First I would like to say hello to everyone here. :)

I will be going to Switzerland in a couple of weeks but I am making a stop in Paris first and then taking a train to Geneva. I will arrive in Paris around 5 pm on a Saturday and will depart Sunday morning at around 10-11. I have never been in Paris before and what I wanted to ask is what can I do in Paris on that Saturday? I am planning to get a hotel for the night and have a few hours of sleep so any suggestions would be good. I heard about a neighborhood with Greek resturants that is very lively so I might consider going there. I am going to be alone so any place where there are a lot of tourists would be good. At night I would really like to go to a nice pub or club in Paris and have a few drinks. I definetaly wanna check champs elysees as well. I would really appreciate it if you guys suggested something to me of what to do in such little time.

Thanks a lot

Hi

First, make you sure to have your arrival point in Paris and your departure point to Geneva in the same railway station.

Arriving around 5 p.m., the good case would be to go to the other railway station (if not the same one), and there, find an hotel.

Do you have many suitcases ? I you travel light weight, go and walk. You will see THE real Paris.

...neighborhood with Greek restaurants that is very lively so I might consider going there
May be you speak about place named "Quartier Saint Severin", on the left bank (south bank of the river Seine)
It's a part of "Quartier Latin", not far from "Notre Dame" cathedral.


I am going to be alone so any place where there are a lot of tourists would be good
Well, you know, in summer you will find more than 1.000.000 tourists in Paris. :lol:

Have a good time..

A+
nanar

Hey nanar thanks a lot for your reply.
On the saturday I will arrive in Paris by an airplane so therefore I will be at CDG airport. My train leaves from Paris Gare de Lyon and I am not very sure where that is.
I will have one luggage but I guess I can leave it at a hotel. So would the Latin Quarter be the best place to spend my time? I will see Notre Dame as well since it is close. Is Champs Elysees far from that?
Thank You

Well..
Airport train shuttle between CGD Airport and Paris arrives in "Gare du Nord"
Get at tourist office or buy in "Relais H" a city map (you 'll find in Airport or station).
Also lots of city maps in the streets.

From Gare du Nord, you need more or less 90 minutes walking - slow - to Quartier Latin

Lightly left hand side out of railway station, find "Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis" and go down to south.

After half an hour, there is "Porte St-Denis" (St-Denis Gate, look like Roman Arch).*
If you go straight on "Rue Saint Denis" you 'll cross over Seine river after +our- 45 minutes,
then "Ile de la Cité", again Seine river and "Quartier Latin" ("Place" and "Boulevard Saint Michel" and surroundings).

From Quartier Latin, you'll need one hour to join "Gare de Lyon" ( going to south east ).

When at "Porte Saint Denis", if you turn right (to West), you're on "Grands Boulevards" (boulevards Bonne Nouvelle, Poissonnière, Montmartre, des Italiens, Place de l'Opéra, boulevard des Capucines ...), one of the centers of Parisian Life.

At the corner of Eglise de la Madeleine (which looks like roman temple, with columns), turn left in "Rue Royale" and go down to "Place de la Concorde".

Pass on right hand side of this place and you'll see the first part of "Champs Elysées" (public gardens).
To west is "Avenue des Champs Elysée" climbing to "Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile".
From railway station to Arc de Triomphe, two hours, walking quietly.

If you decide to cross Seine river at "Place de la Concorde", you get à sight on Eiffel Tower on your right,
and over the bridge, there is "Boulevard Saint Germain" starting left to "Quartier Latin".
Also you can go back to East along the river, before crossing over the bridge ("Paris Plage" is organized on low right bank, each summer).


All these places are in touristic hearth of the city,

but dont forget to find an hôtel : there is a lot of tourists.
May be you would try to get a room reservation in tourist office at "Gare du Nord", so you will be sure.

Enjoy tour time in Paris. :cheers:

nanar

First I would like to say hello to everyone here. :)

I will be going to Switzerland in a couple of weeks but I am making a stop in Paris first and then taking a train to Geneva. I will arrive in Paris around 5 pm on a Saturday and will depart Sunday morning at around 10-11. I have never been in Paris before and what I wanted to ask is what can I do in Paris on that Saturday? I am planning to get a hotel for the night and have a few hours of sleep so any suggestions would be good. I heard about a neighborhood with Greek resturants that is very lively so I might consider going there. I am going to be alone so any place where there are a lot of tourists would be good. At night I would really like to go to a nice pub or club in Paris and have a few drinks. I definetaly wanna check champs elysees as well. I would really appreciate it if you guys suggested something to me of what to do in such little time.

