In the city or outskirts?

Thanks in advance for your help.

We (4 seniors) will be driving to Paris from Zurich and staying 3 nights. Then will be leaving and driving to Verdun. This is our first trip to Paris. I know I don%26#39;t want to be driving around in Paris, but I have no problems driving in/out of large cities.

Our question is: Should we drive directly into the city center area, such as the Latin Quarter, park the car at the hotel and then use public transportation -or- find a nice hotel just outside Paris proper in a city near a rail station and use the rail to go in/out of the city each day?

Cap%26#39;n C

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My opinion is that you should find a hotel in centre Paris that has parking facilities and stay there, or else leave your car at some sort of parking place in the outskirts and take public transport or even a taxi to a hotel within Paris.

After you%26#39;ve been sightseeing and exploring Paris, getting back to a hotel in the outskirts may be tiring and/or expensive.

Here%26#39;s a similar recent thread about this very issue:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k25451…

Have a great trip!

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Thanks pmmcTO, I just read the thread you suggested. It added another option of finding a place, maybe a train stop or (?)to drop the car, stay in the city and then come back to it when we are ready to leave.

I don%26#39;t care about the $$ difference one way or the other.

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Yes Cap%26#39;n, that%26#39;s what I meant by leaving your car at a parking facility in the outskirts and taking a cab to a hotel in the centre of Paris - sorry I wasn%26#39;t clear. I meant that you should just leave the car in the outskirts for the three nights you will be in Paris, but actually stay %26quot;where the action is%26quot;. The Latin Quarter, or St. Germain des Pres are good choices. Also many people on this forum recommend staying on Ile St. Louis for it%26#39;s proximity to the sites and nice surroundings.

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If you are not counting pennies, it is most convenient to park near your hotel. There are public lots everywhere. That way you would not have to worry about schlepping luggage on the public transport system and you would nut have to spend the time getting from a to b.

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My recommendation would be to find a hotel at a %26quot;Porte%26quot; = gate of Paris, along the ring road (péripphérique) you have so many hotels all around the city, choose one in the east of Paris like porte de Bercy/ Poirte de Montreuil/ Porte Dorée and then leave your car there, and take the métro inside the city. There is nowhere to park in the city, and driving inside the city is a nightmare. Then you just leave the périphérique at the designed Porte, to your hotel. So short drive.

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Be sure that where ever you stay is on the Metro system. One year I stayed with my 15 year old son in Vaux-sur-Seine, about a 25 minute train ride northwest of Paris. We stayed in a beautiful pensionne and everything about it was wonderful EXCEPT taking the train morning and evening. We were tied to the train schedule which prohibited us from doing some desired evening activities.

Paris is small and whether you are in the center of the city or at the edge of the city, but on the Metro line, may not matter.

However: you say you are seniors. You will do more walking--possibly than you have ever done. I walk about 10 miles per day when I am in Paris. Therefore, having one less Metro station to walk up and down stairs, etc. can make a difference in your day. Being centrally located also allows you to return to your room during the day to rest up before dinner, etc. It would certainly add to your convenience.

I suggest leaving your car someone for the time period you are in Paris--either inside the city or outside the city depending on whether cost or convenience is more important to you.

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