Hello! I would like to share a report for my trip to France - I just got back 2 days ago. This is my 2nd trip to Paris. I will be honest that we were initially worried about safety, but on arrival we were so glad that we went. There were security changes in Paris: bag checks everywhere, metal detectors at larger sites, and military presence visible in train stations, airport, and Versailles. However, we felt very safe everywhere that we went; we were grateful for the extra precautions and no one else seemed to mind, either. People were kind, helpful, and welcoming.
Flight: Flew Icelandair for the first time - saved an estimated $1300 overall! Tips: (1) Drinks but not food items are included, you have to bring your own food or pay for it separately - which was fine for us. (2) Watch your layover time - We had a 1 hour layover in Iceland, and thought that should be fine, however it turned out to be barely enough because you have to get your passport stamped before continuing on and there are no clear directions about this step. Flight departures also seemed very unorganized - almost missed our flight to Paris because they had another flight to Germany lined up in the common stairwell (no joke!) blocking the way to our gate. We had to be a bit loud and pushy, I am afraid, and literally had to push our way down the stairs to make our flight. (3) Icelandair flies in and out of Terminal 1 in a small, quiet part of CDG airport, which is nice, I think, with a Brioche Doree for sandwiches and 2 souvenir shops in the gate area. Overall, I would fly Icelandair again now that I understand the transfer process at the Iceland airport.
Day 1: Our flight landed in Paris in the early afternoon, we decided to take the RER to Gare du Nord and then taxi to our hotel. In hindsight, we wish that we had not. The RER train was fine, but when we went to a Gare du Nord designated "Taxi" stand, a man quickly started hustling us into a taxi (not the driver), putting our bags in the car, and then started to shout "Tip tip tip!" He was actually shouting this at us while we were trying to tell the driver where to go. I finally had to tell the man that I had no small change and he gave up, but it was innerving. Then, we quickly realized that our taxi driver was new to Paris, I actually had to type the hotel address into Google for him, he then circled the address at least twice (I kept trying to tell him but my French was just not good enough). He finally pulled over, got out, and asked someone in a different hotel where to go. Then, to our great relief, we finally arrived at our hotel. We were all a little shaken. I will add, however, that we took 2 taxis elsewhere in Paris after this without any problems - I only share this to say maybe be careful around Gare du Nord.
However, all was forgotten once we arrived at our hotel! We stayed in Hotel Chopin inside Passage Jouffroy in the 9th Ar. The glass-covered passage is a delight - there are several book shops including 1 for children's books, a toy shop, a home goods shop, and a wonderful tea and cake shop (Le Valentin). Our hotel was great - we had a beautiful and extremely clean room on the 3rd floor. We were warmly welcomed at the hotel, dropped our things off, and then promptly went to an early dinner at the historic Bouillon Chartier right around the corner. The food is just ok, but the service was wonderful and the setting was lovely, and you don't need a reservation (they don't take them). We then strolled through our passage (Jouffroy) as well as the adjacent Passage Verdeau. Passage Verdeau has some beautiful art galleries and an adorable embroidery/cross-stitch shop. We finished our first evening with coffee and a delicious chocolate mousse and orange cake at Le Valentin.