Thanks a lot


Is it the district that is next to Saint Michel?
The whole area is alright if you want to go out a bit but this street with the greek restaurants (if it's the one I am thinking about) you should definitely avoid. It's a huge tourist trap, you wont see a single parisian and is overpriced.

Paris is worth visiting for a longer time than one day. If you go to la tour d'Eifel en climb up, you can see everything :)

Paris is worth visiting for a longer time than one day. If you go to la tour d'Eifel en climb up, you can see everything :)
But you may have to queue up to 2 hrs. (at least for christmas)

Nanar thanks a lot for your mini tour. I am taking these directions down.

I know that Paris needs a lot more than a day to visit and I will probably go back next summer but since Im going to be there anyways I might as well see something :).

Eklips,
A friend of mine told me about the place with Greek restaurants where its very lively and they break plates and stuff and he is not sure himself where that is because he had been there like 15 years ago.

I also have another question. Are there any dangerous areas for tourists walking alone in Paris that I should avoid?

Well it's all relative and depends a lot on what you look like, how you dress and all of this. If you go around with a baseball cap, a huge backpack, a hawain shirt, short pants and sandals lol, you'll get in trouble quickly if you leave the tourist areas.

If you are more careful, behave like the locals not so much.

Inside the city of Paris, you should be a bit carefull when walking around districts such as Riquet in the 19ème alone and at night or if you walk through a housing project.

haha nah i dont really dressed like that. I am from Albania so Im used to some ghetto neighborhoods but just wanted to know how the situation is. The problem is that I dont speak any French but only English.

I also have another question. Are there any dangerous areas for tourists walking alone in Paris that I should avoid?

Champs elysee have a bad reputation -although very crowded.
I'd advise you to beware of pickpockets, in the metro.

Nanar thanks a lot for your mini tour. I am taking these directions down.

I know that Paris needs a lot more than a day to visit and I will probably go back next summer but since Im going to be there anyways I might as well see something :).

Eklips,
A friend of mine told me about the place with Greek restaurants where its very lively and they break plates and stuff and he is not sure himself where that is because he had been there like 15 years ago.

I also have another question. Are there any dangerous areas for tourists walking alone in Paris that I should avoid?

technically you won't have a lot of problems, but be aware of pickpockets some districts are full of them, especially around the Sacre Coeur (district of Montmatre, north of Paris), don't look like a tourist as in every street in Europe lol i mean don't keep your camera around your head, don't wear a cap lol ;)
you ll find lots of 2-3-4 star hotels near gare de Lyon (this is south east of Paris) and Bercy (one station by metro line 14 from Gare de Lyon)
for a quick tour Nanar gave you good advices, and for havind a drink it depends on what you are looking for:

in the "greek" district ("Saint Michel", station Saint Michel (RER B and C, metro Line 4), you can find indeep lots of restaurants but also lots of pubs.
for a first drinks you can go to the Latin Corner, very nice, lots of girls and hot coktails. then you have the Georges a little further down Rue de la Huchette (both in this street) , the second with a club in a cellar for free. Not cheap but very animated.

moreover if you want:

- a cocktail bar: "la rhumerie", boulevard st germain, metro st Germain L4
"iguana café", rue de la roquette, metro bastille
- a pub: go to rue mouffetard (metro place Monge, L7), in the heart of student district, you ll get thousands of pubs
- a pub-club: "hide out", rue des lombards, metro chatelet (way out rue de rivoli, there is at least 10 way out lol), L1
- a club: depends on what you like (generalist: "la loco", metro blanche, L2 (this is a club just by the famous Moulin Rouge), house: the red Light (down the Tour Montparnasse, metro Montparnasse, L4,6,12,13), or the queen (champs elysees), metro Georges V L1)

and every other plans of course
if you need some help ;)

enjoy you stay

Moui, répondre fin novembre à un message daté d'août, ça semble approprié. Va peut-être falloir penser à regarder les dates avant de poster. ;) :lol:

^^

...in the "greek" district ("Saint Michel", station Saint Michel (RER B and C, metro Line 4), you can find indeep lots of restaurants but also lots of pubs...
In the heart of Paris...
I have some relatives who live in that area :)

Moui, répondre fin novembre à un message daté d'août, ça semble approprié. Va peut-être falloir penser à regarder les dates avant de poster. ;) :lol:

Haha c'est clair j'ai remarqué ça qu'après..!

Remarque comme ça s'il veut revenir il aura qq (quelques) pistes ;)