May trip: Please tell me about Paris and the Montmartre area...

The Montmartre area is very interesting but is super touristy. It’s absolutely packed with visitors, especially on weekends…think Bourbon Street or Times Square.

I always stay in the much more residential 7th arrondissement on my annual visits to Paris.

That being said, Paris is a relatively compact and walkable city so if you have any mobility at all you can easily walk to all of the other areas.

Since Macron won the no-confidence vote his pension reforms will go through. This will only incite more rioting and strikes. Having lived through a few garbage strikes in NYC I can tell you that this is the worst aspect of the troubles in Paris. The streets will absolutely reek, especially as the weather gets warmer. I am so concerned about this that I haven’t made my usual plans to visit Paris yet…I’m waiting to see how this all unfolds.

Crime in Paris isn’t as bad as many other European cities (Barcelona, Naples, etc.)…just keep your wits and watch out from scams.

I’ll be happy to answer any other specific questions you may have.

Good luck!
Alan
N.J.

 

Yes wait to see how the strikes and trash situation pan out.

I lived ten years in Paris and would not stay in Montmartre; you might as well watch that stupid show Emily in Paris, like the show it is too kitschy, touristy a neighborhood. It is also particularly hard to handle with cars, very narrow streets, no parking. I would stay in the 1st, 7h, or 8th arrondissements.

From the airport take the Air France pulman bus service; fixed fee, very comfortable ride to a choice of two or three destinations in Paris from where you can take a taxi or public transport for the much shorter ride to your hotel. The buses know how to work the traffic whereas taxis, ubers don't care how much time your journey takes, to the contrary, they might milk you via a longer itinerary and are usually grumpy. Of course a chauffeur driven car is the best way if you really want to ease your arrival. You can pre book that.
May is a great time to visit Europe with spring in bloom and no summer crowds.

You could see Versailles just 30kms away and the Loire valley castles a couple of hours south. Lots to do!

 

We're also doing a Tauck river cruise in Paris this summer, I'm hoping that between the boat and the tour company we won't have any issues with the strikes. Also a good chance it all gets resolved by then.

 

This doesn't look good. The protestors are blocking the airport. Sure hope it doesn't last too long.
https://airlive.net/breaking-access-to-terminal-1-at-paris-cdg-airport-is-blocked-by-protesters/

 

It'll be bad for a week or two then the commies will have their easter holiday and calm down...

The Charles de Gaulle airport terminal 1 thing this morning did not last long they knew that wasn't going to be tolerated.

 

Riots and anarchy are intensifying in Paris: Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

...and it's all over now. At least for the time being, that is, until something else starts a new one.
Even during the protests, one only has to apply some good old common sense and avoid the protest's itinerary. The whole city is never rioting, and you can actually live your day to day life in the city without any trouble during the protests.
Been doing this for the last 40 years or so, so I know. Biggest inconvenience is the consequences on transportation.
There are four "bank holidays" this year in May, so large possibilities for everyone to enjoy extended vacations: four weeks each needing only four official days of liberty each to make a full week, instead of five; nobody will strike in May.

Rgds

 

I don't know France but I have a hard time thinking of any real car person going there and not going to the National Automobile Museum, the old Schlumph collection. It is halfway across the country but it is not a large country.

A Facel Vega with some bags in the back would certainly be the way to do the French countryside.

 

Rioting in France, and Paris in particular, escalated yesterday (May Day).

My plans to visit Paris this year are still on hold.

Alan
N.J.

 

We're still planning on going this summer, hope things calm down by then. Funny thing is we were going to go to Peru this year, but canceled that because of all the unrest there at the time.

 

See my post above: don't pay any attention to these reports, which are only trying to get attention from the spectacular. There is no "rioting", only some hooligans and punks using the gathering to break everything. Nothing "escalated yesterday", unless, being a fool, you went straight trough the gatherings. Been living and working in Paris since 1986; I have NEVER felt unsecure from the strikes; avoid their ittineray, and you're good. NEVER been prevented from going to the office, etc...the ONLY trouble is the impact on transportation. The country is far away from being on the verge of a civil war!

Again, repeating myself: as a parisian, I would advise to avoid August; August is empty of all Parisians, the cure of this city, so it is marvelous, but...most of the nice restaurants, etc...are closed. And the weather might be hard. May and September are best.

Rgds

 

Brian,

The Schlumpf collection is actually in Mulhouse (I suppose you know that...), so much closer to Switzerland should you plan your trip with this in mind: your airport of choice would be Bâle/Mulhouse. From Alsace, a trip to the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart would not be "that far" either. Should you be "tourism minded", I would then go North and simply visit Alsace, which is great, stopping in Colmar, Ribeauvillé, Kaysersberg, of cours Strasbourg, and Sélestat. Beware, my Grandmother used to say "visiting Alsace is great, except that you take one pound every day" (= the food is extraordinary).
Alternatively: Mulhouse is actually not that far from the North of Italy: only Switzerland to cross; I would say 375 miles from Bologna.

You're right in that nothing is "far away from Paris" in France: four hours maximum by train, although, should you want to go "deep in the woods", some places which are not that far in actual distance might actually be "a bit more away" in time; but you know that in the States' also.

Rgds

 

See my posts above: everything is CALM. Don't let these flashy reports get you believe that the country is on the verge of a civil war. I have not even cancelled one of my lunches. Avoid the manifestations' itineray and your good and SAFE.
The provisos in my previous post are still valid: as an very recent parisian (only for the last 37 years) my advice would be to avoid the summer: Paris is free of its greatets curse, the Parisians, in August, so it might seem marvelous, BUT most nice places are closed also. May is definitively the best period of the year, followed closely by September.

Rgds

 

We're going the end of June. I'm mostly concerned about transportation. I really don't want to be stuck at the airport after an overnight flight waiting hours for a car to get to our hotel.

 

You very probably would not, unless you arrive precisely on the day of a strike, and the strike involves a transportation strike, etc...but I don't believe so: not a the end of June, the strikers will be preparing their own vacations...

Rgds

 

Juan:

I’d love to hear about your experience in Malta…I’ll be heading there in a few months.

Thanks in advance,
Alan
N.J.

 

Just got back from our trip and we had a blast. Did a couple days in Paris followed by a river cruise down the Seine and back. On the last couple days of the trip, US news made it sound like civil war was happening in France, but we didn't notice a thing. The city was beautiful and very clean. The people were all very friendly and helpful. Not what I was expecting at all. The only real issue was that the Tourist sites were packed with people. Fortunately we got to go to the Louvre and Monet's gardens before they opened so they were empty, but Versailles and the other art museum we visited were wall to wall people.

If you're thinking of going, don't let CNN scare you, its a wonderful place to visit.

 

See my posts above; for the sake of me, I just can't understand why the foreign medias are always so intent on describing a civil war in France; yes the end of June / early July riots were bad, but mostly in the suburbs, so keep your wits about it and stay put.
And yes, always packed with tourists at this period of the year; May is really the best, followed by September; then the 2nd and 3rd weeks of August, when Paris is empty of all Parisians, BUT it can be hot, and most restaurants are closed.

Rgds