paris with baby -where to stay

hello,

my husband and i will be traveling with our one year old to germany this august. we are dying to visit paris for two nights, but have to take along our baby. in order to make this easy on all of us and an enjoyable trip, we would like to stay as central as possible. it%26#39;s not easy to travel with a child, so we are willing to pay the extra dollar to be right in the middle of things/sights. we are not interested in night life, these days are over for now. we are more interested in the must see places e.g. arc de triomphe, eiffel tour and so on.

any suggestions and tips for visiting paris with a baby are much appreciated!!!

ps. can you explore paris well with a stroller? subways/taxis...

|||

Hi -

Right in the middle of things does not mean that you%26#39;ll be within walking distance of everything because everything extends a rather long distance from one side to the other. I don%26#39;t usually pay attention to things like bus route numbers when I travel, so I%26#39;m not the person to tell you, but I will say that you%26#39;ll probably do better taking the bus around the city than the Metro given the number of stairs in most of the stations, and the lack of elevators or escalators operating in most of those same stations.

Most of the posters here suggest that you should stay in one of the single digit arrondissements - postal codes xxx01 through about xxx07, with the Marais and Latin Quarter receiving a lot of votes. All of these suggestions will place you right in the middle of things, with a broad range of prices.

If you go to www.venere.com you can see what is available for your dates. You%26#39;ll have to make up your mind quickly, or all the best places will be booked out. Bear in mind that the star ratings of hotels do not indicate cleanliness or safety. Those are considered to be a given, and indeed the only place I%26#39;ve ever had a dirty hotel room was in a very famous and expensive hotel in NYC, never in any hotel in Europe. The stars are an indication of amenities - elevators, bars, dining rooms, room service, gyms, swimming pools, etc. The more extras, the more stars the hotel will have. I usually stay in a 2 star hotel, but with the baby, a 3 star might suit you better.

You%26#39;ll need a good map of the city. I like StreetWise Paris and the Knopf City Guide series. Many people who go to Paris often prefer the Paris par Arrondissement, which you can obtain from www.amazon.com for about $40 US (I just checked). I%26#39;m quite sure it is cheaper in Paris, but it would be very useful to have it in advance for planning purposes, and you wouldn%26#39;t waste any of your short time in Paris trying to find it. The red imitation leather version is the latest available, I think - November, 2008.

Bonne chance et bon voyage.

|||

Hi, again,

I meant to say that you should order a dictionary and a phrase book if you%26#39;re less than fluent in French - Amazon wold be a good source for those as well/BCT

|||

I got my Paris par arrondissements # 57 (latest edition) with the spiral back, as it can be folded in a pocket or bag for $ 19.95 in Vancouver!! cheaper at Amazon.ca

|||

yvtravels, you may want to consider an %26quot;aparthotel%26quot;. They are hotel rooms with kitchenettes that have all the basic stuff like a microwave oven, stove, fridge, etc. that might make life a bit easier while traveling with a 12 month old child. The Citadines Saint-Germain des Prés is directly in the center of Paris and directly on the river Seine:

citadines.com/en/…saint_germain_des_pres.html

We%26#39;ve stayed in nearly every Citadines in Paris and find them very convenient and practical.