Airfare Houston To Paris

airfare houston to paris
Lake County travel: Fat or necessity?
CROWN POINT | Lake County government officials and employeesdon’t just sit idly behind their desks — as illustrated by atleast $5.3 million in travel expenses racked up during the firstdecade of the 2000s.

I need advice for going to Paris for the first time.?

I found a fantastic deal on airfare to go from Houston to Paris. It’s something I would like to consider doing for my honeymoon which will be in May of this year. Does anyone have any advice, websites, or other information on where I can find a good, yet affordable hotel? I’m sure I can figure out some sight-seeing places on my own, however, suggestions are appreciated. Also, information on good restaurant’s that are decent in price. This will be first time to ever go over-sea’s. So I am very much in need of advice.
I am looking to stay about 5 nights.
Thank You!
Affordable to me is around $100/night for a hotel (less is better).
$15-20 per meal at lunch time
$30-50 per meal at dinner time
These are just ideal figures. It can vary depending on our financial situation at the time.

I was in Paris in September 2008 and found my hotel on Expedia.com. I wanted somewhere central so I stayed at the Hotel Derby Eiffel which is about $150 per night. It was small but clean and we could see the Eiffel Tower from our window. It was only a 10 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower and Invalides. There is a metro station just around the corner. If you do look for something cheaper I would recommend staying in districts 1-8 as they are more central.

The metro is very simple to take and getting from place to place doesn’t take long because it is a smaller city. All of the stations have colour coded maps usually posted on the walls of the station but you can get a printed map from most stations too. I do not speak any French and I had no problem. I have been to New York and London and found the subway system in Paris to be easier.

If you are into the whole museum scene I would recommend the Paris Museum Pass. It lets you skip the line (which can be long at some museums) and if you see 5 or more places like we did its worth it. The only place you can’t skip the line is Norte Dame Cathedral which was a long line to go up to the tower even in the slow month of September.

I loved the Rodin museum the gardens alone were fabulous. We planned it in the middle of the day so it was nice to sit in the garden and relax and look at the beautiful sculptures.

Try to go to the Louvre on a Wednesday or Friday, it’s open until 10pm on these days instead of the normal 6pm. It’s closed on Tuesdays. The Musee d’Orsay which has the more modern paintings (more recognizable names like Monet, VanGogh, Degas, etc) is open until 10pm on Thursdays and is closed on Mondays.

As for eating it’s expensive. Try eating in places away from the main tourist attractions. For lunch we ate alot of picnics. The grocery stores have lovely sandwiches but cheap delis are abundant too. And cheap wine! Take a corkscrew with you. We made the mistake of not bringing one and had to buy an expensive souviner that cost twice as much as the bottle of wine. I highly recommend taking a picnic lunch to the Jardin des Tuileries which is the garden extending west from the Louvre. There is a lovely fountain and tons of chairs around it.

We were only there two days and saw L’Orangerie (focuses on Monet’s waterlilly paintings and only worth it if you are a fan of Monet), Notre Dame Cathedral (the climb is so worth it…the gargoyles, the bell, the view…spectatular and the inside of the church has some of the most beautiful architecture and stained glass), the Musee D’Orsay (the building is an old train station and is as gorgeous as the paintings inside it, the food at the upstairs cafe isn’t bad either), Rodin Museum (The Thinker is the most famous statue but it is a lovely small museum that takes only about 2 hours to see), Les Invalides (Napoleon’s tomb and the war museum…it was a bit boring but if you are into history it would be cool), The Louvre (go with a plan because there is no way you will see everything, we just saw the map highlights and were there for about 5 hours on a Friday evening), and the Eiffel Tower (go at night, its just a ugly metal tower in the day but at night all lit up with the light show every hour on the hour its pretty).

You will have more time than us just to walk around and enjoy the city. The islands are especially lovely. You will want to take pictures of every building and bridge you see. We went to London and Paris on the same trip and thought Paris was much cleaner and friendlier. Enjoy your trip and don’t be afraid of the culture and language difference. I found the French very friendly and accomodating. Most people in Paris speak at least some English.