My husband is being sent on a six week business trip to Lyon, France. I am going to be joining him for nine days, along with my parents. We are flying into Paris and spending three days there first. We have absolutely no idea what to do or where to stay etc... My dad has been in touch with a travel agent, but I was hoping someone on here might be able to point us in a direction. We would love to do at least one day of structured touring. Any recommendations or suggestions? TIA.
If anyone knows anything about Lyon, any information is appreciated. My husband will be there about two weeks before us, so he can hopefully gather some information.
Re: Paris and Lyon France
Climbing the towers of Notre Dame was a highlight of our trip.
Agreed. I've been to Paris three times and Hotel Muguet was my favorite place that I stayed at! You could also look into renting an apartment through VRBO.com since you''ll be there with a few people. The Rue Cler neighborhood is a great area of Paris to stay for a first time visitor. There are multiple metro lines within a short walking distance and you have lovely views of the Eiffel Tower from pretty much anywhere in the neighborhood. Additionally, it's filled with lots of lovely restaurants and cafes.
I've got two entries in my blog on Paris here and here.
I've also visited Lyon, which a a beautiful and often overlooked city.I have an entry from my visit to Lyon in my travel blog here. Since you'll be spending so much time in Lyon, I recommend that you take a few day-trips outside of the city. Some good choices include Annecy (blog entry here) and Le Puy-en-Velay. You could also hop on the TGV and take the train all the way down to Avignon, which only takes about an hour.
Eat at every bouchon possible!
We were in Paris & Lyon in October. Here is my blog post on it. Have a great trip!
We stayed on the left bank, too. Right on Pont Neuf. Just 2 mintues away from Rue de Buci. Loved it. As it was almost impossible to find a hotel room for 3 people that wasn't a crazy price, we rented an apartment through airbnb.com.
I'd consider getting a Paris Pass if I were you. We loved ours. Really worthwhile. We started with the hop on/hop off bus - which gave us a good overview of the city. The pass also gave us free transit everywhere. Free museum admission. Jumping to the front of the lines. Loved it. Worth every penny.
I am cheap, so my husband and I stayed at the Best Western Montparranasse. It was cheap, centrally located, and 1 block from the subway.
The highlight of our trip was the Fat Tire Bike Tour (LOVED IT! I've actually done 7 FTBTs)
Keep in mind the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. Map out the top 5 pieces you want to see, we had a really hard time finding the main 5. Also, get the Paris Museum Pass, it let's you walk right in without waiting for 1.5 hours.