Travelling to France from Melbourne 2005 - some of my experiences

• see also:
  • France
  • My photos of France
  • leisure and travel index page
  • Gary Ayton's home page

Flight to Paris:

• travelled with Singapore Airlines - highly recommended!
• registered on their internet site for KrisFlyer membership (free) to enable reward points for flight - just print out membership card and laminate it to take with you.
• check in and confirmation of flight via their internet site the previous day very easy EXCEPT:
  • it gave an option to change your allocated seat which I did for my wife but internet site did not display the new seat, and worse, when I went back in to mine to change my seat to match, the site refused as "I had already checked in" - thankfully, at the airport this dilemma was easily resolved - although perhaps only easy by checking in to airport early.
  • although the site enabled linking your KrisFlyer membership number to the flight, on checking in at the airport this was not linked and thus had to be re-linked - pays to double-check everything.
• leaving Australia, one needs to fill in a customs form to declare expensive items such as laptops & cameras that you will take with you and bring back - failure to do so may mean that you have to pay duty on return to Australia as customs would assume you bought it overseas. You can download the form from the Australian Customs website and complete it before leaving - you need to give the serial numbers of the items. At customs at the airport, you will need to physically show the items and their serial numbers.
• flight from Melbourne to Singapore:
  • this is a boring flight so thankfully each passenger has their own LCD screen and headphones so can choose from a fairly wide range of current movies, audio CDs, TV programmes and interactive games.
  • but there is a limit to how much one can watch, so try to get some naps.
  • Singapore is 2 hours behind Melbourne.
• changed flights at Singapore's massive Changi airport where we had to wait some 7hours for our next flight, there are several possibilities on how to spend this time:
  • browse the multitude of "duty free" shops - but be aware they have a limited range, their prices on goods imported to Singapore such as cameras may well be more expensive than retail in your own country, may not have correct power cords or warranty options for your country. Personally I found it non-productive and disappointing as I had hoped to buy a new camera for my wife, but ended up having to pay approx. 15% more for it than I could have bought at discounted retail in Melbourne and not getting the correct power cord or able to buy accessories for it, while memory cards were similar to retail in Melbourne and almost twice the price on EBay.
  • have a massage or exercise in a gym
  • check in to a transit hotel bedroom suite for approx. $SG65 for a 6 hour block - this may be the best option
  • try to catch some sleep in the lounge chairs in between shopping, snacks and getting some walking exercise to help you sleep on the next flight.
  • if your flight arrives in early in the day, consider leaving the airport for a day tour of Singapore - no transit visa needed (but check this in case it changes) as long as you have your passport and boarding pass.
• flight from Singapore to Paris takes ~12.5hours:
  • if your flight is overnight, then you really should aim to get some sleep as soon as supper has been finished (~1 hour after take-off) - you may consider buying some melatonin tablets from the airport pharmacy to help you get to sleep and prevent jet lag.
  • it certainly is not easy to get good sleep - bring your eye mask, inflatable pillow and make sure you exercise your legs to prevent DVT.
  • I awoke with some 3-4 hours to go and found myself flying over Instanbul to my right which was easy to make out with its lights, and was really the only major city that I saw as the cabin lights come back on some 2 hours before the end of the flight when breakfast is served.
  • if you wish to see Paris from the air, ensure you get seats on the left side.
  • Paris is 6 hours behind Singapore and 8 hours behind Melbourne (AEST - not daylight saving time).
• Paris airport to Paris hotel:
  • due to renovations at Charles de Gaulle airport, the baggage collection area gets very congested, but just follow the signs to exit (Sortir) once baggage is collected and then check for signs for departure points (departure is one level below the arrivals).
  • we found the lift down to the departure area for the free shuttle bus to the RER train station where we purchased a ticket to Paris zone 1 for 8.50 Euro each (unfortunately, the ticket office was not aware of the bonus trip offered by Eurail pass)
  • validate the ticket as in Melbourne and catch the train to Gare du Nord or which-ever station you need to change trains for the Metro underground service. Coming into Gare-du-nord station was very much like coming into Nth Melbourne station in Melbourne, exactly the same ambience albeit the different language on the train.
  • Gare-du-nord station is BIG, carry your bags up and down the several stairs needed to find the Metro platforms (usually to the south) and work your way through the maze until you finally find tour train (research which train you need before going - check the internet and maps).
  • Paris prides itself on the fact that no destination in Paris is more than 500m from a Metro and the trains are frequent & reliable.

