would need or want to rent a car. No one, here, rents a car in Paris (or if they did they won't admit it). In Paris you'll walk, take the Metro, take the RER (local train), or take buses. Lots of walking. Entire books have been written about walking in Paris.

Do you have Rick Steves' Paris guide book yet? If so, good.
If not, get it as it has lots of information that will help in answering some of your questions. I have used it several times when visiting Paris. I would never rent a car in any big European city and I go to Europe every summer.

The only thing to do with a car in Paris is park it. That'll stiff you about twenty-five euros per day.

Soooo......First trip, huh? Lesson #1; There is not a large city anywhere in Europe where you want to rent a car other than for the express purpose of leaving the city. Lesson #2; Virtually every large city in Europe has a good mass transit system that almost everyone uses, locals and tourists alike. They are well designed to be easy to understand. Lesson #3; Paris has the "Metro" and it is one of the best. Paris is very walkable. The most central area is near Notre Dame, but that will put the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Sacre Coeur out of most people's walking range. Fortunately they are easy trips on the Metro. If you are one of those people who swears they will never use mass transit, you might be wise to go to Vegas instead.

i was in paris for 2 weeks in october, rented an apartment in the marais (4th arondissement) and walked almost everywhere. the louvre is about 1 1/2 miles, straight up rue de rivoli. the orsay is across the river from that. notre dame is very close. lots of bridges to walk over to across the siene. paris is a walker's paradise.

My son has lived in Paris since 2001 and does not have his own car and does all his travel using the metro,buses,RER,walking and occasional taxi cabs when the metro is closed or on strike. If only Los Angeles had as good a transportation system like Paris.

Paris- Marais or Opera /Rue Rivoli areas are most convenient for seeing the tourist sights. can conveniently walk to most of the high spots (including Arc de triomph in one direction and Notre dame in the other), eiffel Tower and sacre Couer more convenient to take the Metro, although we have walked to SC- a little tough as some of it is uphill. Islands are also greta- on my wish list. Do not rent a car- nowhere to park except on the sidewalk

Please read "Europe Through The Back Door" for the basic 'how-tos' of traveling in Europe. All of you. You won't regret it... If you actually considered renting a car to get around Paris, then Paris is going to blow your mind - in a FANTASTIC way!!!

Eileen's comment may be misunderstood- I am sure she did not recommend renting a car in Paris

Even a taxi ride in Paris can be a scary event.

I've stayed in the St. Germaine area and the Latin Quarter. Both are excellent places to stay -- within walking distance of most of the highlights, if you don't mind walking a mile or two. The only place we didn't walk to was Montmartre.

Rainie, You do not...I repeat DO NOT...want to drive a car in Paris. My first trip there I arrived by car and intended to drop our bags at our hotel and then turn the car in. What a nightmare. I have been driving in large cities since I was 16 (including S.F. right after getting my drivers license). I had spent 2 1/2 weeks driving in Europe before arriving in Paris. Nothing could have prepared me for the driving experience I had! It was 4 1/2 years ago and I remember it like yesterday!! I think you should look for an apartment in the 4th, 5th or 6th arrondisments. Those are all areas that are central for walking. The closer to the river you are, the more central you are. I use vrbo.com for rentals. I agree that you and your traveling companions need to read Europe Through The Back Door. In addition, we have monthly travel meetings in Sacramento for people who use this helpline and you are more than welcome to join us. We are all experienced travelers and can try to answer any questions you may have. We meet the 3rd Saturday of the month. If you like more information please feel free to PM me.

If this is your first trip, I think you'd be happier in a hotel. It would give you all more time to enjoy the city. Look in the 4th, 5th, or 6th arrondissements.

My wife and I are planning our first trip to Paris for April 2011. (Just around the corner!) We can't wait. We also love to walk and I found a cool website, Hopstop.com. You can pull up Paris and starting and ending points on a map and it gives you directions / distances / time for a variety of transportation methods including walking. I'm a real detailed planner and I liked this info because it helps me organize each day into "do-able" segments of the city.

The Metro (and any subway system) is good if you know exactly where you are going. You definitely should try it to get a feel for the experience. But on a first trip, I recommend trying to use the buses whenever you can. They are slower and you may be a bit more complicated to figure out, but you get to see this wonderful, strange city block by block. Well worth it. Get a week's pass. That will take the hassle out of trying to have the right fare. It, too, is worth the cost. (It works on any public transportation, I believe.) I think you need to have a few extra passport sized photos to buy such a pass, but it has been a few years since I last bought one so hopefully someone else with more recent info will chime in. You didn't ask, but the best book I've found for getting around Paris is the Paris Mapguide by Michael Middleditch. It hasn't been updated since 2002, but I thought it was the easiest to use of the different guides I've used. There is a similar one for London. I wish there were more for other cities.

Thanks Everyone, I will not, repeat will not, be renting a car in Paris. Thank you Mark for the website, Hopstop.com. Seems like a good way to group my sightseeing and planning my days. Thanks again, Rainie

Rainie, Another way I like to get around Paris is on the Batobus. It is a boat bus that has stops on both sides of the river at all the major places (Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Louvre, etc.). Getting a multi-day pass is only slightly higher that getting a one day pass. I don't know if you saw my post about our monthly meeting next Saturday. The information is under General Europe.

Don't rent a car in any of the cities you mentioned. As some one pointed out. The only reason to rent a car is to go out into the countryside.