Driving to the Louvre... parking??

Thank you everyone!!
We do not have to park in this particular spot;it is just our starting point for the day, so seemed convienent.
The link to the garage ( thank you!) is the one I had seen previously. Hoepfully someone here has some experience with this particular spot.
Anyone have another parking suggestion for a day in Paris?
Our plans for the day are pretty bare bones. There are 3 things we want to see in the Louvre and we have mapped those out already ( thankfully all are close together).
After the Louvre we plan on seeing Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. Pretty cut and dried. If we have time and get to anything else great if not we are happy!

So if anyone has another parking suggestion that would be great!

Michelle,please reassure us that you are not planning to drive and park at Notre Dame & the Eiffel Tower.

LOL! This is why I posted this question. One to see if driving in and parking was possible ( one can dream) and if it was where to accomplish such a feat. We live near DC and have the feeling driving into Paris would be the same as driving into DC for the day. NOT ADVISED!! So I am off to scope out towns close by with RER service to the metro and we will go that route. Thank you everyone for your advice it is greatly apreciated.

Michelle, look up the word "banlieue" and you'll see why we question your plan to stay on the outskirts of Paris.

And although driving in most of France could not be easier, Paris is a huge exception. It's truly one of the worst cities in Europe to drive through.

So most hotels will have parking for the duration of our stay ( 2 nights). Thank you again everyone. I feel a liitle more grounded :-)

Are you still planning on arriving in Paris without hotel reservations? Saw your post on the other board.

I'm sure the more experienced Paris travellers will have some suggestions for you.

According to the Louvre's website there is underground parking open from 7 am to 11 pm. I could not find any price or details on how busy it is, though.

I absolutely cannot imagine "driving" into downtown Paris to see the Louvre!!! Take the metro.

Michelle,

I agree with the previous post about driving in Paris - the Metro would be a far better choice!

Just curious, were you planning to visit all three wings of the Louvre on one day? The place is huge, so plan your touring well!

Happy travels!

Yes no reservations
Yes need car before and after trip (2 days) to Paris
Have considered leaving it in Germany and taking the TVG in but we really want to drive through the French country side and stay at least one night.

August. I posted a lenghtly question about this in the other section ( the west).

I KNOW we will not have reservations. The question is is it just crazy to even consider making the trek into Paris and trying to get a room at that time of year?

Okay, I read your other post, now I see the unusual nature of your trip. No, it's not crazy. It just sounds odd, until the unusual nature of your trip is understood. Paris is a big place, thousands of hotel rooms in the larger metro area, you should be able to find one of them. However, once you get to Germany, you can get on the internet and reserve a hotel, that would simplify life for you. You probably want to look for a hotel with easy access to the autoroute system and intended specifically for travelers with cars driving in from out of town. It would be a big plus if that hotel were located near an RER station connecting to the Metro and tourist city center. But if not, well, maybe you will be driving into the city center each day. That, too, is possible, but expect it to be even more challenging than driving into Wash DC--then you'll have the proper mindset for driving into the Paris city center and finding parking. Paris is worth even this.

I agree with driving through the French countryside. Even driving on the autobahn through France was beautiful.

However, driving/parking in DC is in *NO WAY* similar to driving/parking in downtown Paris. I've driven in both cities. You could easily waste several hours of your day trying to drive into the city, find a parking space and driving out again.

Your whole Paris experience will be much more enjoyable (especially to the driver and navigator) if you just park on the outskirts and ride in on public transportation.

THANK YOU ~ that information is extremely helpful! Looks like we will drive in ( calling ahead) and find a room close to an RER or metro station. I would love to stay in Rue Cler (sp) but we will have to see once we are on the ground. Thank you again

Also thank you for condensing my two seperate posts into one!

A couple of suggestions. Because you're flying into Ramstein, you could check with the USO or MWR (I forget which agency helps with leisure travel OCONUS) office. If I remember correctly, there's an office in the terminal. I know they help book tours, but you could also see if they assist for finding a room. If they can't help, there's got to be a travel agency somewhere on the airbase. If all else fails, you could visit a TI when you get to France to help you find a room.

Hmm, maybe I should have posted this response on your other thread...

Thank you. I have been in contact with the RTT office in Ramstein and they have advised me of the same. Just come to them and try to book a room once we are there.

Michelle,

I'm getting into the discussion a bit late, but just read your other post regarding your somewhat "unscheduled" flights.

Given the time of year you'll be travelling, it could be challenging to find a vacancy in Paris at that time of year. One method that might work would be to pack a list of 8-10 lodging choices, ranked from most preferred to least preferred. When you have a more definite idea of your dates, you could call each place until you find one with a vacancy. Of course, that assumes you'll have a Cell Phone available. You'll probably also have to be a bit flexible with the price and allow for that in your travel budget.

It's not perfect, but the best suggestion I can think of at the moment.

In order to avoid driving into Paris, you might try to find a small town near Versailles (or somewhere else convenient to a rail line) to park your rental car, and then just take the RER?

Happy travels!

Thank you for the suggestion!

I saw your other post. We fly standby, so we're never quite sure of when we'll get to our destination, either. But I still make reservations for hotels anyway. Check with different places and see what their policy is on cancellations and if you can cancel/reschedule in time without having to pay for a night you're not there. You may not find any that will work for you, but it may be worth a look.

Thanks!

Try the RTT tour folks at Ramstein; they can be helpful, are often cheaper than driving w/out gas coupons, and MIGHT be flexible about your dates.

http://www.rtttravel.com/tours/enjoy/FR-parisextra-on.htm

Whoops, I saw you have already been in touch. Another thing is that the Embassy has a list of temporary places, although August is usually a busy time. Try the CLO there.

Thank so much everyone!

Hello Michelle (and all the yet to come Paris driver), how was your Paris trip? I am writing to you from the Comfort Hotel Gennevilliers, 18 Gallieni.
I have been driving in and thru Paris for the last six days and I have to tell you that it is somewhat taxing (more so then it was in 2006). The roundabout of the Arc de Triumph is the worst (crossed it 4 times), the cars in front of you (most likely the ones behind you also, I never checked, looked back just stayed focused to the front) pointing and driving into every possible direction. The good part, all of the Paris drivers are in the same situation and most of them are, I have to admit more courteous drivers then in other major European cities (I have driven many of them, Berlin, Frankfurt, Rome, Firenze, Budapest, ect). Our brand new Peugeot 407, (Sodexa buyback purchase) does not have a scratch yet. It is doable, but if one is fainthearted (see Knoxville Tim) one should us public transportation.
We will depart Paris tomorrow for Bad Nauheim, Germany and I know that I will have to be just as alert driving the European open roads as I was in Paris. They are more dangerous then Paris, because they are much faster and a coming together with another Automobile would be more disastrous then in Paris.

Happy travels!!