Getting to know Paris:

• Paris in summer is full of tourists - 9 million came in August 2005, and it can be over-whelming for the first time visitor, although the Parisians are generally very friendly and helpful as long as you behave nicely to them, and especially if you at least try a few French words such as bonjour, merci, au revoir. A few will take advantage of your poor French and ensure you end up paying more than you wanted to, but that's life in the big city sometimes.
• highly recommend you orientate yourself by going on the L'Open Tours buses which provide a commentary via headphones and you can choose to sit on the top, open deck where you can take photos.
• getting around Paris:
  • for the most part, the best way is on foot so you get to see more, but Paris tourist centre is BIG and you may find you walk more than 20km in a day, not to mention the many steps up and down staircases as the Arc de Triomphe and the Tours de Notre Dame. Furthermore, there is significant risk of traffic injury as you must remember to look left FIRST before crossing the road and check the pedestrian lights - although most pedestrians and cars do not always obey these!
  • the Metro:
    • fantastic underground railway system that has very frequent trains and a stop within 500m of anywhere in Ile de France.
    • consider buying a 3 day pass - tickets are validated by inserting into a machine at entrances.
    • can get very hot, stuffy and malodorous in warm weather if crowded!
    • underground stations are a bit of a maze but usually well sign-posted - just look for your line number and direction you want to go, or else look for the "Sortie" signs to exit the station. There is not one central station where all lines pass so you need to check which station has the lines you need if needing more than one train to get to your destination.
    • many stairs up & down and turnstiles are narrow so avoid large, heavy luggage if possible.
    • the TGV trains to other cities leave from a designated main station and the platform area for these are marked as "Grand Lignes" - these must usually be booked in advance - consider buying a discounted Eurail pass BEFORE entering Europe.
• eating in Paris:
  • generally expensive, the more so in the tourist areas, make sure you check how much a meal or drink will cost before going in - 2 glasses of fresh orange juice and 2 slices of apple tart set me back 48 Euro (that's about $A85!!) in one cafe near l'Opera. In general Paris itself is expensive with drinks costing 4-8 Euro and main meals start at 10-14 Euro while deserts start at 6-8 Euro.
  • just get used to paying double what you normally pay and enjoy the great quality food and usually very rapid service and drink lots of water, although this will still cost you 3-4 Euro usually so take as much water as you need for each outing.
  • note that you no longer need to tip waiters in Paris (but perhaps do in small towns) as tipping charge is now included in the bill!
  • look for the rare supermarket (eg. one on rue de Babylon) to help cut your food bills.
• monuments and museums:
  • there are many, s consider purchasing a Paris Visite 3 day pass to most of the main ones.
  • in addition to the multitude of small art museums, there are 3 main ones which you really should consider:
    • the Louvre - older art - can take photos with flash (but don't use flash except as last resort as will get poor results usually from reflections)
    • Musee d'Orsay - 19th century and impressionist era art - can take photos but no flash
    • Pompidou Centre - modern art (20th century) - can take photos
  • the Eiffel Tower - elevator to the top costs ~11 Euro and there is usually about a 30min wait in the queue to purchase ticket then another 30-45min wait in a queue in the open air for the 2nd elevator on the 2nd deck. Bring warm clothes if windy and cold! Don't bother with a tripod as too crowded at the top but you will need a small stabiliser device for night time photos.
  • the Arc de Triomphe - can climb the 280 steps or so (50m) (free if Visite card) for a good view from the top as well as a small museum. No tripods.
  • Napoleon's tomb at the Dome Church in Les Invalides where there is also a military museum.
  • the many churches - usually free entry and can usually take photos - try for ambient light photos by steadying camera against a pillar:
    • Notre Dame - optional entry to see treasury artefacts at ~2 Euro; can climb the 70m up the towers for some great pics of Paris (free with Visite card)
    • St Chapelle - great stained glass windows
    • St Sulpice
    • St Germaine-de-Pres - the oldest church in Paris - originally was in a fortified abbey outside the walls of Paris.
    • Sacre Couer in Mont Martre
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